SOME 23 homeschoolers from the ACTS Center visited the Los Baños, Laguna-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on November 15, 2023 to learn about agri-robotics.
During their visit, Richard Angelo Natata, program associate of SEARCA's Emerging Innovation for Growth Department (EIGD), presented a Lincoln Learning Solutions video to stir the students' excitement.
With the video delving into robotics in medicine, industry and agriculture, Natata further enticed the students by showing images of robots and encouraging them to guess their specific purposes.
Assoc. Prof. Joselito Florendo, SEARCA deputy director for administration, also emphasized the vital role of agriculture to all individuals, including children.
He also highlighted the contributions of agriculture to the students' daily necessities like food, clothing and shelter.
SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said two groups of students toured the SEARCA Hub for Agricultural and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) and participated in a learning session at the SHARING Cafe.
In their tour, Gregorio said the students learned about Southeast Asia's farm innovation stories and agripreneurship products.
"The students also explored artwork installations, interactive technologies and innovation tools," he said, adding that the visitors had the chance to experience working like scientists and engineers by building Lego robots with the guidance of key EIGD staff.
Along with their parents and guardians, the homeschoolers were accompanied by ACTS Center community director Elizabeth Lim Yao.
Yao expressed her gratitude to SEARCA for giving the students an opportunity to engage in agri-robotics through experiential modalities.