More than 200 middle and high school students from across New York spent three days at Cornell University exploring careers in agriculture, technology, water science, nutrition and other fields.
The annual 4-H Career Explorations Conference ran June 30 through July 2 and offered more than 20 programs focused on possible career paths.
Cornell and New York State 4-H co-hosted the event, which paired hands-on career sessions with the experience of living on a college campus. Six programs were new this year.
Three sessions examined artificial intelligence in the workplace. Students learned how artificial intelligence models can support climate-smart agriculture and forestry, tested online tools used for farm decision-making and discussed accuracy, bias and cultural representation.
Participants in a water-resources program studied water quality, aquatic habitats, invasive species and fisheries at Beebe Lake and a nearby creek. They then developed possible solutions to water-resource problems affecting Onondaga Lake.
Other students visited the Boyce Thompson Institute to learn about plant and molecular science, sensors, robotics and gene editing. A nutrition program introduced careers in dietetics and gave students practice with food safety and recipe preparation.
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball told students during the closing ceremony that technology is creating new opportunities across agriculture, food safety, transportation, research and genetics.
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