The new Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center at the Chicago Botanic Garden not only gives garden visitors a new understanding of plant biology, but also fosters research on saving endangered plant species and the effect of global warming on plants around the world.
Scientists work in conjunction with a Ph.D. program through nearby Northwestern University, the only doctoral program strictly devoted to plant conservation.
Table of Contents
Where does cinnamon come from? Or cloves? Find out by playing a game of Grocery Store Botany, one of the interactive exhibits at the Plant Conservation Science Center at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Ill.
This new element to the garden experience opened in September, 2009, with nine laboratories where scientists study plant biology and conservation, such as DNA fingerprinting of plants and global warming. They store seeds collected from Midwest prairies in a Seed Bank where minus 6-degree temperatures keep them for 200 years, helping to prevent them from going extinct.
From the gallery, visitors peer into the labs to watch scientists at work. Flat-screen monitors and sliding panels explain what’s going on and teach plant conservation. ‚”Wild Pharmacy” conveys the need to conserve plants and wildflowers used in medications that fight cancer, heart attacks, dementia and other diseases.
The interactive game, ‚”A Day Without Plants,” takes participants into a kitchen where the kids are busy at the table while dad works at the sink. Touch the table or the kitchen cabinets on the screen and find out what plant they came from and what the kitchen looks like without them. By the end of the game, the kitchen is ‚”virtually” empty.
‚”These state-of-the-art interpretations are something we haven’t had before at the garden,” says Dr. Greg Mueller, vice president of academic affairs and science. ‚”They’re a novel way for families to understand science and the important work that needs to be done.”
They also might inspire a budding scientist. The monitors access videos made by the scientists working in the labs behind them. They’re intended to show them as real people, not mysteries in lab coats ‚”so kids understand that it’s fun and cool to be a scientist,” says Mueller.
Upstairs, visitors have access to two Green Roof Gardens where 320 plant varieties grow and solar panels turn sunshine into electricity. Exhibits explain the energy-saving benefits of green roofs. The entire science center has a gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Chicago Botanic Garden is located in suburban Glencoe, Ill., north of Chicago, at 1000 Lake Cook Road and is one of the nation’s most popular public botanic gardens. There is no admission charge for the garden or the science center, but parking costs $20 per car.
Most homeowners have probably spent hours looking at the different types of garden seeders. You may have even come across…
When it comes to vehicle lovers, cleaning their cars on a regular basis is essential to maintaining the paint job's…
Gas chainsaws are the perfect tool for a variety of outdoor tasks, including chopping up logs for firewood, clearing brush…
A home can be a daunting project, one that takes some time and energy to maintain. With hard work, determination,…
Today ginger is grown all over tropical and subtropical regions in Asia, in parts of Africa and South America, and…
Onions are one of the most popular vegetables in the world, and growing onions is a snap in the home…