Local Interest
Oregon Trail Community Foundation invests $12K in 4H youth robotics
By Nathan Rice, Nebraska Extension Educator: 4-H Youth Development
The Scottsbluff Robotics Club received a $12,722 grant from the Oregon Trail Community Foundation on Oct. 31,2024 to help support the technological/equipment needs of the rapidly expanding program.
The Oregon Trail Community Foundation grant will be used to update meeting spaces with whiteboards and TV monitors to promote collaboration among team members. Funds will also be used to purchase additional robot kits and parts to ensure every team has two robot kits to practice with and extra supplies needed to problem solve/create innovative solutions. Additional computers capable of handling the computational bandwidth necessary to run the First Tech software and coding programs will be purchased. This will allow more team members to gain coding and design experience.
Seven Tips for Safe and Healthy Holiday Dining
By Ashley Fenning, Nebraska Extension Instructor-Food, Nutrition & Health
As the holiday season approaches, many gather with family and friends to share traditional meals. With all the delicious food and the hustle and bustle of the season, it's important to keep food safety in mind to ensure everyone has a joyful and healthy celebration. Here are some essential food safety tips to help make your holiday gathering both safe and memorable.
UNL and WNCC partner in higher education for Panhandle youth
By Chabella Guzman, PREEC communications
To meet the needs of the community and students of western Nebraska, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) signed a 2+2 agreement, which will aid students in obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Agricultural Education and Skilled and Technical Science Education.
“We're very excited to have a signing ceremony that signifies the agreement between Western Nebraska Community College and UNL's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources,” said Mark Balschweid, UNL Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication. “We realize there are a lot of students from this part of the state who enjoy living here and want to stay here. And we also know that there's a shortage of teachers in high schools filling critical roles that contribute to workforce development like manufacturing and agricultural.”
The program helps students from the Panhandle of Nebraska take two years of the program at WNCC, closer to home, and then transfer to UNL for three semesters. The final semester would be student teaching, where students could return to the Panhandle.
