October 2024

                           

October 2024

Animal and Plant Biotechnology 

Third year students have completed their safety and basics of DNA units. We are now working on inserting a bioluminescent gene into bacteria which we hope to showcase for this Saturday’s Open House. 

Here, students are recording their materials, procedures, and results in their laboratory notebooks, very similar to what professional researchers in a similar environment.

Students arc using transfer pipettes during their gene insertion procedures.

Sterile technique is also being utilized by flaming the inoculation loop used to transfer bacteria from a transformation medium to a selective growth medium. 

Intro to Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources 

First year students have completed units in basic human needs, communication, and safety. We are now working on the basic science principles and will be performing two experiments to apply equipment use and communication skills.

Here students are learning the importance of both verbal and non verbal communication by eliminating the use of sight.

Plant Science 

Year two students have completed units in plant science industries, soil physical and chemical properties. We are now working on a hydroponics unit where students will design, fabricate, monitor, and maintain a small hydroponic system. 
 

During the soil physical properties unit students learned how to determine soil texture using a ribbon test. Students applied this ribboning technique to a soil pit and three horizons to determine differences found from each layer as we sample deeper and deeper into a soil profile.

January 2024

NJ DEP Trout in the Classroom in Agricultural Science!

We participate in the NJ DEP Trout in the Classroom program. We raise rainbow trout from eggs  giving students an opportunity to learn about cold water species, learn and practice maintenance, and use learned skills and apply record keeping to earn honorary degrees and awards. NJ Trout Unlimited volunteers deliver about 300 eggs to us in October. About half of these hatch. After hatching many do not survive the first four weeks. By the end of December we are usually caring for a little over ten trout. We released the trout from their basket last week (late January ). They were in this small basket since hatching from eggs. They now have freedom to roam our tank and get stronger before we release them in spring. We have a NJ DEP license to release these fish in local stream water. Students participating in this project can learn animal science skills and possibly win awards for their associated record keeping.

Farm Bot

With the assistance of a Perkins grant, we were able to purchase an automated system that plants, waters, and weeds a 24 square foot plot. Agricultural Science students are constructing this system. So far we have designed and assembled a planting box according to specifications. We are currently assembling the gantry components. This step is quickly showing us how well machined the parts are and showing us how detail oriented we must be to properly assemble for best performance. Exciting to see this system go together even at this early stage.

4-H and SCVTHS Career Day

With the help of Somerset County 4-H and Rutgers staff, we organized and hosted a career day event which was held last week for Agricultural Science students. We invited and had speakers representing animal science, plant science, and environmental science and art. The below speakers shared with students their career path, made suggestions on how to get started, provided s short activity. and answered questions. 

We would like to again thank the presenters for their time and sharing experiences with us. Presenters we would like to thank are:

Alex Friedman -Rutgers PhD candidate 

Dr. Andrea Freeman - Veterinarian operating Kind Veterinary care in Martinsville 

Daryl and Julie Kobesky- Landscape Architects and Sunset Farmstead Nursery owners.

Bruce Crawford - Horticulture Manager Morris County Park Commission and Agricultural Science program Advisory Committee Member since "beginning of time"

Melissa Woerner- NJ DEP Senior Biologist and Regional Habitat Planner.

Dr. Jon Higgins - Veterinarian operating Acorn Embryo.