NASA teams showcase satellite technology careers at National 4 H Conference
NASA Harvest recently took part in the National 4‑H Conference Youth Career Fair held in Washington, D.C., where students from across the United States gathered to explore leadership, service, and career opportunities. The event marked NASA’s second year at the conference and the first time NASA Harvest participated.
Many students were surprised to learn that NASA plays an important role in agriculture. Team members explained how satellite technology helps monitor crop conditions, track drought, and improve yield forecasting.
Students showed strong interest in learning that NASA satellite data is freely available and widely used by researchers, farmers, decision‑makers, and organizations across food and agriculture systems.
The career fair also offered students hands‑on learning activities. NASA demonstrated how remote sensing works by showing how plants reflect light across different wavelengths.
This activity helped students understand how scientists use both handheld sensors and Earth‑orbiting satellites to study crop health during droughts, natural disasters, and throughout the growing season.
“Students at 4-H are already thinking about agriculture, service, and their communities,” said Cordelia Hiers Brady, Agriculture Program Coordinator at NASA’s Earth Science Division. “Being here gives us a chance to show that NASA Earth Science is connected to those interests and that there are many ways to contribute to this work.”
Students also asked questions about jobs at NASA. While many were curious about science and engineering roles, they also learned about careers in communications, outreach, and project management.
These roles help ensure that scientific information reaches farmers and communities who benefit from it.
NASA continues its agriculture outreach through programs such as NASA Harvest and NASA Acres, along with activities like the Space4Ag tour. By working with farmers, extension agents, students, and agricultural groups, NASA aims to make Earth observation data more useful beyond research settings.
Participating in the career fair helped introduce students to NASA’s agricultural work and showed how science and agriculture are closely connected.
Photo Credit: NASA-harvest