Amy Quanz, 4-H member from Steuben County, invests in live"stock".

The new movie, Charlotte’s Web, features a young girl, Fern, who clearly enjoys the farm animals around her.  Animal management is still enjoyed by many 4-H members today, but often with an entrepreneurial and high-tech spin.

For Amy Quanz, raising, showing and selling cows and pigs has helped her focus on what she loves to do -- work with animals. But along the way, she’s also learned valuable skills including public speaking, money management, marketing, organization, independence, leadership and the value of hard work – skills that will serve her well in her future career.

As a Steuben County 4-H member, Quanz,  has taken advantage of numerous opportunities offered through her county’s 4-H program, from animal care to livestock judging, technology events, and public presentations.  

“I’ve been given so many opportunities through 4-H,” Quanz says. “I’ve learned what traits are more important if you want your hog to bring in more money. But I’ve also developed my public speaking skills, learned how to interact with people and how to act confident and smile, even when you mess up in the show ring.”

Quanz is one of more than 430,000 youth throughout New York State who will be helped through the NYS 4-H Foundation’s  “Give Change, Make Change for Youth” publicity and fundraising campaign, which kicks off this month and culminates next summer with a fund drive to support programs and raise awareness of the many faces of 4-H today. Nationally, 4-H began in the early 1900s to supplement the public education children were receiving with “hands-on” learning. Today, the 4-H program is one of the largest youth development programs in the United States, with more than 6.5 million young people, ages 5-19, and 458,000 youth and adult volunteers. 4-H clubs today aren’t focused only on farm topics; more than half of 4-H members don’t live in rural areas. 

Learning experiences in 4-H encourage youth to experiment, innovate and think independently. Youth learn leadership, citizenship and life skills through more than 1,000 projects with topics as varied as rocketry, GPS mapping, computer game design, public speaking, photography, nutrition and community service.

Through many of these ventures, youth also learn valuable entrepreneurial skills. For some 4-H teens, these skills are developed by inventing, marketing and selling a food product or service. For Quanz, participating in quiz bowls about her animals improved her animal husbandry skills, the experience of being judged helped her learn what people would look for in a quality animal and the opportunity to manage the budget for her livestock brought home the importance of being financially savvy. Now a junior in high school, Quanz plans to study either pathology or pharmacology in college, hoping to find a career in the animal side of those fields.

New York State’s 4-H program also connects youth to the resources of Cornell University, helping young people get excited about school, learning and career options.  For more information or to make a contribution to 4-H, please contact the NYS 4-H Foundation at: 607-255-0786.

Jim Fox, Public Speaker

Jim Fox, Renssaeler County 4-H alumni, began his communications career in 4-H.

For many people, speaking in public brings on a cold sweat or a racing heart. But not for young people who are involved in 4-H programs, who are learning the skills and confidence it takes to deliver a presentation and make their point, whether in front of peers or a group of state representatives.

Jim Fox, a 4-H alumni from Renssaeler County and now a senior at SUNY Cobleskill, said his experiences in 4-H have led him toward a career in marketing, which requires masterful public speaking skills.

“I joined a 4-H teen group focused on public speaking,” he said. “I had so much fun preparing speeches and delivering them to people who really wanted to listen to them, that now whenever I get the chance to do a presentation, I jump on it.”

Fox is one of more than 430,000 youth throughout New York State who will be helped through the NYS 4-H Foundation’s  “Give Change, Make Change for Youth” publicity and fundraising campaign, which kicked off in December and culminates next summer with a fund drive to support programs and raise awareness of the many faces of 4-H today. Nationally, 4-H began in the early 1900s to supplement the public education children were receiving with “hands-on” learning. Today, the 4-H program is one of the largest youth development programs in the United States, with more than 6.5 million young people, ages 5-19, and 458,000 youth and adult volunteers.

Public presentations are just one facet of the 4-H experience, but an important one for many 4-H alumni, who credit the program with giving them an edge above their peers in college and careers. Through public presentations, youth learn to express themselves clearly and convincingly; develop a positive self-concept and poise; gain self-confidence before a group; respond spontaneously to questions and gain subject matter knowledge.

