UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication

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UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication Connecting people with agriculture and natural resources. We also encourage our community to foster respectful and vibrant online connections.

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10/23/2026

Turns out explaining your research in under 10 seconds is it’s own kind of project, but our master’s students were up for the challenge!

10/21/2026

She was born a gator. Now she’s helping the next generation find their path 🐊

Meet Dr. Becky Raulerson, Instructional Associate Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator in AEC 🧡💙

Her path:
🏈 Her dad was a UF grad from the College of Agriculture and took her to her first game in seventh grade
🎓recieved her bachelors and master’s from UF
💼 industry detour: animal health sales, high school teacher, and her own video production company
📚 back to UF as an adjunct professor, earned her PhD in ANR communications and became full time faculty

She teaches:
🔹Issues in Agricultural and Life Sciences, where students critically examine current topics in agriculture
🔹Instructional and Event Planning, where students build real plans for real clients, then pitch them

Her research focuses on high impact experiences undergrad students participate in, such as internships, research, study abroad experiences and whether work experiences should count

Her biggest message to students: “I want students to learn skills they can turn around and use in their internships and workplaces.” For her that means giving students a classroom experience that feels like an experience beyond the classroom

To learn more about Dr. Raulerson’s work and other faculty in AEC, click the link in bio 👉

What if the barrier to conservation isn’t a lack of science but a lack of understanding about people?Adeyinka Ayodele ha...
10/19/2026

What if the barrier to conservation isn’t a lack of science but a lack of understanding about people?

Adeyinka Ayodele has spent much of his master’s studying that question in response to how Florida residents interpret common lawn irrigation myths and uses those insights to better create evidence-based videos.

By analyzing how audiences engage with messaging on social media, the research will ultimately help professionals communication water conservation more effectively.

“Addressing environmental challenges requires more than scientific knowledge; it requires understanding people” said Ayodele.

Congratulations to Ayodele for successfully defending his master’s research, we’re so proud of the work you have done!

10/14/2026

She earned a masters in environmental science just for fun. Now communicating about it is her entire career.
Meet Dr. Sadie Hundemer, Assistant Professor in AEC’s ag and natural resources communication specialization.

Her path:
10 years of communication experience from industry, to government, and higher education, she took on a master’s in environmental science just for fun, and earned a PhD in Forest Resource and Conservation from UF 🐊🎓
Hundemer teaches courses in journalistic writing, partisanship communication strategies and communication theory and her current research scope involves exploring cover crops as cash commodities.

“Agriculture and natural resources can be controversial topics. Through communication, we can find collaboration and compromise to move our fields forward” says Hundemer.

Learn more about Dr. Hundemer’s work at the link in our bio!

POV: your class project has a real client, a real budget, and a real deadline 🎯Students in the AEC 3209: Instructional a...
10/13/2026

POV: your class project has a real client, a real budget, and a real deadline 🎯

Students in the AEC 3209: Instructional and Event Planning in Ag and Life Sciences course presented their event proposals to their client UF/ IFAS Highlands County Extension for their 4-H Volunteer appreciation and recognition dinner!

Small details. Big impact.
Each group worked through budgets and vendors line by line, planned timelines and logistics down to the minute, and kept client’s needs and guest experience a top priority.

Want in on the action?
🐊 Spring 2027 Registration opens October 26th! Secure your spot in planning the next big event!

10/07/2026

🤖 She grew up on a dairy farm settled by her family in 1862. Now she’s leading the AI charge in her classroom.
Meet Dr. Heather Young, Instructional Assistant Professor in ANR communication.

Her path:
🐄 Dairy Management degree + a decade in the dairy industry
🚗 Started her master’s while working full-time (her office was literally her car)
💡 Learned about PhD assistantships at her own master’s defense
🎓 Moved her family from the Canadian border to Florida and finished her PhD in 2023

Today, she teaches:
🔷 Effective Oral Communication
🔷 Research and Business Writing

She also researches how AI can improve the way students learn, integrating it into her courses and helping students expand their communication and writing skills. That work earned her the CALS AI Teaching Integration Award and a spot as a UF AI Faculty Fellow in 2025.

Her message to students:
“If you don’t know anything about agriculture, you will by the time you finish my classes. It’s even better when you don’t, because it’s a great learning opportunity.”
From a dairy farm to the frontier of AI in education.
👉 Learn more: link in bio!

AI is shaping how people learn and how students build skills. We’ve been building our courses with that in mind. 🧠Our st...
10/05/2026

AI is shaping how people learn and how students build skills. We’ve been building our courses with that in mind. 🧠

Our students don’t just learn about AI,they learn how to use it, evaluate it and think critically about its outputs. Check out these courses we have offered in the spring!

📝AEC3033C Research and Business Writing in Agricultural and Life Sciences: Evaluate effective writing in educational and professional areas and understand the use of Generative AI in professional writing
🌍 AEC3073 Intercultural Communication: Learn how to communicate across cultures while building real AI skills, from writing effective prompts to fact-checking and critically evaluating what AI produces.
🎬 AEC4036/5037 Advanced Agricultural and Natural Resources Communication Production: Explore different AI strategies for media production including scripting, content production and media editing.

Better writing. Stronger communication. Smarter use of AI. 🚀

📅Mark your calendar: course registration for the spring semester begins October 26. Tap the link in our bio to learn more about these courses and find your fit. 👉

10/02/2026

Game day is coming, and so is your chance to shine 🏈
Dr. Raulerson is sharing simple yet powerful ways to stand out and become ✨unforgettable✨ in the professional world.
Put these tips into action at the upcoming CALS Career Expo 🚀
🐊study the playbook
🤝build your team of resources
📣make your first impression a touchdown

Your team needs to see this. Tag a teammate and save it for later 🏆

09/30/2026

🌎 He grew up seeing his own community misrepresented in research. Now he’s rewriting the narrative!
Meet Dr. Pablo Lamino, Assistant Professor in AEC, whose career has spanned three countries before landing at UF. 🐊
His path:
🇪🇨 Born & raised in Quito, Ecuador
🇭🇳 Moved to Honduras at 18 to attend Zamorano University
🎓 M.S. + PhD from Texas Tech in Ag Education & Communication
📍 Joined AEC in August 2023
He teaches:
🔷 Intercultural Communication, which uses Florida’s diversity as a living case study
🔷 Communication & Competencies for Global Leadership, where grad students research alongside him for conferences & dissertations
His research is personal. Growing up, he saw his own community left out of ag and leadership literature — so his work now gives voice to underrepresented groups, focusing on migration, opportunity & indigenous leadership across Latin America.
From Ecuador to Honduras to Texas to Florida — his path is the best argument for why his research matters. 🌟
👉 Learn more — link in bio!

Some of the best moments in the 10th annual agriscience teacher education symposium this year weren’t exploring the new ...
09/28/2026

Some of the best moments in the 10th annual agriscience teacher education symposium this year weren’t exploring the new places— they were the reunions. Walking into classrooms run by teachers who once sat in ours, and seeing what they have built, reminded us that ag teacher education is really about the relationships that outlast the degree 🌱

Thank you to the programs that opened their spaces to us and welcomed us back!

Address

University Of Florida, 305 Rolfs Hall
Gainesville, FL
32611

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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+13523920502

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