NOBLE NEWS
from the Noble Research Institute
The STEM of agriculture Students gain a greater understanding of the science, technology, engineering and math components of agriculture through tours, competitions and empowered teachers.
Students become scientists for the day as part of hands-on lessons developed by Noble’s youth education outreach program. Photo by Noble Research Institute. 46 — Oklahoma Country
t was like Sierra Walker had returned home when she first stepped into the agriculture classroom — her new teaching domain — at Alva High School in 2015. For three of the four years since she graduated with an agricultural education degree, Walker had been exploring the real-world classroom. She had traveled to Canadian farms while earning a master’s in international agriculture, managed a Red Angus cow herd and worked for the nation’s largest cattle feeder. In 2014, Walker moved to Alva, Oklahoma, and took a job as the local high school’s chemistry teacher. But she could not deny the pull of agriculture. In addition to chemistry, Walker taught one hour of environmental science. She talked about the Dust Bowl and how people in agriculture had learned to be better land stewards because of it. Her students discovered ways farmers and ranchers protect wildlife habitat, reduce waste and conserve natural resources. One day, a student stopped her after class and said he was learning more about agriculture in her class than in his agriculture classes. His words sparked within her the same flame that inspired her to pursue her undergraduate degree. “There’s an incredible amount of science and math behind everything we do in agriculture, yet we don’t always recognize it in the classroom,” the Oklahoma educator said. “I originally set out to become an agriculture teacher to help bridge that gap.” Teaching science wasn’t enough, Walker quickly realized. She wanted to teach agricultural science. When a position opened, she jumped at the opportunity.