Applications in Plant Sciences (APPS): A New Journal on Novel Protocols and Technological Advancements

In the Botanical Society of America's June 2012 newsletter that, "the American Journal of Botany's online-only, open access section, AJB Primer Notes & Protocols in the Plant Sciences, will be launching as an independent journal in January 2013."  Source:  http://www.botany.org/news/apps.php, Accessed 14 Sept 2012.

The APPS Editorial Board consists of  Theresa Culley (Editor-in-Chief), Richard Cronn, Mitch Cruzan, Kent Holsinger, Jeff Maughan, Mike Moore, Pam Soltis, and Lisa Wallace.  Source:  http://www.botany.org/news/apps.php, Accessed 14 Sept 2012.

Submission guidelines, article types, and other pointers may be found in the Primer Notes Instructions for Authors. Source:  http://www.botany.org/news/apps.php, Accessed 14 Sept 2012.

Manufacturers in the United States who pay attention here may have some new products to develop.

(c) 2012 J S Shipman

A link from Fairchild Gardens on Plant Extracts...Let Students design Experiments getting Ideas from this Ethnobotany Teaching Module

Here is a link from Fairchild Gardens on Plant Extracts...Let Students design Experiments getting Ideas from Fairchild Gardens' Ethnobotany Teaching Module.
http://www.fairchildgarden.org/uploads/docs/Education/Downloadable_teaching_modules/ethnobotany/plant%20tinctures%20and%20extracts.pdf
A quote from the module suggests that plants might have antibacterial properties:


"Pl[ant]- Antibiotics:                        
Does your Plant [h]ave                    
Anti-[b]acterial Properties?          

"In this experiment we will find out if your plant extract has the ability to kill the bacteria that turns milk into yogurt (like Lactobacillus acidophilus and/or L. bifidus).  These helpful bacteria enhance digestion and are good for you.  If your plant is able to kill or inhibit the growth of these bacteria, there is a possibility that it may also be effective in controlling harmful pathogenic bacteria.  If so, your plant might be a candidate for further research as a potential antibiotic drug for the future. "

Rather than just going ahead with the module,which is adapted from Paye, Gabriell DeBear, 2000. Cultural Uses of Plants: a guide to learning about ethnobotany. New York Botanical Garden Press, New York, first let students brainstorm.  Let them exercise their brains.

·  Students might reflect on what bacteria cause milk to turn to yogurt

   or other cheeses.

·  What bacteria are in their yogurts?  Does yours have Lactobacillus rhamnosis?

·  Would different bacteria react differently?

·  And so on...  

·  Put down all ideas, even if they seem impossible or tangential.

You might then continue with the module, or, let them design experiments.  Review important parts of experimental design.  Remind them of controls, replication, repeatability.  Ask, "What are the parts of an experimental design?"  Ask, "What type of data will you collect?"


Let students create blank data tables for collecting data.  Let them write out their designs, share them.  Let each student select what he or she feels is the best experimental design.  Remind them of the difference between a laboratory activity and a laboratory experiment.

Decide then if they are going to continue with the module.  You may decide to do that, or, you may prefer to do one or more of the student designs, or, you may wish to do the module and the student-designed experiments, of course paying attention to safety and budget, just like in real-world science.  Remind students of government funding for science.  Ask what kinds of research government should fund. 

· Additional reading:

 The United States, under John Kennedy and Japan, under Emperor Hirohito

"[H]is interest in science and in modernizing his country,"  http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b3hirohito.htm), Accessed July 7, 2012.)

(c)2012 J S Shipman

Krebs cycle, ATP production, cell communication, and photosynthesis

Part of Science Literacy is knowing what you need to know...

Post under development  Back later...

"I need help with Krebs' cycle, ATP production, cell communication, and photosynthesis as soon as possible."

So...here is a plea from a person who really wants to learn...What can we do...Even better, what can this person do?

Active learning is the best way to acquire and keep information.  Knowing one's own style of learning is also helpful.  Let's look at first steps.

How much time do we have to learn the information?  This number is important for time management.  We can decide how much time we have for each topic.