“My 4-H experience helped me to earn good grades, but it also helped me to build up a resume that employers find quite impressive,” Fox said. “In my upcoming internship, I’ll be expected to make proposals and presentations to both staff and clients.”

The public presentation program takes youth through a progressive series of communication activities, including demonstrations, illustrated talks, formal speeches and creative communications such as recitations and dramatic interpretations. 

New York State’s 4-H program also connects youth to the resources of Cornell University, helping young people get excited about school, learning and career options.  For more information or to make a contribution to 4-H, please contact the NYS 4-H Foundation at: 607-255-0786.

Tyler MacIntosh, Webmaster

Tyler MacIntosh, Columbia County 4-H'er, talks with Cornell University President David Skorten.

Tyler MacIntosh of Columbia County is one of those teens. As Webmaster for the site, MacIntosh has been able to blend his desire to better his community with one of his passions – computers and Web design.

“We got our first computer when I was 9 and I learned most of what I know from breaking things and then fixing them,” MacIntosh, 17, says with a laugh.

4-H leaders learned about his computer skills after he produced a PowerPoint of a teen retreat and he’s been involved in Web and computer projects ever since. MacIntosh has attended a variety of 4-H conferences, including one where he learned about “Operation Military Kids,” a program that allows children of military personnel to send computer messages to their loved ones. MacIntosh created a PowerPoint training tool that’s being used to train others in this program.

At home, MacIntosh has his own business developing Web sites and fixing computers. He also teaches computer-related classes and works a part-time job. And he’s finishing up home schooling and taking classes at Hudson Valley Community College.

The 4-H Youth Community Action Network Web site inspires teens from across New York State to make things happen in their communities, no matter what the project or what their age. It focuses on action plans that include asking questions, being persistent and working with and motivating others. The current site lists projects from counties across the state, ranging from helping to establish an Audubon Center in Lewiston, Niagara County, to creating a community mural and garden in Enfield, Tompkins County.

MacIntosh said the network helps link teens and “educate them about what’s going on around them.”

MacIntosh is one of more than 430,000 youth throughout New York State who will be helped through the NYS 4-H Foundation’s  “Give Change, Make Change for Youth” publicity and fundraising campaign, which kicked off in December and culminates this summer with a fund drive to support programs and raise awareness of the many faces of 4-H today. For over 100 years 4-H has been serving families by supplementing the public education children receive with “hands-on” life-skills lessons. Today, the 4-H program is one of the largest youth development programs in the United States, with more than 6.5 million young people, ages 5-19, and 458,000 youth and adult volunteers.

The varied opportunities offered through 4-H give youth the chance to focus on a passion and, in some cases, turn that passion into a career.

McIntosh plans to study software engineering in college, in hopes of being a software or game designer.

New York State’s 4-H program also connects youth to the resources of Cornell University, helping young people get excited about school, learning and career options.  For more information or to make a contribution to 4-H, please contact the NYS 4-H Foundation at: 607-255-0786.

Emma Long , GIS Leader

Emma Long, Genesee County 4-H member, attended the International ESRI Conference and spoke with GPS Leaders from around the world.

Emma Long may be only 16 but she’s already explored the cutting-edge of the high-tech geographic mapping industry, tracking down endangered plants and helping to preserve her county’s history using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.

Long mastered GPS technology (a satellite- and ground-based navigation and location system) through 4-H work related to her county’s Agricultural Centennial Project.

Because of her interest in the technology, her county 4-H educator nominated her to attend an international ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute) Users Conference in San Diego, Calif., where she was asked to present information about 4-H involvement with GPS/GIS (Geographic Information Systems) in front of 14,000 people.

“The conference was so inspiring and I learned how important GIS really is,” Long said. “I met the owner of ESRI and he gave us a special award for making a difference in our world using GIS technology.” Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is the software and hardware that allows people to map, store, manage and analyze the data received from a GPS study.

