Post by Steve D on Mar 22, 2007 5:04:04 GMT
Hello all--
Last year a good friend of mine, a college biology professor, asked me to give a presentation about carnivorous plants to one of his classes. I was nervous, but I made a few notes to refer to while I talked, carefully packed some of my beloved plants of most of the major types of traps (the "bear trap" (Venus Flytrap), the pitfall (Sarracenia and Cephalotus), and the "fly paper" (sundews)) and tried to give a nice overview of the subject of carnivorous plants to the students, illustrated with the living plants.
As a finale, I invited the students to gather close to a group of Venus Flytraps and I encouraged those who wanted to do so, to trip a trap with a toothpick. After a few did this, most of the others wanted to also. They were visibly impressed with the surprising action of a mature, healthy Venus Flytrap, grinned at each other and laughed, and had a lot of fun examining all of the plants up close.
As I drove home I pondered the event, and the thought struck me that the interest generated within the students might persist in some of them, or might recur at a later time in their lives as they remembered the event. In this sense, my little effort seemed like a good investment in the future. Some of those students might develop a greater sense of appreciation for the environment or a love for specific plants, or merely a greater awareness of the importance of conservation and eco-friendly living. I really felt good about the event. I plan to give a similar (but hopefully better) presentation to one of the professor's classes this year.
-Steve
Last year a good friend of mine, a college biology professor, asked me to give a presentation about carnivorous plants to one of his classes. I was nervous, but I made a few notes to refer to while I talked, carefully packed some of my beloved plants of most of the major types of traps (the "bear trap" (Venus Flytrap), the pitfall (Sarracenia and Cephalotus), and the "fly paper" (sundews)) and tried to give a nice overview of the subject of carnivorous plants to the students, illustrated with the living plants.
As a finale, I invited the students to gather close to a group of Venus Flytraps and I encouraged those who wanted to do so, to trip a trap with a toothpick. After a few did this, most of the others wanted to also. They were visibly impressed with the surprising action of a mature, healthy Venus Flytrap, grinned at each other and laughed, and had a lot of fun examining all of the plants up close.
As I drove home I pondered the event, and the thought struck me that the interest generated within the students might persist in some of them, or might recur at a later time in their lives as they remembered the event. In this sense, my little effort seemed like a good investment in the future. Some of those students might develop a greater sense of appreciation for the environment or a love for specific plants, or merely a greater awareness of the importance of conservation and eco-friendly living. I really felt good about the event. I plan to give a similar (but hopefully better) presentation to one of the professor's classes this year.
-Steve