Northeastern States Research Cooperative. Participatory modeling of recreation and tourism in the Northern Forest. Tourism is a mixed blessing for communities, bringing economic opportunities but also negative social and environmental impacts. This project involves community leaders in workshops that help them design tourism plans that are consistent with their goals and visions for the future. This first year of the project, we lay the groundwork for conducting participatory modeling workshops in six communities in three states (VT, NH, NY). Next year, workshop participants will create computer models that describe recreation and tourism issues in their communities. (L. Chase, R. Boumans)
USDA-Other Grant, USDA Fund for Rural America. Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship. Many small food manufacturing ventures fail due to lack of scientific/technical or business knowledge. The Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship (NECFE) has provided comprehensive assistance to entrepreneurs starting food manufacturing businesses, thus promoting economic development in rural areas. Since its inception, NECFE specialists have worked with 3,800 clients on food safety evaluations, product development, financial consultation, and marketing. Workshops on Good Manufacturing Processes for production of apple cider, low-acid and acidified foods, food safety, and farmstead cheese manufacture were offered. A technical guide for small-scale food producers was published. This effort has created new jobs, developed and sustained food companies, and improved rural economies. The NECFE project received a USDA Secretary's Honor Award in 2004. (C. Donnelly, J. Kolodinsky)
UVM Extension.. UVM Tax School. Tax laws and regulations change each year. This school provides current tax information to people who do taxes for others to get up to date before the tax season begins. This year, 392 people attended in Burlington and Mt.Ascutney. This represents over one hundred five thousand returns, about a third of all returns filed in Vermont. Eighty percent of attendees also attended last year's school; ninety-six percent said that what they learned improved the accuracy of the tax returns that they filed. (D. Kauppila, G.Rogers)
Surdna Foundation. CyberSkills for Vermont Nonprofits. Vermont nonprofit organizations are trying to catch up with the fast-growing information technology. As external evaluators to the CyberSkills for Vermont Nonprofits project (aimed at increasing the capacity of Vermont nonprofit organizations to fulfill their missions in the emerging Information society), measurement tools are designed and developed to analyze the same. 28 nonprofit organizations that received technology training and technical support were interviewed and analyzed to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges of the project. Results and recommendations from the report will be used to enhance service delivery and promote future endeavors in the nonprofit sector. (J. Kolodinsky, R. Narsana)
U.S. Department of Labor. Community-based job training for low- and moderate-income individuals: A strategy to prepare Vermont workers for IT careers in Chittenden County, Vermont. Employment indicators in Vermont demonstrate that the information technology sector is the fastest growing in the state. This project develops measurement tools and collects data to analyze the CyberSkills mission of helping up to 20 low- and moderate-income individuals to overcome a variety of barriers and move toward livable-wage employment with prospects for advancement in the IT sector and its related career paths. Questionnaires were developed and focus groups were held with the participants to estimate the impacts of the project. Results and recommendations from the report will be used to further develop and promote similar activities for low-income and reach-up citizens in Vermont. (J. Kolodinsky, R. Narsana)
Law Offices of Gene Locks. Rent-A-Center pricing study. Rent-A-Center (RAC) is a large rent-to-own industry nationwide that offers rental and rent-to-own agreements to customers who often lack access to conventional forms of credit. The purpose of this study was to research installment price options and price differentials at RACs in New Jersey. Researchers collected price data on five types of products at a random sample of RAC stores in the study area and calculated price differentials. Results found that the RAC time price differential across the products based on a weekly rate average was 97.4 percent. This research contributes to further knowledge in consumer research in the area of the rent-to-own industry and aids in consumer understanding of actual costs. (J. Kolodinsky, M. Murphy)
USDA-Hatch,. Estimating/forecasting tourism demand in Vermont using integrated econometric models. Tourism contributes significantly to Vermont's total output and employment. The purpose of this study is to learn more about VT tourists and tourism businesses. On average, each household made two trips with an average expenditure per trip of $379.04 in 2001. The primary purposes of visits to Vermont were visiting relatives and friends and skiing. The majority of visitors came in summer. The estimated expenditure elasticity corresponding to income for various groups was positive and inelastic, yet visitors' demographics had different impacts on their expenditures. Decision makers can use the results to establish planning strategies to promote Vermont tourism. (C. Liang)
