Interactions between plants, soil, and herbivores can shape plant community dynamics and ecosystem processes. My research addresses gaps in understanding of plant-soil-herbivore interactions in urban woodlands and how to improve critical thinking and literacy about urban woodland ecology through community-engaged learning. I employed greenhouse…

Column chromatography of photosynthetic plant pigments is a common experiment in introductory laboratory courses for science majors and nonscience majors alike. We report a simple, rapid, reproducible, and small-scale solid--liquid extraction of photosynthetic pigments from inexpensive, store-bought dried herbs that affords a dark-green extract…

This article analyses the role of plants in three well publicised Nordic climate fictions for young adults: "Memories of Water" by Emmi Itäranta, originally published in 2012, "The World According to Anna" (2013) by Jostein Gaarder, and "Bouvetøya 2052" (2015) by Lars Maehle. Departing from the wider scholarly field…

A community-engaged learning experiment was developed for an introductory analytical chemistry course at the University of Toronto Scarborough in collaboration with Campus Farm. The experiment introduced students to the application of analytical techniques to studying environmental samples. More specifically, students investigated the potential of…

The aroma volatile compounds in tomatoes are strongly linked to taste and flavor. Commercial tomato varieties, however, generally lack flavor. Tomato breeding programs have therefore started to focus on increasing the flavor-enhancing volatiles, which can be more easily altered than the sugar content. Analytical efforts that identify key flavor…

It is critical to develop students' science communication skills as they progress through their education. One way this goal can be accomplished is by integrating Flip into educational programs. Through Flip educators create prompts that students respond to in video form, which leads to deeper discussion on various topics. This brief will share an…

"Invasive" species are generally viewed with contempt. Yet many Indigenous peoples have more nuanced approaches to newcomer species informed by kinship relations, and some ecologists suggest that ecosystems have always been dynamic and these species occasionally play beneficial roles in their new homes. A critical and decolonial…

While computer animations have the potential to assist learners in understanding difficult concepts and eliminating misconceptions, studies supporting this claim are scarce. This study investigated how the 7E instructional model integrated with computer animations affected students' conceptual understanding and misconceptions about food making and…

For plant identification in school biology, many digital and analogue identification methods have been developed to make this demanding and little motivating process more student-orientated. In this experimental field study, we examine two empirically developed tools: the digital identification app "ID-Logics' and the paper-based key,…

Although young children in Early childhood education (ECE) in Australia are often involved in learning in outdoor natural environments, research on their knowledge and attitudes towards plants is limited. Botanical literacies in young children involve developing knowledge and curiosity about plants, formulating questions about plants, and…

It was purposed in this study to reveal the trend in the relevant field by making a bibliometric evaluation of the educational research articles published on botanic gardens, national parks, and natural monuments in the Web of Science (WoS) database. Within the scope of quantitative methodology, the bibliometrics was applied in the study. The data…

This paper uses ethnography to explore an outdoor, arts-based intervention run by Urban Wilderness, in partnership with an English primary school. Urban Wilderness are a not-for-profit organisation which aims to connect children and young people from disadvantaged areas to locally accessible nature. Over the course of three afternoon workshops,…

This article examines how students' botanical knowledge and interest in plants can be increased in order to counteract "plant blindness", which is a phenomenon describing the lack of people's awareness of plants. Since recent studies point to a continuous decline of students' interest in biology, especially in botany, during secondary…

While the use of ICT technologies in biology lessons is becoming more pronounced, it is not yet the case for those related to the use of advanced technologies. In this article, we focus on the use of an infrared camera for developing applications in biology. Infrared thermal imaging has become increasingly affordable, and it is now time for…

This essay offers an organizational critique based on ongoing observations and reflections from a two-year process of establishing collective gardens that honor Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Key findings include illuminating interconnected relationships among plants, animals, and people living near one another, new meanings of power, and why…