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Provisional Dates

• Online - Spring 2026

Hackathons have quickly gained acclaim for promoting and accelerating innovation well beyond their origins in the information technology community (Falk Olesen and Halskov, 2020). During a typical hackathon, enthusiastic problem solvers gather, form working teams, and develop innovative solutions for the given challenge, concluding the event with solutions presented and evaluated based on workability, feasibility, and usability (Brenner, 2011). They are fun and informal, an excellent learning platform that attracts a diverse spectrum of students, especially those interested in branching out from traditional classroom settings and with a hunger for experiential, project-based learning (Nandi and Mandernach, 2016). Hackathons are known to expand student participation in STEM and FANH sciences by advancing educational opportunities, particularly for underrepresented groups (Parker and Wagner, 2016), while developing competencies with transdisciplinary collaboration.

Over the course of two days, student problem solvers from multiple institutions form working teams and develop innovative solutions for an issue central to sustainable agriculture.

Spring 2026 on-site at:

• Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
• South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
• Third location to be announced

The semester-long design challenge is a local, in person opportunity for students to identify and propose solutions to a local problem related to the grand challenges annual theme. This is delivered as a seminar with students from multiple majors participating. A pedagogy built upon design thinking encourages creativity, critical thinking and collaboration on solution design in an iterative process with great potential to transform higher education (Björklund et al., 2019). A key concept in design theory is understanding the inter-relationships and complexities of what are termed “wicked problems;” i.e., so inter-related are these that a singular solution may lead to further problems unless they are tackled at a systemic, structural level. Design theory is firmly grounded in developing solutions by working closely with the community. As such, the design challenge provides participants with a lesson in participatory democracy.

Student problem solvers from a single institution spend an in-person semester (equivalent to a three-credit course) to develop innovative solutions to a local challenge central to sustainable agriculture.

May 2026 Locations:

• South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
• Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

This in person experience immerses students into a deeper exploration of the annual theme within a given community. The Field Course provides student participants with experiential learning opportunities through the application of the widely used “place as text” model to explore the annual theme. Thus, students experience real-world constraints, opportunities, and realities of the topic from the blended scientific expertise of the field course coordinators and the lived expertise of local communities. The curriculum is packed with local community visits, team building, problem solving and culminating projects.

Each student participant will receive a flight subsidy of up to $500. room and board will be provided. Student participants will be housed on-campus and provided with a campus meal plan.

Students will experience real-world constraints, opportunities, and realities of sustainable agriculture from the expertise of field course coordinators and the lived expertise of local communities. The curriculum will be packed with local community visits, team building, problem solving and culminating projects.

Provisional Date

• June 2026

The annual program ends in a culminating conference for students to reflect and to provide a forum for cooperative learning among students from their Signature Experiences. Student participants create an asynchronous artifact that becomes available to peers, experts, and the Assessment Committee. Students form panels for interactive Q&A sessions with their peers, faculty and guest experts to detail the extent of their learning with one another in real time.

Participants gather in an online format to showcase their portfolios and program outcomes.