The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) is proud to announce the completion of its October through December 2020 Impact Report. The report highlights the accomplishments of the University of the District of Columbia's land-grant programs and the impacts on residents throughout Washington, D.C. Our research-based community outreach programs continue to strengthen capacity across all segments of the D.C. population. We continue to deliver programming, virtually, to stakeholders across all eight wards and beyond, with courses in nutrition, healthy cooking, food safety, urban agriculture, natural resource conservation, and green infrastructure.

A link to the impact report is below. We invite you to peruse the report and welcome your feedback at causes@udc.edu.

We are thrilled to report the video release of episode #2 for "A Deep Dive with CAUSES" featuring Acting Dean of CAUSES, Dr. Dwane Jones, and the College's NEW Project Manager, Brittany Loca.

The web series delivers unique program insights and real-time college news updates, plus research and internship opportunities and more at the click of your fingers! The Dean shares an enlightening message in this episode on awareness and activity for: Women's History Month, Food Insecurity, and UDC's Earth Day 2021 Event.

Please be sure to spread the word with your peers or colleagues and external networks! It is a must-see!

The UDC Foundation, Inc., in collaboration with the UDC Nursing AASN and RN to BSN programs, announces substantial scholarship opportunities for nursing majors.

Also, the CAUSES Scholarship Fund receives grants and individual contributions restricted to students majoring in the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) programs.

For detailed information and applications for the scholarships listed online, please contact the program’s chairperson or nursing faculty advisors.

IBM Quantum welcomes UDC to the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center as a member institution. As a leading Historically Black College and University (HBCU), the University of the District of Columbia plans to join a network of researchers and students to build research and education capabilities in quantum technologies.

This network will help (1) foster bi-weekly briefings and internal collaboration for research, curriculum development, proposal preparation, and (2) create opportunities to engage with leading quantum scientists.

The University of the District of Columbia is now accepting applications for the Graduate Tuition Scholarship for new applicants of the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree tracks for fall 2021. The PSM is an innovative, terminal degree that prepares graduates for science careers in business, government, or nonprofit organizations.

Our PSM programs are carefully designed to prepare students with advanced and marketable skills in the world of Urban Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, or Water Resources Management. By engaging in the state-of-the-art field and laboratory training and a required internship at potential employer sites, each PSM program trains learners to develop the most in-demand hard and soft skills, including data analytics, critical thinking, effective communication, quantitative and qualitative research skills, project design implementation, problem-solving and project design, sustainable leadership, and entrepreneurship.

The PSM is a terminal degree program whose graduates gain essential, marketable skills at an affordable cost. A prospective student with a strong academic background will be considered for this scholarship.

The U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled USDA certifying organic hydroponic operations as eligible for the National Organic Program (NOP). It was a victory for the Coalition for Sustainable Organics (CSO) and a defeat for the Center for Food Safety (CFS). This action helped counter traditional organic producers’ arguments that produce or other fresh foods cannot be organic without using soil.

“This case stems from an ongoing debate about whether hydroponics, a form of soil-less agriculture, may be certified organic,” wrote Chief Judge Richard Seeborg for the U.S. District Court in Northern California.

Learn more on this issue at foodsafteynews.com.

UDC Earth Day 2021 is about our community and its resilience. We will celebrate the community’s success and progress toward resilience and sustainability on April 22nd and use Earth Day as a platform to talk about and highlight success stories. Earth Day 2021 is far more important than a day. It is a historic moment when our students, faculty, and staff, as well as our partners, and community can all rise in a united call for the creativity, innovation, ambition, and bravery that we need to protect our environment, our community to define our future. This year, the UDC Earth Day theme is “Healthy Earth, Healthy Cities, Healthy People.” This year, Earth Day is a day to celebrate our achievements toward security and survival. We consider the community’s security and survival as part of our Earth’s sustainability, and we aim to focus on our society in Washington D.C., to echo their stories.

UDC is an urban land-grant university in the nation’s capital. That means that we have a strong connection with the land and that we connect our community to land as part of our mission. In this way, we can call UDC an Earth-Grant University. 

The UDC Earth Day 2021 event will be completely virtual, and a UDC panel will present a list of environmental activities (prerecorded) from UDC and our community. For more information, please contact Danyal Eisenbrandt at danyal.eisenbrandt@udc.edu.

