Education and training

Meet our new caia faculty fellow for Education and Training

CAIA Support for nacta conference registrations

"As we build on the momentum of last week’s CAIA Big Event, I am pleased to share an opportunity related to CAIA’s Education + Training focus area.  Some of you may already be familiar with the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) professional organization.  This year’s NACTA conference will be June 20-24 in the beautiful rural farmland of Wooster, Ohio.  The conference will include approximately 250 presentations on teaching techniques, ideas, and resources — all related agriculture, food, and natural resources.  As part of the CAIA Faculty Fellow Program, I am pleased to support up to 10 registrations for NACTA conference.  In return, I would ask those receiving the financial support to participate as a webinar panelist in July or August to share insights from the conference.  If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please email me this week at ekk@vt.edu.  Then, we can make arrangements for processing the conference registrations in advance of the April 15th deadline for early registrations.  Note: I can only support the NACTA conference early registration fee (charged to our current fiscal year); all other travel-related expenses would need to be covered by separate funds.  However, there is a virtual-only option for the conference, so don’t let travel expenses be a barrier.  If more than 10 individuals express interest in this opportunity, priority will be given to those who are committed to in-person attendance, but I am willing to support virtual participation as funds allow.  If you have questions, please feel free to ask."

-Eric Kaufman

Goals

Rise to land-grant university preeminence for graduate interdisciplinary research training for agricultural and food systems at the nexus of life science, digital and physical sciences.

Be a premier workforce cross-training resource for agriculture and life sciences technology applications and development.

Targeted impacts

• Recognized as a premier university for educating students in agricultural innovation and technology
• Students showcase talents in integrated data analytics and technology skills applicable across the agriculture and food system
• Graduates are highly recruited for academic, corporate, and public service positions
• Alumni rise to national prominence in leadership and academic and corporate research and management
• Recognized as a pipeline for Virginia’s agriculture and food systems technology workforce, assisting through practical training in relevant topic areas and technical skills.

STORIES OF IMPACT