Jot the time you have down  __________________________________.

Set up a schedule based on your other commitments and the time slots you can devote to this study.  Get a notebook, and all your study materials and handout sheets, if any.  You can use them to help support what  other tools you find.

Now, lets look at each  topic.  Organize what you already know under each heading, even if it only a series of questions that you want answered.

Krebs' cycle 

Cycle...sounds like circle or re-cycle....Maybe it has to do with something going around   (Perhaps that's all you can think of.)  

Add what else you already know here, add your questions, then go to the next topic.  Afterward, come back and add information from other resources.  I'll start you off.  You continue.  I'll be back in a day or so to see if you have made any progress...first, though, let's look at Kreb's Cycle

Krebs' cycle 

Cycle...sounds like circle or re-cycle....Maybe it has to do with something going around   (Perhaps that's all you can think of.)  

Students often start with Wikipedia from a Google or other search engine search.  Okay, let's start here.   I'll be back when you've had a chance to read this.  In fact, you can look up similar information on the other topics and glance through them.  We'll figure out ways to comprehend the information later

Citric acid cycle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid_cycle

The citric acid cycle — also known as the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle), theKrebs cycle, or the Szent-Györgyi–Krebs cycle — is a series of chemical ...

Evolution - Overview - Steps - Products

ATP production 

Don't forget to add what you already know about ATP production and questions that you may have...

Here are some beginning web search finds:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine_triphosphate, and,

http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/biocoach/cellresp/review1.html 

Cell communication, and 

Don't forget to add what you already know on cell communication and questions that you may have...

Here are some beginning web search finds:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_communication_(biology)

Oh, something else interesting came on the radar:

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/insidestory/

...we could look at that, too.

Photosynthesis

Don't forget to add what you already know about photosynthesis and questions that you may have...

Here are some beginning web search finds:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis

But, look at this, too:

http://nhscience.lonestar.edu/biol/bio1int.htm

I'll be back.  Here's a list modified from the above mentioned source (http://nhscience.lonestar. edu/biol/bio1int.htm), accessed June 28, 2012:

Photosynthesis; Plants

• Light Absorption
• Atomic Absorption of Electromagnetic Radiation University of California.
• Jablonski Diagram Molecular Expressions
• Photosynthesis University of Alberta
• Light Reaction
• Harvesting Light
• Photosynthesis by John Kyrk
• Photo systems 1 and 2-Oxygenic Photosynthesis by Sue Merkel, Cornell Univ
• Photosynthesis Animation by John L. Giannini
• Energy Capturing Photosynthesis animation by June B. Steinberg
• Photosynthesis Animation - Light Reaction Central Michigan University
• Photosynthesis McGraw-Hill
• Light Reaction Smith College
• Dark Reaction - Calvin Cycle
• Calvin Cycle Animations by June B. Steinberg
• Interactive Photosynthesis Biochemistry by Garrett and Grisham
• Calvin Cycle Smith College
• Calvin Cycle ASM Press and Sinauer Associates Inc.
• Calvin Cycle McGraw-Hill
• Overall
• Metabolic Processes Terry Brown
• Photosynthesis Forest Biology Virginia Tech
• Photosynthesis University of Aberdeen
• Illuminating Photosynthesis By Rick Groleau PBS
• An Overview of Photosynthesis The Biology Place

Let's try Khan Academy now:

Krebs' cycle; Science Literacy

http://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/v/krebs---citric-acid-cycle

ATP production; Science Literacy

Cell communication; Science Literacy

Photosynthesis; Science Literacy

http://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/v/photosynthesis  which is also available on Youtube:  

 You can find other videos on photosynthesis, Here is one done by two students as a project for a class:

Source:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xNwZCk2CHY&feature=related.  Accessed June 29, 2012.

Next steps; Science Literacy

Practice makes perfect!  What do you think?  Do you have a way to remember and use the information yet?  Higher order thinking on these topics is your aim.  So, let's work on that next.  Come up with some memory aids or mnemonic devices.

