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Michigan Math & Science Scholars prepare a tree branch to learn about how trees move water from the soil into the atmosphere. |
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Michigan Math & Science Scholars prepare a tree branch to learn about how trees movewater from the soil into the atmosphere. |
The Michigan Math and Science Scholars program offers a pre-college experience that exposes students to a breadth of curricula offered at the University of Michigan while introducing high school students to current developments and research in the sciences. The program is open to any high school rising sophomore, junior or, senior from around the world. Three 2-week sessions are offered; students are given the opportunity to attend one or two sessions. Read more about the program here.
On Wed., July 5, David was in the lab and out in the field teaching the students about leaf transpiration. We asked the students for their reactions to the leaf transpiration lab experiment. Many hadn’t heard about it before and were surprised and intrigued by the problem of extrapolating the surface area of the leaves of an entire tree from a single branch—among other problems—to determine how much water is being returned to the atmosphere. “I’ve studied it in class before but this is the first time I’ve seen a real-life demonstration of the process, so it’s pretty cool to see how it works” said one student from Washington, DC.
Students learn to develop basic skills in plant recognition and identification that they can transfer to other terrestrial communities. The course addresses questions about the current vegetation, its stability over time and its future prospects. Practical insights into the realities of biological conservation are gained as students study how we can manage species and landscapes for future generations. At the end of the course, students will have a conceptual skill set that helps them assess how stable and disturbed the “natural” areas are near their home, “and prepares them to put instructors on the spot in college classes to come,” David adds.