What: Scientist in Every School teacher workshop
Where: The UF/IFAS plant pathology department, Fifield Hall, 2550 Hull Road, Gainesville.
When: July 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Contact: Megan Winslow, winslow@ufl.edu
About: A group of high school teachers from across Florida have traveled to the University of Florida this week to participate in a professional development workshop designed to spark lessons in their classrooms.
The annual Scientist in Every School program workshop is hosted by the UF/IFAS plant pathology department and funded through a $946,000 National Science Foundation grant awarded to the university in 2021. Over the course of four years, 24 teachers representing over 6,000 students will take part in the week-long workshop. Most of the participating teachers come from Title I schools with 40% or more minority and socioeconomically challenged students.
This year, high school teachers from Charlotte, Highlands, Leon, Marion, Orange, Pasco and St. Lucie counties are enrolled.
Workshops feature scientific lectures presented by plant pathology researchers and live, hands-on experiments with microbial and plant cultivation as well as molecular biology and biochemistry.
Thursday’s agenda includes a lecture on plant immunity, a practicum on common diseases in Florida agricultural fields, a lecture on rice disease resistance and a greenhouse tour.
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ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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