Curriculum

How will we feed 9 billion people? Grow soybeans using Round-Up Ready seeds to illustrate how biotechnology can be used as a tool to increase production. Introduce students to different options for growing soybeans, investigate…

How is international agriculture addressing world hunger issues? Students explore international organizations working to address hunger challenges and the growing demand for protein in these three lessons.

How can we identify individual organisms in a complex mixture of DNA? What computer tools are needed to decode the source of a DNA sequence? Have you ever done a DNA extraction? Most DNA extractions are done with a known source and students can visualize DNA. The favorite items are strawberries or students’ own cheek cells. This unit…

Why is water quality important? What factors impact water quality? This unit will discuss the importance of water quality, describe several impacts to water quality, and include a data analysis activity that students complete to determine how wetlands play a role in…

What affects water quality in your area? Access to clean water is a critical issue in many countries. In the United States there are few places where we cannot find clean water to drink or swim in. This unit explores some of the potential…

How might we use robots to simulate agricultural technology? What role does computer science play in agriculture? The technology innovations in use in the agriculture industry have been touted as second only to those of the US military. What are these innovations? GPS guided tractors, follow-along equipment,…

What do students know about STEM careers in agriculture? Science, technology, engineering, and math are so much a part of agriculture and agriculture careers! In this unit, students will learn about the STEM in agriculture, discover innovations in…

How might we predict traits in soybeans? Did you know that there are many traits in soybeans that have an impact on sales and export of soybeans? One of the major ones is hilum color. What is hilum color? What is pubescence? Take a tour of…

Are you an informed consumer? Are you aware of more sustainable products? Do you try to buy more sustainable products when you have the choice?

What STEM equipment is used to make soy-based beauty products? Students act as lab technicians working for a cosmetic company and learn the names, functions and units of common lab and measuring equipment by generating soy-based beauty products. Students will…

What do we need to know about soil to determine its productivity? How can we be better stewards of soil health? Soil is an ecosystem, full of both living organisms and nonliving factors. These factors interact within the ecosystem to support one another. Find out what methods are used by soil scientists and…

What senses are involved in our experience of food? This unit describes scientific ways of describing our experiences with food via sensory testing.