Chad Schwinnen, a biology teacher at New Albany High School, recently participated in a Feed the World workshop that opened his eyes to unexpected connections between his curriculum and Ohio’s agricultural economy.
“While talking with some of the farmers that were here, the importance and the availability of ethanol really stood out to me as far as how much of the corn in Ohio is being used for ethanol,” Schwinnen shared after the workshop experience.
The workshop, sponsored by Ohio Corn & Wheat, equipped Schwinnen with hands-on curriculum resources that fill gaps and replace existing teaching materials.
“Some of this material already I can use in my classroom with the biomolecule testing, and then also the enzyme simulations,” he noted. “They are very well aligned with a lot of the state standards for biology, so it’ll help me meet those standards on a very real, applied level.”
Beyond meeting academic standards, Schwinnen sees powerful career awareness opportunities for his students.
“I think it’ll open their eyes to another industry, part of the economy that they might not have even considered, and that’s agriculture and even the research component,” he explained.
Schwinnen appreciates how the program bridges the gap between field research and classroom application.
“They’re doing a very good job taking what’s in the field and some of the research behind it and making it available to teachers in a way that we can really use it and deliver it to our students,” he emphasized.
Educators interested in bringing agricultural science into their biology classrooms can access free, classroom-proven curriculum materials on the Feed the World website, joining teachers like Schwinnen in helping students discover the science that drives Ohio’s economy.