School’s out, but learning never stops! Thanks to a grant from Battelle and The Ohio Soybean Foundation, our informal education program, Exploration of Modern Farming, will provide opportunities for students, parents, other family and community members to investigate the latest farming methods through Exploration of Modern Farming.
Pre-service teachers will facilitate the outreach events this summer and next summer, reaching an anticipated 14,000 participants through targeted events such as after school programs, STEM summer camps and the Ohio State Fair.
Five topics will be rotated during the outreach events: thermal light, biodiesel fuels, soil compaction, agriculture engineering and plant structure. Hands-on activities and experiments will let students engineer and operate a design, observe, and draw conclusions.
At a ceremony to recognize and celebrate the 2019 STEM Grant program awardees, Aimee Kennedy, Senior Vice President for Education, STEM Learning and Philanthropy at Battelle, spoke about the importance of making STEM accessible to all students. “We value partners,” she said, emphasizing the value of working together for better education. Battelle president and CEO Lou Van Thaer talked to the group about the importance of having an education and teachers’ roles in creating “meaningful learning experiences”. Battelle will give 19 STEM awards this year.
Wilmington College student Shaye Creamer, who heads up the Exploration of Modern Farming outreach, talked to the audience about “the power of informal education” and how it engages the audience in a variety of places and ways. Watch for Exploration of Modern Farming events in your community or county fair or at the Ohio State Fair!
