Mary Crowley’s and Tim Chase’s Magnet Science classes visited Dr. Jeannine Cavender-Bares and her team of graduate students at the greenhouses at the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota in April. Students rotated between different stations and toured the greenhouses to see the unique ways some plants get their nutrients. The students examined stomata cells in leaves under the microscopes and observed the dendritic patterns of veins in oak leaves. Cavender-Bares also had students measure the chemical output of photosynthesis with some amazing technology used in her lab. Using a vacuum chamber, students were also able to observe how the xylem and phloem cells move water and nutrients about the plant.
Students from the Environmental Inquiry Immersion class visited Dr. Clay Carter’s lab at the U to study the antibacterial effects of nectar found in flowers. The students extracted nectar from flowers and have set up experiments to see if this nectar can slow or inhibit the growth of certain bacteria. Carter will visit Murray with the experiments for the students to analyze and come to an evidence-based conclusion.
