The Nebraska Soybean Board is excited to announce its continued support for the 2025 Summer Soybean Institute, a hands-on, multi-day program designed to equip 20 middle and high school educators with the knowledge and resources to integrate soybeans into cross-curricular learning, highlighting their impact on science, math, economics and agriculture. This year's institute will be held on July 1-2 and July 8-10, 2025.
Hosted by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in collaboration with local teacher-leader collaboratives, SSI aims to provide educators with the tools to inspire "Soybean Enthusiasts" among their students by exploring the Nebraska Soybean Story.
Participants will engage with content experts from CASNR, NSB and local teacher-leader collaboratives to develop a comprehensive understanding of soybeans as a system. This approach encourages systematic thinking and connects classroom standards to real-world applications.
“Our SSI planning team is excited to bring more teachers together to learn about the soybean through investigations and hands-on learning,” said Bailey Feit, CASNR and Lincoln Public Schools Early College and Career Pathways Coordinator. “Teachers will build upon lessons developed by past participants and be able to co-create their own cross-curricular and multi-level applicable lessons to take back to their classrooms in communities across Nebraska.”
Educators can choose to attend sessions at either the University of Nebraska Haskell Agricultural Laboratory in Concord or the FEWS2 Hub on East Campus of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Participants who complete all five days will receive a stipend of $1,050, a $250 lesson plan implementation bonus, and up to $1,000 for classroom supplies to enhance their teaching environments.
The program teams for both locations include faculty members and experts from various departments within CASNR. The Summer Soybean Institute is made possible through the support of NSB and Nebraska Extension.
Quotes from 2024 SSI Participants:
- “I have new respect for all those working in the agriculture industry. This workshop has opened my eyes to the large amount of science used in agriculture. I can now better share this with my students.”
- “It was great to learn from experts and from one another. As a Nebraska transplant, I had no idea how important soybeans are to our state. The connections I made were invaluable, and the leaders of the program were wonderful.”
- “I have learned about the complexity of the farming process. And the resources and supplies I received as part of the Soybean Science Institute will help my teaching.”
- “I’m eager to introduce some awesome career possibilities for students who normally aren’t thinking agriculture as a career aspiration (in Omaha).”
The application deadline is May 1, 2025, with priority given to cross-curricular teams of teachers. For more information and application details, interested parties are encouraged to visit the 2025 Summer Soybean Institute page or email k12partners@unl.edu.
About the Nebraska Soybean Board: The nine-member Nebraska Soybean Board collects and disburses the Nebraska share of funds generated by the one-half of one percent times the net sales price per bushel of soybeans sold. Nebraska soybean checkoff funds are invested in research, education, domestic and foreign markets, including new uses for soybeans and soybean products.
