UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Forty-four of the state's most talented rising high-school seniors -- at Penn State July 12-Aug. 14 to attend the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences -- welcomed a special, cabinet-level visitor on Monday (Aug. 3).
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera's Schools That Teach tour made a stop at Penn State's Dairy Production Research Center, where Governor's School students were participating in an animal science lab.
"Agriculture is our state's leading industry with one in seven jobs in Pennsylvania related to the agricultural industry," Rivera said. "This is why it is so important that we ensure our students are exposed to natural and animal sciences early in our public schools and opportunities for advanced scholarship, such as the Governor's School, are available to our high school students."
The five-week Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences provides summer enrichment for talented high school students interested in pursuing a career in an agriculture-related field. The first four weeks of core courses focus on laboratory and classroom instruction and field experiences. During the final week, students participate in a research-based, service-learning project.
Penn State's University Park campus has been home to the Governor's School for Agricultural Sciences since 2014 when the school was reinstated after a five-year hiatus. The Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences is made possible through a partnership with the governor, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, the Team PA Foundation and the state's intermediate units.
"The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Ag Sciences appreciates the continued support from the Department of Education to provide this important educational opportunity in agricultural and environmental science to gifted and talented rising high school seniors," said Jenneth Layaou, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences coordinator of campus enrollment and retention and director for the Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences.
"It was a compliment to the program that Secretary Rivera took time out of his busy schedule to come join us during our animal science lab and see the valuable hands-on learning that these students experience."
The Governor's School for the Agricultural Sciences is one of three Governor's Schools taking place this summer. Carnegie Mellon University hosts the Governor's School for Sciences, and the Governor's School for Engineering and Technology is held at Lehigh University.