Browsing by Author "Zhang, Yue"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Blockchain Technology and the Potential Applicability in the Feed Industry
    (2019-04) Zhang, Yue; Lee, Soomin; van de Ligt, Jennifer L.G.
    Information on the current applications of blockchain in food systems and the potential applicability, uses, and limitations of blockchain for feed ingredients common to the swine industry was gathered from a multitude of sources. The information on applications representative of supply chain logistics for imported feed ingredients was evaluated and limitations of blockchain in tracing lots of packaged ingredients vs. ingredients in bulk transportation was assessed. Overall, blockchain application is a viable technology to ensure traceability of feed ingredients. Blockchain provides key benefits including transaction security, auditability, and transparency. However, these benefits are accompanied by costs including, most importantly, the need for all-in participation and a value-driven incentive to participate that is shared across the supply chain. In addition, due to the bulk commodity nature of many feed ingredients common to the swine industry, traceability to individual manufacturer or producer through any technology becomes limited to the largest storage and/or transportation unit in the supply chain. Ingredients that move through the supply chain as discreetly packaged products, whether in kilogram packages or metric ton super sacks, have an easier entry into and more optimal traceability within blockchain technology. These concepts were modeled into a scenario for potential soybean shipments including where suppliers may verify the implementation of key preventive controls to decrease the risk of disease transmission via feed distribution.
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    Blockchain Technology and the Potential Applicability in the Feed Industry - Condensed
    (2019-04) Zhang, Yue; Lee, Soomin; van de Ligt, Jennifer L.G.
    Blockchain applications offer the feed supply chain incredible benefits and efficiencies in the goal to improve feed safety and animal health. The power of utilizing blockchain technology in feed supply chain transactions is in allowing parties to trade in the absence of a mediator or trusting relationship. This is the cornerstone of all blockchain applications - secure trading of ‘things’, both physical and virtual, without middlemen and historical relationships. However, implementation of the technology will experience hurdles and will require consensus among the industry for standards and methods of data collection and sharing. In addition, the cost of entry to access the data and who will pay for it will be a driving factor in the success of blockchain technology adoption. And finally, it should be recognized that blockchain applications depend absolutely on the reputability and accuracy of the data included in the blocks that are recorded in the chain.
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    City of Rosemount Community Gardens Evaluation Proposal
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2014) McNamara, Elizabeth; Proulx, Danielle; Hanson, Luke; Zhang, Yue; Stephan, Tai
    This project was completed as part of a year-long partnership between the City of Rosemount and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (http://www.rcp.umn.edu). The City of Rosemount’s Community Garden program has had a waiting list almost every year since the program began in 2010. Although they are called Community Gardens, each plot is for the personal use of the resident who pays the rental fee. The goal of this project was to explore ways for the City of Rosemount Parks and Recreation Department to gather public input regarding their community garden program and identify ways to better meet demand, run the program more cost-effectively, and support gardeners’ success. In collaboration with city project lead Tom Schuster, Parks Supervisor for the City of Rosemount, a team of students in PA 5311: Program Evaluation designed an evaluation plan focused on improving the current program structure and activities. A final report from the project is available.
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    A Mixed-Methods Theory-Based Evaluation of a Program Supporting Underrepresented Minority STEM Students
    (2022-12) Zhang, Yue
    There is a need to address disparities in the underrepresented minority (URM) STEM students’ degree attainment and retention, vs. non-URM students. A literature review suggests that URM STEM students face barriers related to demographic, academic, and social-cognitive factors. The Louis Stokes North Star STEM Alliance (LS-NSSA) seeks to address these factors and promote URM student success in STEM disciplines. However, there is a gap in knowledge regarding LS-NSSA’s mechanism and outcomes. The current study investigates factors influencing URM STEM students’ retention and graduation, investigates LS-NSSA program effectiveness, and investigates the path by which outcomes are achieved. A theory-based evaluation approach is utilized in an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design guided by LS-NSSA’s theory of change. The results of three sub-studies suggest the importance of first-semester experience and academic outcomes for URM STEM students’ graduation and retention. Participation in LS-NSSA is associated with a higher level of academic preparation to pursue a bachelor’s degree, compared to URM students not affiliated with the program. URM STEM students participating in LS-NSSA’s research mentorship programs have higher levels of confidence, interest, science identity, sense of belonging, and commitment to STEM. The current study offers evidence supporting LS-NSSA’s theory of change regarding student academic and social-cognitive trajectories. The current study suggests directions for future evaluative studies of LS-NSSA.
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    Work Campers as a Resource to Address Regional Workforce Needs
    (2018-12) Messer, Cynthia, C.; Zhang, Yue; Koerte, Tammy
    The tourism industry is a leading economic driver in Minnesota, generating $15 billion in gross sales, more than 265,000 full- and part-time jobs, $5.4 billion in wages, and 18 percent of state sales tax revenue (Explore Minnesota Tourism, 2018). In the central Minnesota counties of Cass and Crow Wing, tourism generates over $350 million in gross sales and supports more than 6,000 jobs (Explore Minnesota Tourism, 2018). The counties of Cass and Crow Wing were selected for this study because the two counties account for eight percent of the state’s accommodation jobs, including resorts and campgrounds. The potential of work campers to address seasonal labor shortages emerged from a recent study of the lodging workforce in these two counties. This study is a follow-up based on the Lodging Workforce Study in Cass and Crow Wing Counties. Work campers are individuals or couples who live a travel-work lifestyle, moving around the United States and working full or part-time jobs. These people may be a potential group of workers that can be tapped for seasonal labor needs in the Cass and Crow Wing tourism and hospitality sector. This study provides an overview of the work camper sector and a qualitative look at the regional opportunities and constraints of this uniquely identified population as a potential workforce for the tourism businesses in Cass and Crow Wing counties. Interviews with local business operators, organizations, and public sector professionals provided insight into the regional opportunities and constraints to engaging work campers as a potential labor resource.