Waukee Student Among Elite Group Studying Ag Careers in USDA-Sponsored Program

A story on the Waukee Community Schools web site:

Waukee High School junior Charlotte Halley was one of 16 high school students from around the country who spent two weeks exploring a career in plant or animal science as part of the fourth  annual USDA-sponsored AgDiscovery program held at Iowa State University.

The 16 students selected from 47 applicants from around the country who applied to the program, according to a story on the Waukee Community Schools web site.

AgDiscovery is an outreach program to help high school students learn about careers in plant and animal science and wildlife management. The program allows students to live on a college campus and learn about agriculture from university professors and scientists in a variety of fields.

The focus of ISU’s AgDiscovery program is the interconnections between wildlife biology and conservation, laboratory technology and diagnostics, animal science and veterinary medicine. Participants spent two weeks living at Eaton Hall on ISU’s campus, and visited facilities including Blank Park Zoo, One Heart Equestrian Therapy, Reiman Gardens, Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge, C & M Acres Alpaca Farm, ISU’s Dairy and Poultry Farms, USDA’s National Center for Animal Health, and USDA Wildlife Services at Des Moines International Airport.

Students got “hands-on” experience in anatomy, bacteriology, hematology, parasitology, immunology, embryology, animal necropsies, and other veterinary diagnostic procedures. Students also participated in diversity, character- and team-building activities.

ISU is one of 17 universities that participated in Ag Discovery in 2013.  Each university’s AgDiscovery program focuses on a specific area of interest to our nation’s agriculture, such as plant health, entomology, veterinary science, animal care, wildlife ecology, biotechnology, and agribusiness. AgDiscovery is a unique opportunity for students to gain a first-hand look at the many career paths open to them in the agricultural sciences.