About

Scott Cummings, Dr.P.H., is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications at Texas A&M University, where he also serves as the Associate Department Head for Graduate Studies. His Extension program emphasizes program development, employee development, community engagement, and leadership programs, with a focus on community-centered work in Texas, across the nation, and globally. His educational background includes a B.S. in Health Education from Texas A&M University, an M.P.H. in Epidemiology, and a Dr.P.H. in Health Promotion and Behavior Sciences from the University of Texas School of Public Health. His areas of expertise encompass community engagement, problem-solving, and social and behavioral sciences. Dr. Cummings is deeply involved in community-focused initiatives and has a longstanding connection to Texas A&M, dating back to 1981. He is married, with two children, and his family is actively engaged in various professional and personal pursuits. His hobbies include everything related to Aggie sports and camping.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Physics
• Thermodynamics
• Political Science
• Sociology
• Environmental planning
• Public relations
• Mathematics
• Geography

Selected publications

• Evaluation of The Development of Critical Life Skills as A Result of Participating in Texas Youth Horse Judging Programs

  Journal of Extension · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Competitive judging teams are valued forms of extracurricular learning tools for many youth students. Unfortunately, unless individuals have direct involvement in these programs the benefits often go unnoticed and undocumented. A survey was designed to assess self-perceived life skill development from current and past horse judging participants, as well as youth life skill development observed by adults. Participants identified critical thinking, decision making, and public speaking as the highest rated life skills developed. Adults ranked self confidence, critical thinking and decision making as the skills they observe develop most frequently.

  PublisherDOI

• Full Issue, Volume 12, Number 3

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2025-01-08

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Empowering Community Through Extension: Identifying Community Health and Wellness Strengths and Needs

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2025-06-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Health and wellness are foundational to thriving communities, yet many Americans face barriers that impact their access to essential health education and services. This study used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to assess the perceived strengths and needs of health and wellness resources of rural and urban Texas communities. Data were collected through a statewide survey (n = 9,418), targeting key aspects of health and wellness. The results identified critical strengths, including school lunch programs and grocery stores accepting electronic benefit transfers (EBT), while reducing obesity and addressing mental health emerged as top community needs in both urban and rural areas. Rural communities showed a greater need for emergency healthcare services, whereas urban participants prioritized suicide prevention and mental health services. These findings highlight the vital role of Extension in bridging health education gaps and providing targeted programming to address diverse community needs. By leveraging its existing infrastructure, Extension can facilitate sustainable interventions, strengthen community health outcomes, and build resilience in both rural and urban populations. Future research should aim to expand these insights into broader populations and refine programming strategies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Full Issue, Volume 13, Number 1

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2025-07-01

  articleOpen access

  The number of female forest landowners (FFLs) has been growing throughout the United States.This growth demands educational outreach for a demographic that is often behind their male counterparts in experience and education.The purpose of this exploratory study was to design and host educational workshops geared towards FFLs and to answer the following questions using quantitative and qualitative methods: (1) Are the workshops changing FFLs' confidence in land management?( 2) What are FFLs' intentions after attending workshops?(3) Does confidence or participants' intentions with their land vary with demographics?(4) Are workshops providing a platform to start FFL social networks?Lastly, ( 5) are workshops creating a space for peer-to-peer learning?A total of 41 questionnaires were collected, with 28 being participants surveyed for the first time.Confidence increased after attending workshops, and participants had exceedingly high intentions to engage in most land management activities.Qualitative data from focus groups and interviews indicated that participants built a network and grew through peer-to-peer learning.Empowering FFLs seems to be one of the first steps to increase their engagement with other FFLs, with their own land, and with forestry professionals.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Full Issue, Volume 12, Number 1

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2024-05-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Full Issue, Volume 12, Number 2

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2024

  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Physics
  PublisherDOI

• Full Issue, Volume 11, Number 3

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2023-12-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• PSVI-4 Undergraduate Student Perceptions of an Experiential Learning Activity in a Livestock Feed Formulation Animal Science Course

  Journal of Animal Science · 2023-11-06

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Livestock Feed Formulation (LFF) is a lab-based component of a required undergraduate-level animal science course that emphasizes advanced scientific approaches associated with precision diet formulation to create cost-effective feeding strategies to optimize livestock animal productivity. LFF relies heavily on the ability of the student to integrate various methods of precision diet formulation and actively apply course concepts to a livestock feeding program. To aid the ability of the student to apply these course concepts, an experiential learning activity was developed, via a case study assignment (CS). The CS consists of a three-part project in which students: a) conduct hands-on forage laboratory analysis; b) determine nutritional requirements for their CS animals; and c) formulate multiple forage-based rations to meet nutritional requirements. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine student perceptions towards the CS and evaluate student capability to perform hands-on forage laboratory analysis. Students (n = 159; response rate = 98%) enrolled in LFF completed a post-completion survey instrument that consisted of demographic and 5-point Likert-scale questions to gauge student perceptions of the CS. Student performance of forage laboratory analysis was compared with a commercial-lab performed analysis (Cumberland Valley Analytical Services, Waynesboro, PA). Student capability of lab analysis was analyzed using JMP Bivariate method and student survey responses were compiled using Qualtrics. To give some demographic information relative to the population of students enrolled in LFF, 80% of the students were female while 20% were male. When asked about their long-term career aspirations, 24% of students reported going to work in production agriculture (farmer/rancher, business owner, extension agent, sales and marketing). A majority of students (58%) reported having previous experience in the agricultural industry, with 28% reporting 2 or more years of previous experience with beef cattle. Student-performed lab assay of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber showed high correlation with commercial lab assay (R2 = 0.88 and 0.81, respectively). Most students agreed or strongly agreed that they had a positive experience with the CS (49% and 33%, respectively) and felt it positively contributed to course knowledge (44% and 40%, respectively). Additionally, a majority of students reported that the CS increased their course interest and motivation to further their knowledge in LFF. Participants also indicated they saw value in the learning experience, and it required more than just listening. The real-world application of the case study was notably the item that students reported to like most about the activity. However, when asked what students most disliked about the case study, they noted too many assignments and challenges associated with teamwork. This study demonstrated that students had an overall positive experience and association with the case study, which shows the advantage of implementing an experiential learning activity towards improving student comprehension of feed formulation techniques.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Full Issue, Volume 11, Number 2

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2023-09-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Full Issue, Volume 11, Number 1

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2023-05-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Donna J. Peterson

  Mississippi State University

  25 shared

• Julie Fox

  The Ohio State University

  17 shared

• Christine D. Townsend

  Albert Einstein College of Medicine

  4 shared

• G. E. Carstens

  Texas A&M University

  4 shared

• Carly Hoffmann

  Sam Houston State University

  4 shared

• Benjamin Silliman

  North Carolina State University

  4 shared

• Richard Cummins

  Texas A&M University

  4 shared

• Chris Skaggs

  Mitchell Institute

  4 shared

Education

• B.S., Health Education

  Texas A&M University

• Other, Epidemiology

  University of Texas School of Public Health

• Other, Health Promotion and Behavior Sciences

  University of Texas School of Public Health