Also, think about the kinds of questions you can be asked on these topics...Put another way, "What is important about them?"  Then, make your reason for knowing them:  "I need to know this because________________."

Think about location, location, location:  Where do these metabolic processes occur in the cell?  What if the cell is prokaryotic like bacteria and blue greens?  What if the cells are eukaryotic like yours?  Or, like a trees?  Whay about in a set of organisms like found in a lichen?

What journal articles are found on these topics?  Have you thought about current research related to these four biology topics?

Think about how you can use this information, because that linkage to you...that formation of, "relevancy," in your brain, is what will let you remember it and use it when you need it in some future, as yet unknown, situation.  That will enable even higher order thinking such as synthesis, and analysis, needed to solve problems... global problems.

You might also wonder who is Krebs.  How did he think?  Isn't learning fun?  Each new idea leads to so many more.

  Source:  http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Adolf_Krebs.  Accessed June 28 2012.

Hans Adolph Krebs

How did he think?

How do you think?  I'll leave you with that thought.  Enjoy.

(c) 2012 J S Shipman All rights reserved.

(All blog posts on Read-about-it.blogspot.com here are copyrighted by the author and J S Shipman.)

Music and Science: Opera and Fungi: Fast moving Spores!

This film can be used in science class when the students are studying opera in music class.  Or, perhaps the music teacher can visit the science class.  Use your imagination.  I suggest watching the video on full screen.

You can use a film such as this to develop science literacy by building vocabulary.  The following list, for example (but, encourage students to develop their own lists):

spore
fungus
projectile
opera
sphere
trail
contrail

You can use a film such as this to develop science literacy by encouraging synthesis.   Students could create either in science or in music, or, in both, or, other, areas.  Can they design experiments?  Could they make films?  Can they write an opera or a popular song?

Plants not only move, they dance: Award winning La Bloomba!

In memoriam:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/inmemoriam/williamoliverbright.html

Botany Meetings coming Soon; Register Now!

Botanists from around the globe will meet at the 2011 BSA meetings in St. Louis. School teachers are especially encouraged to attend. Scientists get together and provide exciting opportunities for teachers to keep current in science and for them to understand research better by talking directly with the researchers.

Here's a video invitation. There's a fair amount of, "hype," in the video, but, the meetings are a great place to be.


Here's a link to the Botanical Society of America's website so you can register:

http://www.2011.botanyconference.org/

And, another link for some teaching ideas:
Education & Learning
» BSA OUTREACH UPDATES & INFORMATION

Portal:Ecosistema

This link may be of interest to some readers. Please comment and let me know.

http://orton.catie.ac.cr/cgi-bin/wxis.exe/?IsisScript=GREYLIT.xis&method=post&formato=2&cantidad=1&expresion=mfn=002896

Signatura: 15649.
Autor: RESTREPO DE F., M.; ALVAREZ M., L.M.; ARANGO B., L.G.; MAYA M., L.A.
Título: Fitografía del ecosistema de CENICAFE,
P. imprenta: Chinchiná (Colombia), CENICAFE - Universidad de Caldas, 1994. 1994. 338 p.

Protist Link from the University of Montreal

"...scholarly information on the morphology, ultrastructure, molecular biology, taxonomy, ecology and physiology of these organisms," (Source: http://megasun.bch.umontreal.ca/protists/otherprodbs.html, Accessed 15 August 2010).

http://megasun.bch.umontreal.ca/protists/protists.html

Coming this summer!

• Botanical Society of America
  

  ---

  Teaching Section

  Kapelari, Suzanne [1], Sladky-Meraner, Sabine [1], Pistrich, Daniela [1].

  Green stuff - A joint project of schools and botanic gardens to develop evidence based and theory guided learning environments
  

• "Botanic Gardens are superb locations for inquiry based science education. Situated in urban areas, they are easily accessible for school classes and particularly appropriate to support teachers and students in doing “hands on science” with living organisms.
  The purpose of this study was to examine and evaluate an integrated plant related education program, which aims to combine formal and non formal learning."
  

