{"686065":{"#nid":"686065","#data":{"type":"news","title":"FarmBot Bridges Worlds of AI, Agriculture","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu\/rural-cs-initiative\u0022\u003ERural Computer Science Initiative\u003C\/a\u003E, which equips high school students in rural areas with computer science and contextualized technical skills, has added a new area of focus: helping students understand, master, and apply computer science and artificial intelligence (AI) tools in agriculture, including farming.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESeveral school districts have received FarmBots \u2014 open-source, automated farming systems that integrate coding, robotics, and data science, and monitor variables such as soil moisture, temperature, and sunlight. One such system was recently installed in Georgia Tech\u2019s community garden to serve as a test bed for designing related learning experiences and supporting partner schools in setting up their devices.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ET.S. Whitmore, a new computer science teacher for both the middle and high schools in Twiggs County, said the resources provided by the Rural Computer Science Initiative are helping him plan lessons across grade levels. Most of the high school students have volunteered to assist with the FarmBot project.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI learned so much in so little time. I have so much to learn, but I\u0027ve never been more excited,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m learning to think outside the box and find different ways to connect new learning to things previously learned. I expect to be more creative in my lesson planning.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENorman \u201cStorm\u201d Robinson III, associate director for school and community engagement at Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing\u003C\/a\u003E (CEISMC), said connecting the high-tech world of computing with agriculture has the power to transform students\u2019 lives and communities by equipping them with practical tools.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do in the project is build up our students\u2019 computational reasoning and understanding. That\u2019s a very useful competency to have in 2025,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cThe goal is to harness emerging technologies to jump-start computer science proficiency, critical thinking skills, and new career paths for students.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERobinson said grounding computer science in students\u2019 lived experiences makes the initiative more meaningful.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re trying to show students that the things already in their communities \u2014 the stuff they see every day \u2014 can actually be influenced by technology,\u201d he said. \u201cThat motivates students to take initiative and better manage and optimize what they\u2019re doing in their world, including their farms.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Rural Computer Science Initiative, developed collaboratively by CEISMC and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/outreach\/stem-at-gtri\u0022\u003ESTEM@GTRI\u003C\/a\u003E \u2014 the K-12 outreach arm of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gtri.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Research Institute\u003C\/a\u003E \u2014 has continued to grow rapidly for the second consecutive year, expanding from 4,400 participating students to more than 10,000. Launched in 2022 with initial funding from the Georgia General Assembly, the initiative has continued to receive state support, underscoring its impact and importance. This fall, five new school districts \u2014 Monroe, Hart, Baldwin, Coffee, and Evans \u2014 were added, bringing the total number of participating districts to 45.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMy goal is to take these students as far as they want to go,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cThey may want to stay at home, work on a local farm, or join a corporate farm. Whatever they choose, they\u2019ll have the competencies and skills to use the technology of tomorrow \u2014 whatever that may be.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESeveral school districts have received FarmBots \u2014 open-source, automated farming systems that integrate coding, robotics, and data science, and monitor variables such as soil moisture, temperature, and sunlight.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Several school districts have received FarmBots \u2014 open-source, automated farming systems that integrate coding, robotics, and data science, and monitor variables such as soil moisture, temperature, and sunlight. "}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2025-10-29 13:35:24","changed_gmt":"2025-10-30 14:58:35","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-10-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-10-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678489":{"id":"678489","type":"image","title":"The FarmBot in Georgia Tech\u2019s Community Garden serves as a test bed for designing related learning experiences and supporting partner schools in setting up their devices.