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Science teachers get environment update at UD 9:47 a.m., Aug. 21, 2006--The tables were turned this summer for 13 high school science teachers when they attended classes at the University of Delaware's Newark campus. An annual event, the one-day workshop provides teachers with the latest information in soil and plant science education, along with take-home ideas, experiments, materials and resources--all of which are designed around state standards for high school science. This year's event attracted educators from four states. “Plants and Biology, Soils and Our Environment” offered a variety of topics. The visiting teachers also toured the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, a UD research facility that is at the vanguard of biotechnology and life science studies, and sat in on a lecture by Harsh Bais, assistant professor of plant and soil science, who “unraveled the dark mysteries of roots.” The day's presentations also included talks by faculty in the Department of Plant and Soil Science on invasive plants and their effects on the ecosystem by Susan Barton, an instructor; how soils impact global climate changes by Kyungsoo Yoo, associate professor; and the impact plant life has on the quality of human life by Sherry Kitto, professor. Workshop coordinator Maria Pautler, a research associate in plant and soil science, said the program is an opportunity for teachers to take what they learn back to their own students and also serves as a learning experience for the professors. “The teacher participants ask a variety of insightful questions and make suggestions to professors,” Pautler said. “It is an excellent exchange, valuable for refining lessons and simplifying explanations of complicated concepts.” Patsy Cicala Jr., a first-time teacher-participant, said that many of the things he learned could be incorporated into his classroom work at Indian River High School in Millsboro. “The material presented was complex,” he said. “Their presentations had great examples of materials I can use. Also, the fact alone that we have gained access to professionals in these specific fields was worth the experience.” |
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