Workforce Development

Overview

IoT4Ag will prepare diverse groups of pre-college, community college, and university students and agricultural professionals through national and international partnerships with educational institutions, museums, and organizations and via our industrial practitioner and Ag-systems advisory boards.

Pre-College Education

Faculty, students, and staff at all university partners sites will co-develop audience-specific lesson plans, hands-on labs and kits, and exhibits to increase K-12 STEM interest and competency.

Community College Partnerships

The Center will engage students pursuing certificates and two-year degrees in fields related to precision agriculture at Community College partner institutions through guest lectures and technology demonstrations, hands-on laboratory activities, field demonstrations, and research experiences. IoT4Ag aims to increase the knowledge and pipeline of Ag and engineering students via education and training in innovative Ag technologies.

University Education

IoT4Ag will educate undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to prepare Ag – Tech leaders through collaborative co-education and co-training in and across our classrooms, in our labs, in our agricultural research and education extension facilities, and with our international partners. The Center will create and deliver multi-disciplinary educational activities, mirroring our disciplinary diversity and convergent research, through virtual and in-person bootcamps, coursework, professional development, international exchange, intra-ERC research exchange, and research experiences. 

Professional Education

The Center will increase precision agriculture technology competency of the end-user community of growers and support certification of Ag professionals through our Ag-systems advisory board and in cooperation with university and state Extension Facilities located near Merced, Purdue, and UF.  IoT4Ag will contribute to end-user development by creating educational materials for Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) training, for tech service industry and extension agent training, and for transferring IoT4Ag technologies to growers.

Extension Facilities

Purdue Extension

University of Florida IFAS Agriculture Extension

University of California Merced County Cooperative Extension