\u00a0 ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe FarmBot in Georgia Tech\u2019s Community Garden serves as a test bed for designing related learning experiences and supporting partner schools in setting up their devices.\u0026nbsp;Photo by Evan Atkinson.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1761745666","gmt_created":"2025-10-29 13:47:46","changed":"1761745666","gmt_changed":"2025-10-29 13:47:46","alt":"The FarmBot in Georgia Tech\u2019s Community Garden serves as a test bed for designing related learning experiences and supporting partner schools in setting up their devices.\u00a0 ","file":{"fid":"262530","name":"_DSC7799.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/29\/_DSC7799.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/29\/_DSC7799.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1861972,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/29\/_DSC7799.jpg?itok=FEHzJYLV"}},"678487":{"id":"678487","type":"image","title":"The FarmBot in Georgia Tech\u2019s Community Garden serves as a test bed for designing related learning experiences and supporting partner schools in setting up their devices.\u00a0 ","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe FarmBot in Georgia Tech\u2019s Community Garden serves as a test bed for designing related learning experiences and supporting partner schools in setting up their devices. Photo by Evan Atkinson.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","created":"1761745589","gmt_created":"2025-10-29 13:46:29","changed":"1761745589","gmt_changed":"2025-10-29 13:46:29","alt":"The FarmBot in Georgia Tech\u2019s Community Garden serves as a test bed for designing related learning experiences and supporting partner schools in setting up their devices.\u00a0 ","file":{"fid":"262528","name":"IMG_7368.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/29\/IMG_7368.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/29\/IMG_7368.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1777587,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/29\/IMG_7368.jpg?itok=Xg4mWdvb"}},"678488":{"id":"678488","type":"image","title":"The FarmBot in Georgia Tech\u2019s Community Garden serves as a test bed for designing related learning experiences and supporting partner schools in setting up their devices.\u00a0 ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe FarmBot in Georgia Tech\u2019s Community Garden serves as a test bed for designing related learning experiences and supporting partner schools in setting up their devices.\u0026nbsp;Photo by Evan Atkinson.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1761745624","gmt_created":"2025-10-29 13:47:04","changed":"1761745624","gmt_changed":"2025-10-29 13:47:04","alt":"The FarmBot in Georgia Tech\u2019s Community Garden serves as a test bed for designing related learning experiences and supporting partner schools in setting up their devices.\u00a0 ","file":{"fid":"262529","name":"IMG_7398.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/29\/IMG_7398.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/29\/IMG_7398.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1964047,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/29\/IMG_7398.jpg?itok=NaCk2Xk1"}},"678490":{"id":"678490","type":"image","title":"Camille Moore (CEISMC), Moeiini (Moi) Reilly (GTRI), Marissa Gardner (CEISMC) and Norman \u0022Storm\u0022 Robinson III (CEISMC)","body":"\u003Cp\u003E(L-R): Camille Moore (CEISMC), Moeiini (Moi) Reilly (GTRI), Marissa Gardner (CEISMC) and Norman \u0022Storm\u0022 Robinson III (CEISMC). Photo by Evan Atkinson.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1761745688","gmt_created":"2025-10-29 13:48:08","changed":"1761830081","gmt_changed":"2025-10-30 13:14:41","alt":"Camille Moore (CEISMC), Moeiini (Moi) Reilly (GTRI), Marissa Gardner (CEISMC) and Norman \u0022Storm\u0022 Robinson III (CEISMC)","file":{"fid":"262531","name":"_DSC7802.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/29\/_DSC7802.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/29\/_DSC7802.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2713433,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/29\/_DSC7802.jpg?itok=GRc01-P9"}}},"media_ids":["678489","678487","678488","678490"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/22\/georgia-techs-computer-science-initiative-expands-opportunities-rural-students","title":"Georgia Tech\u0027s Computer Science Initiative Expands Opportunities for Rural Students "},{"url":"https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu\/rural-computer-science-initiative-expands-and-inspires-new-school-year","title":"Rural Computer Science Initiative Expands and Inspires for New School Year"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/georgia-institute-of-technology_at-least-19school-districts-now-have-farmbots-activity-7389673698535841793-S5L3\/","title":"View on LinkedIn"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/georgiatech\/posts\/pfbid0x6GhzW7eynr2VP6rH6WoKf7C6fHvrtgV6BNEZHySkTJKA66avSdCBVo7WMyh3j6El","title":"View on Facebook"}],"groups":[{"id":"361651","name":"Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC)"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jwalls37@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoelle Walls\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECommunications Manager\u003Cbr\u003ECenter for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Tech\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}