4 minute read
Work-Integrated Learning on the Smart Farm
Left to right: Amanpreet Kaur, Blair Bateman, Taryn Metzger, Brita Berger, Felicia Rodney, Lyndsey Smith, Shannon Oude Egberink, Palmer Stowkowy, Ben Kabbeke, Stephanie Rempe and Cassidy Driedger.
Student Collaborations
Work-Integrated Learning on the Smart Farm
Work-integrated learning goes hand-in-hand with applied research. Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) kicked off another successful partnership this spring with 14 new students and interns joining the research team.
“Students engaging in applied research on the Smart Farm helps them build the skills required to accelerate the development and adoption of ag technologies and practices,” says Dr. Joy Agnew, Associate Vice-President, Applied Research. “These students leverage what they’ve learned in the classroom, and apply it to challenges and opportunities facing agriculture. Plus, they get to network with key players in the agricultural industry, and build their resumes so they are ready to head out in the workforce.”
Work-integrated learning on the Smart Farm genuinely works — four students who were employed with OCCI last summer recently changed titles from ‘Olds College students’ to ‘Olds College staff members’. OCCI welcomed three of the former students as fulltime Research Technicians, and the Werklund School of Agriculture Technology gained an Instructional Assistant.
In addition, Felippe Hoffmann Silva Karp, PhD candidate from McGill University, returned to continue his PhD candidacy with Digital Ag Research at Olds College. He will be collecting field data to add to the dataset for the HyperLayer Data Concept including the use of sensors for leaf area index and soil compaction measurements. Karp will also be processing and organizing data from the 2021 and 2022 crop seasons, while presenting research findings at conferences such as the International Conference on Precision Agriculture, 2022 Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Society of Biological Engineering, and AgSmart.
Students and interns are receiving game-changing learning opportunities working on research projects and leading-edge technology on the Smart Farm, and OCCI is benefiting from new skill sets and fresh perspectives from their diverse backgrounds and education.
Meet the Team
Two post-grad interns, Katie Lei and Stephanie Rempe, are joining Karp on the Digital Ag research team — a fast-expanding team as the prevalence of ag data grows.
Rempe is a recipient of the Mitacs Accelerate Grant — a year-long paid internship where the recipient works with both an academic institution, Olds College, and an industry partner, Algo-Rythmn Corp., on a joint research project.
Taryn Metzger and Lyndsey Smith are both completing eight-month internships for their Olds College diplomas as Directed Field Study Research Technicians.
Metzger is getting the practical experience she needs to graduate, and helping producers gain information to make farm management decisions. “There are so many different departments in OCCI and they all fit together like gears in a machine,” she says.
Smith has extensive experience with cattle and crops from her family farm, and understands how valuable it is to have both academic and hands-on experience — especially in agriculture. She’s excited to be advancing agriculture with new technologies that are realistic for producers to utilize on their own operations.
OCCI also welcomes ten student research assistants who are working on the Smart Farm for four months: Felicia Rodney, Cassidy Driedger, Amanpreet Kaur, Shannon Oude Egberink, Blair Bateman, Brita Berger, Palmer Stowkowy, Ben Kabbeke, Daniel BannermanGrant and Dylan Laturnus.
Rodney just graduated from Olds College and is excited to get hands-on experience with applied research and technology that will change the way farmers farm. “I believe everyone working on the Smart Farm is invested in making the agriculture industry more advanced,” she says.
Driedger is excited to bring ideas and perspectives as a beef farmer and agriculture graduate to her role. “I think the Smart Farm has a lot of potential to teach young farmers how to be more efficient in the years to come,” she says.
Kaur is an international student from India studying and gaining practical experience at Olds College. Berger is excited to be improving her livestock handling techniques and strategies regarding regenerative grazing that could be implemented at her family’s ranch.
Egberink feels the drive to feed a growing population, and is thrilled to get experience on the Smart Farm before starting classes this fall. She enrolled in Agriculture Technology at Olds College after completing a Diploma in Agronomy at the University of Saskatchewan.
“Technology is growing so quickly in agriculture, and there are endless opportunities for those who are willing to learn and get involved,” Egberink says. “Coming to Olds College for the Precision Agriculture Techgronomy diploma was a no brainer for me, Olds College gives me hands-on experience in a field I am passionate about.”
“I think it’s great to see the future of where agriculture is going on a working farm,” says Bateman who is thrilled to get hands-on experience with multiple projects related to his education.
It’s evident work-integrated learning on the Smart Farm is setting students up for success, and the next generation of bright minds in agriculture and smart ag technology is full of knowledge and enthusiasm.
Shannon Oude Egberink in Field 15/16 during a seeding mission with OMNiPOWER.
Dr. Alex Melnitchouck, Chief Technology Officer - Digital Ag at Olds College and Felippe Hoffmann Silva Karp in the Smart Ag Innovation Centre.
