The Chicken Nuggets on Mars professional development program is divided into six stages. Each stage is designed to build on the other, and exploring all the different STEM, social, and political concepts this project touches.
NC Farm Bureau and Applied Production
Participants will start their professional development by spending 4-5 days with members of their local county Farm Bureaus. This will occur sometime between late May and early July based on the schedules of the participants and their local Farm Bureau members. This will give them a glimpse of modern poultry production by the men and women who produce poultry products here on Earth. Participants will also spend time learning about the largest farm organization in North Carolina, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation (NCFB) and the STEM-Ag programs it provides.
NC State Poultry STEM
After seeing what commercial poultry production looks like here on Earth, the participants will travel to NC State’s Prestage Department of Poultry Science, where they will spend 3 days learning about the STEM principles behind poultry production and the unique challenges raising birds on Mars will pose. Participants will learn how genetics, breeding, embyro development, nutrition, health, welfare, and management all come together in a way that fuses science, technology, engineering, and math to produce health birds and nutritious food.
Ag Education Policy
Participants will travel to Washington D.C. for 3 days to visit the American Farm Bureau headquarters to learn about poultry policy development and implementation. On the second day, the participants will visit congressional offices to discuss educational and agricultural issues and meet with agriculture staff members of Senator Richard Burr and Thom Tillis. The final day, participants will visit program staff at NSF, NIFA, and NASA to learn about these agencies and educational resources available to the teachers.
Professional Development Institute - Asheville
Participants will complete an intensive professional development (PD) experience. This opportunity will be conducted in the Asheville area. This PD opportunity will include visits with several organizations in the area, which may include the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center, Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI), Western Regional Educational Service Alliance (WRESA) and a NC Cooperative Extension county office.
Classroom Delivery
After the end of the summer experiences and professional development, participants will be challenged to develop and implement five problem-based lessons or one comprehensive unit built around the idea of having their students figure out ways that humans could raise chickens on Mars. As they implement these lessons, the project team, their local Farm Bureau, and other program participants will provide constructive feedback and support.
2019 Nuggets Fellow Ms. Novakowski
IMPACT
