Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** universidad ANA g. Mendez-cupey…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** universidad ANA g. Mendez-cupey campus (uagm-c) presents a four-year regular project to address the afri priorities areas: bioenergy, natural resources and environment, and agriculture systems and technology. Explora-AG is a sustainable agriculture non-formal education program with a stem-AG, land-based learning approach, based in biotechnology and data science, to foster the development of technology-savvy youth, improve stem-AG competence and enhance the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, communication skills, and training in ethics and professionalism required for employment in the food and agricultural sectors or in graduate programs. The project is is designed to impact high school youth (9TH to 12TH grade) around puerto rico, through the following objectives:• develop 4 virtual modules and 8 droplets of knowledge, as non-formal education strategies, in themes of agriculture biotechnology related to soil, water, biodiversity and food management, to enhance youth's understanding of sustainable agriculture and biotechnology and helping them meet the needs of the future workforce.• develop explora-AG webpage in the cedes-uagm-cupey online page and open a facebook account to publish all the virtual modules, droplets of knowledge and outreach materials, developed by the project participants that clearly communicate the demonstrated benefits of agricultural technologies and biotechnology.• enroll 90 high schoolers, per semester in the saturday virtual activities (4HRS per day) and a two-week summer camp with a stem-AG land-based learning approach for implementation and evaluation of activities that lead to the development of consumer-friendly content that builds public confidence in the safe use of biotechnology in agriculture and the food system.