PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The College of Agriculture and Human Sciences’ (CAHS) NextGEN Project is growing steadily as a valuable resource for K-12 Texas students to become familiar with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, and Math). The project currently works with H.T. Jones Elementary School (Waller Independent School District), yet Hempstead ISD is prepared to invite NextGEN’s new student organization into their schools to provide an engaging agricultural curriculum for their students. The group’s April 26 general body meeting provided an overview of their organization, an update on the HT Jones projects, and their plans to make the NextGEN organization a go-to source for all things agriculture within the community.

The NextGEN Project is a science-based teaching model that integrates a hands-on interactive approach to learning by utilizing all elements of the STEAM concept to increase students’ academic achievement and solve food insecurity. Its purpose is to build the pipeline of high school graduates to undergraduate professionals interested in science and agriculture. With studies projecting that there will be more people on Earth than there will be enough food to eat by 2050, the organization is focused on providing opportunities for students to take a closer look at agricultural innovations for the daunting challenges ahead.

“I’m excited to work with the younger students,” said Roylan Richardson, NextGEN President and a fifth-generation Panther. “I am looking forward to working closely with them. I want to teach students that agriculture is not just working with plows and crops; there is so much more to it than that.”

The student organization is made up of Richardson and other PVAMU students with different majors. CAHS Professors Donald Stoddart, Ph.D. and Richard Griffin, Ph.D., serve as advisors for the team, and the student executive team will facilitate the interior duties to ensure the group’s success.

“I hope that the NextGEN members will embrace the schools in Prairie View and Hempstead and provide an example of strong role models for the younger students who are in the impressionable life choices stage of their lives,” Dr. Griffin said. “Seeing college students who value hard work, volunteerism, and educational outreach will surely impress on the youth to seek positive role models who are reaching back to help others in their community. One goal that I believe the NextGEN members will achieve is the development of strong linkages to elementary and middle schools in Prairie View ISD and Hempstead ISD with an aim of continued growth and outreach in the coming years.”

NextGEN plans to use gardening and nutrition to incorporate Stemscope and STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) as teaching models, with an emphasis on agriculture technology. Agriculture encompasses different components of STEAM to provide a learning opportunity in a natural environment by offering healthy food for the longevity of humanity.

“After we meet some of our main goals, I do want to branch out to other districts, though now we are currently only at one school, and soon, Hempstead ISD,” Richardson said. “I would like to reach younger age groups sooner to get them started in agriculture.”

Hempstead ISD Superintendent Herbert O’Neil is also a PVAMU graduate and relayed his excitement for NextGEN’s growing success. Being raised on a small family farm where they grew all the food they ate helped him learn the importance of agriculture education. He says his district is more than ready to work with CAHS NextGEN to provide its students with the tools needed to address food insecurity, science, and nutrition.

“Some of our minority students are in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H but they don’t necessarily see a possible career,” O’Neil said. “So, we need you in these schools to create a realistic pipeline to agriculture careers.”

Hempstead ISD currently has an animal science track and a plant science track that NextGEN can get involved with. O’Neil also invited the organization to work with the district’s garden for maintenance. The group will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hempstead ISD to solidify the partnership for future collaborations. CAHS Dean and Director of Land Grant Programs Gerard D’Souza, Ph.D., and former Prairie View Mayor David Allen also attended the general body meeting in support of the NextGEN Project. At the time of its inception, NextGEN was created as a collaboration between CAHS, H.T. Jones Elementary School, and the City of Prairie View. Through this partnership, the college has started several projects with the school, including a new garden and a greenhouse for students to maintain.

NextGEN’s advisors include CAHS professors Donald Stoddart, Richard Griffin, Ph.D., CEP Extension Agent Stedman Douglas, and Post Doctoral Researcher Almoutaz Elhassan, Ph.D.

Pascale Mondesir
Senior Communications Specialist
pamondesir@pvamu.edu