UVM Extension and The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. Business coach. Lack of jobs contributes to poor economic conditions in Northeastern, Vermont. This project tests the theory of job creation through a grassroots economic development approach. The results to date indicate a need for job/business assistance. Ten clients have come forward with job proposals. This project will have an economic impact on Northeast, VT by creating new jobs through business creation and expansion. (W. McMaster, W. Fawbush, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund)
UVM Extension. Vermont Town Government Program. Local officials need concrete strategies and tools to be successful. UVM Extension provides the leadership for a collaborative effort involving 10-14 state agencies and several NGO's. These programs provide education to local officials, both elected and appointed. In fall 2003, 764 individuals attended 3 Municipal Officers' Management Seminars. In spring 2004, 1084 individuals attended 5 Town Officers' Educational Conferences. Evaluations indicate that local officials will use the information gained to make more informed decisions in the public arena. 228 communities participated in these trainings. (M. Peabody, F. Schmidt, W. Sawyer)
Vermont Department of Education. Vermont School Report. This project makes available school-level reporting on performance and services to the public at http://crs.uvm.edu/schlrpt. Through collaboration with the Department of Education, the Center for Rural Studies hosts and updates this Web site with data for all 300+ public schools in the state of Vermont. Over 100 indicators about Vermont's public schools are displayed in seven sections, including financial expenditures, student performance, and student aspirations. Tens of thousands of Vermonters visit this site annually in the effort to fully understand school performance. (F. Schmidt, W. Sawyer, C. Gent)
USDA-Special Grant,. E-Commerce Planning Toolkit for Small Businesses in Vermont. Many small, agriculture- and natural resource-dependent businesses in Vermont do not have the access and/or expertise necessary to use e-commerce technology. The goal of this project is to integrate e-commerce possibilities into a business planning template to act as a toolkit for these businesses. This project is currently exploring the I.T. and e-commerce capabilities and needs of agricultural / small business networks in the state, like the Women's Agricultural Network. Research is being done on other examples of e-commerce outreach and technical assistance. This toolkit will help small businesses in Vermont effectively and successfully incoporate e-commerce tools into their operations. (F. Schmidt, W. Sawyer, H. Jordan, M. Peabody, M. Moser)
Various Agencies. Annual Vermonter Public Opinion Poll. Vermonters face a variety of complex issues. The purpose of this project is to ascertain opinions on these issues from citizens in the state. The 2004 poll was the twelfth in an annual series of statewide telephone surveys assessing the attitudes and orientations of voting Vermonters. More than 600 Vermonters participated in the poll. Issues covered by the poll included attitudes toward community growth and economic development, the arts, public education, small business, food issues, transportation, and the digital divide. (F. Schmidt, J. Kolodinsky, T. DeSisto, M. Cranwell, M. Murphy, M. Moser, R. Narsana, W. Sawyer)
USDA-Special Grant,. Citizen Participation in Municipal Planning. Vermont's citizen planners do not necessarily have the expertise to incorporate coordinated public involvement into their local planning activities. This project has produced a series of handouts that allows citizen planners to compare various citizen participation techniques. These handouts have been published online at http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/participation and are also available in hard copy form. By supporting the incorporation of citizen participation into the municipal planning process, this project will have a positive effect on important decisions made in Vermont communities. (F. Schmidt, W. Sawyer)
USDA-Special Grant,. Municipal E-Government Outreach in Vermont. Information technology can be used to facilitate new and innovative ways of doing government business and disseminating municipal information and services. This project seeks to support the effective adoption of these e-government technologies by educating municipal officials on their use. So far, the focus has been on workshops and conferences covering municipal websites, computer and data safety, and database planning. Also, a pilot I.T. assessment and planning curriculum for municipalities is being developed. Municipal officials will use these services to plan for the integration of e-government features appropriate for their needs and resources. (F. Schmidt, W. Sawyer, D. Deutl)
