‘Plant Yourself in Ag’ Day Offers Dynamic Platform for Career Exploration

By Mikayla Bowen

“Plant Yourself in Ag” Day returned to Penn State this fall with major changes aimed at connecting even more students to the world of agricultural science.

The event, now in its second year, serves as a learning laboratory for agricultural education undergraduates while also exposing high school students to careers and research topics in agriculture. It took place at Penn State’s Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, a hub for cutting-edge research and innovative education.

The day is designed to be an immersive and hands on learning event that introduces Pennsylvania secondary students to the diversity of agricultural careers and academic pathways, as well as acting as a capstone project for agricultural and extension education (AEE) students who work with researchers to deliver the event’s programming. The date was chosen to land on National Teach Ag Day, the third Thursday in September.

Organizers Rita Graef, director of Penn State’s Pasto Agricultural Museum, and Bethany Mathie, education program specialist, said this year’s event doubled the number of high school students and quadrupled the number of workshops, bringing in 11 principal investigators and 29 graduate student presenters. The number of stakeholders involved in the program also has grown, netting additional support.

During the event, students from a dozen regional high schools spent the day fully engaged on the research farm. Graef said they get hands-on experience doing the same science that researchers are doing in the lab, using some of the same processes, tools and instruments.

“This initiative meets the shared priorities of Penn State, agricultural industry stakeholders, sponsors and secondary educators,” she said. “It supports teacher training and workforce development by creating connections between high schools, undergraduates, researchers and industry professionals, while fostering excitement for agriculture as a modern, STEM-rich career field.”

College researchers, along with their graduate students, offered high school students authentic science activities for that are reflective of real-world work that takes place in the lab and field.

Activities included workshops during which students learned about robotic technology in apple orchards that analyzes trees and their blossoms; identified pollinators and pests in the demonstration garden; and explored microgreens and the benefits of their micronutrients.