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Education Residency Program

Borlaug Residency Application and Descriptions
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Artist and Luther College Professor Doug Eckheart was appointed to the 1st Borlaug Education Residency. Professor Eckheart spent a portion of his residency at the boyhood farm site with students this summer and met with students in the classroom this fall. Discussions and activities center around Dr. Borlaug's life and the issue of World Hunger. Eckheart has created an original oil painting of the Borlaug farm for the Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation and The World Food Prize. The original oil painting serves as a vehicle for discussions about Dr. Borlaug's connection with the land and his legacy as a humanitarian and world renowned scientist.

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Acclaimed Poet Michael Carey spent his residency at the Borlaug Boyhood Farm to write and reflect on Dr. Borlaug's life and work.  Mr. Carey shared his writings and experiences with Iowa students.

University of Northern Iowa Professor Emeritus Dr. David McCalley and Newton High School Teacher Mr. Bill Reed develop curriculum on Management of Fresh Water Supplies.  A portion of their residency will be spent at Dr. Borlaug's Boyhood Farm and working with students in Iowa regarding issues related to Dr. Borlaug's life and work.

Mr. Jason Lang:  Advanced Biology Instructor at Independence High School: currently completing an M.A. in Science Education from the University of Northern Iowa. An excerpt from Mr. Lang’s  description of his  residency:

“As a way to draw students and teachers to the  Borlaug  farm, I have developed  lessons in which students will learn about Dr. Borlaug’s work, while  growing  plants in their classroom and transplanting  them to the farm in the spring.  I would  like to use the “Borlaug Garden” at the farm as a connecting link between students, teachers and the farm as well as another attraction to draw people from the area to the farm.  I have developed a  series of web pages on plant growth and Dr. Borlaug and I’m  ready to send  these out to a select group of teachers at the end of August.  I’m in the final stages of proofing the pages and testing them with my teachers here in Independence.  The activities that I have developed during my residency, funded by the Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation,  will allow teachers to build  thematic units around Dr. Borlaug as an historical figure as well as teach students about plant growth and development, soil quality, water quality and issues focused on the interrelationship between humans and food.  The highlighted activities from larger curriculum projects such as Project WET, GLOBE and Food, Land and People all have interdisciplinary applications which should ease the infusion of historical and personal information about Dr. Borlaug into what they are currently teaching.  I am also passing this new curriculum about Dr. Borlaug and plant science to educators in teaching colleges and Iowa AEAs as well as more teachers across the state of Iowa.  A rough count of the number of students reached  approaches   900 students including those in the Cresco and Independence Schools.  Upon the completion of my curriculum and its availability to districts across Iowa, many thousands could be reached in the future .”

 Ms. Lori Moore:  Chemistry and Biology Instructor, North Iowa Community College

 “My residency has included the research and development of an outdoor wetland classroom at the Borlaug Childhood farm with the identification and posting of  53 species with numbered posts. During my residency working in  the wetlands on Dr. Borlaug’s childhood farm,  I have spent time with a variety of groups visiting the farm and wetland site, including Upward Bound students from Luther College and the Decorah area, an agriculture group from the Univ. of Florida and members of the  Practical Farmer of Iowa conference.  (Total to date of 162 people).  I have a lab group from NICC coming  to the farm Sept 12 (another 31 people).  I will be presenting my residency work to students in science classes at North Iowa Community College this fall. Total numbers reached should exceed 500.   The Howard County  Naturalist wants to use me and my residency information next summer in a program for the public and students at the farm.  I wrote an article for the naturalist's newsletter regarding the Borlaug farm and my wetland project, and as a result a Scout group has contacted me for a Sept tour.   John Pearson from the DNR, Mike Webster from Chickasaw NRCS, Ross Ellingson from Bremer Co NRC, and a  state agronomist have visited the farm and discussed  my research of the existing wetland. A curriculum packet has been prepared for teachers and students who may wish to visit the farm and wetlands. 25 booklets(keys) with plants and short summaries of medicinal and food uses by early settlers and Native Americans are provided.  The permanent curriculum on wetlands at the farm will reach large numbers of  students in  the future.”

Ms. Marcey Seavey: Education Director, Iowa Academy of Science, University of Northern Iowa. 

Ms. Seavey has developed a dynamic program for the Borlaug Childhood Farm on three fronts: 1)  Her program includes the creation  of  a written narrative and  scientific illustrations  (a booklet for 4-6^th   grade students) on Dr. Borlaug and his specialized work in plant pathology.  The Foundation hopes to  publish and distribute the booklet to all elementary schools in Iowa. 2) Ms. Seavey has also worked with students at the farm this past summer in the identifications of types of  soils and plants (outside of  the wetlands area).  She  introduced a Global Positioning  Satellite program with the potential for students, from various schools,  to take part in on-going studies of plant growth at the farm.  There is the potential that Globe/NASA will agree to use the farm as one of its sites for continued study of  plant growth from satellites in space  3)  A third portion of Ms. Seavey’s study includes the development and placement of  a safety kit and manual for Education Residents working with students a the Borlaug Childhood Farm. Ms. Seavey met with Upward Bound Students at the farm and with college science educators.  Her 3 programs could impact thousands of students in Iowa. 

Ms. Martha McFarland.  Fredricksburg, Iowa. 

Mr. Kendall Natvig.  English Professor and Consultant, Iowa.

Mr. Natvig's residency work included panel discussions, research, interviews, and essays related to Dr. Borlaug's life and work following Leonard Bickel's Facing Starvation.  His residency work at Dr. Borlaug's boyhood farm developed into an extensive and inspirational written biography of Dr. Borlaug's life.  

http://www.normanborlaug.org/