Igniting Curiosity

In the last edition of Ag Science magazine, Plant Pathologist Alyssa Collins reflected in “The Last Word” on our “fantastic variety of cultural engagement with technology” and how our “initiative is ensuring that these tools serve the people, making our businesses, lives, and connections with others better than before, with the promise of a future that serves generations to come.”

That insight resonates deeply with my own work as a collections curator and museum educator in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. I see our museums and institutional collections not as static repositories of the past, but as active platforms for research, engagement, and education. The objects, specimens, and stories that emerge from research have the power to inspire new inquiry, open opportunities for students, and strengthen public understanding of science. They help us fulfill the land-grant mission to teach, discover, and engage in ways that connect directly to the people we serve.

Over the past two years, I’ve participated in the Advancing Research Impact in Society– Organizational Research Impact Capacity program alongside colleagues from the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research, the Center for Science and the Schools, and our college’s Office for Research and Graduate Education. Together, we’ve explored how to mobilize research better—translating complex findings into experiences that invite participation and curiosity. This work affirmed my belief that museums and collections can be catalysts for public engagement in science, providing researchers and graduate students with valuable practice in communicating their work to broader audiences.

That philosophy is at the heart of programs such as Plant Yourself in Ag Day and Ag Progress Days.

Plant Yourself in Ag Day, now entering its third year, transforms the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs into a living classroom. The event immerses hundreds of Pennsylvania high school students in hands-on agricultural research while serving as a teaching laboratory for undergraduates in agricultural and extension education. Timed to coincide with National Teach Ag Day, the event brings together classrooms, research, and industry in a single dynamic experience. Students collect pollinators in the demonstration garden, test soil and water quality, and experiment with orchard robotics—mirroring the work of Penn State scientists in the field and lab.

This collaboration supports workforce development and teacher training while fostering excitement about agriculture as a modern, STEM-rich career field. Researchers and graduate students, guided by museum and education staff, learn to frame their science in accessible, engaging ways. By event day, they are not just sharing data; they’re sharing discovery.

At Ag Progress Days, our College Exhibits Building displays and presentations extend this same model to the public. Partnering with scientists from across departments, we feature biodiversity and technology research that explores how innovations can improve food production, ecosystem health, and community resilience. Short talks and interactive exhibits transform the showground into a forum where science meets everyday life.

As we plan 2026–2027 programming, we’re expanding these opportunities for research translation. Whether through multigenerational discovery labs at the Pasto Agricultural Museum, workshops led by graduate researchers, or hands-on demonstrations at public events, our goal remains the same: to connect people with science in meaningful, memorable ways.

Awareness builds understanding. Understanding creates agency. And agency fosters advocacy—for agriculture, for science, and for our future.

Rita Graef is the director of the Pasto Agricultural Museum in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.