Middle school students explore the future of agriculture through STEM
The Virginia Tech Southwest Center and regional partners introduce students to modern farm technology through hands-on lessons and real-world experiments.
Middle school students in Southwest Virginia are getting an early look at how science and technology are shaping the future of agriculture.
Through the new Agriculture STEM Academy, hosted by the Virginia Tech Southwest Center in partnership with EO — a regional nonprofit focused on expanding education, workforce, and economic opportunity across Southwest Virginia — students are spending four Monday afternoons in March exploring how modern farms use data, technology, and environmental science to grow food more efficiently and sustainably.
Each session is led by Virginia Tech faculty and specialists from across disciplines — including biological systems engineering, agricultural technology, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and biochemistry — giving students a glimpse of how many fields contribute to modern agriculture.
During a recent session at the EO Career Commons in Abingdon, students learned how farmers use tools such as GPS, sensors, and smart equipment to manage crops and fields. With guidance from Wesley Gwaltney, a three-time Virginia Tech alum and advanced instructor in the university’s Agricultural Technology Program, students even had the chance to climb into a John Deere 6130M tractor equipped with integrated GPS technology.
Gwaltney, who grew up working on his family’s Virginia farm, shared how tools like GPS-guided equipment help farmers manage crops more precisely while protecting soil and water resources.
“All of these sessions are about helping students see how STEM connects to the world around them,” said Allison Mays, director of the Southwest Center. “Agriculture today relies on technology, data, and innovation, and programs like this give students a chance to explore those ideas in ways that are fun, interactive, and relevant to their communities.”
Programs like the Agriculture STEM Academy reflect Virginia Tech’s commitment as a land-grant university to connecting young people with the science, technology, and career pathways shaping the future of agriculture.
Other academy sessions introduce students to topics such as groundwater and watershed health through hands-on experiments, as well as how farmers use math and data to make decisions about soil health, weather patterns, and crop growth.
The program is supported by partners including Farm Credit, Meade Tractor, and John Deere.
Virginia Tech is expanding similar hands-on STEM opportunities for students and teachers across the region.
The academy also includes a professional development opportunity for educators. On March 19, the Southwest Center will host an Agriculture STEM Professional Development for Educators workshop at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, led by Hannah Scherer, associate professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. The hands-on session will introduce place-based strategies for connecting STEM concepts to agriculture in Southwest Virginia and provide teachers with classroom-ready activities they can bring back to their schools.
In June, the AgriCode: Engineering Sustainable Solutions camp at the Virginia Tech Roanoke Center will give students entering grades 8-12 the chance to design and build technology-driven solutions for agriculture, including a field visit to the university’s Catawba Sustainability Center. The 377-acre farm in Roanoke County serves as a living laboratory where Virginia Tech advances environmental stewardship and demonstrates sustainable practices in agriculture, forestry, and land management.
