Cultivating Interdisciplinary Futures: Integrating Robotics in Agricultural STEM Education

Contemporary STEM education is undergoing a transformative shift, aiming to surpass conventional subject boundaries by integrating scientific principles traditionally confined within distinct disciplines. This paradigm shift seeks to cultivate a comprehensive understanding of science, providing students with a diverse skill set and fostering an appreciation for the interconnectivity of various scientific domains. The study centers around a university-level project conducted in the Chair (Department) of Biosystems Engineering, where an autonomous agricultural robot, named Farmbeast, is currently under development and an international event Field Robot Event was held in 2023. This study used a questionnaire-based approach to investigate the importance of STEM implementation in the field of study, where students, experts in agricultural robotics and educators (n=45) were surveyed. By studying this specific case, we explore how the fusion of technology and agriculture in STEM education not only equips students with practical skills, but also fosters an awareness of the symbiotic relationship between different scientific fields. Key findings from the questionnaire revealed the importance of continued dialogue about the effectiveness of interdisciplinary approaches in shaping the future of STEM education at the university level of agricultural sciences.