Research Experience for Teachers: Engineering in Precision Agriculture for Rural STEM Educators

North Dakota State University Fargo, Fargo ND

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering Site at North Dakota State University (NDSU) will enhance STEM education for rural students and their teachers, through exposure to the engineering field, a subject not generally taught in rural schools, within an agricultural framework. This Site immerses 'solitary STEM teachers', from North Dakota and western Minnesota, who are the only STEM teachers for grades 7-12 in their school or district in an intensive engineering research experience with an agricultural emphasis on biobased materials. The teachers will be introduced to a multidisciplinary approach to the design of new biobased materials and precision agriculture technology. Since the region's economy and way of life are strongly rooted in agriculture, the focus on solitary STEM teachers will be valuable to the educational community as well as having potential for nationwide impact on agricultural regions. By focusing the research and lesson plans on the theme of sustainability in precision agriculture and biocomposite materials, existing agricultural producing regions, like North Dakota, can increase teachers and students abilities to significantly contribute to the future workforce for producing enough food, fuel, and products for the next several generations. This Site will offer an intensive six week summer research program for a total of 48 rural STEM teachers over three years that unites the development of electrical hardware and software with biobased materials for investigations in sustainable materials and precision agriculture. The research areas are chemistry, physics, and mathematics based, and are a natural fit for the economy of these agricultural regions. Research topics include: biobased resins and composites, testing and evaluating relevant software, and analyzing soil sensors, among others. Research will be conducted in teams with an in-service teacher being paired with a pre-service teacher. Teachers will work closely with Mechanical Engineering Department faculty mentors, post-doctoral assistants, and graduate students on assigned research projects. The proposed activities include 8 professional development days during the summer and academic year including pre-program, post-program, and follow-up workshops, along with ongoing and substantive interactions with graduate student mentors in classroom activities.