To the joy of teenagers across the state, science class just got an upgrade. The University of Michigan Herbarium recently hosted a two-day workshop for middle and high school teachers on-site at the Research Museums Center. Fourteen participants explored how to teach biodiversity through the digital plant collections from Michigan and beyond. Teachers were guided through activities and provided instructions and accompanying presentations that can later be used in their classrooms.
“Our goal in providing this workshop is to offer tools and resources for teachers to enhance STEM learning by students in collections-oriented science,” said Dr. Brad Ruhfel, Research Collection Manager, Division of Vascular Plants, Assistant Research Scientist. “U-M’s Herbarium is uniquely positioned to offer these assets, as we are in the process of digitizing our 1.75 million specimens. The digitization of specimens in natural history collections, such as herbaria, is offering scientists and educators amazing new opportunities in education and research.”
The workshop’s presentations and activities focused on three major topical areas: biodiversity, collections and digitization. Participants toured the divisions of U-M’s Herbarium and the Museum of Zoology. Dr. Aly Baumgartner, Collection Manager, Vascular Plants, and Kyle Lough, Research Lab Technician/Project Manager, also helped run the workshop. In addition, a team from Harvard assisted including Dr. Charles Davis and two of his graduate students, Ryan Schmidt, and Kristen Saban.
"The University of Michigan Herbarium workshop was an amazing program,” said attendee Chris B., a science teacher at Hanover Horton High School. “We were coached in methods that we can use to present and develop these skills in our students. I have already used the ‘Consortium of Midwest Herbaria’ data in my Environmental Science class. In my 27 year teaching career, I have spent many hours and days in symposia at state and national events, and have never spent a more engaging, challenging and useful two days."
This workshop is part of the National Science Foundation funded TCN: Bringing Asia to Digital Life, led by Dr. Davis and Dr. Ruhfel, and other presenters. The award titled “Bringing Asia to digital life: mobilizing underrepresented Asian herbarium collections in the US to propel biodiversity discovery,” will mobilize data from approximately 15 million specimens from 25 institutions in the US and around the world. Dr. Ruhfel leads the efforts at Michigan.
