I. Title: I believe that the future of Plant Science starts with positive influences in the class room and hands on experience to develop leadership skills
II. Keywords: Future, leadership skills, educators, plant science, hands on experience, classroom, influcencr
III. Neil deGrasse Tyson once said, “Science literacy is the artery through which the solutions of tomorrow's problems flow.” It is an honor to give a presentation to the Second European Plant Science Conference. I would not be here today if I did not have a strong support system through out my educational career. In 2016, there were 19000 individuals who have a plant science career in the United States of America (1. bls.gov). These individuals must had an influence to get involved whether it’s from having a family as inspiration or having an interest that begins in the classroom. To continue to this legacy, we must continue the future generations of those enrolled in all types of plant science programs. Teachers must be continued to be educated as science moves forward with the times. I was lucky as an individual in my state when I was in high school. I was enrolled in my high school’s Agricultural Education program where I was involved with classroom instruction, had hands on experience outside of high school, and developing leadership skills by being apart of the National FFA organization (2. ffa.org). The National FFA organization makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through Agricultural Education (3. ffa.org). Not only am I supporter and a friend of Agricultural Education, but I am a product out of the curriculum that allows me to teach others about plants and give inspiration.  Japan has their own program called Future Farmers of Japan where it mirror’s America’s Agricultural Education/FFA programs. Nations  need stronger education programs for plant science and opportunities to have students to develop leadership skills. Another way to develop a strong future for plant science is training employees in all fields and keeping them inspired.  When workers are inspired and keeping up on education, more likely they will stay in the industry. I see this first hand working in the garden center, younger individuals who join our team are willing to learn something new whereas those who’ve been in the industry for years may get bored without the up to date trainings. Are we giving enough challenges to keep people employed in our industry? Are education programs offering its full potential? Are we being positive influences? These are questions that we must ask ourselves as we think about the future. We need to pave the way for those who are just starting to follow in our footsteps.
IV. Image: 

   
 

V. Reference:

Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.org)
National FFA Organization (ffa.org)
National FFA Organization (ffa.org)

VI. Biography:
Brianne Schoener attained a degree in horticulture and currently works at a garden center where she manages the nursery floor, has solutions to business operations and customer relations, and takes ahold of leadership opportunities by training new employees. Mrs. Schoener also has a business in horticultural communications where she promotes Gardening for Lifestyle, where it’s about honoring gardeners lifestyle and experience while teaching new methods; and supporting people in the Garden Center Industry. 



VII. Presenting author details
Full Name: Brianne M Schoener
Contact email: thebotanyscholar@yahoo.com
Twitter account: @botanyscholar 
Linked In account: http://linkedin.com/in/brianne-scholl-1a8157149
Session name/ number: to be determined 
Category: Oral presentation
Passport Number: N/A