Agricultural Education Commons^™

Empowering Young Innovators Through School-Based Agricultural Education: Insights From A Nigerian Secondary School Teacher, Mary O. Olumide-Oyaniyi

National Collaborative for Research on Food, Energy, and Water Education (NC-FEW)

Nigeria faces challenges like food insecurity and economic instability, worsened by a growing youth population. School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) engages youth in agricultural innovations. This study implemented SBAE principles in a Nigerian school, combining poultry farming and aquaculture. Students managed a poultry farm, using chicken droppings to breed maggots as feed for catfish in rainwater-filled tanks. The project enhanced students' skills, improved local food production, and engaged the community. Despite funding and management challenges, the initiative demonstrated SBAE's potential to empower youth and advance agricultural practices, offering a model for similar projects in other regions.

Exploring The Few Nexus Through Community Engagement: A Watershed Restoration Case Study From Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, Tolulope P. Akinbobola, Kumar Chaudhary Anil

National Collaborative for Research on Food, Energy, and Water Education (NC-FEW)

Given the pivotal role of education in comprehending the intricacies of the FEW nexus, the pedagogical approach employed is important in fostering the intentional integration of food, energy, and water systems across disciplinary boundaries. Non-formal education is experiencing a resurgence in its role in establishing a sustainable knowledge society. As we delve into understanding the FEW nexus, we must acknowledge the strategies, practices, and experiences underpinning our knowledge and contributions to the FEW nexus. Against this background, this practice paper demonstrates the multifaceted dimensions of integrating formal and non-formal education approaches in driving development in the FEW nexus field.

Teaching Disciplinary Ways Of Knowing Using Stem In Afnr, Elizabeth E. Ogar, Neil A. Knobloch, Hui-Hui Wang

National Collaborative for Research on Food, Energy, and Water Education (NC-FEW)

This study explores the integration of STEM in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) education through a course designed to teach disciplinary ways of knowing such as scientific inquiry, engineering design, mathematical modeling, and agroecosystem thinking. The course prepares upper-level undergraduate and graduate students to design and implement STEM-integrated mini-units in both formal and nonformal settings. Emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches and real-world applications, the course encourages critical thinking and problem-solving in addressing global challenges like food security and sustainability. The outcomes include enhanced pedagogical skills, real-world STEM application, and increased student engagement, preparing learners for careers in STEM-related fields.

Integrating The Few-Nexus Into An Agricultural Issues Course, Christopher M. Estepp, Hannah Scherer

National Collaborative for Research on Food, Energy, and Water Education (NC-FEW)

To address the global challenges facing the agricultural industry, graduates of agricultural degree programs must learn to utilize systems thinking skills, which can help them view the interconnectedness among issues and design holistic solutions. The Food-Energy-Water (FEW)-Nexus is an interdisciplinary framework that can support undergraduate student achievement of sustainability education competencies, including systems thinking. This project utilized the FEW-Nexus framework in an agricultural issues course to help students improve their systems thinking. Students were given lectures on various agricultural issues by experts in those areas. Two assignments, agricultural issue concept maps and critical reflections over each speaker’s session were completed …

Integrating Food, Water, And Agriculture Education In Early Childhood: A Baseline Study Of Farm To Ece Programming, Kyle Whitley, Kelsey Hall

National Collaborative for Research on Food, Energy, and Water Education (NC-FEW)

This baseline study examined how [State] early care and education (ECE) providers implemented activities and access to locally grown foods, gardening, and learning about food, nutrition, water use, composting, and agriculture. Over the past three years, 254 respondents participated in farm to ECE, with many providers cooking or holding taste tests, doing agriculture/nutrition education, and conducting field trips. Universities, farmers, community organizations, and Extension agents could alleviate the primary barriers and support ECE providers through curriculum, website content, or trainings on how to teach 3-5 year olds agriculture, gardening, plant life cycle, water, the environment, or composting.

Implementing Integrated Stem Forensic And Soil Sciences Lab Activities To Promote Interest In Stem Careers, Mariah K. Stollar Awan, Caroline J. Rakowski

Indiana STEM Education Conference

We implemented forensic and soil science integrated STEM lab activities with 11 middle school youth at a 4-H day camp at Purdue University. STEM perceived knowledge increased overall for participants. However, the pre- and post-assessments did not show a statistically significant difference. More students also indicated STEM career interest after participating. Because this study was exploratory and had a small sample size, more research on these integrated STEM lab activities should be conducted with larger samples.

