Student engagement is the core of the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm. We support academic experiences for students and faculty across all colleges in both individualized and course-based projects. 

For-Credit Internships

Students seeking for-credit internships are welcome to work with the Student Farm. These internships can fulfill requirements for minors such as the Sustainability Leadership Minor, Civic and Community Engagement Minor, Food Systems Minor, and other related programs.

Students can work on the farm as part of the production team to learn the ins and outs of production, harvest and marketing, or they can develop a project with the farm tailored to each person’s interests and area of study. The sky is the limit!

If you are interested in learning more about for-credit internships, contact Leslie Pillen at lrp143@psu.edu.

Capstone Projects

Students are invited to work with our team to develop projects to meet 295, 296, 495 and 496 independent study, immersive experience requirements, research or thesis credits. Browse past student projects below and contact Leslie Pillen at lrp143@psu.edu for more information.

Through these credit-based experiences, students can gain hands-on experience on the farm and/or develop an independent project.

Students may also be able to apply for funding through Penn State undergraduate grant opportunities, including the Erikson Discovery Grant, the Student Engagement Network Grant and other college-based grant programs.

Are you interested primarily in gaining hands-on experience on the farm/in the greenhouse, or in some other type of engagement (such as a research project, events planning, special project etc.)? We ask students who are interested in completing internships with the Student Farm to submit application materials so we can better get to know you, and to help answer some of these questions. Please send in the following:

1. 1. Cover Letter that explains your interest in working with the Student Farm, what specific experiences you hope to engage in, and how it relates to your educational and/or professional goals 
   2. Resume that includes your relevant coursework 
   3. Screenshot of your course schedule for the intended semester

These don’t need to be super polished, it’s not a formal interview process or anything. This just helps us understand where you could fit in best in the overall program. You can send these materials to Leslie Pillen at lrp@143@psu.edu. We’ll also want to meet to confirm the plan for what your immersive experience will include. 

Food Systems Minor

The College of Agricultural Sciences and the College of Health and Human Development offer a Food Systems minor for students interested in agricultural productivity and sustainability, increasing access to affordable, healthy food and food product innovation. The minor gives students the knowledge and hands-on skills they need to become leaders in the food system. 

There is a related internship requirement for the Food Systems minor, which could be met by applying for one of our Student Farm internships.

Learn more about the goals of the Food Systems minor here or the program requirements here.

Class Tours & In-Class Presentations

Instructors looking to bring your class to the farm are encouraged to fill out this short form, and a Student Farm representative will respond via email to finalize plans. Please use the form to specify any topics or demonstrations you want covered during your visit. For instructors asking students to independently volunteer on the farm, please share our volunteer calendar with your class.

For courses asking students to visit the farm to observe or reflect on the space in some way, no notice is needed; we just ask that students visit between dawn and dusk.

To invite a program representative into your class to speak about the program or about food systems sustainability topics, please email Leslie Pillen at lrp143@psu.edu.

Faculty-Led Course Projects

Each semester, we collaborate with courses on projects that support the specific learning objectives of that course, and that also help us achieve our mission. Students gain real-world experience as they work with the Ross Student Farm as their client throughout their project.

Courses from colleges and majors from across the university are invited to participate — not just Ag majors! In the past, we have worked with classes from the College of Communications, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Arts and Architecture, and more.

If you are interested in collaborating with the farm’s physical space or conceptually and programmatically, please email Darin Ripp at dfr5440@psu.edu. Learn about past projects below.