May 17, 2019
Kathrin Schrick publishes paper about facilitating science workshops at KAWSE's camps
Kathrin Schrick, associate professor of biology, and her research group published a paper in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education describing the hands-on workshop they have facilitated for the last four years for the Kansas State Office for the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering, or KAWSE's program for middle school students, known as Girls Researching Our World, or GROW.
"I first got interested in the GROW workshop as a form of outreach to get girls excited about plant biochemistry," Schrick said.
The idea behind the activity called "Making glue from seeds and gums" is to have the students observe seed mucilage, a sticky substance that seeds naturally produce. The mucilage protects the seeds from drying out as they germinate.
The students also make an edible glue as part of the activity.
"It's a fascinating example of how a natural product is applied in industry," Schrick said.
This year, KAWSE's three-day, two-night summer camp for middle school and high school students will be June 5-7.
Read more information about the camp. The last day to register students for the camp is Friday, May 17.