RCN-UBE Incubator: Incorporating a short but intensive botanical experience into formal college courses to alleviate plant blindness among undergraduate STEM students

“植物盲”是一种认知状况，其中个体无法看到或注意到自己环境中的植物，通常导致无法认识到植物在环境和日常活动中的重要性。 在当今世界，植物盲症处于一个永久的循环中：没有学习植物的儿童成为对环境和自然资源不完全了解的成年人。 此外，这些儿童仍然不知道与植物和植物科学有关的各种职业道路。 解决这种对环境和自然资源缺乏认识的一种方法是提供更多的实践经验，让学生与植物联系起来，了解它们在世界上的重要性。 这项研究计划将汇集13位领先的植物科学家，分享有关当前和潜在植物学经验的信息和想法。 这些科学家将共同设计一系列植物学体验，这些体验可以在各个大学和植物学机构实施，以更好地教育未来的公民了解植物在人类事务中的重要性。 将特别考虑包括关于植物如何参与大多数职业的信息。 这一原始网络将继续发展，并将以植物学为重点的教育工作者联系起来，进一步扩大研究网络，努力开发和推广以植物学为基础的科学教育的最佳实践。本科STEM学生通常不了解植物生命的复杂性，也不了解植物在生态系统功能和人类社会中发挥的动态作用，这种现象被称为“植物盲”。如果不加以控制，植物失明会产生真实的世界性后果，包括由于缺乏公共支持、资源分配或不明智的政策而阻碍有效的植物保护措施。为期一个学期的植物学课程可以帮助缓解植物盲症，但是，如果学生不认为他们的职业选择与植物有关，他们就不太可能选择这样的课程。此外，植物学教育在过去几十年中一直在下降，无论是在教师人数和提供这些课程的大学。因此，有必要提供有效的植物学经验，让学生在植物学课程之外参与，并减轻植物失明，无论学生的职业轨迹如何。 一个建议的解决方案是将更多的植物学实践经验融入入门课程，但理想的植物学经验是什么样子，学生应该从这些经验中获得什么仍然是未知的。这些问题，以及更多，将在十三位领先的植物科学家聚集在一个研讨会上进行研究，该研讨会的重点是减轻植物失明和提高本科生的植物学素养。 具体而言，研讨会的参与者将讨论和明确植物学经验应该包括什么，通过合作分享知识和最佳做法，目前正在他们的家乡机构的植物学经验。 这一原始网络将继续发展，并将以植物学为重点的教育工作者联系起来，进一步扩大研究网络，努力开发和推广以植物学为基础的科学教育的最佳实践。 该项目由生物基础设施部生物科学理事会和本科教育部教育和人力资源理事会共同资助，作为应对本科生物学教育中的愿景和变革所带来的挑战的努力的一部分：行动呼吁（网址：//visionandchange/finalreport/）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，更广泛的影响审查标准。

"Plant blindness" is a cognitive condition in which individuals fail to see or notice the plants in their own environment, often resulting in an inability to recognize the importance of plants in the environment and in everyday activities. In today's world, plant blindness is in a perpetual cycle: children who are not taught about plants become adults with incomplete knowledge about the environment and natural resources. In addition, these children remain unaware of various careers paths relating to plants and plant sciences. One way to address this lack of awareness about the environment and natural resources is by providing more hands-on experiences that allow students to connect with plants and understand their importance in the world. This research proposal will bring together thirteen leading plant scientists to share information and ideas about current and potential botanical experiences. Together, these scientists will design a series of botanical experiences that can be implemented at various universities and botanical institutions as a way to better educate future citizens on the importance of plants in human affairs. Special consideration will be given to including information on how plants are involved in a majority of careers. This original network will continue to grow and to connect botany-focused educators, further broadening the research network working to develop and promote best practices in botany-based science education. Undergraduate STEM students are usually not attuned to the intricacies of plant life, nor the dynamic role plants play in ecosystem function and human society, a phenomenon termed "plant blindness". Left unchecked, plant blindness has real world consequences, including impediment of effective plant conservation measures due to lack of public support, resource allocations, or ill-advised policies. Semester-long botany courses can help alleviate plant blindness, however, students are less likely to choose such a course if they do not perceive their career choices to be somewhat related to plants. Additionally, botany education has been on the decline in the past decades, both in terms of number of faculty members and universities offering these courses. As a result, there is a need to offer effective botanical experiences to engage students outside of a botany course and to alleviate plant blindness regardless of students' career trajectories. One proposed solution is to integrate more hands-on botanical experiences into introductory courses, but what an ideal botanical experience looks like and what students should be expected to take away from these experiences remains unknown. These questions, and more, will be examined when thirteen leading plant scientists convene at a workshop focused on alleviating plant blindness and increasing botanical literacy among undergraduate students. Specifically, workshop participants will discuss and define exactly what a botanical experience should include through collaborative sharing of knowledge and best practices related to botanical experiences currently taking place at their home institution. This original network will continue to grow and to connect botany-focused educators, further broadening the research network working to develop and promote best practices in botany-based science education. This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure, and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.