An Industry Response to Challenges in STEM and Agricultural Literacy

Introduction

The United Nations estimates there will be 9.7 billion people on the planet by 2050. ¹ This provides a unique challenge for the agricultural industry to address the growing food demand while global competitive forces struggle to balance the use of limited resources such as land and water. According to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), “Using only current farming methods and techniques, an additional billion hectares of farmland—a land mass equivalent to the size of Canada—would be needed to support such a population increase.” ² Further complicating the matter is the deficit of talent in our current pipeline for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)-related roles that will be essential for the agricultural industry to address the challenges of food insecurity around the world. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that in the next 5 years there will be 57,900 average openings annually and that only 61% of these jobs will be filled with “graduates with expertise in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources or the environment.” ³

Compounding this challenge are unfavorable perceptions and mistrust of the sciences underlying food technologies and assessments. Growth of this sentiment has resulted in delays in new product registrations and in advancements of new agricultural technologies. Some attribute this phenomenon to scientific illiteracy, where there appears to be a pervasive gap in the understanding of basic scientific concepts. This was exemplified during a survey conducted in 2015 by Oklahoma State University's Agriculture Economics Department. Monthly about 1,000 demographically normalized respondents are asked about their level of understanding and views on policy around science, agriculture, and food. Many of the responses indicated a surprisingly large knowledge gap regarding food and agricultural sciences, including 80.44% of respondents reporting that they supported mandatory labeling of food containing DNA. ^4,5 This response in particular points to a disparity of basic life sciences understanding as all living things contain DNA.

To overcome this obstacle, scientists and those involved in the agricultural industry will have to develop plans to address disconnects between the general public and food production. The 2012 census shows a decline in the total number of farmers and an increase in their average age. ⁶ Currently, much of the population is far removed from agriculture and has little understanding of the history of technological advances or how they have moved food production forward, from mechanization, to Borlaug's Green Revolution, to modern biotechnology. Furthermore, these technologies influence the quality and selection at the grocery store. As an industry, we need to play a supporting role in providing the necessary education to create scientifically literate and informed communities regarding food and production agriculture. In an effort to do this, Dow AgroSciences (Indianapolis, IN) created the Science Ambassadors program. The mission of this program is to empower employees to inspire their communities by promoting scientific literacy. To date, the Science Ambassadors have participated in more than 250 events globally and reached more than a half million people throughout the past 5 years.

Promoting the Engagement of Scientists in Public Outreach and Scientific Literacy

The Dow AgroSciences Science Ambassadors amalgamates employees from a variety of backgrounds, including those from scientific and engineering disciplines, as well as non-scientific functions throughout the company. This model elucidates the power of the program. Any Dow AgroSciences employee can join the Science Ambassadors because sharing ideas from multiple disciplines allows for the emergence of new perspectives and talents to impact outreach effectiveness. Additionally, employee volunteers in the Science Ambassadors program understand that promoting STEM in agriculture benefits everyone by strengthening the industry. Combining efforts from a variety of disciplines throughout the company also allows students to realize the variety of career paths related to agricultural sciences and technology, giving real-world examples that correlate with their classes.

The majority of our Science Ambassadors are from our headquarters in Indianapolis, but the program has grown to include Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Michigan, and others in the U.S. and Saskatchewan, Canada. We launched the program in Brazil and the United Kingdom in 2016. As the program grows, Science Ambassadors volunteers have also realized that community members of all ages seek further knowledge from industry professionals about the agricultural industry, especially due to the prevalence of stories on pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the media and online. By allowing community members and those working in agricultural research to interact and have discussions about the science and technology in their food, the Science Ambassadors help build community relationships and encourage scientific understanding.

Influencing and Encouraging the Next Generation of Scientists and Engineers

Our world faces a number of global challenges, and the students of today will be the innovators of tomorrow. Our future scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians need to be inspired to participate in addressing these challenges, particularly in global food insecurity. That is why the Dow AgroSciences Science Ambassadors primarily focus on encouraging teachers, students and parents to engage in STEM education while showcasing the importance of scientific careers in meeting near- and long-term global food needs.

The Science Ambassadors program has offered workshops to Indiana teachers that provide continuing education credits for participants. These events are often hosted in collaboration with local partners, which have included the Chemical Education Foundation, the Indiana State Museum, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the Indiana State Fair, and the Indiana Farm Bureau. These free or low-cost workshops provide teachers, who may not have the budget to attend a paid conference or training, with the resources needed to advance science and technology education in their classroom. Attendees collaborate with Dow AgroSciences scientists to develop new methods of bringing STEM education to life through hands-on activities.

These workshops have a significant impact in empowering educators to teach agricultural sciences in their classroom. We know that if we can get teachers excited about teaching these topics, students will also become excited about learning these topics. After a teacher workshop in 2015 in partnership with the Indiana State Fair, we received positive feedback about the usefulness of the techniques presented. One piece of unsolicited feedback is shared below:

“I attended an Ag/Science teacher workshop at the Glass Barn this past Saturday. The goal was to help 7th grade science teachers figure out how to incorporate more agriculture into their science curriculum. …All Science Ambassadors were engaging in their presentations and the hands-on activities were right on target. They definitely made a positive difference…. The Science Ambassadors is, without a doubt, a worthwhile program and speaks volumes for the culture created within [Dow AgroSciences] in terms of community involvement and support.”