Science and technology are key focus areas in 4-H programs – and for good reason. Although America’s economy is highly dependent on advanced technology, research shows that the U.S. is producing fewer science and technology workers and American students are falling behind in math and science. Studies also show that the hands-on approach of 4-H engages more students, teaches science and math skills through experimentation, promotes math and science careers and develops problem-solving skills.

Long has taken her interest in GPS technology back to her high school, with a project last year in which she mapped the velocity of local streams and with her current biology class endeavor, using the technology to map the location of endangered lady slipper plants in the Bergen Swamp in the town of Bergen.

Long is one of more than 430,000 youth throughout New York State who will be helped through the NYS 4-H Foundation’s  “Give Change, Make Change for Youth” publicity and fundraising campaign, which kicked off in December and culminates this summer with a fund drive to support programs and raise awareness of the many faces of 4-H today. For over 100 years, 4-H has been serving families by supplementing the public education children receive with “hands-on” life-skills lessons. Today, the 4-H program is one of the largest youth development programs in the United States, with more than 6.5 million young people, ages 5-19, and 458,000 youth and adult volunteers.

New York State’s 4-H program also connects youth to the resources of Cornell University, helping young people get excited about school, learning and career options.  For more information or to make a contribution to 4-H, please contact the NYS 4-H Foundation at: 607-255-0786.

Kevin Ragosta, Physician

Dr. Kevin Ragosta, 4-H alumnus, kids around with patients whenever he can.   He performed a heart transplant on the young lady on the left when she was 11 mos. old. 

Sometimes when Kevin Ragosta, pediatric physician, is presenting at a national medical convention, he has a moment of deja vu. He thinks of the 4-H presentations he gave on conservation during his youth. One in particular was how different grasses can be used to modify soil erosion.

“I realize that my 4-H presentations were similar to the medical research projects I’ve been involved in as a professional and presented at national medical conferences,” he said, explaining that he learned the thought process about the scientific method – doing background research, proposing hypotheses, designing experiments and developing and presenting findings – through various 4-H science projects.

Ragosta, a physician in the Pediatric Critical Care Unit at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, said his interest in biology and science bloomed in the years he spent in 4-H.

He reflected, “So many of my childhood memories are of 4-H -- having fun, learning and, at the same time, maturing into a young adult.”

Years spent as a 4-H Camp counselor, “Painted my future in a real way.  I enjoyed doing things with kids and teaching them.”  Dr. Ragosta thinks that experience, and others finally led him into pediatric medicine. Teaching fellows, residents, and medical students at the hospital continues to be an important part of his career.

One of 11 children, Ragosta spent his free time with siblings hunting down elusive insects (moths, butterflies, and beetles) for his collections.  Other interests nurtured by 4-H include camping, learning about outdoor safety, and gardening --all of which he was an active participant.

As an older teen, he was President of his 4-H County Council, a group that developed a vision for the County 4-H program, which included 1,000 youth. He made financial decisions about the “thousands” of dollars that youth raised through cookie sales.  He organized and led various youth competitions and meetings, was emcee at various events and presented numerous public speeches about the 4-H program.

“I learned to take off with 4-H,” he said. “Leading events, team building, and public speaking are important life skills I continue to use throughout my life.”

Ragosta is an example of the difference 4-H can make in the life of young people throughout New York State, where more than 430,000 youth participate in 4-H programs. These youth will be helped through the NYS 4-H Foundation’s  “Give Change, Make Change for Youth” publicity and fundraising campaign, which kicked off in December and culminates this summer with a fund drive to support programs and raise awareness of the many faces of 4-H today. For over 100 years, 4-H has been serving families by supplementing the public education children receive with “hands-on” life-skills lessons. Today, the 4-H program is one of the largest youth development programs in the United States, with more than 6.5 million young people, ages 5-19, and 458,000 youth and adult volunteers.

New York State’s 4-H program also connects youth to the resources of Cornell University, helping young people get excited about school, learning and career options.  For more information or to make a contribution to 4-H, please contact the NYS 4-H Foundation at: 607-255-0786.

When Jessica Chittenden talks about the bounty of New York’s agriculture, it’s obvious she’s found her true calling and the perfect career.