• Read more by clicking the link below:
  

  http://2010.botanyconference.org/engine/search/index.php?func=detail&aid=262

---

Developmental and Structural Section

Yang, Chaodong [1], Zhang, Xia [1], Zhou, Cunyu [1], Seago, James L [2].

Root and Stem Anatomy of Four Grasses in the Yangtze River Jianghan Floodplain .

"B[er]mudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides), knotgrass (Paspalum distichum), and limpograss (Hemarthria altissima) are among the grasses which occupy the floodplain of the Jianghan Plain near the Three Gorges Dam along the Yangtze River. We have studied these four species to determine their structural and histochemical root and stem traits for understanding why they are successful in this unique old floodplain."

To read more, click here:

http://2010.botanyconference.org/engine/search/index.php?func=detail&aid=120

Helping Students use a HOT Skills Wheel™ to enhance Higher Order Thinking on Botany (and other Science) Topics

Organizers:

J S Shipman
Kapelari, Suzanne
Stan Rice

Building higher order thinking skills is important to studies in botany. Participants in this symposium will make a H.O.T. Skills Wheel™ and use it in small groups to study some botany so they will have first hand experience to share with their own students.

Participants will also access Plants Cafe and other plant-oriented websites for use in developing lessons.
After trying the wheel for various botany topics, participants will share their experiences. After returning home, participants are encouraged to use the new H.O.T. skills wheels™ with their classes and submit their results for possible publication in text or on the web.

Participants should bring a journal article or portion of text that they would like to incorporate into their H.O.T. Skills Wheel™ lesson, and may bring colored pencils, markers or crayons (6 light colors), other art or music supplies(guitar, if you'd like to use it in your lesson, for example), and a folder.

Participants should be prepared to purchase booklets cost $12.00 each at the workshop.

Trees of Namibia: A Reader's Request

If there is a reader from Namibia who is knowledgeable about trees and herbaceous plants in Namibia, a reader from New Jersey, who has been to Namibia, is interested in learning more. Please send photos and information to post and I will include it in the blog posts so we can all learn more.

In particular, the New Jersey reader has interest in tree legumes, one with red and one with white pods. If you can recommend a resource, that would be great also. Are these trees used for anything special?

All readers are welcomed to participate in this science education blog. Please e-mail me your requests and posts. shipmanjs at g mail dot com

Attend the Botany Meetings... Help for some undergraduates.

Increasing Diversity at... [the Annual Botanical Society of America (BSA) ]...Meeting
Supported in part by the National Science Foundation's Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology (UMEB) program, the BSA has offered financial and professional assistance for minority undergraduate students.

Source: BSA.org at----> http://www.botany.org/outreach/; Accessed 2-25, 2010

A Botany Dictionary from M.DCC.XCIIl.

In looking for works of Kepler, I came across this old botany dictionary and decided to post a link to it here for my botany friends and anyone interested in word used by Linnaeus. It looks like an optical encoder might have copied the text, since the old "esses," look like "f's" in the linked text.

Full text of, "LANGUAGE of BOTANY: BEING A DICTIONARY OF THE TERMS MADE USE OF IN THAT SCIENCE PRINCIPALLY BY LINNEUS: WITH FAMILIAR EXPLANATIONS, AND AN ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH SIGNIFICANT ENGLISH TERMS. THE WHOLE INTERSPERSED WITH CRITICAL REMARKS.

By THOMAS MARTTN, B. D. F.R.S.
PROFESSOR OF BOTANY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF
CAMBRIDGE."

http://www.archive.org/stream/languageofbotany00mart/languageofbotany00mart_djvu.txt

"What is Economic Botany?"

"Simply put, Economic Botany is the interaction of people with plants. The word is based on two Greek roots ethnos (race: people: cultural group) and botanikos (of herbs) and can mean the plant lore of a race or people as well as the study of that lore." Source: http://botany.org/planttalkingpoints/economic_botany.php. Accessed 23 November 09. Read more.

$$$$$$$$€€€€€$$$$$€€€€€$$$$$€€€€€€$$$$$€€€€€$$$$$$

If you are interested in a children's (ages 5-10) economic botany lesson plan and book for students, let me know via e-mail or the call me button below.

