The Monsanto Fund has awarded the St. Louis-based Botanical Society of America a two-year, $81,730 development grant for its PlantingScience educational outreach program.
PlantingScience is a collaboration of Scientists, Teachers and Students developed to support an enhanced understanding of science. It combines high school students participating in scientific research projects that they design themselves with online mentoring and support from professional plant scientists. The program is coordinated through a partnership between the American Society of Plant Biologists and the Botanical Society of America.
In late 2003, the Botanical Society of America was challenged by Dr. Bruce Alberts, then president of The National Academies (National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council) to develop a program supporting improved scientific literacy in the United States, become involved with science education in a way that combines the power of scientific inquiry with the benefits of mentoring from practicing scientists, and make whatever was developed accessible and usable by all.
Rising to the challenge, in 2005, the first pilot program was put in place. The response from the students, teachers and scientists involved indicated the program had significant potential. In 2006 the American Society of Plant Biologists joined the Botanical Society of America as a founding partner in the PlantingScience program.
To date, PlantingScience has involved 23 teachers from 19 schools and more than 1,200 students in a range of environmental settings around the U.S., according to Bill Dahl, executive director of the BSA.
“Plants are readily available, easy to keep, relatively inexpensive and fun to experiment with,” Dahl said.
“PlantingScience allows students to explore core biology concepts through hands-on experiments with plants. It also allows plant scientists to share their knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, plants with students in all areas of the country.”
The Monsanto Fund grant will be used to expand the PlantingScience list of inquiry-based topics available for use in the classroom. New units to be available in the fall of 2008 will include genetics, ecology and economic botany.
For more information, visit www.PlantingScience.org.