NORTH CAROLINA A&T – STEPS4GROWTH- After dedicating nearly a year and a half to her MS thesis, Kajol Mehetre earned national recognition by receiving the National Level Best Paper Award in New Pedagogy. Her groundbreaking work seamlessly blended virtual reality (VR) with agriculture education, opening new doors for how we teach, learn, and innovate in the agricultural space.
Kajol’s project didn’t stop at just using immersive technology—it also incorporated the advanced concept of digital twins, which involves creating digital replicas of physical objects or environments. These virtual models offer a powerful tool for building and testing solutions in real-time, with significant potential in both education and agricultural development.
“We have a poultry research unit at North Carolina A&T. We went there and recorded 360-degree videos of the interior and exterior of the unit. There is a concept called photogrammetry, which we used to create 3D models of this building,” Mehetre explained.
Her project stood out even more considering that there was little to no existing research on this topic.
“Being one of the first ones to give some output was very satisfying and exciting at the same time,” she shared.
What makes this achievement even more meaningful is the fact that Kajol is thriving in a male-dominated field—a space where women remain underrepresented in both technology and agriculture.
“This feels like a great achievement—being a woman and being able to accomplish this much in the technological sector. I feel I can be the inspiration for many women to achieve great heights,” Mehetre said. Of course, no great achievement happens in isolation.
While the vision and dedication were all her own, Kajol credits much of her success to the support and mentorship she received along the way—from professors and mentors in the STEPS4GROWTH program, including Dr. Issa AlHmound, whose insight helped guide the direction of her work.
“Since I joined STEPS4GROWTH, Dr. Balu and Dr. Issa have been my mentors—not just for the project I was working on, but for career guidance, academic support, and even everyday advice. The STEPS4GROWTH fellows and the people I’ve worked with have always inspired and supported me in many different ways,” she said.
