BSA Science Education and Outreach

Programs and Opportunities

Online Science Mentorship Program
PlantingScience.org is an inquiry and science mentorship program led by the BSA that brings together students, plant scientists, and teachers from across the nation. Students engage in hands-on plant investigations in their classrooms and collaborate online with peers and scientist mentors, building their understanding of science through first-hand experience and expert guidance. For scientist mentors, the program offers an outreach opportunity to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for plants with high school students and teachers.

Plant IT Careers, Cases and Collaborations
A new opportunity for secondary school teachers and students to solve plant-related biology problems and explore career connections featuring the technology and skills that support modern plant science! Online investigation spaces provide access to real world problems and workplace applications of plant ecology, biotechnology, evolution, and physiology. This NSF ITEST project is a collaborative effort among the BSA, BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium and Texas A&M University. For access to case-based plant curricular materials and information about the teacher and student summer programs, visit the project communication hub at myPlantIT.org.

Listen in as Flora Delaterre uncovers the activities of medicinal plants and shares her story of becoming a science writer and Dr. Vaughn Bryant describes the life of a forensic botanist. These interviews were part of the 2008 and 2009 summer programs.
Flora Delaterre Podcast on Ask-a-Biologist
Pollen - Nature's Tiny Clues Podcast on Ask-a-Biologist

Education and Outreach Forum
An integral part of our annual conference, the Education and Outreach Forum offers free hands-on workshops, round-table discussions, and networking opportunities. The Forum draws educators and researchers interested in innovative approaches to teaching plant biology from kindergarten through college and sharing plant science with the public. K-12 teachers from the meeting host-state are eligible for Continuing Education Units. Sessions contributed by members cover topics such as active learning in K-16 classrooms, engaging undergraduates in research, and reaching out beyond the ivory towers. Sample the 2007 offerings.

Increasing Diversity at the Annual 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. Since 2003, up to ten undergraduates each year joined the supportive network of peers, graduate students, and professors, and received support to attend the annual conference.

Teaching Awards
The BSA Education Committee and Teaching Section recognize the contributions of their peers to excellence in botanical education through the C. E. Bessey Award.

Making an Impact
The BSA seeks to support and promote our members efforts to meaningfully address the NSF Broader Impact Criteria.
A list of Broader Impacts Resources was one outcome of the 2007 Joint BSA-ASPB Education Workshop.

Online Resources

Lab Resources - Grades 6-12
The McIntosh Apple Development Poster Project | One Bad Apple: Synchrony in Ripening Fruit | Sailing Seeds: An Experiment in Wind Dispersal | Gasping for Breath: Bottle Experiments with Mung Beans

Visual Resources - Grades K-16
Carnivorous Plants | Online Image Collection | Capillary Action - Video clip
The BSA Online Image Collection is part of the AAAS BEN Digital Library.

Thought-Provoking Resources - Grades 6-14
Plant Talking Points

Careers in Botany Online booklet and scientist profiles - Grades K-16

BSA Statement on Evolution - Grades K-16

The Botanical Society of America, as part of the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS), will celebrate 2009 as the Year of Science.
The October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Botany includes three articles on efforts to advance science literacy that will remain free for viewing to the public.