Dr. Lonny J. Rivera, Director of Innovation at North Point ESC, was part of a group of educators that recently attended Commodity Classic 2019 in Orlando. He shares his experience:
In my current role as Director of Innovation for North Point ESC, I spend a great deal of time looking for connections between the K-12 education system and the “Real World.” While attending the Commodity Classic I was amazed to see how high tech the world of agriculture has become. It goes beyond just the stereotypical “tractor and plow,” way beyond. I was amazed to see how many different industries are needed to make the Ag world operate. I met mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineers, botanists, agronomists, as well as professionals from the aerospace industry. I am quite certain that the vast majority of educators have little understanding of how many career opportunities lie within the Agriculture arena.
While there, I met an individual that specializes in hydroponics. The amount of food now grown in this manner is quite impressive. I would love to create some training sessions for local educators on how to assemble and operate a classroom hydroponics station. The learning opportunities are immense!
