Plant Disease & Climate Change: A Classroom Exercise Emphasizing Scientific Collaboration

The proposed lesson, a model active-learning activity designed to give college students experience in synthesizing information and developing a solution, can be used to address socioscientific issues across fields. As a consequence of climate change, global temperatures are anticipated to rise. This rise in temperature is expected to have a negative impact on agricultural systems due in part to increased disease incidence and decrease in crop yields. This activity is written in the context of plant pathology and agricultural systems to emphasize the importance of collaboration and communication among scientists or experts in different fields to address global agricultural issues. Students will gain an understanding of the importance of agriculture on a global scale and work together to develop a solution through the development of an agricultural policy.