Recently, I completed my annual report on impacts and accomplishments from 2025 so this week, I decided to share some of the highlights of what I do beyond key programs like the county fairs.
In 2025, I led state and local programming that engaged 2,188 youth through school enrichment, workshops, competitions, and crop-based projects designed to help youth understand STEM principles and the science of agriculture and the environment.
I directly taught or facilitated programming for 1,350 youth, contributing 5,796 teaching hours. Through collaboration with Clay and Fillmore County Extension staff, we reached 47 percent of youth in Clay County and 92 percent in Fillmore County, demonstrating strong community relevance and accessibility.
A major accomplishment was the launch of Fillmore County’s first STEM Field Day, which reached 374 youth and intentionally connected STEM concepts to agriculture and real-world problem solving.
Interactive stations and a keynote presentation by Professor Sko helped youth see how science and engineering explain everyday phenomena and agricultural practices.
Evaluation results showed 84 percent of youth increased interest in science, 74 percent learned new science concepts, and 84 percent gained confidence explaining how science can be used to solve real-world problems, demonstrating progress toward the outcome of connecting STEM learning to the world around them.
Teachers reported 100 percent satisfaction with educational quality and observed strong student engagement in critical thinking, collaboration, and design processes.
The Innovative Youth Corn Challenge (IYCC) and Nebraska Youth Crop Scouting Competition provided intensive, applied STEM and agricultural science experiences. Across these programs, 100 percent of participants reported improved skills in pest identification, crop scouting, research design, and economic decision-making.
Importantly, 70–80 percent identified new agricultural or STEM career options, and over 90 percent increased awareness of UNL degree pathways, illustrating how youth connected STEM and agricultural science learning to future educational and career opportunities.
Long term follow-up from one coach noted, “Crop scouting has carried over into the classroom helping create a positive, productive culture.”
Notably, a former contestant has returned as a team sponsor, now mentoring new participants. This progression highlights the lasting impact and program sustainability.
“I enjoyed having a project last for a long duration and seeing the end results,” from a former IYCC youth. “There have been numerous individuals that have gone into ag fields. Two have went to farming, one ag retail and one agronomy,” was quoted from a former IYCC advisor.
The 2025 Excellence in Ag Sciences Day delivered an impact on 33 participating educators, significantly strengthening their capacity to integrate virtual reality (VR), agricultural technologies, and ROOTED in Ag curriculum resources into their classrooms.
Across all sessions, over 90 percent of participants reported being “Somewhat Satisfied” to “Very Satisfied,” with many praising the hands‑on demonstrations, practical examples, and clarity of instruction. Educators demonstrated substantial growth in their understanding of VR concepts.
Before attending, many teachers reported only slight or moderate understanding of VR tools. After the sessions: • More than 85 percent reported understanding VR concepts Moderately Well to Extremely Well.
• Over 80 percent reported improved understanding of how to implement VR in their classrooms.
• Approximately 75 percent reported increased confidence in creating or guiding students to create VR field trips.
• Nearly all participants showed improvement across every VR‑related competency measured.
• Over 80 percent reported increased understanding and confidence in using STEM technologies to help students visualize agricultural and environmental systems.