Creating Awareness Of The Turkey Industry Through Stem-Based Online Curriculum, Elizabeth Simmermeyer, Elizabeth Karcher

Indiana STEM Education Conference

As the food industry has evolved over the years, consumers have more accessible and convenient outlets to buy groceries, dine in, or carry out. While there are many advantages to this ever-changing industry, a large gap exists in the understanding of food production from farm to fork. Consumer perceptions are influenced beginning at an early age. Education is the solution to bridge this gap between farm to fork; however, there are limited STEM-based agricultural resources available for teachers to implement in their classrooms. Creating these agricultural resources provides teachers the opportunity to share the story of the agricultural industry with …

Harvest Of The Month, Abigail E. Heidenreich

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Harvest of the Month curriculum exists in many states, but Indiana lacks a statewide effort in this area. To meet this need, collection of lessons with complementary activities that are specific to Indiana agriculture were created. The driving force behind the curriculum was to create a lesson that is fun and engaging for students, but also well-rounded and standards-based for teachers. Components of the lesson include Life Cycle Discussions, Taste Testing, Interactive Activities, and Journal Prompts. Partnering with Indiana farmers, a harvest video was created to accompany each lesson that features a different agricultural product grown in Indiana each month. …

Molecular Phylogeny Implemented In An Introductory Plant Classification Course, Chao Cai, Jo Ann Banks

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Plant classification is one of the core components in undergraduate programs related to plant sciences. Traditionally plant classification courses primarily introduce morphology-based taxonomy because of practical needs in the field. However, the publication of new plant classification systems by Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) using molecular phylogeny methods leads to the trends of using molecular evidence (DNA barcode) for plant identification. In our introductory plant classification course, we included a two-week module (lectures and labs) to introduce key concepts and fundamental skills in molecular phylogeny. Week 1 included concepts of evolutionary tree thinking, data mining in NCBI using BLAST search, and …

Tracking Life Skill Development Of Indiana 4-H Members, Kayla Groen

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Experiencing The Culture Of Cap-Haïtien: A Trip To Haiti, Alacyn Cox, Kamille Brawner, Kylie Echard

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Alacyn Cox and Kamile Brawner, third-year students, and Kylie Echard, a second-year student, are in the College of Agriculture. In this article, they provide readers with a glimpse of their first impressions on the economy, traditions, and culture they experienced during a study abroad, service-learning experience in Haiti.

High School Students' Motivations And Views Of Agriculture And Agricultural Careers Upon Completion Of A Pre-College Program, Andrea K. Scherer

Open Access Theses

Pre-college summer residential experiences hosted by a College of Agriculture have the potential to expose high school students to new career opportunities and fields of study that they may not have considered, and may influence agricultural literacy, perceptions of agriculture, and interest in agriculture. Engaging these students is important for meeting the demand for more students graduating with agriculture degrees prepared to solve 21st century challenges. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the outcomes of two separate pre-college experiences, the Molecular Agriculture Summer Institute (MASI) and the Purdue Agribusiness Science Academy (PASA), and participating high school …

New Curriculum: Soil & Water Science And Weather & Climate Science, Natalie Carroll

Purdue P-12 Networking Summit & Poster Session

Natalie will present an overview the content of two new (2015) curricula designed for youth in grades 3 through 12. Soil and Water Science; Weather and Climate Science. Three booklets are included in each curriculum. Level 1, for youth in grades 3-5, introduces basic terms and concepts. Level 2 activities, for youth in grades 6-8, help youth put the basic concepts into action to understand more advanced concepts and interactions. Level 3 manuals delve more deeply into important concepts and helps prepare youth to be well informed and for advanced studies at college or university.

• Level 3 Soil & Water …

Socio-Economic Factors Associated With The Adoption Of Conservation Agriculture Among Women Farmers In Balaka District, Malawi, Chimwemwe M. Chisenga

Open Access Theses

The study was conducted in Balaka District, Malawi among women farmers. The study focused on three research questions: What socio-economic factors are associated with the rate of adoption of conservation agriculture among women farmers in Balaka District, Malawi? What are the levels of adoption of conservation agriculture among women farmers in Balaka District, Malawi? What are the main sources of information for conservation agriculture among women farmers in Balaka District, Malawi that lead to adoption of CA? Quantitative data were collected using a door-to-door survey. The survey was verbally administered to 60 women farmers. ^ Qualitative data were collected through …

An Evaluation Of The Military Extension Internship Program, Lynette Marie Griffin

Open Access Theses

The Department of Defense (DoD) identified a need in military communities, both on and off installations, to offer high quality child care and youth services to military families as well as civilian families who serve the military communities. In response, the Office of the Secretary of Defense - Military Community and Family Policy (OSD-MC and FP), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and Purdue University created the Purdue University Military Extension Internship Program (MEIP) to help university students and recent graduates gain professional skills through unique internships that provide real-world work experience with …

Show Horse Welfare, Melissa A. Voigt

Open Access Dissertations

In recent years there has been an increase in the public's attention to situations where trainers, owners, and handlers have compromised the well-being of show horses for the sake of winning. These situations may be due to training negligence or naivety of individuals working with the horse. Either way, due to these incidents, increasing pressure has been placed on the horse industry to address show horse welfare. The purpose of this research was to expound on the welfare of stock-type show horses through the perspective of those directly involved; considering the understanding of welfare, the value placed on welfare, and …