As Public Information Officer for the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, Chittenden is the voice of Ag and Markets Commissioner Patrick Hooker and Gov. Eliot Spitzer on all things farm-related.

“My personal mission is to raise public awareness and understanding of agriculture,” she says from her Albany office. “I want to help people to understand what farmers do every day and why they’re so important.”

Chittenden, who grew up on a dairy farm in the Taconic Valley, said her experience in her local 4-H Club “opened her eyes” to the varied career opportunities in agriculture. And her stint as New York’s Dairy Princess solidified her decision to choose a career in agricultural communications.

As a member of a small 4-H club, Chittenden “held every position available,” learning the basics of parliamentary procedure, honing her public speaking ability and developing leadership skills to work with disparate groups of people. Along the way, she picked up important life skills like cooking, baking, gardening and woodworking.

“I love 4-H because it instills great values, along with a belief in yourself and confidence,” she said. “While I’m doing something, I often think back and say ‘I know how to do this because I did it first in 4-H’.”

Chittenden is just one of many people whose experience with 4-H shaped who they are today. In New York State, more than 430,000 youth participate in 4-H programs. These youth will be helped through the NYS 4-H Foundation’s  “Give Change, Make Change for Youth” publicity and fundraising campaign, which kicked off in December and culminates this summer with a fund drive to support programs and raise awareness of the many faces of 4-H today. For over 100 years, 4-H has been serving families by supplementing the public education children receive with “hands-on” life-skills lessons. Today, the 4-H program is one of the largest youth development programs in the United States, with more than 6.5 million young people, ages 5-19, and 458,000 youth and adult volunteers.

New York State’s 4-H program also connects youth to the resources of Cornell University, helping young people get excited about school, learning and career options.  For more information or to make a contribution to 4-H, please contact the NYS 4-H Foundation at: 607-255-0786.

Jeffrey Penoyer, Senatorial Intern

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jeffrey Penoyer is a true believer in the saying that “4-H takes you places.” For him, it’s been from a farm in Cortland County to the offices of Senator Hillary Clinton on Capitol Hill.

Penoyer, a 22-year-old senior at Ithaca College, is spending the summer of 2007 as an intern in the office of Senator Hillary Clinton.

4-H runs in the family for Penoyer, whose parents were both members and whose grandmother and uncle both held leadership positions in Cornell Cooperative Extension.

“Growing up in 4-H gave me the skills to go out and be motivated to do what I do every day,” Penoyer said.

Penoyer took advantage of numerous opportunities to learn, from participating in a club started by his mom, to competing in 4-H horse shows, being a member of the 4-H Teen Council in Cortland County, managing the food booth at the Cortland County youth fair, attending conferences and helping at state fair.

“Through managing the food booth, I gained so many skills,” he said. “Leadership, communication, organization. I had to work with multiple organizations and companies to bring in all the food. I watched where the money was going, made schedules and motivated the rest of the group. These are things a lot of kids don’t get the opportunity to do.”

And, although he admits he wasn’t a star performer at horse shows, Jeffrey says he is glad for the experience. “4-H gave me confidence to try new things. To this day, I’m not afraid of saying ‘Let’s just try this.’”

A 4-H conference in Washington, D.C. inspired him to apply for an internship, which has “opened [his] eyes to how hard people here work and to how difficult it is to get everyone to agree on legislation.”

With a major in health policy and minor in health services administration, Penoyer plans to get a master’s in health administration and ultimately work in a hospital setting.

But for the short-term, there are numerous opportunities in Washington that he’s considering – in policy, lobbying, or perhaps helping with a presidential campaign for a certain contender he knows well.

“I keep in touch with my leaders in Cortland County and thank them often,” he said. “I know I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Penoyer is just one of many people whose experience with 4-H shaped who they are today. In New York State, more than 430,000 youth participate in 4-H programs. These youth will be helped through the NYS 4-H Foundation’s  “Give Change, Make Change for Youth” publicity and fundraising campaign, which kicked off in December and culminates this summer with a fund drive to support programs and raise awareness as to the many faces of 4-H today. For over 100 years, 4-H has been serving families by supplementing the public education children receive with “hands-on” life-skills lessons. Today, the 4-H program is one of the largest youth development programs in the United States, with more than 6.5 million young people, ages 5-19, and 458,000 youth and adult volunteers.

