Adrienne Gorny, Megan Daniels, Maryn Carlson, and Mary McKeller (Cornell SIPS Section of PPPMB) introduced 25 middle school girls to plant disease and pathogen identification during the 2016 “Expanding your Horizons” conference held on campus (April 31 – May 1).
In the workshop, “Somebody call the plant doctor!” 7th-9th grade girls learned about plant pathology, different plant disease symptoms, and “Koch’s Postulates” – the steps with which pathologists confirm what organism is causing a disease. After observing plant infection by the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea, the girls infected healthy plants with B. cinerea from a petri plate so they could observe disease development at home.
The hands-on demonstration of Koch’s Postulates was complemented by a short and entertaining video produced by Megan Daniels with PPPMB grad students Mike Fulcher and Chase Crowell.
(EYH) is a nationwide network that aims to inspire girls to recognize their potential and opportunities in STEM fields. The first Cornell EYH workshop was held in 1988 and has grown to accept over 500 applicants. 34 workshops in a wide variety of STEM fields were offered this year.
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