NACTA Newsletter - February 2026

February 2026

NACTA President Liz Karcher's Message
NACTA 2026 Judging Conference
#NACTA26 Conference
NACTA 2026 Webinar Series Preview
NACTA Journal Updates
New NACTA Members
Renew Your NACTA Membership

NACTA Roundup with President Elizabeth Karcher

As we move through this busy time of year, balancing teaching, advising, and the many responsibilities that come with supporting our students, I'm reminded how much our shared commitment defines NACTA. With just a little more than 100 days until we gather in Starkville, excitement is building for the upcoming conference, where we will connect, learn from one another, and celebrate the work that inspires the next generation of agricultural educators and professionals.

Behind the scenes, our committees are actively guiding the future direction of the organization in service to our members and the teaching profession. From planning webinars to considering strategic initiatives, I sincerely thank each of you who volunteer your time and expertise to NACTA.

Your work matters, and the impact reaches far beyond our classrooms. I look forward to gathering in Starkville to continue this important work together. 

Thank you,
Liz Karcher,
NACTA President

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NACTA 2026 Judging Conference

As a reminder, registration for the NACTA 2026 Judging Conference, April 22-25, 2026, hosted by Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, USA is OPEN! Please note that the NACTA Judging Conference is only open to all NACTA institutional member schools.

The deadline to register is March 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT. Registration must be done online, as there will be no on-site registration. 

For more information, including registration, conference schedule, contests offered, travel and lodging options, and things to do around the conference, visit the NACTA 2026 Judging Conference website.

#NACTA26 Conference! Are You Registered Yet?

Registration for the NACTA 2026 Conference, June 22-25, 2026, at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, USA is NOW OPEN!

The Annual Conference of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) offers many opportunities for education and networking and brings agricultural education across the continuum together. This conference offers workshops, poster and oral presentations, Keynote and Blue Ribbon presentations, and many networking opportunities each day. At this annual conference of NACTA, you will be able to connect with and learn from others who share the same passion for the improvement of teaching and learning agriculture, food and natural resources. 

The Annual NACTA Conference will provide you with new teaching techniques, ideas and resources. It is also one of the best professional development activities for networking with other teaching professionals where the common discipline is "teaching."

This year, Dr. Michel Wattiaux, of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, will be the Blue Ribbon Speaker and Dr. Mark Keenum, of Mississippi State University, will be the Keynote Speaker. 

To read more about Dr. Michel Wattiaux, click here.

To read more about Dr. Mark Keenum, click here.

For more information and to register, visit the NACTA 2026 Conference website.

The Early Bird Deadline to register for #NACTA26 is April 25, 2026.

Keep an eye on your inbox for more information about the Blue Ribbon and Keynote presentations, as well as features on other workshops and conference activities!

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NACTA 2026 Webinar Series Preview

Join us for the NACTA 2026 Webinar Series beginning Wednesday, March 25, 2026! 

The webinar sessions are as follows:

Session 1 - March 25, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT/12:00 PM EDT

Teaching with AI in Agriculture: Myths, Tools, Ethics, and Hands-On Strategies

Presented by: Katelyn Nelson and Wiley DeElla, of Auburn University, and Mazin Salim Mohammed Palakuniyil, of Auburn Online.

AI tools are rapidly reshaping higher education, but many faculty still struggle with how to use AI effectively, ethically, and without overwhelming students. This webinar provides NACTA educators with a clear, hands-on, practical introduction to the AI tools most relevant to teaching in agriculture, environmental sciences, life sciences, and applied STEM fields. The session will move from demystifying AI to practical demonstrations, and then into ethical and privacy considerations, giving participants the confidence to use AI strategically rather than reactively.

Designed takeaway: How to integrate emerging AI technologies into learning while maintaining academic integrity, transparency, and student skill development. Attendees will be able to: differentiate fact from myth about AI and Generative AI in higher education; Identify primary AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, discipline-specific tools) and understand their strengths/limitations; use practical prompting strategies for lesson planning, activity creation, syllabus development, assessment support, etc.; guide students in responsible use of AI, including transparency, citation, and academic integrity; recognize key privacy, data, and ethical concerns relevant to both instructors and students, especially important in agriculture-related fields with sensitive datasets and develop or revise a classroom AI policy aligned with teaching practices. Consequently, participants can gain improved teaching efficiency, enhanced experiential learning supporting student creativity, communication, and problem-solving while building responsible AI citizens within agricultural professions.

Session 2 - April 8, 2026 & Session 3 - May 13, 2026

Beyond the Trip: Pairing Research with Experiential Learning Abroad

Presented by: Jeneen Fields, of Purdue University, Daniel Foster and Liz Karcher, of Penn State University, Lacey Roberts-Hill, of Texas Tech University, Shweta Trivedi, of North Carolina State University, and Curtis Youngs, of Iowa State University.