The program also reaches students directly, and encourages them to pursue careers in science through a variety of STEM-related outreach events. Dow AgroSciences and its employees recognize the importance of influencing and engaging the next generation of scientists as it is estimated that more than 57,000 jobs will be available and may go unfilled over the next five years. ³ These jobs boost the economy by putting people into a successful career path, but these are also the jobs that will be responsible for solving a number of world challenges, such as global hunger. As a result, researchers understand the importance of fostering the curiosity necessary to face these challenges early in children so they choose an educational and career path that will help set them up for continued success.

Events and venues the Dow AgroSciences Science Ambassadors organization participates in range from large-scale community programs, such as Community Science Days, to individualized classroom settings. The Science Ambassadors program also strives to bring science education to students in underserved communities. In addition to open-access teacher trainings, Dow AgroSciences Science Ambassadors collaborates directly with a number of strategic partners and school districts to develop a pipeline for the next generation of scientists from these communities. We want to make sure our volunteers participate in events that help break down possible barriers that may hold students back from pursing scientific careers.

One such partner is School on Wheels of Indianapolis. School on Wheels aids students living in temporary housing and provides opportunities for additional tutoring, such as hands-on demonstrations and explanation of subjects in life science, chemistry, and technology. In 2015, Dow AgroSciences was awarded Partner of the Year for our continued support through the Science Ambassadors. Each time our employees bring new science demonstrations, students in the School on Wheels program give positive feedback, often saying science nights are their favorite.

Our program strives to ensure diverse members of our community feel represented by our volunteers. We want to show students that they can pursue STEM-related careers, no matter their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual preference or socioeconomic status. To do this, Dow AgroSciences Science Ambassadors partner with other Diversity and Inclusion Networks at the company to ensure we are sensitive to any possible barriers with our activities at events. We have translated our activities into Spanish and Chinese (with Portuguese coming soon), reducing language barriers in science exploration. These examples show only a piece of how the Science Ambassadors reach people who may have otherwise had limited resources or felt unable to engage in technology and scientific discovery due to societal or socioeconomic barriers.

The third group Dow AgroSciences Science Ambassadors focuses on is parents or guardians. This is a new area of focus as volunteers realized that family members often are the strongest influence in students' success. ⁷ One such engagement brought students plus parents and guardians to our global headquarters during the annual Cool Green Seed Festival, where fourth graders from one of the local school districts present their fast-plant experiments and learn about agriculture. We also have attended an AmeriCorps event where we presented activities to parents prior to going into the classroom. The activities focused on how to conduct science at home, and provided parents and guardians in attendance with resources and links on where to find more ideas to continue learning with their students.

Parents and guardians also have an influence, not only on their students, but also in public perception of the field of agricultural sciences. Simply breaking stereotypes and correcting misperceptions of scientists and agricultural scientific research may help increase students' excitement about STEM educational experiences.

Increasing Public Understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

Although the Dow AgroSciences Science Ambassadors program mostly focuses on STEM education, its reach has not limited their impact in the broader spectrum of Scientific Policy. Knowledge is power and an informed public is an asset to any community. The need for increased knowledge about agricultural sciences is exemplified in the media—especially when pesticides and GMOs are discussed. A growing number of people are making decisions based on scientific words without knowing their definitions. A recent study specifically probed understanding of genetics around genetically modified (GM) food decision making and concluded “consumers think they know more than they actually do about GM food” and specifically that “at least of a third of consumers have little to no knowledge about genetics.” ⁵ As the disconnect between the agricultural industry and the general public grows, so does the world population and our need for more scientists to address food insecurity. This growing gap sparked a recent initiative from the OSTP, which calls on the food and agricultural industry to participate in STEM efforts. ² The Science Ambassadors have committed to 80% of our U.S. field locations participating in outreach activities by 2020. The desire is that the variety of topics we present to community members will help contribute to a deeper understanding of how science and technology aids in providing food for a growing world.

All of the activities provided through the Science Ambassadors program are specifically designed to educate participants about the science and technology that agriculture uses every day. The activities explore not only common themes in general STEM enrichment like chemistry, biology, or engineering, but also focus on agricultural themes relevant to our business like entomology, genetics, plant science, and nutrition.

An added benefit of the program is creating advocates for our industry. An example of this came from a parent attending an event at Dow AgroSciences' global headquarters with their fourth grader. Following the event, she posted on the company Facebook page stating,

“Reading some of these reviews actually angers me and makes me believe that these people leaving bad reviews have [no] knowledge to what this place is even about! You guys should really do your research and possibly visit the place before you speak ill of things you truly have no clue about!! This place is amazing!! The studies and research they do are beyond words, and the way they involve children and schools and do field trips there makes this place that much more amazing!! Thank you for letting my daughter and I be a part of your group today. It truly was an unforgettable experience!!”

An informed and empowered public can and does shape industry perceptions and it is our duty to make these experiences possible. Furthermore, breaking stereotypes and correcting misconceptions may help gain more positive attitudes toward students' pursuit of agricultural sciences as a career. Informed communities can contribute to greater acceptance of technologies in the marketplace and less fear or uncertainty regarding the science used in food production.

This is why Dow AgroSciences Science Ambassadors continue to participate in STEM events—large and small—to help teachers, students, and parents understand the importance of agricultural sciences and encourage them all to take an active role in joining the fight against food insecurity. Even if an individual decides not to pursue a STEM career in the industry, the Science Ambassadors hope to empower their communities to have the scientific literacy needed to be informed decision makers about science and agricultural policy.