Another summer has passed and another crop of high school students – and potential Aggies – have graduated from the CAES’s two signature pre-college programs. More than 60 high school students participated in the Institute for Future Agricultural Leaders (IFAL) and the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP).
“Agricultural youth enrichment programs are vitally important to the future of the global agricultural industry,” Associate Dean Dr. Antoine J. Alston said. “The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at N.C. A&T State University has a long heritage of training future agricultural leaders. Programs such as RAP and IFAL are critically important to fulfilling our mission as a land grant university.”
The Institute for Future Agricultural Leaders (IFAL), co-sponsored by the North Carolina Farm Bureau, is a week-long program in June to build leadership potential in rising high school seniors who are interested in agriscience professions. Room and board are free.
IFAL includes tours of agribusinesses, government agencies and university laboratories, and visits to the N.C. General Assembly and the North Carolina Farm Bureau’s state offices. The students also received an overview of programs, academic majors and research projects in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.
The Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) allows rising high school juniors and seniors to spend a month between mid-June and mid-July learning research methods from top scientists in the CAES. Apprentices also complete an independent research project. A stipend and free room and board are provided.
The RAP experience is packed with activities in and out of the laboratory. Research work is augmented with field trips to government agencies involved in science, technology and education policies; public speaking workshops; exposure to new computer technologies; and visits to laboratories on the A&T campus, the University Farm and Triad industries.
In addition to providing an exciting learning opportunity to students, the summer programs also have served as a powerful recruiting tool for the university. Nearly half of RAP participants and 15 percent of IFAL participants choose to enroll at A&T.
