With equipment procured through this project, new laboratory exercises using plant cell and tissue culture are being introduced into courses in botany and cell biology. These exercises expose students to an important area of the plant sciences which currently is making significant contributions to the field of biotechnology. Students use techniques such as phase and fluorescence microscopy to follow the stages of development as isolated, individual plant cells are induced to produce new tissue, and eventually to give rise to whole new plants. This process vividly demonstrates to students the excitement of working with plant systems and stimulates interest in further work in the plant sciences -- an area into which additional women need to be recruited. The project holds promise for developing into a model that could be adopted widely in other institutions. The grantee institution is matching the NSF award with an equal sum obtained from non-Federal sources.