New York State’s 4-H program also connects youth to the resources of Cornell University, helping young people get excited about school, learning and career options.  For more information or to make a contribution to 4-H, please contact the NYS 4-H Foundation at: 607-255-0786.

Alex Kopache, Scientist

Ithaca, N.Y. — Alexander Kopache is almost finished building a violin, he’s starting work on an off-road vehicle as part of a Cornell team and he soon begins a job designing special equipment for Cornell’s synchrotron, a high-intensity x-ray.

A diverse set of experiences like these is par for the course for Kopache, a Cornell sophomore. He grew up in 4-H, where his projects ranged from gardening to engine repair to animal science.

“It’s hard for me to separate my regular childhood memories from 4-H because they’re so connected,” said Kopache, whose mom started his 4-H club when he was in elementary school. “4-H has given me such a broad range of experiences.”

Those 4-H experiences included the violin and other woodworking projects, small engine repair, gardening, animal science with chickens and rabbits and leadership-building opportunities such as working with the Rensselaer County Fair and serving as a focus assistant for Career Explorations, which is held at Cornell.

When it came time to choose a college and career path, 4-H became even more important for Kopache. Unsure of his major, he attended Career Explorations events as a high school student and had the chance to experiment with plant science. He was hooked. As a freshman at Cornell, he found a way to combine his environmental interests with his love of machines and engineering, by majoring in biological and environmental engineering.

“4-H helped me see all of the possible things I could do as a career,” he said. “I was able to determine what I want to do with more accuracy because of all of the broad experiences I’d had.”

Kopache’s 4-H experiences also helped pump up his college application. “It was a great way to document all that I had learned,” he said. And, once he arrived on campus, he felt right at home. “It was a great first two weeks of school because I was the one telling all of the other freshmen how to get around,” he said.

Kopache is one of many youth whose experiences with 4-H changed their lives for the better. In New York State, more than 430,000 youth participate in 4-H programs. These youth will be helped through the NYS 4-H Foundation’s  “Give Change, Make Change for Youth” publicity and fundraising campaign, which supports programs and raises awareness of the many faces of 4-H today. For over 100 years, 4-H has been serving families by supplementing the public education children receive with “hands-on” life-skills lessons. Today, the 4-H program is one of the largest youth development programs in the United States, with more than 6.5 million young people, ages 5-19, and 458,000 youth and adult volunteers.

New York State’s 4-H program also connects youth to the resources of Cornell University, helping young people get excited about school, learning and career options.  For more information or to make a contribution to 4-H, please contact the NYS 4-H Foundation at: 607-255-0786.

.

4-H Choose Health

Over 1,700 youth are taking action to fight against childhood obesity – monitoring their own lifestyles and spreading the word to others.

This year, while participating in statewide 4-H events at the NYS Fair and the 4-H Career Explorations Conference, 4-H members took part in “Choose Health”, a 4-H educational campaign aimed at reducing childhood obesity in New York and educating children about healthy lifestyles.  As part of the 4-H Choose Health initiative, youth were given a pedometer to track their steps during their stay and to motivate them to reach 12,000 steps a day.  Any form of activity – running, jumping, dancing…or walking will count as steps toward an active lifestyle.  A daily tally was taken with the challenge given to see which county group walked the most.   The challenge not only inspired the kids to move more, but it helped them realize what it feels like when you have enough activity in your day.  Instead of complaints about the amount of walking involved in events kids and adults were seeking out additional opportunities to be active. 

The educational campaign also promoted other aspects of wellness – making good food choices, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water and reducing stress.  With the help of many talented teens and staff from across the state – the “Choose Health” event at state fair event blossomed.  Teens set up an interactive fitness and fun trail for the public, including Dance, Dance Revolution – an interactive computer games that encourages multiple players to move and have fun together, a scooter race station, and healthy snack center. 

