Soil is an ecosystem, full of both living organisms and nonliving factors. These factors interact within the ecosystem to support one another. Find out what methods are used by soil scientists and microbiologists to measure the diversity of life in soil. Students will be given a scenario and led through this series of activities to determine the healthiest soils. This unit features 3 lessons and 9 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

What do you think of when you hear the word “soil”? Soil is the foundation of a farming operation, large or small. What are the components of soil? How do those components interact to support plant health? This course will help to uncover some of these answers. Learning objectives: At the end of this course, you will be able to identify: The important services soil provides as an ecosystem, The influences on soil types and formation, How farmers preserve soil structure and soil health

For younger students, a coloring book that introduces soybeans: the history and the uses in animal agriculture, bioproducts and the local grocery store. This is perfect for ag days, camps or after school events, especially when paired with small packs of soy crayons! This unit features 1 lesson and 1 file. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

Have you ever heard students utter the words “What’s the point? What does this have to do with anything?” This lesson is an engaging 3 part challenge in which students apply their knowledge to help solve a real-life problem, global hunger. Students are “hired” by the World Soy Foundation to create an infographic advertisement about soy products that could help end world hunger. Students will conduct research on aspects of world hunger, and several soy-based options to address them. Using their research, they will construct an infographic. This unit features 3 lessons and 9 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

Hunger is the world’s greatest health risk, claiming more lives than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. What can Ohio’s soybean farmers do to address this global issue? This course, brought to you by a partnership between the Ohio Soybean Council and the Columbus Council on World Affairs, will help you find out! Learning objectives: Describe the problem of world hunger and malnutrition, Describe the relationship between poverty, growing population and world hunger, Identify hunger health risks, Compare protein consumption and demand across the world, Understand the role of soy protein

Did you know that there are many traits in soybeans that have an impact on sales and export of soybeans? One of the major ones is hilum color. What is hilum color? What is pubescence? Take a tour of the soybean to find out how these traits are inherited. This unit features 3 lessons and 5 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

What do you know about soybeans? This course provides an overview of soybeans. Students learn about the parts of the soybean plant and the many uses of soybeans. Information is also provided about the process of growing and exporting soybeans. Learning objectives: Explain the composition of a soybean and identify the various uses. Identify important events in the history of soybeans. Label the parts of a soybean plant and identify unique characteristics of the parts. Explain the process of growing and exporting soybeans.

Soybeans contain several components which innovators and entrepreneurs find valuable when creating greener products. What are the chemical building blocks in a soybean? This unit features 4 lessons and 6 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

Create models to understand DNA and the gene transfer process used in biotechnology. Explore questions: Are there harmful side effects of biotechnology? Can biotech solve world hunger? Should GMO foods be labeled? This unit features 5 lessons and 5 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

Students act as lab technicians working for a cosmetic company and learn the names, functions and units of common lab and measuring equipment by generating soy-based beauty products. Students will learn how to use SLOPs to create soy-based beauty products and research STEM career fields within the cosmetic industry. This unit features 5 lessons and 5 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

About 48 million people (1 in 6 Americans) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Microbes in food are the culprits. The purpose of these protocols is to investigate the effectiveness of bio-based cleaners at reducing bacterial counts on lab stations. This unit features 4 lessons and 10 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

Have you ever looked on a food label and seen soy products on it, even though it wasn’t made from soybeans? This unit explores the various uses of soy in foods and how soy can be used to accomplish various functions in food science by asking students to measure the nutrient content of various foods, determine the function of soy in foods, and shows how fermentation of soy can be used to make different foods. This unit features 4 lessons and 17 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

Are you aware of more sustainable products? Do you try to buy more sustainable products when you have the choice? This unit features 2 lessons and 5 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

Grades 7-12. Compostable plastics are a new generation of plastics that are biodegradable through composting. They are derived generally from renewable raw materials like starch (e.g. corn, potato, tapioca etc), cellulose, soy protein, lactic acid etc., are non-hazardous/non-toxic in production and decompose back into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass when composted. Some compostable plastics may not be derived from renewable materials, but instead made from petroleum or made by bacteria through a process of microbial fermentation. This unit features 3 lessons and 2 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

Welcome to this course on the structure and function of chicken eggs. This course describes the structure and function of a chicken egg! An egg must support the developing chick and allow it to grow. For an egg to perform all its jobs (functions), it must be built in a certain way and have special structures. We will investigate how an egg does its job, and what structures make it able to do this.

How do today’s farmers continue to increase productivity? Farmers are continually implementing management practices in order to increase food production in a sustainable manner. Learn how these good stewardship practices have resulted in reduced soil erosion and lower amounts of pesticides, water and energy used while increasing yield. Learning objectives: Describe how farmers are working to feed over 9 billion people using modern agricultural practices, Describe how farmers are stewards of resources: energy, soil, and water., Describe the factors of continuous improvement in agricultural practices.

The technology innovations in use in the agriculture industry have been touted as second only to those of the US military. What are these innovations? GPS guided tractors, follow-along equipment, application of fertilizer or herbicide only where needed, variable rate planting, artificial intelligence that can identify weeds and spray them individually—these are just a few of these innovations. This unit illustrates how ozobots can be used to simulate one of these advances. This unit features 4 lessons and 7 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

This unit asks students to create a windmill structure using the Engineering Design Process. A farmer has hired your company, Wind Power Technologies, to engineer a derrick to support a high-efficiency, wind-powered generator for a new electric water pump. This unit features 2 lessons and 2 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.

What factors are used to judge water quality? What human activities might lead to cultural eutrophication and harmful algal blooms? Students will learn about the process and effects of cultural eutrophication and describe ways to reduce risk. Learning objectives: Describe factors used to judge water quality, Identify activities that might lead to cultural eutrophication or harmful algal blooms (HABs), Explain the process and effects of cultural eutrophication, Describe three methods farmers can use to reduce risk of cultural eutrophication

Access to clean water is a critical issue in many countries. In the United States there are few places where we cannot find clean water to drink or swim in. This unit explores some of the potential problems involved in maintaining good water quality. This unit features 3 lessons and 6 files. Lessons are aligned to NGSS.