STEM programs

Science, technology, engineering, mathematics

Nationwide and in Idaho, there is a growing demand for employees with skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). UI Extension 4-H Youth Development is helping to meet that demand through programs focused in these areas.

STEM is a cornerstone of 4-H and includes programs in agriculture, natural and biological sciences, technology and engineering. These activities cover topics that are exciting to youth and relevant to our economy, including water quality, animal health, robotics and drones, coding, electronics and physical computing.

Think, Make, Create

The Think, Make, Create (TMC) Labs program is a collaborative partnership led by UI Extension 4-H Youth Development and the Idaho Afterschool network. The program consists of 28 mobile makerspace trailers located across Idaho. For more information or to get involved, please visit the program website at idahooutofschool.org/think-make-create-labs-land.

AgRobotics

4-H AgRobotics is a competitive robotics option for youth across Idaho. Each year, a new challenge, based on real-world agricultural issues, is unveiled along with a set of known challenges. Youth can work on these known challenges up until their local competition, where they will be introduced to additional unknown challenges related to the same theme. They then have 90 minutes to work on refining their known challenges and/or solving the unknown challenges before the scoring matches begin. For more information, contact Matt Fisher (mattfisher@uidaho.edu) or Robin Baumgartner (rbaumgartner@uidaho.edu).  

Ag literacy kits

To meet increasing demand for classroom-ready lesson plans and units based on local agriculture, UI Extension 4-H has partnered with various Idaho commodity groups to create a series of Ag Literacy Kits that can be used in classrooms, after school programming or other community learning settings. Current offerings include sugar beet and dairy units with more currently in development. For more information, contact Matt Fisher (mattfisher@uidaho.edu).