Hunt down Yakima’s bugs today to prepare for tomorrow’s jobs

By Cristina M. Chacon Last updated Jul 22, 2021

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We have heard a lot about STEM education over the past few years. We recently shared with you about Central Washington University‘s expanded study program that allows students to earn a Masters degree in STEM education. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics or as I used to call them “my weakest top 5!)”

Why STEM?

yeti, an online website that teaches STEM classes, names five reasons STEM is â€œuniquely suited to preparing students for successâ€.

Five reasons to focus on STEM education in 2021.

1. MINT jobs are the future of our economy

2. STEM teaches critical thinking and innovation

3. STEM courses offer unique opportunities for teamwork

4. A STEM curriculum helps students develop project management skills

5. Recent events have only made technological capabilities even more important

This summer, all of these STEM-related benefits will be implemented as more than 30 Yakima Valley College (YVC) STEM students work on community-based research projects – developing practical, practical skills while studying topics of local interest to communities and industries. (That’s better than an internship where you just pick up the phone and bring coffee to the boss!)

Nature of work

It’s one thing to train in the lab, but nothing like hands-on experience to really get to know a subject and find out if you really want to work in that particular discipline.

2021 projects include:

To study the mass trapping of earwigs in stone fruit plantations, where they are considered pests, and the release of earwigs in apple and pear orchards, where they are useful enemies of other pests.
Analyzing the persistence of pesticides during the winemaking process and effective, accurate methods of measuring pesticides.
Detection of neuropeptides in codling moths (which often damage apple orchards and other fruit trees) as a first step in identifying possible targets for non-toxic insecticides.

Well that’s a varied menu … bad bugs, I mean good bugs, bug killer chemicals and non-toxic bug killer … (sounds like a bad summer to be a bug, but a great summer to be being a YVC STEM student!)