Applications open NOW for our 2025 workshops!
Apply by May 15 EXTENDED TO MAY 30, 11:59pm ET, for priority consideration:
June 27-28, Live Oak, FL: Engineering Technology for the Future “Smart Farm”
July 15-16, Gainesville, FL: Helping Honeybees Thrive
July 28-29, Marianna, FL: Improving Genes for Better Plants and Crops
Contact Dr. Katie Stofer, (352) 273-3690, especially for accommodation requests relating to disabilities, childcare, or any needs that will facilitate your participation. Due to the working research fields nature of the workshops, the sites may require accommodations for people with physical disabilities. We are committed to working with you to be accessible.
Funding provided by USDA NIFA 2021-67037-34216.
We are pleased to announce more in our new series of workshops funded by USDA NIFA.
We are looking especially for educators of high school age learners in the rural northeast and northwest/Panhandle Florida regions. Educators and program facilitators from formal, informal, and nonformal contexts are all welcome.
The University of Florida Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences is pleased to offer a workshop series focused on interdisciplinary science topics for STEM and Agriculture educators of secondary school age learners. The Cultivating STEM Curiosity: Adapting Lessons for Authentic STEM and Ag Connections (CSC) Workshops will help you re-work classroom lessons to incorporate science and agricultural research that is contemporary and relevant to your local context with an focus on increasing access for all learners. The instruction time will total 26 education hours.
What do the workshops look like?
The primary CSC workshop series will feature three instances on different topics. Each instance will have three parts:
- A virtual, asynchronous, 6-hour component on Facilitating STEM for All Learners, completed through UF Canvas before the in-person sessions.
- A synchronous, in-person half-day and following full-day (12 hours total) focusing on discussions of goals, collaboration with scientists and education researchers and fellow teachers, lab and field research tours, and presentations of research content. See below for locations, topics and times.
- Virtual content sessions from the researchers (1-2 hours, may attend live or view asynchronously) plus choice of at least 2 synchronous 3-hour virtual sessions focused on re-designing a program session, lesson, unit, or longer curriculum piece (8 hours total). These dates will be determined by participants but held in the months following the in-person sessions.
We have three topic areas and locations for 2025:
Hosts for all three workshops include Dr. Katie Stofer, UF Agricultural Education and Communication, and Dr. Heather Kent, UF/IFAS 4-H.
Workshop A – Engineering Technology for the Future “Smart Farm”
Part 2/In-person portion Fri, June 27th, 12pm ET – Sat. June 28th, 5pm ET: Live Oak, FL
- Scientist lead partners: NSF ERC Iot4Ag, Dr. Vivek Sharma and Dr. Andy Seepaul, UF/IFAS Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Agronomy.
Workshop B – Helping Honeybees Thrive
Part 2/In-person portion Tues. July 15, 12pm ET – Wed. July 16, 5pm ET: Gainesville, FL
- Scientist lead partner: UF Honeybee Lab, Dr. Jamie Ellis, UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology.
Workshop C: Improving Genes for Better Plants and Crops
Part 2/In-person portion Mon., July 28, 12pm CT- Tues., July 29, 5pm CT, Marianna, FL
- Scientist lead partner: Dr. Barry Tillman, UF/IFAS Agronomy.
How do I apply?
Complete a brief form linked below, simply requesting name, learners, course(s), and learning setting information. We anticipate it will take no more than 10 minutes to complete and requires no additional documentation such as principal/supervisor approval (though we encourage you to make arrangements with your principal/supervisor for needed approvals before applying).
June 27-28, Live Oak, FL: Engineering Technology for the Future “Smart Farm”
July 15-16, Gainesville, FL: Helping Honeybees Thrive
July 28-29, Marianna, FL: Improving Genes for Better Plants and Crops
For any registration issues, please contact Lauren Keiser, lkeiser at ufl dot edu
Who should consider applying?
For the CSC workshops, we are prioritizing 9th-12th grade science/STEM, agriculture, and CTE educators who work with non-U.S. majority student populations in rural areas in Alachua County, North Florida, and the NEFEC and PAEC regions. Teachers from rural Georgia and Alabama are welcome as well. Middle school age educators will be welcome as space allows.
Costs covered and stipends offered:
- $75 for substitute teacher coverage (in summer, must be teaching summer courses to receive this reimbursement to the school)
- Day 1 – Afternoon coffee and snack, heavy hors d’oeuvres evening reception; Day 2 – Breakfast, lunch, and coffee
- Hotel room available (double occupancy) for the evening overnight (hotel stay not required)
- $500 stipend upon completion of all three components and research/evaluation activities during the following school year*.
- Parking
*Stipends will be distributed in three parts: $250 after the in-person sessions of the workshop, $150 after the virtual sessions, and the final $100 after implementing the lessons in your classroom and reflecting with us in a virtual interview.
You may apply for all three workshops (A, B, and or C), but we may prioritize teachers who have not participated in the series before. Please indicate your preferred workshops if applying for more than one.
Workshop Sample Agenda
July 28 – 29, 2025
Location: UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center, Marianna, FL and evening reception at hotel
Time: July 28 approximately 12pm – 5pm Central, plus evening reception at hotel, July 29 approximately 8am – 5 pm Central
In-person portion basic agenda:
Day 1 Half Day plus evening reception
(approximately) 11:30am CT: Registration
12pm CT: Workshop begins
- Introduction and overview
- Discussion of facilitating STEM teaching for all
- What is agronomy and what is UF/IFAS working on for better crops? overview research presentation
- Setting goals for re-designed lessons with teaching for all and authentic STEM focus
Day 2 Full Day
Breakfast at hotel. Check out of hotel and store or bring luggage.
8:00am – 5:00pm
- Content presentations on authentic research in Florida
- Tours of research facilities
- Lunch
- Content presentations on authentic STEM lesson planning for all
- Initial collaborations on lesson re-design
- Sharing of initial plans
- Introduction to the virtual follow-up sessions
- Wrap-up and depart for home
Virtual follow-up sessions (Dates and times TBD)
Continue the collaborative lesson re-design, hear more about ongoing research, and share interim and final presentations of re-designed lessons. Research presentations will be offered live but may be reviewed asynchronously for a total of 2 hours. Participants will also select at least two, 3-hour sessions to attend to work virtually with STEM professionals with expertise in authentic research content, UF Education experts, and fellow educators to re-design their lessons to feature authentic, local, and contemporary science content for all learners. Virtual sessions will take place in the weeks and months following the in-person sessions.
After completion of the workshop, teachers will receive certification of their completion and, if interested, may be invited to share their lesson at upcoming workshops with fellow teachers as an example of lessons on authentic STEM learning for all students. These workshops will be planned for later 2025, such as at the Florida Association of Science Teachers conference in October.
Questions?
Contact Dr. Katie Stofer, (352) 273-3690, especially for accommodation requests relating to disabilities, childcare, or any needs that will facilitate your participation. Due to the working research fields nature of the workshops, the sites may require accommodations for people with physical disabilities. We are committed to working with you to be accessible.
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