Other teens developed used technology to educate others about healthy choices. Emma Long, a 4-H’er from Genessee County, led the effort by using a hand-held GPS unit to track vendors selling healthy foods,  then made and printed a map that was displayed in the 4-H Youth Building at the state fairgrounds.  

 “Choose Health” attracted VIPs as well.   While visiting the fair, the Governor of New York and Cornell University President David Skorton came to check out the Choose Health Fitness trail and healthy lifestyles display the 4-H’ers created. 

Information about the Choose Health educational campaign, including an interview of pedometer challenge winners can be found on: http://4hchoosehealth.blogspot.com/.

4-H STEM Camp

While the campers at Science, Engineering, Technology and Math (STEM) camp were using mirrors, index cards, tracing paper, confetti, transparencies, and other materials to construct kaleidoscopes and reflect on the engineering that worked in their construction, Tim Davis, 4-H youth development issue leader and youth services director at 4-H Camp Bristol Hills, explained that the children were honing their physical science skills and deepening their understanding of scientific inquiry. The kaleidoscopes had helped them to gain an understanding of reflectivity.

Nestled in Ontario County, 4-H Camp Bristol Hills provides children with a variety of overnight- and day-camp activities, from rocketry and sports to swimming and adventure programs. It has been serving campers for 77 years. This year, Davis said, the staff added an innovative program to its portfolio with STEM camp. Funded in part by a Finger Lakes WIRED program grant, STEM Camp targeted 51 middle school girls and minority youth throughout the Finger Lakes Region.

Using curricula developed by the Nanobiotechnology Center at Cornell University, an educational resource that serves the needs of the K-12 community and advances science literacy, 4-H educators at Camp Bristol Hills introduced a variety of hands-on activities to campers, including working with motors, building catapults and batteries, and navigating GPS receivers. The program also exposed participants to an outdoor living lab, field trips to the New York State Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Agricultural Experimental Station, guest speakers, and other special programs designed to foster discovery of and passion for science.  Activities involving science, technology, engineering and math stretched imaginations and minds.  Campers were even challenged to build a water-safe racing boat out of cardboard and duct tape that could hold two people.  One parent stated, “My daughter is looking into future careers that we believe she never thought of before”.

A priority outreach effort among Cornell University researchers, 4-H youth development specialists, and Cornell Cooperative Extension educators, science, engineering, and technology educational initiatives have been central to 4-H. “Many 4-H projects do involve lab work, or experimental work on a small scale,” said Stephen Hamilton, associate provost for outreach at Cornell University. “I think all of those things are strengths that 4-H has and things that set us apart from other youth serving organizations.”

More information about STEM Camp and the 4-H Camping program can be found at: http://www.4hcampsny.org/

Jaime Churchill

“I always felt like I was one step ahead in biology class”, commented Jaime Churchill, “I learned so much while studying for science skill-a-thon competitions and while breeding and raising my flock”.  Jaime is a 4-H alumnus from Ulster County, and a sophomore at Cornell University.  She has been raising and competing in events related to poultry for the last ten years.

“It all started because I was looking for my own thing - something that I could do that was different than my sister’s hobbies.”  That drive for a unique path within her family led Jaime to the poultry project, then to others with similar interests from her county, the state and the country.  “The more people that I met, the more that I was inspired to I experiment with my own flock.  While I started out by raising egg-laying birds, my interests evolved so that now I specialized in the Mille Fleur bantam breed.” 

“Jaime’s 4-H track record reads is a model 4-H success story”, reflects Mary Ann Whipple, 4-H Poultry Superintendent at the New York State Fair.  “She has worked very hard, building relationships across the country and building upon her successes.  Jaime competed at the national level three years in a row, one of our first national competitors from NYS”.  Churchill is a pioneer in the NYS 4-H poultry science project, re-fueling the interest and the resources behind the project, and linking Cornell faculty and staff with a whole new generation of kids who are fascinated by poultry raising, eggs, the production of poultry and  the science-based educational programs that exist nationally for interested 4-H Youth.

