April 30, 2008

This biweekly newsletter is designed as a brief update and reminder of AgrowKnowledge activities and events. We will still distribute the regular AgrowKnowledge newsletter every other month – April, June, August, October, December, and February.

For more information about items in the biweekly newsletter checkout the AgrowKnowledge website: www.agrowknow.org

1. Time to Register… Scholarship Application Deadline Today - April 30^th. Scholarship application end at midnight tonight,
2.  Registration for AgrowKnowledge National Faculty Development Workshop Open! “Tying Entrepreneurship Skills to Math, Science, Technology and Agriculture”
3.  AgrowKnowledge Photo Contest Starts Tomorrow – May 1st

Attend the AgrowKnowledge 2008 National Conference: “Case Study: Agriculture - Merging Math, Science and Technology,” May 29 and 30, Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, IA. Learn to engage students by using case studies and projects in your courses. Participants will receive hands-on activities, case studies and projects for use in agriculture, food, environment and natural resources, energy, geospatial technology and biotechnology courses.

You can apply for and receive acknowledgement of the scholarship prior to registering for the conference but the deadline for scholarship application is midnight tonight, April 30, 2008 Check out the updated conference session descriptions on the AgrowKnowledge website, Today!

AgrowKnowledge Conference Schedule - http://www.agrowknow.org/critical-issues/2008/schedule.asp

AgrowKnowledge Scholarship Application - http://agrowknow.org/critical-issues/2008/registration/cb_ScholarshipForm2.asp

The first of AgrowKnowledge’s nationally recognized 2008 Faculty Development Workshops is now open for registration. June 16th - 17th, 2008, (just prior to the NAAE Region III Conference) in La Crosse, WI.  Participants will receive an overview of entrepreneurship including innovation and creativity, opportunity recognition/idea evaluation, marketing/market research, finance, and business operations as they relate to agriculture. Successful agricultural entrepreneurs use math, science, and technology skills to develop and grow their businesses. This workshop will reinforce the principles with hands-on activities allowing participants to further internalize the concepts presented. Participants will learn how to guide their students through the process of identifying and developing agricultural business opportunities. Participants will receive access to business planning curriculum and resources.  Check back on the website or watch for our bi-monthly news updates to find about new workshop registrations opening!

View all of the upcoming Faculty Development Workshops: http://www.agrowknow.org/Workshops/WorkshopList.php

AgrowKnowledge’s 2^nd Annual Photo Contest starts accepting photo submissions on May 1^st. The purpose of this photo contest is to select 12 photos that will be featured in our 2009 AgrowKnowledge calendar. The photos will also provide educators and students with a wide range of photography free of charge that otherwise may not be readily available for use. These images will be available through the AgrowKnowledge website (free registration required to access images) and allow photographers to showcase their work. The topic for the photo contest is “The Future of Agriculture” Participants can to submit up to ten photos illustrating what they think best represents “The Future of Agriculture."

Each of our resource teams will be sponsoring an additional prize of $100 for a total of $150 to a photo that best exemplifies each of their resource teams. The AgrowKnowledge resource teams are as followed:

• Ag Environment, Natural Resources and Security
  
• Agricultural Biotechnology
  
• Agricultural Geospatial Technology
• Alternative Energy for Agriculture

• April 30, Scholarship applications for AgrowKnowledge National Conference due, submit online at the AgrowKnowledge website.
• May 29 – 30, AgrowKnowledge National Conference, Case Study & Project-Based Learning, Registration now open.
• June 10 – 13, NACTA Annual Conference, “Retaining the Best,” (http://www.usu.edu/aste/nacta)
• June 16 – 17, AgrowKnowledge Tying Entrepreneurship Skills to Math, Science, Technology and Agriculture Faculty Development Workshop
• July 23 – 25, AgrowKnowledge Biotechnology Level 2 Faculty Development Workshop August 4 – 8, AgrowKnowledge Biotechnology Level 1 and 2, Faculty Development Workshop August 6 – 8, AgrowKnowledge Alternative Energy Faculty Development Workshop
• October 8 – 10, AgrowKnowledge Math, Science, Greenhouse and Hydroponics Faculty Development Workshop
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If you have suggestions or content for this biweekly AgrowKnowledge newsletter please email Rick Parker (rick.parker@agrowknow.org).