More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education.
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Students will conduct science and engineering investigations of their own design using an outdoor laboratory to see how agricultural production, wildlife habitat restoration, and photovoltaic electricity production can be combined for greater sustainability. This project will provide weather and soil monitoring stations that will enhance an outdoor agriculture, wildlife, and photovoltaic (i.e., agrivoltaics) learning laboratory. Solar panel shading changes plant conditions such as evapotranspiration rates and soil moisture that can be estimated with data from the proposed weather station sensors. Two stations are needed to measure conditions under solar panels and in a typical garden/field setting.
An outdoor laboratory will allow students to conduct investigations even when the school has gone virtual, because students can learn outdoors and schedule their on-site work with small teams that can spatially separate while collecting data and caring for research plants. The stations will allow data to post online so students can analyze weather and soil conditions from home.
Overall, this project is about students learning how to conduct investigations to make their world more resilient and sustainable. Rural areas need new technologies and practices that support jobs and production, as well as repair and improve environmental degradation from past practices. Agrivoltaics is an example of potential new practices that can provide sustainable rural opportunities.
About my class
Students will conduct science and engineering investigations of their own design using an outdoor laboratory to see how agricultural production, wildlife habitat restoration, and photovoltaic electricity production can be combined for greater sustainability. This project will provide weather and soil monitoring stations that will enhance an outdoor agriculture, wildlife, and photovoltaic (i.e., agrivoltaics) learning laboratory. Solar panel shading changes plant conditions such as evapotranspiration rates and soil moisture that can be estimated with data from the proposed weather station sensors. Two stations are needed to measure conditions under solar panels and in a typical garden/field setting.
An outdoor laboratory will allow students to conduct investigations even when the school has gone virtual, because students can learn outdoors and schedule their on-site work with small teams that can spatially separate while collecting data and caring for research plants. The stations will allow data to post online so students can analyze weather and soil conditions from home.
Overall, this project is about students learning how to conduct investigations to make their world more resilient and sustainable. Rural areas need new technologies and practices that support jobs and production, as well as repair and improve environmental degradation from past practices. Agrivoltaics is an example of potential new practices that can provide sustainable rural opportunities.