Jaime cites that it was the adults and especially the older youth that motivated her to do her best and to give back.  “Whenever something seemed too hard, it seems there was someone to take me aside and patiently help me learn.  This kind of mentoring made learning very fun.   I’ve learned a lot about working with others through 4-H events. Competitions are about a lot of things, not the obvious…not the medal”.

Christopher Daniels

The work of Christopher Daniels, a 4-H member from Nassau County, could lead to more widespread use of a new pesticide alternative. No, Daniels isn’t a graduate assistant at a prestigious research university – he’s an 11th-grader involved in the 4-H Science Research Program at his high school.

Daniels is working with partner Victor Flores to conduct cutting-edge research into pesticide alternatives called elicitors. The team is also presenting their research findings (and winning awards) across the country. “When I joined the program, I never thought about all of the experiences I would have,” Daniels said. “Now I’m interested in going into the field of medical research. I’m definitely interested in the chemicals in plants and how they can affect the human body.”

Daniels is a part of the Science Research Program at Uniondale High School, a program affiliated with 4-H and FFA. Participants pick a research topic, then develop and conduct an experiment. Daniels and Flores were interested in studying pesticide use in farming – both the dangers and decreasing effectiveness. As they explored the topic, they came across articles about elicitors and were intrigued.  In their research project, Daniels states, “we were able to show that elicitors can improve crop production, while also save money because farmers can use smaller quantities of elicitors than pesticides”.

“In regular science classes, you might learn the scientific terms, but you don’t learn how to explain what you know to other people,” Daniels said of the Science Research Program. “I’ve learned how to feel comfortable, whether I’m presenting in front of one or two people, or 200 people.”, or a college dean. 

While at the NYS Fair they presented to Dean Susan Henry, the Dean of the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Dr. Helene Dillard, Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Dillard Laboratory of Plant Pathology at the Geneva Experimental Station.  As a result of some of their successes, last summer the team was invited to spend three weeks at Cornell Summer College to further connect with staff and faculty with their interests.

“This wasn’t always easy for me,” Daniels said. “At first I couldn’t believe all of the work. But it’s been incredible.”

For Erik Gustafson’s 12th birthday, he hosted his friends at a family member’s barn, where they played the usual birthday games, then did something a little more unusual – they watched Gustafson’s guest appearance on the Discovery Channel’s “Mythbusters” program.

The Homer Central School sixth-grader won the Discovery Channel’s 2007 Young Scientist Challenge in October of last year, beating out 39 other finalists, who were selected from more than 75,000 entries nationwide. Gustafson received a $20,000 scholarship and a trophy, as well as the chance to appear on “Mythbusters,” a Discovery Channel series featuring experiments that are conducted to prove or disprove myths.

Gustafson said 4-H public presentations had a lot to do with his success. “Ever since I was five, I’ve been doing public presentations in 4-H,” he said. “That experience made talking to the judges and being on stage a lot more comfortable for me.”

“The judge said I won mostly because I was able to explain my project so well,” Gustafson said. “You can have the most simple science project, but if you have a lot of background information, know your project backwards and forwards and can explain it well, it makes a difference.”

Gustafson examined the effects of acid rain on a local stream, taking measurements for 12 weeks to determine how the volume of the stream affected its ph level. He found that higher volumes of water caused higher acidity levels in the stream.

“I picked this project because the stream is right behind my house and I really like playing there,” he said. “I was wondering if my stream was in danger of being affected by acid rain.”

Gustafson’s 4-H club is led by his grandmother, Betty Banner, and his mom, Paula Gustafson, who are all past 4-H members. Club projects have included foods and nutrition, sewing, woodworking and gardening, as well as public presentations. Erik and his three siblings have entered many items into the Cortland County Fair, and Erik’s science board on the acid rain project was selected for state fair last year, Paula Gustafson said. Erik’s older brother, Aaron, was a semifinalist in the Discovery Channel contest in 2004 and 2006. For Gustafson, his experience with 4-H made this once-in-a-lifetime award possible.