Engaging Students with Plant Science: Biodiversity and the Plants We Eat (On-Site Teacher Professional Development Workshop)

Emily Hestness, USBG Senior Education Specialist, Grace Anderson, USBG Science Education Specialist, Lola Bloom, USBG Urban Agriculture Education Specialist, and special guest speaker Nan McCarry, Ethnobotanist and Crop Wild Relative Specialist

Looking to engage middle school or high school students with plant science? Join U.S. Botanic Garden educators to explore the connection between biodiversity, climate change, and the plants we eat. Through a series of hands-on science investigations, teachers will discover the value of crop diversity for climate resilience. Teachers will visit the Kitchen Garden to explore the traits of familiar cultivated crops and their wild relatives. At lunchtime, teachers will meet Nan McCarry, an ethnobotanist and crop wild relative specialist. Finally, teachers will make a plan for bringing plant science investigations back to their secondary science classrooms and school gardens. Lunch will be provided. Certificates will be available for PDUs.

This program is offered as part of a partnership with the American Public Gardens Association and the Plants and Climate Change Education (PLACCE) Program. It is also offered in collaboration with the Friends of the U.S. Botanic Garden. If you're interested in supporting educational programs through a donation to the Friends of the U.S. Botanic Garden, click here.

Emily Hestness

Senior Education Specialist

U.S. Botanic Garden

Emily Hestness is the Senior Education Specialist at the U.S. Botanic Garden, where she leads teacher professional development, program evaluation, and educational partnerships. Emily has a background in environmental education and science education, and holds...(read more)

Grace Anderson

Science Education Specialist

U.S. Botanic Garden

Grace Anderson is the USBG Science Education Specialist. She works to incorporate plant science learning into the Garden's programming for youth and adults.

Lola Bloom

Urban Agriculture Education Specialist

U.S. Botanic Garden

Lola Bloom is the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Urban Agriculture Education Specialist. She promotes the development of urban agriculture through hands-on programming and partnerships locally and nationwide.

Nan McCarry

Ethnobotanist

Nan is an ethnobotanist with a focus on the history of crop plants and their wild relatives. Nan earned her graduate degree in geography from the University of Texas, where she researched traditional home gardens in Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala. She is currently f...(read more)