** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** AN INCREASING HUMAN POPULATION AND CHANGING CLIMATE CONTINUE TO STRESS THE US ABILITY TO SUSTAIN FOOD SECURITY, WHILE MAINTAINING ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL VITALITY. ADVANCES IN AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGIES ARE KEY TO SUCCESS, BUT THE WORKFORCE HAS AN UNDER-PREPARED SKILLSET WHICH IS NOT BEING MET BY EXISTING ACADEMIC INFRASTRUCTURES.AI WILL NOT COMPLETELY REPLACE HUMANS, BUT THOSE WHO USE AI WILL REPLACE THOSE WHO DO NOT. THIS WIDELY CITED STATEMENT FROM A 2023 IBM REPORT ENCAPSULATES A BROADER BUT URGENT NEED IN THE AGRICULTURAL WORKFORCE. WE NEED INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS TO TRAIN YOUTH IN THE LATEST CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY, NOT ONLY IN FIELDS LIKE DATA SCIENCE AND AI BUT ACROSS A RANGE OF SKILLS, INCLUDING INTERNET-OF-THINGS (IOT) SENSORS, ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION, AND BIOTECHNOLOGY. STUDENTS MUST LEARN TO LEVERAGE DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS TO OPTIMIZE CROP YIELDS, MONITOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, AND IMPLEMENT PRECISION IRRIGATION TECHNIQUES. FAMILIARITY WITH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES IN AGRICULTURE WILL PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROFESSIONALS TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES POSED BY A GROWING GLOBAL POPULATION, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS (E.G., LAND, WATER). MOREOVER, YOUTH SHOULD NOT ONLY OBTAIN AG TECHNOLOGICAL PROFICIENCY BUT ALSO CULTIVATE ESSENTIAL SOFT SKILLS THAT ENABLE THEM TO COLLABORATE EFFECTIVELY WITHIN LEADERSHIP TEAMS WHILE REMAINING LIFELONG LEARNERS. WHILE A TECH-SAVVY AGRICULTURAL WORKFORCE IS CLEARLY NEEDED, THE PEDAGOGY OF MANY CONVENTIONAL EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS IS NOT ADAPTED TO TRAIN YOUTH IN THESE CUTTING-EDGE SKILLS.IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL DELIVER A TRANSFORMATIVE MICRO-CREDENTIALING PILOT FOR TRAINING YOUTH IN AG TECHNOLOGY BUILT THROUGH A NOVEL EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CYCLE. THE ENHANCED DURABLE LEARNING APPROACH (FOLLOWING THE U-BEHAVIOR MODEL) INTEGRATES SELF-PACED ONLINE LEARNING SUPPORTED BY HANDS-ON TRAINING FEATURING A CUSTOM IOT SENSORS KIT AND REAL-WORLD FIELD DEMONSTRATIONS - INCLUDING OBSERVATIONS OF HOW DATA SCIENCE AND AI IMPACT DECISION-MAKING. OUR PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE AFRI FARM BILL PRIORITY AREA OF AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY, SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSING ADVANCED DATA SCIENCE TECHNOLOGIES. WE BUILD ON OUR SUCCESSFUL PILOTED WORK BY THE INVESTIGATORS THAT TEACHYOUTH HOW IOT SOIL SENSORS AND APP-BASED IRRIGATION SCHEDULERS CAN IMPROVE IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT.WE WILL BUILD A MORE COMPREHENSIVE BADGING SYSTEM THAT TEACHES ON-FARM IOT MONITORING IN URBAN, RURAL, AND CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS. IT ALSO INCLUDES HOW SENSORS AND DATA SCIENCE CAN BE USED WITH OTHER TECHNOLOGIES (E.G., SEED TECHNOLOGY, SOIL HEALTH, FOOD SAFETY). HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE-AGED YOUTH IN COLORADO AND NEBRASKA WILL JOINTLY LEARN TO INTEGRATE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS IN SOIL, PLANT, AND FOOD SCIENCE INTO A CYBER SUPPORT SYSTEM THAT OPTIMIZES AUTOMATION AND DECISION-MAKING USING REAL-TIME DATA. YOUTH WILL BE EMPOWERED TO CO-CREATE AND REVISE BADGING CONTENT TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE THE PROGRAM. WE EXPECT OVER 600 STUDENTS TO EARN BADGES AND CREDENTI,ALS OVER THE THREE-YEAR PROJECT AND SEVERAL THOUSAND YOUTH TO GAIN AWARENESS OF TECHNOLOGY'S IMPACT AND AG CAREERS THROUGH COMMUNITY EXPERIMENT DEMONSTRATION SITES. COLLABORATING WITH VARIOUS INDUSTRIES AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES, THE PROGRAM WILL SECURE FORMAL RECOGNITION FOR THE AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY CREDENTIALS EARNED BY PARTICIPANTS.