Mississippi Earth Science Applications Project

农业仍然是密西西比河下游三角洲地区的经济支柱。该地区传统上是美国棉花、大米、大豆和其他主要农产品最多产的地区之一。在90年代，农业生产者面临着美国历史上最严重的萧条之一。然而，最近在植物病理学方面的发展以及遥感、全球定位系统和地理信息系统等先进技术的出现，有可能大大提高农业生产力，增加作物产量。科学和信息技术的迅速应用极大地改变了包括农民在内的生产者将其产品推向市场的方式。然而，农民仍然不愿意在“精确农业”上投入巨资，因为他们不知道他们将拥有一批能够利用该技术做出决定的高素质、技术熟练的工人。密西西比三角洲社区学院与行业领导者、密西西比州立大学、美国宇航局、和三角洲研究实验中心正在开发和实施的空间信息系统（SIS）课程，导致副学士学位。通过培训合作伙伴的投入，正在围绕高级农业专家的短期和长期行业需求制定课程。SIS计划正在开发学生的基本能力，工作场所的价值观，和技术意识，并通过教师和讲师增强实习，课堂经验和学生实习的能力。将两年制课程衔接到四年制课程也是项目的一个组成部分。该课程可以转移到其他有类似需求的社区学院。

Project SummaryAgriculture remains an economic juggernaut in the Lower Mississippi River Delta region. This region has traditionally been one of America's most prolific producers of cotton, rice, soybeans, and other major agricultural products. In the 90's, agricultural producers have faced one of the most severe depressions in American history. However, recent developments in plant pathology and availability of advanced technologies such as remote sensing, global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) have the potential to greatly improve agricultural productivity and enhance crop yields. The rapid application of science and information technology have dramatically changed the way producers, including farmers, bring their products to the marketplace. However, farmers remain reluctant to invest heavily in 'precision farming' without knowing that they will have a steady stream of highly qualified, technically proficient workers capable of utilizing the technology to make decisions.Mississippi Delta Community College in collaboration with industry leaders, Mississippi State University, NASA, and the Delta Research Experiment Center are developing and implementing a curriculum in Spatial Information Systems (SIS) leading to the Associate degree. Through input from the training partners, the curriculum is being developed around short-term and long-term industry needs for an Advanced Agricultural Specialist. The SIS program is developing students' basic competencies, workplace values, and technological awareness, and competency through faculty and instructor enhancement internships, classroom experiences, and student internships. Articulation of curricula from two-year to four-year levels is also a project component. The curriculum is transferable to other community colleges with similar needs.