US (FL): School bus transformed into mobile orchid lab
Outfitted with specialized laboratory equipment (including two laminar flow hoods, an autoclave, reverse osmosis water, photovoltaic power, a generator, air conditioning, refrigeration, laboratory plumbing, electricity and safety equipment), this lab is nearly ready to hit the streets. Making its debut at Fairchild 14th Annual Orchid Festival in March, visitors got the opportunity to tour the facility and consider the future of plant science and conservation.
Beginning Fall 2016, this fully functioning botany lab will be traveling to some of Miami-Dade County’s most under-resourced middle schools, providing them with the opportunity to actively participate in meaningful STEM research with local conservation implications, through Fairchild’s Million Orchid Project.
Students will plant and transplant orchid seeds in sterile conditions aboard the STEMLab, nurture orchid seedlings in mini botany labs housed in their classroom and collect and analyze the data. As the orchids grow, students will plant them in trees around their schools, where growth and ecological interactions can be monitored.
For more information:
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
www.fairchildgarden.org
