Escola de Ciências da Universidade do Minho joins this celebration of the fascination of plants, with a diversified program of activities, prepared to bring the wonderful world of plants to pre-school, elementary and high school students, as well as to the general public.
The youngest will be able to participate in the contest ‘Who can bloom better?‘, with creative works that illustrate all the beauty, diversity and magic of flowers. These works will be the object of a virtual exhibition, which will be premiered on the International Day of Fascination for Plants.
The program for the day also includes: the SolanArt virtual gallery, with illustrations representing species of the botanical family Solanaceae, present in the Portuguese and/or Brazilian flora; the sculpture exhibition ‘The Book: an obsolete illusory‘, with works that the pre-school children of the Colégio D. Pedro V (Braga) produced, based on a reflection on the importance of trees as raw material in the origin of the book; the virtual exhibition ‘Looms of Nature’, prepared by students of pre-school education and 1st cycle of the same school, presenting a selection of works of art that will be displayed in the virtual gallery; and also the stage reading of ‘Harvested Leaves‘, performed by the students and 4th grade teacher, also from Colégio D. Pedro V, with illustrations developed with eco-art techniques using sustainable natural materials such as earth, stone, leaves or branches.
But there’s more! High school students will learn that there is a diversity of microorganisms growing inside plants and their importance, as well as how to distinguish species with male and female flowers and the importance of the study of genes in understanding the reproductive success and productivity of these species. For the students of the 1st and 2nd cycle, the difference between the “bad” microbes, which cause plant diseases and are often visible on fruit, and the “good” microbes in agriculture will be explained. At the end of the afternoon, the lecture ‘Plants on…TOP!‘, with Isabel Aguiar Pinto Mina, professor at the Department of Biology of the School of Sciences of UMinho, will address the importance of plants in natural terrestrial landscapes and the contribution that green coverings may provide in the naturalization of urban landscapes.
More information here:
https://www.ecum.uminho.pt/pt/Sociedade/Paginas/Dia-Internacional-do-Fascinio-das-Plantas-2021.aspx