Mobile Controlled Environment Agriculture Technician Education

夏威夷群岛目前90%的食物都是进口的。因此，它需要扩大当地的粮食生产。该项目旨在通过创建移动控制环境农业(CEA)温室来满足这一需求，并使用它来教授学生CEA技能。移动式温室可以部署在具有挑战性的环境中(例如，火山喷发、飓风、流行病)，从而提高夏威夷与世隔绝的社区的复原力。此外，这个流动的CEA温室将通过与持续发展的文化和“AINA”(土地)价值观(如可持续发展)联系起来，增加在STEM领域代表性不足的夏威夷原住民的参与。新的CEA课程将让农业和技术专业的学生参与以问题为基础的学习。亲身实践的环境，加上来自不同学科的学生的参与，可以提高学生的批判性思维能力和在多学科团队中工作的能力。完成CEA课程，采用以问题为基础的学习方法，有可能提高参与课程的学生在一系列工作和行业中的就业能力。夏威夷社区学院将使用带有商业拖车的新型隔热和冷藏集装箱，与行业顾问合作设计和建造移动式CEA温室，并升级现有课程，纳入CEA知识和技能。CEA课程将侧重于构建、自动化和优化移动温室的资源、操作和产量。温室环境将为新的PBL教学法提供强有力的背景，该教学法将使来自不同学科的学生参与进来，目标是提高学生的技能和与广泛雇主的就业能力。移动式温室将被带到初中和高中，以提高这项技术的知名度，为那些接受培训的人提供各种就业机会，并展示夏威夷整合农业和技术项目的潜力。该项目年度评估报告的结果将用于调整活动和衡量成功。这些结果还将向教育、农业、工程和公众领域的利益相关者提供信息。该项目由高级技术教育计划资助，该计划专注于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Hawaiian Islands currently import 90% of its food. Consequently, it needs to expand local food production. This project aims to address this need by creating a mobile Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) greenhouse and use it to teach students CEA skills. The mobile greenhouse can be deployed in challenging environments (e.g., volcanic eruption, hurricane, pandemic), thus improving the resiliency of Hawaii’s isolated communities. In addition, this mobile CEA greenhouse will increase participation of native Hawaiian students underrepresented in STEM fields by linking to ongoing cultural and “aina” (land) values such as sustainability. The new CEA curriculum will engage students from agricultural and technology programs in problem-based learning. The hands-on environment, together with involvement of students from different disciplines, can enhance students’ critical thinking skills and the ability to work in multidisciplinary teams. Completion of the CEA curriculum, with its problem-based learning approach, has the potential improve employability of participating students across a range of jobs and industries. Using a new insulated and refrigerated shipping container with a commercial trailer, Hawaii Community College will work with industry advisors to design and build the mobile CEA greenhouse and upgrade existing courses to include CEA knowledge and skills. The CEA curriculum will focus on building, automating, and optimizing the resources, operations, and yield from the technology-enabled mobile greenhouse. The greenhouse environment will provide a strong context for the new PBL pedagogy, which will involve students from different disciplines with the goal of increasing students’ skills and employability with a broad range of employers. The mobile green house will be brought to middle and high schools to enhance visibility of the technology, the varied employment opportunities available to those with training, and showcase the potential of integrating agriculture and technology programs in Hawaii. Results from the project’s annual evaluation reports will be used to adjust activities and measure success. These results will also inform stakeholders in education, agriculture, engineering, and the public. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.