Meet future STEM teacher, Jacie Staedtler

Jessica Staedtler Headshot

At RegenPGC, we are not only about perennial groundcover, we are about growing the future. That is why we sponsor two research experience programs every summer, the Research Experience for Undergraduates and the Research Experience for Teachers.

Meet Jessica “Jacie” Staedtler, a member of our 2025 Research Experience for Undergraduates Internship. You can learn more about Jacie and her colleagues at https://iastate.box.com/s/4ugs0uvgyrac4q5qcovet3nr0k8lue03.

Hello, my name is Jacie Staedtler. I am going to be a senior at South Dakota State University (Brookings, SD) in the fall, pursuing my mathematics education degree. I am from Spencer, Iowa, and stayed in Alta, Iowa, over the summers. I enjoy reading, being on the farm, cooking, and baking. A fun fact about me is that I have written a recipe book for my family.

I applied to the REU program because… I wanted to grow my understanding of research experience. This program will help me with research techniques and how to be a better teacher. It will also help me connect science and math classrooms, so the collaborations and connections could help my teaching career. I would love a chance to collaborate with other STEM teachers and potentially design cross-curricular materials that can help expand our students’ knowledge. I feel that there’s a lot that can be learned through this type of collaboration, and I would love to be a part of that and begin to build something new to use in classrooms to challenge how students think and learn.

My expectations from the REU program are… I will increase my knowledge and my professional connections.

Why do you want to become a teacher? I have decided to become a STEM teacher because I enjoy the higher-order thinking problems while teaching and connecting them to real-world examples. Also, break the misconception that students are “bad” at math and science. I enjoy connecting the topics with chemistry and velocity problems to help make both enjoyable and collaborative.

Math class? RegenPGC trained teacher Amy Jurasek promises fun

Amy Jurasek is a math teacher at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, who participated in our 2024 Research Experience for Teachers program.

As a teacher, Amy is inspired to develop lessons integrating environmental themes into mathematical problem-solving activities. She wants her students to understand the relevance of algebra and geometry to solving real-world problems.

As part of Amy’s experience in the 2024 Research Experience for Teachers program*, we asked Amy to produce a reflective video describing her experience as a teacher intern. We think that you will agree that what she has produced is utterly charming. Any adolescent would have a fantastic experience in Amy’s classroom!

You can learn more about Amy’s research project “Perennial Groundcover for Corn Systems – Is There an Ideal Distance?” at https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Amy-Jurasek-poster-2024.pdf.

*Apply now to be a RegenPGC Research Experience Teacher!  We are starting to recruit for our Summer 2025 Research Experience for Teachers program. Check out the program at https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/RET-Recruitment-Card.pdf.

Graduate students are our Research Project’s Superpower

Marvel and D.C. Comics have a lot of superpower characters; we have our Graduate Education Community! Granted, our 19 grad students don’t wear flashy tights, but they represent the future of ag sciences, and we think they have some serious superpowers driving our perennial groundcover research forward at a fast clip.

Meet Sagar Dahal, the newest member of our Graduate Education Community. Sagar is a PhD student in Agricultural Economics with academic interests in price analysis, futures and options, risk management, and commodity markets. Sagar will be working with RegenPGC CoProject Director Dr. Amani Elobeid.

Sagar holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal, and an MS in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His master’s thesis, “Exploring the Presence of Nonlinear Deterministic Dynamics in Commodity Prices,” reflects his deep interest in understanding complex market behaviors.

During his Masters’ studies, Sagar worked as a Graduate Research Assistant, where he gained experience in academic writing, data management, and analysis. He also gained teaching experience as a Teaching Assistant for Applied Econometrics and Introduction to Microeconomics.

Sagar enjoys listening to music, watching movies, hiking, and camping in his free time. Learn more about Sagar and his colleagues at https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/graduate-education/.

Undergrad Research Experiences, Influencing Two Generations

RegenPGC

Education is a large part of our RegenPGC project. With our summer Research Experience for Undergraduates program, we get to influence two generations of learners! Mikayla Sampson-Pagan (University of South Florida) is looking forward to a career as an elementary school education teacher. Thanks to the guidance of her summer mentors and teachers (RegenPGC Team Members Shui-zhang Fei, Rickiel R. Franklin da Silva, Patrick Galland, Maureen Griffin, Kenneth J.Moore, and Susana Goggi), Mikayla’s summer adventure will shape her teaching philosophies for years to come.

What was the biggest takeaway from your research experience with RegenPGC?
“Always remember to promote belonging. This includes remembering that it is okay to make mistakes. This program has taught me the scientific side of research. Research is constantly changing day to day. There are errors, repeating activities, and constant learning.”

Learn more about Mikayla’s  research at https://lnkd.in/gnXd4xK3