Presenting Practical Botany to Engage Students

 

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2015, Volume 36

Karen A. McMahon

Abstract

The following are examples of the lab exercises that highlight economically useful plants and botanical products to engage non-majors in the Plants and Society Laboratory, a course in the general curriculum for the science requirement. Exercises include: viewing free-hand sections of parsnips with differential staining to understand the functional organization of roots; demonstrating a drying test for plant oils to understand the importance of unsaturated fatty acids; examining fibers from plant-derived fabrics to illustrate the differences between primary cell walls and secondary cell walls; making soap from plant oils; and making paper from plant fibers. Students readily embraced these laboratory activities and came to recognize the importance and value of plants to society.

Keywords:  economic botany

University of Oregon (2014)