The $250,000 grant is aimed at making the National Resource Conservation Service an employer of choice for a diverse population of CAES graduates, especially Black students. The resource service is a USDA agency that gives financial and technical help to the nation’s farmers and ranchers for voluntary conservation practices. 

The principal investigator on this project is Gregory Goins, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design. 

“There are jobs out there,” Goins said. “If you had a degree, they would hire you right now for soil and water conservation jobs.” 

The bulk of the grant funding will go toward scholarships to recruit students interested in earning a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering through CAES. The first new scholarships were awarded this fall. 

The new grant also includes funding for paid summer internships with the NRCS, financial help for students who want to attend conferences and workshops, and support for other events, training and activities aimed at making A&T students competitive for permanent NRCS jobs. 

Because of this program, biological engineering graduates “will know the agency in and out and be ready to hit the ground running dealing with soil and water conservation,” Goins said. 

The grant funding also will help CAES prepare undergraduate and graduate students for public service leadership roles in agriculture. 

“We have a history,” Goins said. “They know A&T is a very fertile ground to have students ready on Day 1 to take jobs with the NRCS, particularly our biological engineers.”