BOTANY 2010 - Providence, Rhode Island July 31 - August 4

BOTANY 2010 -
Teachers,
People interested in plants, Researchers-
Come to Providence!
-Providence, Rhode Island July 31 - August 4
There will be a joint meeting with the:

• American Bryological & Lichenological Society (ABLS),

• American Fern Society (AFS),

• American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT), and

• Botanical Society of America (BSA).

Go to botany.org for information.

• Special rates for teachers.
• Sign up for free HOT Skills (higher order thinking skills) Workshop with, "Dr. J"
  

International Appeal. Join in! Anyone who loves plants, take a look and join!!! Botany without Borders from BSA: See botany.org for more detail

Stanley Rice, Botanist, Author...Web portal

-----Under development-----

Across the country people are beginning to realize that children need to have deep and meaningful experiences with the natural world while they are growing up. Without these experiences, children will miss a dimension of happiness; may find no real relief from the stresses of civilization; and most importantly, may not realize that there is any natural world that needs to be protected.
Stanley Rice

http://www.stanleyrice.com/

Here is a portal to an Oklahoma botanist .
Here are some of his books:


Rice, Stanley A. Encyclopedia of Evolution. New York: Facts on File, 2007.

Rice, Stanley A. Green Planet. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2009.

Upcoming Books:
Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
Encyclopedia of Biodiversity

From pumpkins to science literacy

----Post under development----

Here's a quote on pumpkin:

Canned or fresh, pumpkin is a superfood, according to the authors of SuperFoods HealthStyle. And this squash is especially good for your ticker because it's chock-full of carotenoids that are known to reduce heart disease risk.

It is from a popular website on health: http://www.realage.com/tips/eat-this-fall-treat-for-your-heart, accessed today 11-20-2009. How can students evaluate this information or use such a post to encourage science learning?

Example discussions and activities: Science studies can take many directions. Here are some ideas. (Note: Modify the ideas for your students. For example, for young children, the graphs or charts will likely be class-wide and teacher assisted. Attend to safety issues.)

Small children-

Small children might have pumpkin snacks and discuss how pumpkins grow, families might carve pumpkins, bake pumpkin pie, or visit a farm where pumpkins are grown.



Young children- Seeds are found inside the pumpkin. Seeds can be saved and can grow. Some won't grow. Why or why not? Could you design an experiment to see if the pumpkin seeds grow and count the ones that do or don't and make a table to show the data you collect? How would you do that? Are these seeds like other seeds? Visit a pumpkin farm. Plant seeds and see how fast they grow by measuring them over several days and again making a chart or table to show the data. To lead a discussion, you might ask questions about objects such as pumpkin seeds, organisms such as the pumpkin plant or an insect or fungus attacking a pumpkin, and events in the environment like for what a family might use a pumpkin. You might ask students to tell about why and what would happen if the pumpkin was left outside all winter.

Students predict outcomes based on observed patterns such as pumpkin leaf shapes. Students can name and use simple equipment and tools such as rulers, meter sticks, thermometers, hand lenses, and balances to explore pumpkins and gather data and recognize that they are extending their senses. Young children can even record observations and data about pumpkins with pictures, numbers, or written statements. After school, they can discuss observations with others. Teachers might be interested in another site on pumpkins: a site on pumpkin ideas for the curriculum (click here).

Middle school students-You could hold similar ideas and discussions as for the younger children but enhance the depth. For example, when reflecting on the pumpkins, students can ask questions and make predictions that can be tested. They can select and use tools and technology that may require more skill such as: calculators, computers, balances, scales, meter sticks, and graduated cylinders, in order to extend observations. They should build their abilities to keep accurate records while conducting simple investigations or experiments on the pumpkins. Students could work on experimental designs and also decide what data to collect. Also, they can add replications to experimental designs by conducting multiple trials to test a prediction about the pumpkins.

