CAUSES In Action | July 2020
Dean's Note
Dear Friend of CAUSES, 

I am grateful for the continued opportunity to be a part of the ever-changing landscape of the academy. Over the past few months, we have banded together to bring you a cadre of innovative learning and engagement opportunities, all centered within the virtual environment. We've had over 1,000 participants register for online land-grant programs in the past month alone. We aim to bring the highest quality education and training programs right into your home, to your mobile device, and ultimately, into your approach to life and living. 

This month's newsletter aims to increase your awareness of initiatives and activities offered throughout CAUSES to help you adjust to the ever-changing landscape of your world and the world around you. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we have enjoyed delivering it to your inbox! Until next month, please stay safe and be well.

Kind regards,

Dwane Jones, Ph.D., ACC (Associate Certified Coach)
Acting Dean of CAUSES and Director of Land-Grant Programs
Announcements
Find Your Possible: CAUSES Land-Grant Learnings Go Virtual...
In response to the pandemic and remote measures put in place in most regions, CAUSES continued efforts to administer virtual summer courses and remote certificate programs that effectively serve the community, academically and professionally.

Take your career or skill to the next level and learn best industry practices, leverage educational opportunities, or even engage your leisure hours with a cooking course. Registration is filling up quickly. Sign up now!

NEW UDC Needs Assessment Survey!
UDC is collaborating with land-grant colleges across the Northeast U.S. to gather insightful information regarding your experiences and thoughts about urban agriculture. Please fill out this survey to help us understand what urban agriculture looks like to you and how we can better serve urban farmers!

The survey should take less than 30 minutes to complete. It is open to all individuals who are at least 18 years old and grow food plants or engage in other agriculture practices in urban areas in the Northeast U.S.

NEW UDC Graduate Tuition Scholarship: $20,000.00
The University of the District of Columbia is NOW accepting applications for the Graduate Tuition Scholarship for new applicants for the Professional Science Master’s ( PSM) Degree tracks for Fall 2021. PSM is an innovative, terminal degree that prepares graduates for science careers in business, government, or nonprofit organizations.

Our PSM programs are strategically designed to prepare students in advanced and marketable arenas in the competitive, professional world of  Urban Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Water Resources Management.

CAUSES NEWS
UDC Urban Food Model featured in the Rockefeller Foundation's latest publication
This vision for Washington, DC pictures a future where food truly connects everything – from neighborhoods and the economy to technology and nature. Food Connects 2050 centers around Urban Food Hubs in various communities that minimize waste, maximize energy efficiency, contribute to urban resilience, and improve urban residents' quality of life.

Each hub produces food through bio-intensive methods, hydroponics, and aquaponics. Food is prepared in nutrition education kitchens and distributed through farmers markets, CSAs, and restaurants. Urban Food Hubs close the entire loop by composting, water harvesting, and other measures to minimize food waste.

Kudos to Thomas Wheet for his recent endeavor as S.A.R.E 2021 Fellow!
Join us as we congratulate and celebrate CAUSES very own Thomas Wheet, Research and Logistics Coordinator for Urban Agriculture & Entrepreneurship, for his recent acceptance into the 2021 S.A.R.E Fellows Program. Mr. Wheet was also selected to represent the Northeast Region in next year's class of Fellows!

Thomas's unique professional background (controlled environment agriculture, urban agriculture, and food deserts),
along with his desire to learn about other systems to support his work in the CAUSES network, are valuable additions to the program.
P.R. Harris Food Hub serves as a valuable resource for the D.C. community
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the P.R. Harris Food Hub has continued to be a resource for information and food to the D.C. community. Besides providing local non-profits with sustainably grown produce, the research facility has transitioned all community engagement opportunities to an online format that allows for tours, classes, and presentations to continue while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Thomas Wheet, lead researcher and farm manager at the P.R. Harris Food Hub, conducts virtual presentations with students in D.C.’s Summer Youth Employment Program, working with the Rock Creek Conservancy about D.C.'s food system.
Upcoming Events & Workshops
2020 National Capital Region Water Resources Virtual Symposium
The American Water Resources Association‘s ( AWRA) 8th National Capital Region ( NCR) Water Resources Virtual Symposium will be held Friday, October 9, 2020. This one-day symposium brings together experts from governmental agencies, academia, the private sector, and non-profits to present and discuss innovations in water research, technology, policy, and management to respect and reflect the value of water in the National Capital Region, as well as nationally and internationally.

The symposium is a great opportunity to meet other water resources professionals across the region!

Save The Date: CAUSES Professional Development Virtual Event
All CAUSES faculty and staff should plan now to participate in a one-day Professional Development virtual event on August 19, 2020, from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm.

CAUSES will send up-to-date event logistics in the next coming days. Mark your calendars! We look forward to seeing everyone. Stay tuned!
Trending Topics
10 Strategies to Combat Stress
The Department of Health, Nursing, and Nutrition has provided helpful tips and insights for you to help cope with the stressors resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are some strategies to help you during this difficult time.
Framing Material for Raised Beds or Garden Boxes
Did you know framed raised beds, or garden boxes, are great solutions for growing food in an urban setting? A raised bed can be built to extend into ground soil or sit on top of impervious surfaces and contaminated soil, allowing you to transform any space into a productive one.

Learn more about the pros and cons of some common building materials of today.
Harvesting and Cooking Sweet Potato Greens
Sweet potatoes are more than just tubers – the greens are edible, nutritious, and delicious. Did you know leaves are high in vitamin B, beta carotene, iron, calcium, zinc, and protein? Plant sweet potatoes as you usually would for tuber production and include leaf harvests.

