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DuPont hosts National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador AcadamyThe 5th annual National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy, held recently at DuPont Chesapeake Farms in Chestertown, Md., was sponsored by DuPont and supported by Lab-Aids as a special project of the national Future Farmers of America (FFA) Foundation. The Academy is a professional development program where agriculture teachers learn new inquiry-based teaching techniques to improve science learning which is reflected by improved performance in standardized science test scores of the students. Some 26 specially selected agricscience teachers from 21 states--including Alaska and Puerto Rico--learned how to further incorporate science into their existing curriculums and make learning fun and challenging for their students. "At the national FFA convention in October, these agriscience ambassadors will then train other agricscience teachers how to integrate science into the agriculture classroom," Larry Gossen of the FFA Foundation said. "The goal is to have trained agriscience ambassadors in every state," J. R. Peterson, FFA Foundation Team Leader for Corporate Contributions, said. "Most often, agriculture teachers are trained in areas of traditional, production-focused agriculture. This program is providing our teachers with new and unique ways to beef up the science standards in their programs." Biofuels, alternative energy sources, water as a resource and toxicology issues were reviewed during the week-long session. Field trips to the DuPont Stine Haskell Laboratory, the Delaware Biotechnology Institute in Newark, Del., and bioresearch tours at the DuPont Experimental Station were included in the training. "Science, agriculture and DuPont are a natural association. I am pleased that DuPont and the FFA can join forces to sponsor this academy for agriculture teachers across the United States," Vice President and General Manager of DuPont Crop Protection James C. Collins, Jr. said. "It's a positive way DuPont can begin to train and influence the next generation and future employees who will advance ag sciences to the next level." Collins is a member of the FFA national board of directors. Featured at this year's academy was Andra Collins-Johnson, an agriculture instructor at Fort Lupton High School in Colorado. Collins-Johnson is a former student at the academy and a graduate of DuPont's Pioneer Student Leadership Academy, where scholars from across America complete 100 hours of leadership training over a 12-day residential leadership and mentoring program for under-served and under-represented college students. As a graduate student, Collins-Johnson used the Pioneer training to help her focus on the desire to be an agriculture science instructor. "The Pioneer course and then the Academy really helped me focus on what needs to be done with students," Collins-Johnson said. "And both gave me an opportunity to see what I wanted to do with my life." Collins-Johnson grew up in the inner city and suburbs of Houston. She discovered agriculture in the 11th grade and joined the FFA, being very active in the Bellaire FFA chapter where she raised sheep, cattle, goats and chickens. Collins-Johnson received her bachelor's degree from Prairie View A University in agriculture with an emphasis in animal science and natural resources. She then obtained her master's from Sam Houston State University in agriculture education. "With my formal education and help from the Academy, I know that being a teacher is where I want to be," Collins-Johnson said. Collins-Johnson and the other teachers from across the United States will take the skills learned at the Academy to the National FFA convention later this year in Indianapolis. C 5 9/10/07 All Editions Date: 8/31/07 Advertisement
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