Overview

The intersection of agriculture and technology is an important part of our communities. For years, drones have been used in various ways to address real-world agricultural issues. To help prepare our young people for a future college or career pathway that explores this intersection of ag and drones, our 4-H program recently received a USDA grant to provide a STEM program to middle- and high-school youth in a program called "Ag From Above x Ag for All (AFA²)." 

Led by Primary Investigator and Project Director, Dr. Steven Worker, this three-year program will develop two new 4-H drone STEM curricula that blends hands-on experiential learning with cutting edge knowledge about drones. The research team has been meeting for over a year to help plan for the successful implementation of the first curriculum in a summer camp and after school setting. In addition to Steven, our collaborators include Nathaniel Caeton, Matthew Rodriguez, Andy Lyons, Sean Hogan, Flavie Audoin, Lucy Diekmann, and Becca Fenwick.

Launching Into The Classroom

At Phoenix High School, located in Placer County, our team (i.e. 4-H CES Tina Patton, Educator Dan Alcorn, Principal Chuck Whitecotton, and myself) is helping implement the 4-H drone program with high schoolers. By partnering with this public school, 4-H is expanding the ways in which it delivers high quality programming beyond the traditional 4-H community club and summer camp experiences. Through this initiative, the Placer 4-H program is able to expose enrolled students to other 4-H youth leadership opportunities outside of the classroom, such as our 4-H community clubs, 4-H summer camps, bi-county 4-H events, and statewide 4-H events. This partnership is a win-win for everyone.

Promotional Flier

To learn more about this project, please visit the website at: https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-science-connect/ag-above-x-ag-all-drones. Below is an advertisement 4-H CES Tina Patton developed to promote the program at Phoenix High School.

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