ASPB EDUCATION FORUM

Four Times the Fun at the ASPB Booth!

Plant science is great family fun! Xander Jones (far right) helps out at the Tic, Tac, Grow game board.
You’re never too young to be a plant biologist! Luke Edison Coker was born on December 11, 2006, to Beth and Jeffrey Coker. His timing was perfect for helping his dad plan the AAAS Family Science Days exhibit.

The ASPB Education Booth at the 2007 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Family Science Days in San Francisco February 17–18 was an outstanding success. About 2,000 visitors enjoyed the booth over a very busy two days. The booth consisted of four dynamic stations, each attracting a slightly different subset of the audience.

At the first station, entire families drew close to watch the sLowlife video, created by Education Foundation board member Roger Hangarter of Indiana University. Parents and children alike were fascinated by this beautiful video, and many were eager to discuss the captivating plant movements caught on screen.

The Tic, Tac, Grow board game, designed by Education Foundation board member Peggy Lemaux of the University of California at Berkeley attracted droves of kids to the second section. Tic, Tac, Grow teaches K–7 educators and students about what plants look like and how important they are to the way we live. This fun, enlightening game was in constant use throughout both exhibit days. Visitors to this station also received plant science trading cards, designed by Barbara Alonso at Berkeley. Each of these five dynamically designed cards highlights an important concept about plant genetics.

The third station exhibited Peggy Lemaux’s GMO Food Display. This station intrigued adults, especially parents. They had many thoughtful questions about food supply, development, health, and nutrition.

The ASPB handouts from the fourth station were a big hit with everyone. Kids snatched up the ASPB logo sunglasses and water bottles. After getting their freebies, kids and their parents tended to linger at the booth, asking questions and soaking up a lot of great information. Teachers happily gathered inspiring plant science posters and bookmarks for their classrooms and spent time learning to navigate the ASPB website so that they could obtain additional plant education materials later.

The Education Booth was so productive because of the hard work and enthusiasm of those who volunteered their time and expertise to meet with the booth’s visitors. The engaging team of experts included Jim Tepperman, Jenne Stonaker, Tracy Powell, Xander Jones, Russell Scott, and Amber Kerr. Barbara Alonso helped with booth setup. ASPB members Rajnish Khanna and Katie Krolikowski, both of Mendel Biotechnology, staffed the booth nearly the entire time on both days. They were invaluable contributors—working every station, promoting plant education, and talking to families about local science opportunities for kids.

ASPB Education Committee member Jeffrey Coker of Elon University explained that coordinating the booth is a pleasure, because he gets to promote plant biology to a very diverse crowd. Jeffrey also spoke with several members of the press from the United States and Europe, who were quite impressed by ASPB’s education and outreach efforts. Coker and Education Committee Chair Mary Williams expressed appreciation to the ASPB Executive Committee for providing Good Works funds to support the ASPB exhibit at AAAS Family Science Days.

Thanks to the knowledge and enthusiasm of these volunteers, the Society’s initiative to promote plant science as an effective gateway to inquiry and learning within families and in the K–12 classroom was fruitfully disseminated to a new crop of interested learners.