Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences
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The Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences (OMALS), http://www.cals.vt.edu/online/, is uniquely positioned to meet the evolving and dynamic needs of today’s agricultural professionals. The program offers concentrations in the areas of agribusiness, applied animal behavior and welfare, applied nutrition and physical activity, education, environmental science, food safety and biosecurity, and leadership studies, as well as plant science and pest management. In addition to engaging classes, students benefit from the opportunity to work on-on-one with well-respected faculty in Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to complete a rigorous final project, using what they've learned and developing real-world research and communication skills. This collection showcases final projects completed by current and former OMALS students.
Directions for final project and report submissionRecent Submissions
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Exploring Vertical Jump Height During a Congested Calendar Period in Women's Collegiate Soccer
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-10)This study aimed to explore how vertical jump height, as a measure of fatigue, was affected throughout the pre-season training period in women’s division I collegiate soccer. The participants of this study completed three ... -
Guarding the Garden: Sustainable and Resilient Landscapes
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-08)Creating a sustainable and resilient landscape helps users conserve valuable natural resources, manage invasive species, and reduce waste. This allows people to embrace and connect with nature and the landscape to meet ... -
Exploring the Cognitive Process and Problem-Solving Style of a Black Videographer
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-21)The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in the demand for creative media for businesses to keep marketing themselves and pushing forward, making problem-solving skills of videographers essential. Videographers must ... -
Exploring the Feasibility and Applicability of Whoop Technology in NCAA Division D1 Collegiate Wrestlers: A Pilot Study
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-19)Although athletes decide to go to college ultimately to get an education, the importance of athletic performance to D1 college athletes and coaches cannot be looked over. Coaches and athletes across the country are looking ... -
Scented Toys as Enrichment: Exploring the Duration of Engagement with Scented Toys in Shelter Dogs
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-15)Millions of dogs enter shelters every year. Dogs being housed in shelters encounter a variety of stressors which may negatively impact their welfare. Many shelters use different forms of enrichment in an effort to mitigate ... -
Report-U.S. Foodborne Listeria Outbreaks, 2000 to 2020
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-15)Various food-borne Listeria outbreaks were studied between 2000 to 2020. Listeria monocytogenes symptoms might take up to 12 weeks to be reported as an outbreak. The highest food category contributor for the outbreaks was ... -
Queer Agriculture and Rurality: An Educational Curriculum
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05)In the agricultural industry and rural communities, there is a long-held culture of queer (LGBTQ+) erasure, collective trauma, and overall lack of representation/visibility. This may be attributed to the widespread presence, ... -
State- and Context-Dependent Learning Effects in Different Dog Populations
(Virginia Tech, 2023)Animal shelters have limited resources, especially when considering the time and resources required for implementing behavior change protocols for resident dogs. This issue of resources is particularly relevant to the ... -
Pharmaceutical Pollution in Private Drinking Water and Septic Systems
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-14)Safe drinking water is a priority for public health. Around 13% of the population of the United States gets their drinking water from a private well, and around 25% use a septic system as a form of onsite wastewater ... -
Exploring the Impact of Increased Access and Experiential Learning on Fruit and Vegetable Consumption for Diabetes Prevention Program Participants
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-08)The aim of this study was to address the need to improve ways of encouraging individuals who are living with prediabetes to increase their daily consumption of fruits and vegetables. In order to address this problem, the ... -
Collegiate Athletes’ Knowledge of Nutrition and Sports Performance
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-08)This study examined Virginia Tech female collegiate athletes’ knowledge and perspectives of nutrition and its relationship to sports performance. Although various studies have examined the nutritional knowledge of collegiate ... -
Impact of Nitrogen Fertilization Rate on Cured Leaf Quality and Chemistry of Flue-Cured Tobacco
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-08)Proper nitrogen fertilization is important for both yield and cured leaf quality of flue-cured tobacco. Optimizing the yield of high-quality tobacco is critical for grower profitability. A field study was conducted at ... -
Lumbar Disc Herniation with Abnormal Unilateral Radiculopathy: A Case Study
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-08)Lumbar disc herniations are one of the most common back injuries. Distal radiculopathies are common complications that accompany disc herniations, but in the case of this 19-year-old male collegiate cheerleader, his symptoms ... -
A Nutrient Analysis of COVID-19 Meals and Standard Meals in One Elementary School Participating in the National School Lunch Program
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-05)To date, there has been limited research about the nutritional quality of school lunches during the COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis compared the nutritional profile of grab-and-go take-home lunches compared to standard ... -
Perceptions of Controlled Environment Agriculture at Raleigh City Farm
(Virginia Tech, 2023-05-02)The purpose of this research study was to understand the perceptions of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) held by individuals affiliated with the community garden Raleigh City Farm. Controlled environment agriculture ... -
The Value of Poultry Litter to Farmers on Delmarva
(Virginia Tech, 2023-02-17)In 1923, the modern broiler industry was born on the Delmarva Peninsula and created an economic driver of the area that remains continuous (Williams, 1998). Through broiler production, broilers are grown in barns to slaughter ... -
Wellbeing Deficiency Among Wellbeing Professionals: Attrition in Student Affairs
(Virginia Tech, 2023-04-28)The purpose of this project was to gain insight in the issue of turnover in Student Affairs at Virginia Tech, specifically within the health and wellbeing sector. Additionally, this project sought to identify specific ... -
Factors Associated with Behavioral Euthanasia in Pet Dogs
(Virginia Tech, 2023-02-10)When pet dogs demonstrate unwanted or problematic behaviors, particularly severe behaviors, owners may choose to euthanize. While the topic of behavioral euthanasia is becoming more common among dog behavior experts, ... -
Documenting Population Fluctuations of Vine Mealybug in Chardonnay Vines Influenced by Environmental Conditions, Insecticide Programs, Vine Phenology, and Weeds
(Virginia Tech, 2023-03-03)Vine mealybugs (VMB) are a key pest to coastal vineyards in California. They can cause major issues to host plants during all their life stages due to their mouthparts and reproduction. Chardonnay, a highly VMB-susceptible ... -
Cold Chain Management at Farmers’ Markets
(Virginia Tech, 2023-01-16)Small farms are exempt from the Food Safety Modernization Act. Thus, educational materials are necessary to remind small farmers about safe food handling practices. The cold chain (refrigeration) is an important part of ...