Meat us at the lab!

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Similar to yesterday students began their day with lectures from Dr. Mike Ellerbrock and Mr. Dan Swafford.  Today, Dr. Ellerbrock continued his discussion on the idea of diminishing marginal utility and the concepts of marginal costs and benefits.  At the beginning of his lecture, Mr. Swafford built on his previous lecture on wind turbines and energy harvesting. Next, Dr. Swafford discussed several topics surrounding solar energy. Students were even taught how to construct their own water heaters, harnessing solar energy.

Then, in the afternoon, students toured the campus library in order to begin their research projects. Also, students were given the unique opportunity to visit Virginia Tech’s “Meat Lab” where they learned about food safety and made Bratwursts!

Image(Food Safety Project Group)

This evening students have been busy socializing, organizing sporting events, and making their first trips to Main Street with our Governor’s School Leaders.

— Jimmy Shatt, Governor’s School Leader

And So It Begins!

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Hello readers! Welcome to the blog for the 2013 Summer Governor’s School for Agriculture at Virginia Tech! This is the place to go for news, pictures, and updates on the students’ experience and the program’s progress over the summer.

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As will be the norm for the rest of the summer, the students had a busy morning and a great start to the program with lectures by Professors Mike Ellerbrock and Dan Swafford. Dr. Ellerbrock started the program’s first class with a discussion about the concept of diminishing marginal utility, an economics term that many of the students – but not all – were unfamiliar with. The rest of the course was spent learning about price versus cost, supply and demand, and several other foundational economics concepts.

For the next hour, students learned about wind turbines and wind farms as the first part in a series about sustainable energy presented by Professor Swafford. Other topics to be discussed include solar energy and alternative fuels. On Friday, the class will culminate in a field trip to Volvo that will give students a hands-on opportunity to learn about the state of sustainable energy and the role they can play in the future of this discipline. Professor Swafford will also be directing students in the Robotics elective later in the month and helping them construct and control robotic devices as part of a friendly competition.

During the rest of the day, students spent their time socializing with roommates and new friends, exchanging phone numbers, and making plans to hang out. It’s looking like an exciting month lies ahead for the Governor’s School students and leaders, so check back soon for more updates!

— Lauren Jones, Governor’s School Leader