Putting It Together
New Major Explores Ecology-Based Agriculture

A dairy farm in a formerly rural county is now surrounded by houses as a result of recent development. Urbanization has driven up the cost of operation. New legislation requires a nutrient management plan. The neighbors are concerned about odors, flies, and the potential for soil erosion to affect nearby streams. How might the farm address these problems and still have a viable business?

A new major involving the agronomy, entomology, horticulture, and plant pathology departments will prepare students to solve such interdisciplinary problems. The Agroecosystems Science (AGESS) major was approved by Penn State's Board of Trustees last December and began accepting students immediately. "Many times a student will take courses in various disciplines, like crop production, soils, plant pathology, or economics, but never really see how each discipline fits into the total picture," says agronomist Elwood Hatley, who coordinates the program. "What they decide to do with soil fertility may affect what happens with diseases or economics. How often they spray may affect neighbor relations. Our goal is to keep the major holistic to continually enforce the idea that we're working in a system."

Students majoring in Agroecosystems Science can choose an integrated crop management (ICM) option or plant science option. The ICM option emphasizes the principles of plant and soil management and the basic sciences on which those principles are based. The plant science option provides more extensive training in the basic sciences, such as math, chemistry, physics, and biology. "The difference between the options is mostly philosophical," says entomologist Michael Saunders, who helped design the ICM option. "The courses are basically the same, but the plant science option courses go a little deeper into the disciplines."

Entomologist Bruce McPheron describes the plant science option as an interdisciplinary way to learn about plants, but with the rigor of a biology degree.

Graduates of both options will be prepared for careers in environmental and agricultural consulting, agribusiness, sustainable agricultural production, environmental and agricultural education and advocacy, and government agencies. In addition, graduates of the plant science option will be prepared for industrial research. "Employers are looking for students with experiences over the broad spectrum for entry-level positions," says Hatley. "We've focused on the courses and activities that the ag industry has told us are important."

To keep the major relevant, Hatley convened an advisory board of industry representatives who will continue to provide direction and guidance about the sorts of training they want job applicants to have. They also will help to identify internship opportunities in the industry. AGESS is the first major in the College that requires two internships, one related to field activities and one with an agricultural business or ag- related department of government. "The keystone of the major is getting students out there and interacting with the real world," says McPheron. "Students in the ICM option might do an internship in industry. Someone in the plant science option might work in a research lab."

Agronomist Elwood Hatley, who coordinates the new Agroecosystems Science major, wants to promote the idea that agricultural disciplines, whether crop production, plant pathology, soils, or economics, are interwoven.

"The current trend is that industries hire exclusively from their intern pool, so we're giving students a leg up on the competition," adds Saunders.

This fall, the College began offering new AGESS courses, which are being taught by multidisciplinary teams. An agroecology course introduces essential information on diseases, insects, weeds, soils, and basic crop production, as well as the ecological basis for integrated crop management. "We're hoping to start students thinking about the total picture in this course," says Saunders. "It's like the overture to a symphony students will hear a little bit about the entomology, plant pathology, integrated pest management, and horticultural and agronomic practices they'll explore fully in other courses. They also will choose a focus crop and learn a special software program they will use through the remainder of their undergraduate careers."

The software, similar to an "expert system"a computer program that emulates the way a human expert would think through a problem allows students to continually build on information learned in the various courses. "Essentially, they will build a management system for their chosen crop, piece by piece," Saunders explains. "When they take the entomology course, for instance, they will build a module on how to manage insects in their crop. When they take the weed management course, they will build a module on managing weeds. They won't leave anything behind. By the time they get to the capstone courses, IPM Systems Design and Integrated Crop Management, they'll have built their own model of what's going on in their particular cropping system and how best to deal with problems that arise."

The IPM systems design course will teach the concepts needed to tie together crop, pest, weather, economic, and sociopolitical components in a functional system. The final course, Integrated Crop Management, will be taught using decision-based case studies, which are developed around actual situations. Students will be given a package of information relating to a situation, which they will use to develop an action plan or solution. In certain situations, the individuals involved in the actual situation may be invited to attend the sessions and critique the students' solutions. "This course is patterned after the Harvard Business School's MBA program," explains Hatley. "All of the work they do at Harvard is through decision-based case studies. Many medical schools also are using this technique to help interns and residents think about whole systems and the factors that come into play when practicing health care."

A senior colloquium will give students the opportunity to attend lectures, interact with industry professionals, and discuss current issues. The program coordinator will rotate between departments every three years.

For more information about the AGESS major, contact the Department of Agronomy at 116 Agricultural Science and Industries Building, University Park, PA 16802, call (814) 865-6541, or send e-mail to Elwood Hatley at hatley@agronomy.cas.psu.edu. You also can find information about the AGESS major on the College's Web site at http://www.cas.psu.edu/.

— Kim Dionis

Faculty and staff referenced in this article are Elwood Hatley, professor of agronomy; Bruce McPheron, associate professor of entomology; and Michael Saunders, associate professor of entomology.