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ASPB
EDUCATION FORUM
ASPB Members Bring Plant Science to AAAS’s
Family Science Days
On February 18 and
19, ASPB’s Education Committee sponsored an exhibit during Family
Science Days at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s
(AAAS’s) annual meeting. Committee member Jane Ellis and ASPB
members from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis worked
in the exhibit, explaining to parents and their children the important
role plants play in their lives. Other Family Science Days exhibits included
lab demonstrations and kid-friendly science projects as a means of illustrating
the marvel of scientific discovery.
Free pamphlets, posters,
and bookmarks describing the 12 principles of plant biology were distributed
to visitors. Additionally, in vitro–propagated Venus Flytrap cultures
and ASPB’s new DVD “sLowlife,” developed by ASPB
Past President Roger Hangarter, were on display. The DVD showing
movements that plants make mesmerized both adults and children.
The most popular activity
among the children was trying to name how many plants are needed to make
a fast-food hamburger. Scientist and ASPB member Senthil Subramanian
said that many children were amazed at how many plants go into producing
a hamburger. Most had no idea that plants were necessary to produce meat.
“I realized not many of them had thought about it before,” he
said. “The exhibits and conversation helped get across some thought-provoking
information about plants in their lives.”
Along that line, ASPB
member Anita Snyder asked kids if they thought they had eaten any
plants that day. Just a handful of students could answer the question,
she remarked. “What I found particularly scary were the parents who
‘helped’ their young children by shaking their heads instead
of nodding,” Snyder said.
Teachers also were
invited to the event. One educator was concerned about the possibility
that genetically modified plants might overtake a habitat, affecting biodiversity.
Subramanian was able to overcome this misconception using modified Arabidopsis
as an example. The plant is used to detect landmines but is unable to
germinate unless sprayed with two hormones.
“I think we as
plant scientists really have our work cut out for us,” Snyder said.
“If people don’t think plants are important, then it is not
very important for the government to fund plant science.”
Other Danforth researchers
helping in the exhibit included Zeng Qin and ASPB members Sarah
Hunter and Shunhong Dai.
ASPB
Education Forum (continued):
Talking Science to John Q. Public: Is It All Just
Geek to Him?
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