First STEM Workshop, April 6, 2013

"A STEM Workshop on Pollen and Reproductive Biology was held on April 6, 2013, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst by A. Cheung and her colleagues Hen-Ming Wu and Yan-jiao Zou. It was a ¾ day long workshop and part of a UMASS STEM lecture/workshop series and attended by 23 middle and high-school teachers. The workshop included introductory level lectures and experimental aspects of pollen biology. Teachers carried out pollination and pollen tube growth-related exercises, observed them under different kinds of microscopy methods. Protocols -- abstracted from the protocol book developed for the Short Pollen Course sponsored by the RCN, were distributed, video links were provided for the teachers’ use. Teachers were also urged to maintain contact for assistance to set up laboratory exercises for their students. “Care baskets” for what they need to set up these experiments are promised any time there is a need. Opportunities for teacher summer internships were announced.