Tour Track A
Closed-toe shoes are recommended for safety during hands-on activities. Participants should be prepared for light movement and active engagement.
Stop 1 - ISU Campus Greenhouses
Stop 1 - ISU Campus Greenhouses
ISU has an amazing collection of greenhouses right in the middle of central campus. Learn about the research and teaching that occurs in the greenhouses and how the ISU Horticulture Department connects with counties through programs.
Stop 2 - Mission Moon: Hands-On STEM Experience
Stop 2 - Mission Moon: Hands-On STEM Experience
Mission Moon offers an interactive, NASA-inspired STEM experience where participants engage in hands-on activities that simulate real-world space exploration challenges. Attendees will explore engineering design through drone flight, rover operations, and habitat prototyping while learning about lunar science and mission planning. The tour highlights how these activities build problem-solving, teamwork, and innovation skills aligned with future aerospace careers. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how STEM connects to NASA’s Artemis missions and emerging space technologies.
Stop 3 - Navigating Disaster Recovery Together
Stop 3 - Navigating Disaster Recovery Together
When disaster strikes, ISU Extension and Outreach works with local partners connecting people, information, and resources. A guided scenario exercise will show how to navigate evolving information and identify Extension's role in supporting community recovery. Explore the challenges of coordination, communication, and of building shared understanding across agencies and community groups. The session is designed to deepen understanding of recovery realities while strengthening collaboration and community resilience.
Tour Track B
Closed-toe shoes and long pants are required for safety. Hard hats and eyewear will be provided.
Stop 1 - High Voltage Horticulture: Co-existence of solar and horticultural crop production
Stop 1 - High Voltage Horticulture: Co-existence of solar and horticultural crop production
Participants will tour the Alliant Energy Solar Farm at Iowa State University and learn how vegetable and fruit crops can be successfully produced within a solar farm. The tour will highlight ongoing research on crop performance, management practices, and the opportunities agrivoltaics creates for combining renewable energy generation with agricultural production. Participants will also learn about honey production in an agrivoltaics setting, including how pollinator-friendly plantings and beekeeping can contribute to both ecosystem health and farm diversification.
Stop 2 - Taste of Cyclone Kitchen
Stop 2 - Taste of Cyclone Kitchen
In late 2025, Health and Human Sciences Extension and Outreach launched an exciting new food and health opportunity for Iowans, Cyclone Kitchen! This fresh, fun program is all about cooking, learning interesting food facts, and connecting with others. You’ll get a taste of what the program is all about! We’ll explore the key ideas behind Cyclone Kitchen and dive into some hands-on activities that are sure to spark your curiosity (and your appetite).
Stop 3 - AI in Action with Iowa 4-H
Stop 3 - AI in Action with Iowa 4-H
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how we live, work, and learn, and Iowa 4-H is helping youth and educators prepare for the future. During this interactive session, participants will explore hands-on AI activities currently being used across Iowa, learn about Iowa 4-H's nationally recognized AI initiatives, and discover how youth are applying AI to solve real-world challenges in agriculture, health, and beyond. Attendees will experience several AI learning activities firsthand and leave with a better understanding of both the opportunities and challenges of emerging technologies.
Tour Track C
Closed toe shoes are required for this tour. Long pants are preferred.
Stop 1: The Epicenter of AgTech: Iowa's Precision Ag Impact
Stop 1: The Epicenter of AgTech: Iowa's Precision Ag Impact
While precision agriculture feels like a modern frontier of innovation, filled with buzz around advanced sensors, AI integration, and spray drones, its roots trace back to groundbreaking breakthroughs in 1992 and the early 2000s. Since those first milestones, the industry has seen exponential growth. Today, Iowa State University's Digital Ag Innovation Lab is pushing the needle forward every day. Discover how we are redefining what is possible in precision agriculture and generating vital impacts at the state, national, and international levels.
Stop 2: Makerspaces in the Student Innovation Center
Stop 2: Makerspaces in the Student Innovation Center
Explore the Student Innovation Center, one of the newest buildings on the ISU campus. The tour will focus on makerspaces, which are collaborative spaces free and open to all ISU students, faculty, and staff, providing tools and technology to prototype and fabricate projects. Hands-on activities will demonstrate how makerspaces have been used in Extension and Outreach programming, specifically with Iowa 4-H members on campus.
Stop 3 - Growing Rural Iowa Through Food Innovation
Stop 3 - Growing Rural Iowa Through Food Innovation
Come learn more about Extension's efforts to help rural Iowa using food. The Food Innovation and Business Hub is a new initiative to serve entrepreneurs through business coaching, lab analysis and food safety support. This session will include a tour of the lab space and production spaces for ISU wine and beer - and maybe even some samples.
ISU Football Game & Tailgate
New this year! County extension council members and their guests are inviting to stay another day and attend the ISU vs. Bowling Green football game on Saturday, September 19 at 11:00 a.m. Dr. Henderson will host a breakfast tailgate prior to the game. Football tickets will be available for purchase in conjunction with Extension Council Day on Campus registration.