STEM international students explore the role of robotics in agriculture at SEARCA

  • By Zara Mae Estareja
  • 12 December 2023

Reedley International School students and their teachers and guardians pose with SEARCA representatives SEARCA Deputy Director for Programs Dr. Nur Azura Adam and Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, senior program head for Education and Collective Learning.Reedley International School students and their teachers and guardians pose with SEARCA representatives SEARCA Deputy Director for Programs Dr. Nur Azura Adam and Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, senior program head for Education and Collective Learning.

Fourteen Grade 12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program students at the Reedley International School, with their teachers and guardians, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 7 December 2023. The field trip aimed at exploring the role of robotics in agriculture.

Reedley International School is a private, nonsectarian, nontraditional, co-educational school in Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines that combines progressive and traditional learning approaches.

During the visit, the students participated in a robotics learning session at the SHARING Café and toured the SEARCA Hub for Agricultural and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING).

The students experience hands-on learning on agri-robotics using a LEGO robotics kit.The students experience hands-on learning on agri-robotics using a LEGO robotics kit.

At the SHARING Café, Mr. Richard Angelo Natata, program associate of SEARCA's Emerging Innovation for Growth Department (EIGD), presented a Lincoln Learning Solutions video showcasing the applications of robotics in medicine, industry, and agriculture. Following the presentation, the students had the opportunity to build LEGO robots with guidance from key EIGD staff.

Meanwhile, in their SHARING tour, the students gained insights into Southeast Asia's agricultural history and landscape, its farm innovation stories, and agripreneurship products. Furthermore, the students delved into artwork installations, interactive technologies, and innovation tools.

The students tour SHARING.The students tour SHARING.