What are the best strategies for developing and carrying out research that makes use of a study abroad experience? Are you looking to add a research opportunity to your experiential learning event? Collecting data and capturing outcomes can not only lend to the literature but also help inform better practices for subsequent experiences! Join us for a panel and workshop with six faculty members who will share their best practices in pairing research with experiential learning. The fourth webinar brings the series full circle by demonstrating how experiential learning particularly global experiences can be intentionally paired with research, assessment, and scholarly outcomes. This session helps faculty translate experiences into evidence of learning, student inquiry, and SoTL outputs.

Designed takeaway: How to document, assess, and extend experiential learning for student impact, grants, and promotion and tenure. Attendees will be able to: 1. Establish a set of questions that can influence research on a stud abroad trip 2. Access relevant literature that articulates methods for high impact study abroad research 3. Compose a proposal for research to complement the outcomes of a study abroad trip.

Session 4 - May 14, 2026

Game-Based Experiential Learning for Agriculture: Practical Strategies You Can Use Tomorrow

Presented by: Barbara Chamberlain, of New Mexico State University

Agriculture educators frequently teach complex systems, interconnected processes, and decision-making under constraints — all areas where game-based learning is especially powerful. In this interactive session, Dr. Barbara Chamberlin from New Mexico State University’s Learning Games Lab will demonstrate how simple games — digital or paper-based — can strengthen student engagement, systems thinking, and career-relevant life skills.

Participants will explore:
• Games for teaching agriculture concepts
• How games strengthen experiential learning and reflective practice
• Strategies for integrating gameplay into existing labs, lectures, or online modules
• How to connect game-based activities to workforce competencies such as communication, teamwork, and decision-making

Everything presented will be directly relevant to teaching agriculture, food, the environment, and applied life sciences, and will be adaptable even in high-enrollment, lab-based, or extension settings. By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:
1. Identify simple teaching games that model agricultural or natural resource systems.
2. Apply two or more game-based strategies in their own classrooms without needing new technology or software.
3. Guide reflection and debriefing to strengthen experiential learning outcomes and student professional skills.
4. Adapt game-based learning to fit different course types: introductory undergraduate courses, labs, community college programs, and extension workshops.
5. Evaluate learning using quick, classroom-friendly assessment methods.

This session focuses on intentional engagement design, showing how game-based strategies can transform abstract agricultural concepts into immersive, decision-driven reflective practices of learning experiences. Participants will explore Strategies for integrating gameplay into existing labs, lectures, or online modules and how games and simulations connect game-based activities to workforce competencies and foster communication, systems thinking, collaboration, teamwork, and applied decision making core competencies in modern agriculture.

Keep an eye on your inbox for more information about each of these sessions and how to join as we get closer to launching!

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NACTA Journal Updates

New NACTA Members

NACTA has 74 new members since our last newsletter. We hope you will join us in welcoming them!

Southern
Melanie Correll, Fl
Jennifer Richards, TN
Rene McCracken, OK
Alejandro Molina-Moctezuma, TN
Andrew Pulte, TN
Carly Hoffman, TX
Jillian Ford, AL
Luci Searels
Madalyn Jennings, AL
Steven Harber, AL
Whitney Kigland, TX
Qiyu Zhou, NC
Grace Baker, AL
Fan Fan, FL
Ameya Gondhalekar, FL
Heqiang Huo, FL
Michelle Jusino, FL
Shaun Khurana, FL
Young Ho Kim, FL
Chase Kimmel, FL
Yuyao Kong, FL
Milad Nirouman-Jadidi, FL
Deepak Haarith, FL
Ellen Robinson, FL
Jose Rolando, FL
James Skelton, FL
Tyler Square, FL
Rita Thrasher, FL
Sungeon Yoon, FL
Joonhyuk Suh, FL
Kevin Begcy-Padilla, FL
Morgan Manning, FL
Taylor Apple, TX
Scott January, TX
Macy Glover
Natasha Hightower, AR
Maureen Victoria
Sarah Bush, FL
Danielle Lunny, AL
Kaitlin Hopkins, TX
Ethan Phillips, AL
Andrew Bailey, AL
Sanku Dattamudi, TX
Emmanuel Olakanmi, GA
Sarah McCord, TX
Katie Ferrigan, TX
Billie Patterson, AR
Olesya Savchenko, FL
Jenee Duncan, FL
Carolyn W. Robinson, AL
Renzo Ceme, FL
Elsa Youngsteadt, NC
Katelyn Johnson, AL
Lauren Hood, SC
Stacey Mobley, FL
Rose Koenig, FL
Kira Sayre

Central
Cynthia Domenghini, KS
Kent McKinnis, KS
Blanca Gallegos, KS
Paige Freidline, KS
Natalie Timbrook, KS
Jennifer Bormann, KS
Amila Darshana Emihami Mudiyanselage, KS
Thomas Aquino
Amber Anderson, IA

Eastern
Daniel Linden
Katelyn Mollett, KY
Mariah Schaeper, IN
Maha Abdelhaseib, IN
Thomas Gentry, VA
Carrie Fearer, VA
Priyadarsini Das, OH

Western
Marlene Graf, UT

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Renew Your NACTA Membership

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