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This year’s Earth Day celebration on April 22 was extra special as approximately 260 students from two Montgomery Public Schools and Pike Road Schools gathered at Dream Field Farms in Fitzpatrick, Alabama, to explore the role of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in agriculture.

Students in grades three through six from Pike Road Schools, Halcyon Elementary School and Forest Avenue Academic Magnet School participated in the hands-on “STEM on the Farm” event. Throughout the day, they discovered how STEM is used in farming through interactive demonstrations and simulations. One popular activity showed how drones can be used to spray pesticides — students even had the chance to fly drones through a custom course.

Exhibitors included Alabama Technology in Motion, AMSTI at Auburn University, the AU Bee Center, Alabama Space Grant Consortium Fellows, Alabama Public Television, the Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) and the Southeastern Center of Robotics Education (SCORE).

Montgomery Public Schools teacher Ashley Broadway attended with her robotics students. She appreciated the opportunity for her students to apply their robotics skills in a unique outdoor setting.

“My students were engaged all day and were able to try out new technologies such as the Sphero BOLT robots,” she said. “The farm-based activities, like visiting the animals and the play space, also provided a nice balance from the more technical STEM challenges. I hope we can attend again next year.”

Parent and chaperone Sabrina Darden from Pike Road Schools also enjoyed the event. With a background in entomology, she was particularly interested in the AU Bee Center exhibit presented with AMSTI.

“The students really enjoyed programming and driving the robots,” Darden said. “STEM on the Farm was educational for both kids and adults. It’s a fantastic way to highlight how technology is used in agriculture — because technology is the reality of both our present and our future.”

STEM on the Farm was organized by Dream Field Farms, SCORE and Alabama Technology in Motion. The event will be held annually to provide a fun and engaging way for students to explore STEM in an agricultural environment.