Nitrate Removal From Subsurface Drainage By Denitrifying Bioreactor, Erin Chichlowski

Open Access Theses

Denitrifying bioreactors are an edge-of-field best management practice that reduce nitrate in runoff and subsurface drainage waters with minimum surface foot print and management requirements. The objectives of this study included evaluating a 173 m3 wood chip bioreactor for nitrate reduction and removal rates, the effects on phosphorus, and the impacts of the bioreactor's physical characteristics on effective nitrate reduction During periods of flow, weekly water samples were collected for lab analysis of nitrate+nitrite (nitrate-N), total nitrogen (TN), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), and total phosphorus (TP) and measurements were made of water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, oxidation reduction potential, temperature, …

Graduate Students' Motivation To Teach Plant Sciences To K-12 Audiences, Melissa Leiden Welsh

Open Access Dissertations

Graduate students' motivation to share their knowledge and research with K-12 audiences as future scientists is informed by their beliefs and perceived value of science literacy outreach. Graduate training programs in academia integrate outreach teaching components to equip future scientists with a variety of communication skills, which may reflect either a transmission of knowledge to the learner or through engagement with the learner. As such, the education component of the "Partnership for Research and Education in Plant Breeding and Genetics" grant sought to train graduate plant science students ( N = 17) to disseminate their research to K-12 audiences. Graduate …

The Effectiveness Of Virtual And On-Site Dairy Farm Field Trips To Increase Student Knowledge In Science, Social Studies, And Health And Wellness Standards, Abby M. Sweet

Open Access Theses

The integration of agriculture into the curriculum can be difficult for educators when materials and resources are not aligned with state learning standards. However, online educational tools, such as virtual field trips that are aligned with state learning standards, can allow for educators to bring the experience of a field trip to the classroom, as well as complement curriculum in the classroom. Virtual field trips also assist with removing many barriers that prevent educators from taking their students on an on-site field trip. ^ This study sought to describe the effectiveness of a virtual and on-site dairy farm field trip …

Effectiveness Of Field Days On Promoting The Adoption Of Recommended Improved Maize Varieties By Small Holder Farmers In Lilongwe District, Malawi, Yakosa Charity Zgawa Tegha

Open Access Theses

The study described the contribution of field days to promoting the adoption of improved maize varieties by small holder farmers of Chitsime and Mpingu Extension Planning Areas (EPAs) in Lilongwe District, Malawi. Sixty farmers from two EPAs where the field days had been conducted were randomly selected. Data were collected through personal interviews because literacy was a problem among farmers. The results of the study showed that 31 (51.7%) of the farmers interviewed were female. Use of other methods such as radio, mobile van, leaflets, posters, village meetings and messages sent to farmers’ cellphones helped to popularize the improved maize …

The Influence Of An Advanced Agriculture & Life Science Course On Students' Views Of The Nature Of Science, Megan N. Anderson

Open Access Theses

One of the goals in today's society is to ensure that students exiting school have the ability to understand, develop, and comprehend scientific information. For students to be able to meet these goals, it is imperative that they become scientifically literate and understand the concept of the Nature of Science (NOS). The discipline of Agricultural Education has strong connections with science and today many students are earning science credit and developing science understanding through Agricultural Education courses. If students are continuing to gain science mastery through their Agricultural Education courses, they should also be gaining adequate conceptions of science and …

An Exploratory Study Of Diversified Mentoring Relationships Among Graduate Students And Their Advisors In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Fields, Krystin R. Bodden

Open Access Theses

Minorities and women continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. In graduate education, factors such as racism, prejudice, discrimination, sexism, stereotypes, tokenism, and a lack of role models can all plague students and contribute to uncompleted degrees and non-entrance into STEM fields. One of the tools being used to combat these barriers is effective mentoring. Graduate students and their advisors generally have close working relationships and advisors serve in a tremendously important role in the development of the graduate student, so an effective mentoring relationship is vital.

The purpose of this study was to explore …

Plenary Session: The State Of Information Literacy Policy: A Global Priority, Sharon A. Weiner

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This was a plenary presentation given at the XXIV IAALD World Congress on July 22, 2013, at Cornell University. It described international information literacy policy with examples from different countries and organizations. It clarified definitions of information literacy and policy; discussed information policy in relation to global challenges; and addressing the challenges.

The Queen Of American Agriculture: A Biography Of Virginia Claypool Meredith, Frederick Whitford, Andrew G. Martin, Phyllis Mattheis

The Founders Series

Virginia Claypool Meredith's role in directly managing the affairs of a large and prosperous farm in east-central Indiana opened doors that were often closed to women in late nineteenth century America. Her status allowed her to campaign for the education of women, in general, and rural women, in particular. While striving to change society's expectations for women, she also gave voice to the important role of women in the home. A lifetime of dedication made Virginia Meredith "the most remarkable woman in Indiana" and the "Queen of American Agriculture." Meredith was also an integral part of the history of Purdue …