AgDiscovery at Iowa State University

Iowa State's AgDiscovery program provides an opportunity for teenagers aged 15 to 17 to learn about careers in Veterinary Medicine, Animal Science, Laboratory Technology, and Wildlife Ecology. Students live on the Iowa State University campus and learn from university professors, scientists who work for the U.S. government, local agricultural producers, and animal welfare and management organizations.

Students who participate gain experience through hands-on labs, workshops, and field trips. Team-building activities and diversity workshops build important life skills in participants.

Iowa State University’s AgDiscovery Program is centered on the interactions among wildlife biology and conservation, laboratory technology and diagnostics, animal science, and veterinary medicine. Our program provides participants with hands-on experiences on farms, in wild places, and in the laboratory! Activities will include visiting a farm or food processing plant; laboratory exercises such as bacterial culture and diagnostic testing; and field trips to conservation areas, zoological facilities, an animal shelter, and research facilities. You may get dirty!

AgDiscovery is made possible by a collaborative agreement between USDA, Animal and Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS), and Iowa State University.

USDA will be funding ISU’s AgDiscovery through multiple programs of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). 

Iowa State University is an international university with a welcoming personality.

More than 35,000 students choose from 100 majors and are involved in more than 850 student organizations! The University offers bachelor, master, and doctoral programs in many fields, including the agricultural sciences. The student body is diverse, with students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Iowa State University, founded in 1858, is a land-grant institution, with a focus on the idea that higher education should be accessible to all people. The ISU Veterinary Medical School was founded in 1879. The University is a recognized leader in the fields of engineering, agriculture, human sciences, and veterinary medicine.

AgDiscovery participants at ISU stay in a dorm room on campus. Each “room” consists of two bedrooms with a shared bathroom between them. Meals will be provided to all participants.