CEAR Hub has partnered with Georgia Tech’s CEISMC and the Effingham College and Career Academy (ECCA) on Farming with Big Data, a project aimed at exposing high school students to a real-world application of computer science. The project was devised by Nicholas Exley, ECCA Director of Information Technology, and Jack Sinopoli, ECCA Director of Computer Science, with the intention of engaging their high school students in hardware and software development projects that are practical and relevant to the local area, which is fairly rural in nature. After connecting with CEAR Hub Education Team Lead Tim Cone on a separate project, the trio came up with the idea to install low-cost sensors on a property recently acquired by the school district to monitor environmental conditions critical to agricultural operations.

The network of environmental sensors collects real-time data on soil temperature, air temperature, humidity, rainfall, and air quality at Honey Ridge Agricenter, a 324-acre farm owned and operated by the Effingham County School District. Exley and Sinopoli’s students are working to build dashboards to explore the data and learning about important computer science concepts like application programming interfaces, which allow multiple programs to request and share data and function with each other. CEAR Hub’s Dr. Russ Clark and Lesa Hagins have provided additional STEM instruction to the students by teaching them to program micro:bits that capture temperature and light level data around the farm, which the students then display on their computers.

Exley and Sinopoli see clear value in the project not only for students interested in computer science and scientific research, but in environmental science, agriculture, and mathematics as well. They continue to seek ways to incorporate other disciplines and build connections throughout the school district and surrounding community. Through Farming with Big Data, students are able to develop their technical skills and gain a deeper appreciation for interdisciplinary collaboration and the practical applications of their studies.