More than 300 faculty and graduate students from agricultural colleges across the nation will gather at the University of Georgia this week to learn about the latest research in teaching and mentoring students in agricultural, food and environmental sciences.

The North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA), a professional society that focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning agriculture and related disciplines, is conducting its 2015 annual conference at UGA. The UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), home to several nationally recognized instructors, is hosting the event.

“At CAES, we strive to provide engaging, challenging instruction that prepares our students to become the next leaders in the world of agriculture and environmental sciences,” said Jean Bertrand, assistant dean for academic affairs at the college and chair of the 2015 NACTA conference planning committee. “Participating in the NACTA conference gives instructors the tools needed to lift their teaching effectiveness to the next level and keep an eye on the developments of the future.”

Over the five days that NACTA members are at UGA, they will cover best practices for teaching agricultural sciences through skill-sharing presentations. Topics to be discussed range from curriculum for undergraduate research methods to teaching international extension programs through service-learning.

Presentations will focus on service-learning strategies, curriculum development, student recruitment, experiential learning and other topics facing higher education instructors across the country.

In addition to sharing oral and poster research presentations, the conference will include tours of UGArden, the UGA Campus Arboretum, The Trial Gardens at UGA and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia as well as local farms, historic sites and culinary landmarks.

For more information about NACTA, please visit nactateachers.org.

Founded in 1859, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia is the state’s home for cutting-edge research, student-focused instruction and Cooperative Extension public service and outreach programs. On three campuses across Georgia – in Athens, Griffin and Tifton – CAES offers courses of study in 22 majors, 18 minors and 28 graduate programs that cover the breadth of agricultural, environmental and food sciences. In each field, students are able to work directly with world-class researchers who are finding answers to tomorrow’s food supply and environmental questions. For more information, visit caes.uga.edu.