A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION Woodland Hills, California
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Volume 142 - Issue 14
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Wednesday, December 11, 2024
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Sowing the seeds of opportunities
Plant science students showcase projects to industry advisory board By Gerardo Escobar Campus Life Editor
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lumps of soil mixed with seeds and water were rolled into spheres, which resembled little chocolate balls. Although small, these seed balls play a big role in restoring the native plant population in the Sepulveda Basin. Seed ball making was one of the activities at the Pierce College Plant Science Student Showcase, which was held in the Multipurpose Room of the Agriculture Building on Wednesday, Dec. 4. California Native Plant Society volunteer George Woddell explained that due to the Sepulveda Basin being used for farming, many native plant species were removed. The objective of the seed balls is to increase the biodiversity of
indigenous plants that were lost when the land was farmed, by mixing the soil with the seeds of native plant species. “Because we came in and changed the environment here, it’s not native anymore,” Woddell said. “Therefore, if we want to have the presence of native birds, native lizards, and so forth, they need [the] support of native plants.” The seed balls will be dried out in the sun and the seeds will remain viable for years. Once they are distributed in the ground, the seeds will react with rain or even fires and will sprout. According to Professor of Plant Science Savanah Senn, the purpose of the showcase was to allow agriculture students to present the projects they had worked on from the past six months to a year, which was attended by members of the
department’s industry advisory board. She also wanted to give the students a forum. “We had the idea of bringing in the students to show their work to the industry board, maybe opening up some opportunities for jobs or internships, getting some feedback,” Senn said. The showcase included slideshows that covered a range of topics such as the uses of stinging nettle, which is common on the Pierce campus, and information on the arborist certification requirements. Horticulture major Les Vion, who also started this semester with the Federal Work-Study program and tutors for the soils and introduction to botany classes, worked on a plant science project. “We were using samples from the Rodale farm,” Vion said. “It’s neat because it’s an ongoing
Karla Delgado / Roundup News Stephanie Acosta Reyes, Chyanne Melgar and George Waddell work together to make seed balls at the Plant Science Showcase at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 4, 2024.
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Karla Delgado / Roundup News Xochitl Estrada rinses the dirt off of the stem leaves with a solution of water at the Plant Science Showcase at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 4, 2024. project and it’s actually using data that we’re collecting from the field in order to better inform us as to what the differences are between traditional farming, regenerative or organic farming.” The showcase included demonstrations about plant tissue culture, where plants, organs and explants, which are cuttings from a mother plant, is grown in a sterile environment, according to biotechnology student Xochitl Estrada. “We gathered a mother plant,” Estrada said. “You want to choose healthy plants, some that are not eaten by insects and you’re going to take cuttings from them. Once you take cuttings, you’re going to put them in a bleach solution to clean them out.” The plants are then placed in a flow hood that filters about 99% of air pollutants. Explants
are then taken and instead of being grown in soil, are placed in a medium that consists of agar, sugar, activated charcoal, and menadione sodium bisulfite (MSB) which provides the vitamins essential to the plant, according to Estrada. The process resulted in mostly healthy plants that had grown out of a translucent gel-like base that also made the plant’s root system visible. Senn said that the showcase was aimed not just at students but also the off-campus community. “Hopefully that it will inspire others, either to start a project of their own, whether it’s in their own backyard or maybe to take a class and start a project with the program,” Senn said. Photo editor Karla Delgado contributed to this story.
CAMPUS LIFE
CAMPUS LIFE
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