Educators and Students to Share Their Learning Related to Modern Agriculture, Food Security, and Climate Change

[Atlanta, GA, April 4, 2024] - Student groups from the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations (NASEF) have been selected to share their experience with the innovative program, NASEF Farmcraft®, at the prestigious National STEM Festival. The festival takes place April 11-13, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

The NASEF teams have demonstrated exceptional creativity, teamwork, and ingenuity in their approach to sustainable agriculture through Farmcraft®. Each team will have the opportunity to showcase their experience at the Festival, where they will engage with fellow participants, educators, industry professionals, and the public through poster board presentations and (of course) Farmcraft® gameplay. 

Claire LaBeaux, Chief Advancement Officer at NASEF, expressed her enthusiasm for the teams' achievements, stating, "We are incredibly proud of our teams for qualifying to showcase NASEF Farmcraft® at the National STEM Festival. This is a testament to their passion for sustainability and their commitment to making a positive impact in their communities. The Festival provides an invaluable platform to demonstrate how NASEF’s STEM-based education program leverages youth interest in esports and gaming (specifically Minecraft Education) to understand and address challenges around food security.”

The National STEM Festival is a premier event that celebrates creativity, innovation, and excellence in STEM education. Attendees will have the opportunity to witness pioneering solutions that address some of today's most significant challenges, organized across six thematic areas: Environmental Stewardship, Future Foods, Health & Medicine, Powering the Planet, Tech for Good, and Space Innovation. 

Team MINDKraft includes Micah Clark, Ivy McCammon, Natalie McCammon, Dinah Born, and Kaylin Martin from Hannibal High School, Hannibal, MO: “We are thrilled to represent Hannibal and NASEF at the National STEM Festival,” said students Ivy and Kaylin. “We are excited to show how technology and agriculture are combined, while doing it in a game that everyone is into. We’re also excited to meet other people at the Festival and to experience Washington DC and its history.” In addition to being selected for the Festival, the students helped host an informational livestream earlier this year.

Xavier Flores, Educational Technologist, will represent his classes from Vogelweh Elementary, DoDEA Europe East in Germany: “Farmcraft® established a direct link to a 5th-grade curriculum focused on early U.S. settlers and farmers. In this educational program, students were fully immersed in a virtual environment. They faced decisions similar to those made by early settlers, specifically regarding which crops to cultivate based on the natural environment they chose to grow their crops in. The students are excited to learn in this way, and the experiential nature of Farmcraft® makes the lessons more real to them,” he said.

Farmcraft® 2024 is focused on the impact of digital technology on agricultural productivity. Participants apply different digital technologies within traditional rural open fields, suburban greenhouses, and urban vertical farms to increase yields and promote food security.

Farmcraft® is administered by NASEF and the U.S. Department of State, with collaborative support from the American Spaces. Over four seasons, they have engaged more than 24,500 cumulative participants from 80 different countries. 

This year, NASEF also piloted a regional adaptation, Georgia Farmcraft, in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting. Special challenges were designed to help students learn about their local agriculture and economy. Based on the success of the program, NASEF intends to offer additional regional challenges. To discuss, contact Claire LaBeaux ([email protected]).

For more information about NASEF and Farmcraft, visit NASEF.org/Farmcraft. 

About NASEF

NASEF is on a mission to provide opportunities for all students to use esports as a platform to acquire STEM/STEAM-based skills and critical communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in work and in life. NASEF operates under the umbrella of the World Wide Scholastic Esports Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The International Esports Federation has entrusted NASEF with training and supporting its 130+ member federations as they undertake development of scholastic esports programs. Find NASEF at NASEF.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Media Contact: Claire LaBeaux, [email protected]