Join us, virtually, for a two-day conference, engaging cross-disciplinary interactions, all focused around the next phase of water sustainability. Special sessions will focus on the idea of circular economies and preparing for the unknown, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, social hydrology, environmental justice, and innovations in water resource management.

Interested in a career as a registered dietician or nutritionist? Join the only accredited DPD program in D.C. for a virtual open house!

As the only accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) in Washington, D.C., the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) program offers a curriculum rich in nutrition, science, and experiential opportunities at federal and local agencies throughout the nation’s capital.

The DPD program is part of UDC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES). We are committed to educating the next generation of nutrition professionals to promote health, combat nutrition-related disease, and reduce health disparities among urban and underserved populations. Graduates of this baccalaureate program will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics.

Mustafaa Madyun from the Center for Sustainable Development and Resilience (CSDR) and Olivia Harp from the Center for Nutrition, Diet and Health (CNDH) have been leading a series of youth development workshops and training for the United Planning Organization (UPO) POWER High School Internship Program (Wednesdays at 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm, April 7 to May 26, 2021).

CAUSES Research Seminar Series follows up with Episode #4: Sustainability and Resilience in DC: From Research to Practice on April 9 at 12 pm.

Speaker: Dr. Tommy Wells, DOEE

Note: This event is open to UDC partners, graduate students, faculty, and community stakeholders.

Remember the term Freshman 15? The 15 pounds some first-year college students would gain.

This workshop is designed to provide helpful nutrition tips to those working from home and help them prevent weight gain that may occur due to eating foods and/or drinking beverages that are high in calories. Also, this workshop is designed to help those teleworking select healthier food and beverage options while working from home.

The first virtual workshop opens on April 1.

MyPlate for My Family: SNAP Nutrition Education makes it easier to learn more about healthy food and physical activity choices. Making healthy choices for your family is one way to show how much you care.

Attend fun, interactive classes where you can meet other parents who are making healthy changes in their lives. Find new ways to save money and time when buying food and making meals. Be inspired as you learn ways to be more active.

During the classes, you can learn tips to:

• Fix MyPlate family meals to stretch your food dollar

• Get the right amount of food and physical activity

• Serve fruits and vegetables that kids will enjoy

• Make family time active and fun

Class Starts: April 20, 2021

With food security being such a big topic during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has never been a better time to learn how to make affordable, nutritious meals that can be easily stored.

Each one-hour workshop is designed to provide participants with information on healthy eating and food safety for older adults. There will be classes on reading and understanding the nutrition facts label and tips for grocery shopping. Each class will include a cooking demonstration with Chef Herb Holden!

Class Begins: 4/19/21

For more information, please contact Miranda Desmarais at miranda.desmarais@udc.edu.

If you are interested in this course and becoming certified, please contact Victoria Mirowski at victoria.mirowski@udc.edu or 202-819-5704.

Are you interested in advancing your expertise and skill set in food safety management?

This virtual course is designed to teach food safety management principles and how to use those principles to create a food safety culture. Additionally, the course emphasizes and provides information to students about identifying and avoiding harmful food contaminants, proper employee health and hygiene, cleaning and sanitation principles, and safe food handling practices. Classes reconvene on 4/12/21!

Bonus: Participants will have the opportunity to earn a Professional Food Manager certification if they pass the national certification exam with a score of 70% or better.

For additional information about this course, please contact Paul Brown, Jr. at pbrown@udc.edu or 202-841-1902.

This one-hour workshop is designed to provide participants with information and easy tips on reading and understanding what is on the nutrition facts label. Also, participants in this workshop will learn what nutrients and ingredients are required on the nutrition facts label by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Workshop participants will receive an electronic certificate of completion 7 to 10 days after completing the workshop.

April 6, 2021, 2:30 pm – 3:30 p.m

For further information, please contact Dr. Johnson-Largent directly at 202- 274-6708.

Join Tiffany N. Johnson-Largent, Ph.D., RDN, LD for an introductory course on the evidence-based health benefits of eating vegetables.

This 15-hour certificate introductory course is designed to provide participants with evidence-based health benefits of eating vegetables.

Length of Course: Fifteen (15), 1 Hour Sessions.

Classes Resume:

April 7, 2021, 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm

For further information, please contact Dr. Johnson-Largent directly at 202-274-6708.