August 11, 2015 at 1:12 pm

Plant Biology Graduate Students Take Outreach to Community

Ben Gahagen at Amesville Elem Science Night

In its first year, the Plant Biology Graduate Student Association was busy helping with outreach events for schoolchildren, both on campus and in the community, with a special interest in getting young people interested in plant biology.

The Plant Biology Graduate Student Association was formed to support graduate students in the Environmental & Plant Biology Department in their professional, personal and academic advancement by offering opportunities for networking, community outreach, and peer review.

Amesville Elementary Family Science Night with grad student Bailey Hunter.

In 2014-15, the Plant Biology Graduate Student Association has been active in offering educational enrichment activities to the community:

Welcomed students from Kids on Campus and Upward Bound into labs to extract DNA, learn about herbarium specimens, identify plants, extract plant cell walls, use microscopes to learn about xylem and phloem and analyze soil.
Worked in the gardens and greenhouse with the Vinton County Middle School Academic Club, Upward Bound and Columbus International High School and helped a local Girl Scout troop earn their Tree Badges.
Developed a new design for the Athens County Children Services Garden and helped with preparing and maintaining the garden.
Planned activities and engaged students and their parents at Amesville Elementary Family Science Night.

Graduate students Benjamin Gahagen and Bethany Zumwalde were the outreach coordinators for the year. Ben finished a Ph.D. and Bethany earned an MS this summer. Both helped design the Children’s Services garden and led the planning of outreach activities with other PBIO grad students.

For more information on outreach efforts, contact the Faculty Adviser, Dr. Kim Thompson.