Some students might like to see if they can extract DNA from the pumpkin using dish detergent a baggy and very cold alcohol as is sometimes done with strawberries and bananas, for example. In fact, in designing an experiment, they might use strawberries as the control. They could compare and contrast the results of the control (strawberry or banana that the student selected) with the experimental (pumpkin).

Students can learn to recognize simple patterns in the pumpkin data and use data to create a reasonable explanation for the results of their investigations or experiments.

Students could write about the data and about what they learned by doing the experiment. They could also suggest other experiments. at these ages, roughly 9-12, many students like, "slimy," things and enjoy the guided DNA extraction. What do the pumpkin seeds have in common with the children...This discussion could then lead into concepts about cell theory.

High school students- Like younger students, high school students can make observations, raise questions, and formulate hypotheses about the pumpkins. For example, students 12 to 18 may like to examine point of view of the quote at the start of this post. Who is presenting the information?

Using information they read or discuss with others (such as each other, grandparents, other teachers, 4-H leaders, ...), they can design and conduct scientific investigations about pumpkins or pumpkin plants (teacher-approved before the conducting part, for safety and economic reasons). High school students can compare and contrast their results to those of other students or to results found in texts or in the technical literature. The ability to do this depends somewhat on the student, but, all should be capable of doing some analysis, interpretation, and discussion. Students at this level can also communicate and apply the results of their scientific investigations on pumpkins.

High school students might look at learning unknown vocabulary, too. If, for example, "carotenoid," is a new word for them, they might want to find out what it means and how it is used. These students also may wish to do their own literature searches to find out more about pumpkins. What can they find out about classification? Modern research on pumpkins? Ethnobotany? Students might wish to hold a debate on whether pumpkins are vegetables or fruits. Hopefully they become increasingly interested in science research as applies to their own lives and as possible career tracks.

A Google search will lead to finding posts like these (Source: Google search on 10-20-09).

1. Pumpkins and More - University of Illinois Extension

2. Pumpkin Nook : Everything about pumpkins, growing, Halloween

3. Pumpkin Patch - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Pumpkins!

   
   
   
4. Report the following images as offensive. Confirm CancelThank you for the feedback.
   Click on the photos.
   

Using Reach Reading™...students might want to try to locate and read journal articles and find something like these:

• Farming Practices Influence Wild Pollinator Populations on Squash and Pumpkin byRachel E. Shuler, T’ai H. Roulston, Grace E. Farris
• Here's a quote from the article. Such an article might interest someone in studying science through pumpkins because of an interest in bees.

• Recent declines in managed honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colonies have increased interest in the current and potential contribution of wild bee populations to the pollination of agricultural crops. Because wild bees often live in agricultural fields, their population density and contribution to crop pollination may be influenced by farming practices, especially those used to reduce the populations of other insects. We took a census of pollinators of squash and pumpkin at 25 farms in Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland to see whether pollinator abundance was related to farming practices.

• Genetic Resources of Vegetable Crops from Majorca Island: Changes in the Situation in the 10 years (1994-2004) (a pdf file)
• Here's a quote from the article. Such an article might interest someone who likes traveling or who is studying Italian or Spanish. Still it could engage the student in science even though he or..she might have to use Reach Reading™ skills to read a journal article. ..

• The most represented crops were peppers (53 accessions), tomatoes (43 accessions), squashes and pumpkins (43 accessions),and melons (20 accessions).

• Characterisation of cell wall polysaccharide profiles of apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.), peaches (Prunus persica L.), and pumpkins (Cucurbita sp.) for the evaluation of fruit product authenticity by Christina Kurz, Reinhold Carle and Andreas Schieber

References and further reading may be available for this article. To view references and further reading you must purchase this article.

Articles on pumpkins can be found in many languages and from many countries, so students all over the world can read about pumpkins in their own languages. Remind students to get complete references as they do library research. Some students might like to do science fair projects on pumpkins, or contact the professional societies, such as the Botanical Society of America. Some students may decide to go into botany, horticulture, agriculture, plant physiology biotechnology, genetics, or other plant related career. Please feel free to post your classes activity or professional societies that take an interest in student research.



(Check out: "Reach Reading™") Science Literacy and International Science Education