USDA-Special Grant,. Indicators for Vermont Communities. Often local officials and general citizens have trouble finding quality community data to support their decision-making processes. This project supports and develops resources to make community data public in a useful fashion. The focus has been on online data resources like Vermont Indicators Online http://crs.uvm.edu/indicators and Vermont Housing Data www.housingdata.org. Project work has also included presentations, workshops, and selected community profiles (http://crs.uvm.edu/profiles). What results is a greater availability of community data for public use in Vermont and a more informed group of local data-users. (F. Schmidt, W. Sawyer, M. Murphy, C. Gent, M. Moser)
USDA-Special Grant,. Community Planning Tools for Vermont. Vermont's local planning community can benefit from the effective use of data and information technology. This project supports this through the creation and support of various data and planning tools. Examples are the Vermont Planning Information Center (www.vpic.info), the Vermont Town Plan Guide (http://crs.uvm.edu/cpdp/planner), and the Build Out Analysis Software package (http://crs.uvm.edu/cpdp/buildout). Project work also includes presentations and workshops on data resources. The planning community can use these resources to support local decision-making processes. (F. Schmidt, W. Sawyer)
USDA-Special Grant,. The Vermont State Data Center. The U.S. Census Bureau utilizes a network of State Data Centers to distribute valuable data resources throughout the nation. The Vermont State Data Center oversees a network of venues in the state for help with U.S. Census data. The new Vermont State Data Center Web site (http://crs.uvm.edu/census) acts as a portal to useful data for all Vermonters. This year, work has begun to expand with a Vermont Business and Industry Data Center network. Vermont may be a small state, but it is well supported and represented in the use and collection of Census data. (F. Schmidt, W. Sawyer, C. Gent)
USDA-Special Grant,. Civic Resources for Local Government. Learning how to interact with municipal government can increase civic engagement and quality of life in Vermont. This project seeks to develop and provide materials that citizens can use to take part in their local governments. A series of Citizen's Guides to Local Government from the Vermont Institute for Government and UVM Extension are provided online at http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens. Efforts are onoing to develop a Civic Leadership Education curriculum. Vermonters can use these materials and resources to engage in the municipal government activities that affect their everyday lives. (F. Schmidt, W. Sawyer, M. Peabody)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD Community Development Work Study Fellowships. There is a need to increase racial, ethnic, and economic diversity at UVM and to increase diversity and professional training of professionals in the community development field. This program aims at attracting economically disadvantaged and minority students to UVM for graduate study in community development and public administration. We now have three Community Development Fellows doing graduate study in the CDAE Department, and continue to market the fellowships with the goal of a total of five fellows enrolled by September, 2005. These fellowships will increase the diversity of the graduate student body at UVM and enrich the intellectual and cultural environment for CDAE graduate programs. Graduates with these fellowships will strengthen the community development field. (R. Schramm, J. Kolodinsky, C. Koliba, K. Becker, F. Schmidt, Y. Ahladas)
UVM Extension. Survey of Agriculture and Land Use in Charlotte. Towns struggle over land use issues as open areas are targeted for development. A case in point is the proposed expansion of a dairy farm in Charlotte. A survey was conducted to evaluate the attitudes of residents towards agriculture and land use in their town. Nearly 20 percent of surveys were returned and preliminary results have been tabulated. The results will provide the selectboard and residents insights helpful for guiding policy decisions and organizing educational forums. Lessons learned may be valuable to other communities facing similar situations. (J. Smith, R. Parsons, F. Schmidt)
U.S. Department of Energy EPSCoR. DOE EPSCoR initiative in structural biology and computational biology/bioinformatics. U.S. Department of Energy EPSCoR funds are being used to provide infrastructure for UVM programs in structural biology and computational biology/bioinformatics. Research projects; graduate research fellows; technical support for x-ray crystallography, NMR, and computational biology; and a seminar series are supported. This investment underpins the research of faculty in structural biology and faculty in computational biology/bioinformatics with the idea of fostering extensive collaborations with faculty across campus. This support will provide expanded research opportunities for faculty and students at UVM and, through a planned SBIR Phase 0 Program provide opportunities for small business start-ups. (S. Wallace, J. Bond, S. Doublié, M. Rould, M. Eppstein, J. Hoffman, S. Levine, T. Perkins, T. Keller, R. Hondal, S. Everse, J. Madalengoitia, N. Heintz, C. Francklyn, D. Pederson, K. Chu)
21 projects