Breanna Van Meeteren participated in Iowa State University's Science with Practice program.

2017 May 2

Breanna Van Meeteren, majoring in Horticulture at Iowa State University, was a participant in Science with Practice. Science with Practice is a learning and work experience program in research and related laboratories for undergraduate students. Students work closely with faculty and graduate students to gain experience in their field of study.

Students are able to conduct research and form mentoring relationships with faculty while earning money and academic credit. The program allows students to develop an understanding of the links between research and practical real-world situations and problems.

Van Meeteren was advised by Dr. Scott Smalley, agricultural education and studies, on a project titled "A Sustainable Horticulture Curriculum for Youth." This project had Breanna creating lessons on sustainability for elementary aged students. The objective of this project was to determine what educators would like to see in the classroom related to sustainability in horticulture and to make a curriculum based on the educators needs.

In total, almost 25 undergraduate students and mentors participated in the program during spring 2017. As part of the program, students establish individualized learning agreements with faculty mentors, create a final portfolio and complete biweekly journals of their semester progress. The semester concludes with a public poster presentation where students share their projects and experiences.

The Science with Practice program, administered through the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies, has linked students with faculty research for over 10 years. Students may participate in the program multiple semesters. For more information visit https://www.ageds.iastate.edu/content/science-practice-swp.

This program is funded by the ISU Agricultural Endowment Board, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Van Wert Family Endowment.