March 20 application deadline for Hawaiʻi AgDiscovery summer program

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Charles Kinoshita, (808) 956-6997
Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resource
Frederika Bain, (808) 956-3092
Writer/editor, Office of Communication Services
Posted: Mar 8, 2015

AgDiscovery students work in a lo‘i.
AgDiscovery students work in a lo‘i.
AgDiscovery students participate in a team-building exercise.
AgDiscovery students participate in a team-building exercise.
AgDiscovery students work in a plant lab.
AgDiscovery students work in a plant lab.

For the fifth year, UH Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) will be hosting the Hawaiʻi AgDiscovery Program, July 12-25, 2015, for students 14 to 17 years old. This unique summer program gives its teen-aged participants a first-hand look at the many career paths open to them in agriculture and natural resource management, including plant and animal sciences, wildlife management and agribusiness. Deadline application is Friday, March 20, 2015.

Every summer, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) partners with selected universities and colleges, including CTAHR, to deliver the AgDiscovery programs at different locations throughout the country. The program allows students to live on a college campus and learn about agriculture and related fields from professors, scientists and professionals.

CTAHR’s educators and researchers open their labs and experiment stations to the students, and APHIS sends professionals from its Plant Protection and Quarantine, Veterinary Services, Biotechnology Regulatory Services, and Wildlife Services branches. Other government agencies represented include the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and the Honolulu Zoo. From the private sector come professionals from Kualoa Ranch, Mari’s Garden, Pioneer and more.

Students chosen to participate in Hawaiʻi AgDiscovery Program will gain life-changing experiences through hands-on laboratories, workshops, field trips, and character- and team-building activities. Students in past years have learned to perform water-quality analysis, use GPS devices, identify microorganisms under the microscope, extract DNA, color fabric using natural dyes, and tend taro in lo‘i. In addition to learning by doing, participants get to network with professionals across the agricultural spectrum and observe careers in ag and natural resources management.

To learn more about this unique program or to apply for the 2015 Hawaiʻi AgDiscovery Program at UH Mānoa, please visit the website at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/agdiscovery and click on the link for the AgDiscovery Program, or call Dr. Charles Kinoshita at (808) 956-6997.

For more information, visit: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu