WILMINGTON, Del., July 30, 2014 – William Currey, agriscience teacher at Lake Forest High School, Felton, Del., successfully completed the 12th annual DuPont National AgriScience Teachers Ambassador Academy (NATAA) at the company’s Chesapeake Farms in Chestertown, Md. Upon receiving the certificate of completion, Mr. Currey became an “Ag Ambassador,” joining the other 250 outstanding teachers from across the country having attended NATAA and earned that designation. The NATAA “Ag Academy” is a professional development institute sponsored by DuPont and a special project of the National FFA Foundation and the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE). This year, 49 highly recommended agriscience teachers were selected to engage in inquiry-based activities, where they explore state-of-the-art teaching concepts, with a majority of their training time in hands-on activities on Chesapeake Farms 3,300-acre working farm. The dual farm and classroom approach is designed to invigorate teachers and to infuse that learning experience in the classroom with their students. “The Ag Academy has been an eye-opening and energizing experience,” said Mr. Currey. “Inquiry-based learning is not a cookie-cutter process. I’m very excited to start integrating this year’s classroom curriculum with new techniques and tools, and with a collaborative spirit be able to share them with my students and other teachers.” With the Ag Academy training, teachers are able to instill in their students a better grasp of scientific concepts and open the door for new horizons to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and related fields such as agriculture. Each class of Ag Ambassadors impacts approximately 10,000 students. Combined with multiple workshop presentations to their peers, in the last eleven years approximately 12,000 teachers across the U.S. including Puerto Rico and Alaska have participated, having a direct impact on over a million students since inception. “By understanding global initiatives such as feeding the world and sustainability, teachers learn how to engage their students in real 21st century issues and finding real solutions,” said Rik Miller, president, DuPont Crop Protection. “The Ag Academy embodies the professional development component and boosts the enthusiasm necessary to help students flourish in agriscience-related fields.” DuPont – one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals more than 20 years ago – has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment. The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets. DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit dupont. ^BB
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 16:09:31 +0000
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