On Nov. 10, 2021, SitS team members Sale Rhodes (left in photo) and Daniel Collins traveled to Fergus High School in Lewistown to share content from the Signals in the Soil project with high school students in teacher Tim Nefzger’s classes. Nefzger first connected with the SitS project in May 2021 when he participated in a focus group for central Montana teachers. Middle and high school teachers in the group expressed enthusiasm for connecting their students with the SitS project and the MSU researchers involved. They also noted several ways in which the SitS research connects to their current curricula.
At Fergus High, Daniel and Sale visited a physics class, a chemistry class and an applied engineering class. In all three, they designed and led students through a hands-on experiment that simulated the movement of water through soil. Students measured and graphed conductivity and reactivity; and Sale and Daniel shared information about their own STEM career pathways.
Their presentation covered several aspects of SitS, from sensor development and modeling to plant growth, fertilizer and nitrate toxicity.
“Students showed lots of interest in the application of these tools,” said Sale, “particularly students whose families are involved in farming and ranching.” Sale noted that great questions and ideas came from non-agriculture students, as well, leading to discussions about septic contamination and water quality in drinking water wells.
Daniel said that students also asked probing questions about sensors, including how they apply to precision agriculture; how many sensors are needed to gather reliable data; and even ethical questions such as who is allowed to make decisions based on the data that is gathered?
Daniel and Sale will work with the SitS team to transform resources from the Lewistown visit into educational content that can be used by all students and teachers. Read more about Sale and Daniel below.