Beginnings: Experiential Learning on Digital Agriculture and Plant Phenotyping Technologies (DAPPT)

This project aims to serve the national interest by addressing the shortfall in STEM graduates required to meet the growing demands of the food, agriculture, and natural resources sectors. With the potential to revolutionize agriculture through real-time data on crop health and environment, there is a critical need to prioritize STEM education and cultivate a skilled workforce capable of driving innovation in digital agriculture and phenotyping technologies. The primary objective of this project is to provide immersive learning opportunities in digital agriculture and plant phenotyping technologies (DAPPT), with a particular focus on community college students. Collaboratively undertaken by three institutions including Florida A&M University (FAMU), the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), and Purdue University (PU), FAMU and UNL will focus on engaging historically underrepresented and underserved groups and community college students by offering on-site field experiential learning activities to those enrolled in STEM programs or associate degree programs, and PU will expand the reach of the project to encompass industry workers and growers through workshops on advanced technologies for precision agriculture. The project's comprehensive approach involves the creation of three participant cohorts annually in Florida, Nebraska, and Indiana, with the partners facilitating travel for cohort visits and training sessions. Through a well-rounded combination of experiential learning activities, including summer internships, workshops, field visits, semester-based research and development internships, the DAPPT project aims to equip participants with the requisite skills, knowledge, and professional competencies essential for pursuing a career in digital agriculture and plant phenotyping technologies. This project is co-funded by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), which provides awards to strengthen STEM undergraduate education and research at HBCUs. This project aligns with the NSF ExLENT Program, funded by the NSF TIP and EDU Directorates, as it seeks to support experiential learning opportunities for individuals from diverse professional and educational backgrounds to increase their interest in, and their access to, career pathways in emerging technology fields. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.