December 7 – For the first time, several students from the Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) College of Agriculture and Human Sciences have been selected as the Irrigation Association 2020 E3 winners.
Cameren Belvin, Jonathan Thornton, Madelyn Chadd, Pedro De Leon, Kameron Shelby, Latavia McAlpine, and Latroy Johnson are currently participating in the virtual Education Week+ free of charge, where they are attending training on irrigation-related issues. They are also receiving training in designing irrigation systems.
This year marks the first time several students from PVAMU have been selected for the program.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, student winners would have spent an entire week participating in the Annual Irrigation Association Show and Education Week, all expenses paid, including fees for irrigation courses. However, this year, the student winners chose from 30 virtual education classes offering the fundamental and practical skills necessary to design, install, or maintain an irrigation system, along with the business skills needed to manage a small irrigation company.
“The experience these students are getting in this program is invaluable. They get to network and attend one of the largest meetings about water and irrigation systems,” Endowed Chair of Water Security/Water-Food-Energy Nexus Ali Fares, Ph.D., said. “They are gaining substantial experience through this program.”
In addition to attending the training courses, the students will also participate in networking sessions with irrigation professionals and engage with members of The Toro Company during a virtual sponsor meet-and-greet.
The E3 winners were selected after writing essays explaining how attending the event would impact their education. Fares said beyond the essay, the competition process has provided the students with the experience of presenting themselves in an academically competitive manner.
For more information on this article contact:
Ali Fares, Ph.D.
Endowed Professor
alfares@pvamu.edu
(936) 261-5095