PRIMGHAR, Iowa — Precision Agriculture and Animal Science Days, hosted every fall by Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach staff in Northwest Iowa, was recently awarded the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council Seal of Approval for 2017.
The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council focuses on increasing student interest and achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics throughout the state. Their goal is to prepare youth for career paths in STEM fields, such as bioscience (agriculture and health), finance, and information technology, just to name a few.
The Iowa Governor’s STEM Seal of Approval was created to enculturate, sustain and spread STEM thinking. It indicates that the program or event – Precision Agriculture and Animal Science Days – advances Iowa’s STEM initiatives, and helps spread STEM thinking and education throughout the state.
Precision Agriculture and Animal Science Days were first held in 2015 and have become an annual event which brings together high school agriculture education students and teachers with college and agriculture industry members.
The main goals of Precision Agriculture and Animal Science Days are:
1) To engage students in hands-on precision agriculture and animal science learning.
2) To create awareness of the countless career possibilities available in Iowa, and to provide youth with the information and resources needed to prepare for those careers.
3) To connect youth with local business and industry leaders.
4) To recognize how quickly the agriculture industry is changing, and to appreciate how quickly new opportunities can arise.
5) To assist future agriculturists in meeting the challenge of producing enough food to feed more than nine billion people by 2050.
For more information on Precision Agriculture and Animal Science Days or to see about getting your organization or school involved, contact Beth Bunkers, coordinator of the event and O’Brien and Sioux County Youth and Communities Program Assistant, at 712-957-5045 or bbunkers@iastate.edu.
— Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
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