Discussion of culture is often missing in garden-based education. To share and validate the interests of our culturally diverse students, we will delve deep into the significance of culture as it relates to food and gardens and also as it relates to the diverse populations with whom we work. Through student voices and examples we will share the principles of culturally responsive garden education that honors diversity and inclusion. Join us as we explore ways to celebrate and center culture through garden-based learning. School gardens have many benefits for students which include helping students make nutritious choices, encouraging students to be environmentally conscious, and providing experiential learning. Research shows that students who participate in garden-based science curriculum score significantly higher on science achievement tests than students in a traditional classroom-based control group. This garden-enhanced achievement benefits both boys and girls equally.

TAKEAWAYS:
By their nature, gardens embody diversity. Garden education is increasingly recognized as an interdisciplinary approach that integrates academic goals, health and wellness, place-based education, and community connections and relationships.

SPEAKERS:
Lindsey Noonan (Topeka Public Schools USD 501: Topeka, KS), Rhonda Gadino (Topeka Public Schools: No City, No State)

School gardens are a fantastic way to transition from a more traditional classroom to an outdoor, experiential learning opportunity centered on student engagement and critical thinking. Students are able to physically connect with nutrition education, understand the process of growing healthy foods, and recognize environmental stewardship. A school garden can also be integrated into many subjects such as math, science, health, literacy and social studies. The school garden offers a place to enrich teaching efforts with powerful hands-on experiences that make learning come alive. Each school or youth garden is as unique as the school or community that plants it. Gardens may come in many configurations, ranging from a collection of container gardens or a grouping of raised beds to a half-acre of plowed land. Successful garden programs do have certain features in common, however, they are designed to meet local program needs, to be sustainable, and to use the physical site and resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
School gardens are a fantastic way to transition from a more traditional classroom to an outdoor, experiential learning opportunity centered on student engagement and critical thinking. A school garden can be integrated into many subjects such as math, science, health, literacy and social studies.

SPEAKERS:
Lindsey Noonan (Topeka Public Schools USD 501: Topeka, KS), Rhonda Gadino (Topeka Public Schools: No City, No State)

MothEd provides K-8 students and teachers a simple, low-cost way to study moths, an important and often overlooked part of the natural world. These fascinating insects play key roles in our ecosystems as pollinators, prey, and in some cases, pests. The relative lack of scientific research about moths provides rich opportunities for students to make novel discoveries while learning the practice of science research. Students build DIY blacklight traps, develop research questions and hypotheses, collect data from local habitats, and use technology-enhanced curricular materials to foster collaboration and conduct analyses. Participants at NSTA will see examples and learn to build their own moth traps from 2L soda bottles. They will learn how MothEd is implemented in a classroom by teachers in 1st-8th grade and how students in these classes asked their own questions and discovered their own results from their local habitats. Participants will learn how to run a MothEd unit in their class.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers learn to build moth traps from 2L bottles to engage students in authentic science experiences. They see how MothEd is implemented in a classroom by developing research questions/hypotheses, collecting/analyzing data from local habitats, and fostering collaboration and agency among students.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Keas (Research Associate)

Due to the increasing environmental concerns among consumers, governments worldwide are focusing on adopting clean mobility solutions through alternative fuel. The team decided to gather leftover seeds to extract oils that will serve as our source of FAMEThe team used grape, pumpkin, watermelon, pomegranate, and cactus seed oils as a source of fatty acid methyl esters or biodiesel as an Alternative Biofuel. Results show that all plant seeds are a feasible source of biodiesel, pumpkin. on the other hand, oil from the pumpkin seeds shows remarkable results wherein it produces 100 mL of oil from 500 grams of seeds and it has also the highest height (9 inches) of flame when measured. It was also observed that it easily captured the fire during the flammability test. On the other hand, the team observed that the flame color of most of the biodiesel was orange, except for the grape seed which shows a more yellow flame.

TAKEAWAYS:
Making of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (Biodiesel) Out of Native Plant Seeds

SPEAKERS:
Roy Basa (Zuni Public School District: Zuni, NM)