I am a second-year Ph.D. student in the School of Geography, Development and Environment at the University of Arizona. I use a combination of remote sensing and plant functional traits to study potential benefits of co-locating photovoltaic installations and agriculture on the same piece of land (agrivoltaic systems) in dryland environments. My work answers the urgent call to overhaul current land-use practices to mitigate and adapt to climate change. I have developed a low-cost near-ground remote sensing system to measure productivity, phenology, and status of crops grown in our agrivoltaic experimental field sites and production farms. I am deploying these monitoring systems at partner field sites across the world to measure crop performance accurately and consistently over a diversity of environments and agrivoltaic system designs. Now, I want to give K-12 students in southern Arizona the opportunity to engage with and learn STEM concepts through relevant real-world science.

My University of Arizona NASA Space Grant Fellowship project will bring the same near-ground remote sensing system I’m using in my research into the hands of K-12 students in the form of an accessible kit that they will install in their own agrivoltaic gardens. Students will also have the chance to run their own experiments using micro agrivoltaic system kits. These project-based learning opportunities will be complemented with a two-part curriculum focused on remote sensing and agrivoltaic systems. The curriculum will be designed with the help of partners at the University of Arizona Community and School Garden Program and direct engagement with teachers at the participating schools. Teacher training workshops will also be held to ensure that a wider audience of educators is exposed to these cutting-edge STEM concepts. Looking forward, I will make the curricula, project demonstrations, and additional resources available and accessible in an interactive website tailored to both students and teachers.