Learn more about techniques on how to plant this high in nutrient produce properly.
Easy and Healthy Recipes with Lambsquarters
Lambsquarters is an edible and highly nutritious common annual weed closely related to quinoa. The plant embodies a high level of vitamin A (11,600 IU per 100 grams of leaves), which is higher than in spinach, and about 2.5x more than in kale. It is rich in other vitamins, minerals (particularly calcium), protein, and fiber.

Take note of how Lambquarters can serve as a nutritious meal option here.
Easy and Healthy Recipes with Malabar Spinach
Malabar spinach (also known as Indian spinach, Ceylon spinach, buffalo spinach, vine spinach, and climbing spinach) is a perennial native of tropical Asia, widely consumed in Asia and Africa. Did you know it has over 3 times more vitamin C than spinach and over 1.5 times more vitamin A than kale?

Learn how you can easily grow Malabar spinach as an annual in summer months as it does very well in hot weather.

MEET CAUSES
Welcome to the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences ( CAUSES ) of the University of the District of Columbia ( UDC ). UDC is the only urban, land-grant university in the nation. CAUSES was formed, in 2010, as the university’s land-grant college.

We engage in applied teaching and research that helps to improve the quality of life and economic opportunity for residents of the District of Columbia and others around the world, through traditional academic degrees, and through non-degree, non-credit bearing, skills-building programs, such as green infrastructure and urban agriculture.

CAUSES is unique in its organizational structure and its mission: an interdisciplinary college, where academic programs, such as architecture, urban sustainability, health education, nutrition and dietetics, and nursing, train a forward-thinking generation of professionals who will ensure that the world has “ Healthy Cities–Healthy People .” The college houses the only doctoral-level program in the nation that focuses on urban leadership and entrepreneurship.
Connect with Us!

About the University of the District of Columbia
An HBCU, urban land-grant, and the only public university in the nation's capital, The University of the District of Columbia is committed to a broad mission of education, research and community service. Established by abolitionist Myrtilla Miner in 1851, the University of DC offers Associate's, Bachelor's and Master's Degrees and a host of workplace development services designed to create opportunities for student success. The University is comprised of the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Public Administration, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, a Community College and the David A. Clarke School of Law. To learn more, visit www.udc.edu. The University of the District of Columbia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution. Minorities, women, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For a full version of the University's EO Policy Statement, please visit: http://www.udc.edu/equal_opportunity. The University of the District of Columbia is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education - 3624 Market Street - Philadelphia, PA 19104 - 267.284.5000.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, this information is available in languages other than English. To file a complaint alleging discrimination, please complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html , or at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to US Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. Submit your completed letter or form to USDA via fax: (202) 690-7442; or email: program.intake@usda.gov . To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
The University of the District of Columbia is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action institution. The University prohibits discrimination or harassment against any person on the basis of the actual or perceived actual race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, marital status, personal appearance, genetic information, familial status, source of income, status as a victim of an intrafamily offense, place of residence or business, or status as a covered veteran, as provided for and to the extent required by District and Federal statutes and regulations. This policy covers all programs, services policies, and procedures of the University, including admission to educational programs and employment. The University emphasizes the recruitment of minorities, women, disabled individuals, disabled veterans, Vietnam era veterans, and other eligible veterans.
El Departamento de Agricultura de EE. UU. (USDA) prohíbe la discriminación en todos sus programas y actividades por motivos de raza, color, nacionalidad, religión, sexo, identidad de género (incluida la expresión de género), orientación sexual, discapacidad, edad, estado civil, estado familiar / parental, ingresos derivados de un programa de asistencia pública, creencias políticas, represalias o represalias por actividades previas de derechos civiles. (No todas las bases prohibidas se aplican a todos los programas.) Las personas con discapacidades que requieren medios de comunicación alternativos para obtener información sobre el programa. (por ejemplo, Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de señas estadounidense, etc.) debe comunicarse con la Agencia responsable o con el TARGET Center de USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY) o comunicarse con el USDA a través del Federal Relay Service al (800) 877-8339. Además, esta información está disponible en otros idiomas además del inglés. Para presentar una queja alegando discriminación, por favor complete el Formulario de Queja por Discriminación del Programa del USDA, AD-3027, que se encuentra en línea en http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html , o en cualquier oficina del USDA o escriba una carta dirigida a Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos, Oficina del Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 y proporcionar en la carta toda la información solicitada en el formulario. Envíe su carta o formulario completado al USDA por fax: (202) 690-7442; o correo electrónico: program.intake@usda.gov . Para solicitar una copia del formulario de queja, llame al (866) 632-9992. USDA es un proveedor, empleador y prestamista con igualdad de oportunidades para todos.
La Universidad del Distrito de Columbia es una institución de Acción Afirmativa en Igualdad de Oportunidades. La Universidad prohíbe la discriminación o el acoso contra cualquier persona sobre la base de la raza, color, religión, nacionalidad, sexo, edad, discapacidad, orientación sexual, identidad o expresión de género reales o percibidos, responsabilidades familiares, matrícula, afiliación política, estado marital, apariencia personal, información genética, estado familiar, fuente de ingresos, estado como víctima de una ofensa intrafamiliar, lugar de residencia o negocio, o estado como veterano, según lo dispuesto y en la medida requerida por los estatutos del Distrito y Federal y regulaciones. Esta política cubre todos los programas, políticas de servicios y procedimientos de la Universidad, incluida la admisión a programas educativos y empleo. La Universidad enfatiza el reclutamiento de minorías, mujeres, personas discapacitadas, veteranos discapacitados, veteranos de la era de Vietnam y otros veteranos elegibles.