** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CULTIVATE ACCESS TO DATA SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE AIMS TO EQUIP YOUNG PEOPLE WITH SKILLS ANDKNOWLEDGE TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE, LIMITED NATURAL RESOURCES, AND A GROWING POPULATION BYBALANCING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION WITH RESPONSIBLE NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. USING ANINTEGRATED SYSTEMS THINKING APPROACH, VIRTUAL NEAR-PEER MENTORING, AND COMMUNITY INFLUENCING, THEPROGRAM AIMS TO EMPOWER YOUTH WITH AN EXPANDED VISION FOR DATA-INFUSED AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIESWHILE ENCOURAGING PARTICIPATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENT POPULATIONS.THE PROGRAM WILL FOCUS ON ADVANCED DATA SCIENCE TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS GIS,ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AND IMAGE PROCESSING, AND IS EXPECTED TO REACH 60 HIGH SCHOOL-AGED YOUTHAND 15 COLLEGE STUDENTS OVER THE 4-YEAR FUNDING PERIOD.THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF CULTIVATE ACCESS TO DATA SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE IS TO PROMOTE YOUTHACQUISITION OF SYSTEMS THINKING SKILLS, CULTIVATION OF TEAMWORK AND RESILIENCY SKILLS, DEVELOPMENT OFCOLLECTIVE ACTION SKILLS, AND AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF STEM-RELATED CAREERS. THE PROGRAMAIMS TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL BY EXPANDING THE USDA-NIFA-FUNDED CULTIVATE ACCESS VIRTUALMENTORING PROGRAM TO INCLUDE LEARNING MODULES AND GAMES THAT SUPPORT PARTICIPANTS IN SHARING THEIRKNOWLEDGE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER COMMUNITY ACTION ACTIVITIES.THE OBJECTIVES OF CULTIVATE ACCESS TO DATA SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE INCLUDE PROVIDING YOUTH WITHNEAR-PEER MENTORING THROUGH THE CULTIVATE ACCESS PROGRAM, DEVELOPING AND CURATING ANINTEGRATED SUITE OF ASYNCHRONOUS MODULES AND GAMES THAT BROADEN PARTICIPATION OF UNDERREPRESENTEDYOUTH IN STEM, AND FOSTERING A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS TO SHARE THEIR GAINED KNOWLEDGE THROUGHCOMMUNITY ACTION SUCH AS SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS, OP-ED WRITING, AND VIDEO CREATION.