‘Plant Yourself in Ag’ Day offers dynamic platform for career exploration

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “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.

Mathie said opportunities for the AEE undergraduates were just as central to the day’s success. Students from all class years volunteered, building teamwork and community within their majors.

“We organize our students into cohorts, providing a support system and learning community for them as they move through their education major and into their professional careers,” Mathie said. “This event really helped them build a community and get to know each other beyond the classroom.”

First and second-year students took on the roles of “MacGyvers,” assisting with logistical support, and “Wingmen,” who worked side by side with workshop presenters. Third-year students, known as “Ambassadors,” took on leadership roles, guiding high school groups through their day-long experience and sharing their own experiences as undergraduates at Penn State.

Mathie said that undergraduate students in the agricultural and extension education major who were involved reported an appreciation for getting the chance to interact with both high school students and experienced ag educators, along with a greater feeling of connection to others in their major, according to a survey after the event.

Researchers and graduate students benefited too, Graef added, by getting direct experience in research communication.

“By the time we get to the day of the event, we've done a lot of work with the team to help craft their workshops,” Graef said. “We've met with the researchers, grad students and ag ed students to help coach and mentor them in honing that skill of research translation for this particular audience of high school students and their teachers.”

The event also featured a college and career expo for students to explore majors, talk with advisers and connect with industry sponsors.

“We want students to see that agriculture is dynamic, modern and full of opportunities, no matter their interest,” Graef said. “The day is an opportunity for high school students to see firsthand that there’s a place in the college to meet their passions and interests.”

Stakeholders and sponsors included research labs across the College of Agricultural Sciences, the Office for Undergraduate Education, RAC-Recruiting and Advising, the Office of the Dean, the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, the Center for Professional Personnel Development, the Pasto Agricultural Museum, John Deere LandPro, Friends of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Foundation, Penn State FFA Alumni and Supporters, and Penn State University Libraries.

For more information and to see more photos of the event, visit the “Plant Yourself in Ag” Day website.