Youth will someday be making decisions that affect agriculture and natural resources systems. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is tapping into the power of gaming to lead a program designed to teach youth how to responsibly make those decisions, while being aware of factors such as climate adaptation and limited natural resources.
The project, Cultivate ACCESS to Data Science in Agriculture, recently received a $749,825 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to continue supporting a program launched in 2018.
“We’re focused on developing student abilities and agency in using data related to agriculture and natural resources,” said Jenny Keshwani, associate professor of biological systems engineering and science literacy specialist.
In a culture that is swamped with information — not all of which is 100% accurate — data literacy and systems thinking are essential for making informed, socially conscious decisions about science, Keshwani said.
Her team’s past efforts included development of interactive games and educational modules designed to help students learn how to make scientific decisions and recognize the long-term impact of those choices. The team will use its latest funding to build on that foundation to expand those efforts and develop additional games and tools that students can use to reinforce these lessons, Keshwani said.
The team is now recruiting teachers to use the materials and to help reach 20 high school youth each year of the four-year project, matching them with five college students as mentors.
At the end of their year, the students will draw on their experiences to research and produce multimedia stories and marketing plans to communicate the benefits of agricultural technologies in their local communities, Keshwani said. The top three winners in each category will receive a $100 award.
This approach to learning is fun, Keshwani said, “and I think that is a first step of this process — remembering you’re in a fun brain space.”
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Categories: Nebraska, Education, Rural Lifestyle