Lakota Ethnobotany for South Dakota Middle School Students

In this engaging lesson, students use mobile apps to identify local plant species in their school yards, along nature trails, or in any designated areas on the reservation. They will document the common names and morphological characteristics of the identified plants, explore native names, and uses, as well as the roles of plants in biogeochemical cycles. This immersive experience not only deepens students’ interest in science but also allows them to understand the bigger role of plants in the natural balance, enhancing their appreciation of the deeper connections between the Lakota culture and plant species

Lakota Ethnobotany for the First Graders

In this lesson, students explore the Ethnobotany of the Lakota people, learning about the deep connection between the Lakota culture and native plants. Through a Schoolyard Walk or a Nature Walk, they observe and learn the Lakota names of three plants, their uses and importance to the Lakota people. Students engage in discussions and storytelling, understanding how these plants are like friends to the Lakota, serving various purposes such as in ceremonies or as food sources. The hands-on craft activity allows them to express what they learn by coloring plant parts and conceptualizing the life cycle of a plant. Overall, students gain insights into the harmonious relationship between the Lakota people and the plant kingdom, fostering an appreciation of the indigenous knowledge toward sustainable use of available plant resources

Teaching Natural and Artificial Selection in Production Agriculture

In this lesson, students will learn how natural selection and artificial selection impact both production agriculture and biological sciences. A natural selection is a mechanism that favors heritable traits that increase species survival and reproduction. Artificial selection is a selective breeding, where humans select for desirable traits in agricultural products

Using Publicly Available GenBank Data to Teach Plant Phylogeny in High School Classrooms

In this teaching module, students will learn about NCBI GenBank, search for DNA/protein sequences from multiple plant species of a gene that encodes Rubisco enzyme, construct and interpret a phylogenetic tree, and discuss traits that allowed plants to adapt their life on land

The role of the project manager as a champion of construction innovation

Master'sMASTER OF SCIENCE (BUILDING

Systematics and reproductive biology of the genus Morus L. (Moraceae)

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of BiologyCarolyn J. FergusonMorus L. (Moraceae) is a temperate and subtropical genus of ten to 15 species distributed in Asia, Africa, Europe, North, Central and South America. Despite its broad distribution and economic importance, it has received little attention from systematic botanists. Two species of this genus, the native M. rubra and the exotic M. alba, co-occur in eastern North America including the Flint Hills region of the Central Plains. In my dissertation research, I have conducted both species level and population level studies to obtain insights into the diversification of Morus. At the species level, my objectives were to re-evaluate the taxonomy and reconstruct the phylogeny of Morus. Based on herbarium and literature study as well as some field study, I recognize 13 species: eight species occurring in Asia, one in Africa and four in the New World. I used sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA and the trnL-trnF region of the chloroplast DNA to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Morus. The phylogenies were congruent and indicate a) a monophyletic core group of Morus with two well-supported geographical clades (one containing Asian taxa and one of New World taxa); and b) that Morus, as currently circumscribed, is non-monophyletic. At the population level, I studied sex expression pattern variation between the Morus native-exotic pair in the Flint Hills region, and assessed hybridization between these species at Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS). Both species are subdioecious, and Flint Hills populations exhibit significantly male-biased sex ratios, with sex expression being size independent. Approximately 10% of individuals of each species changed sex annually. In the population study at KPBS, I applied randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and microsatellites. The Morus species were moderately ([Theta]II = 0.079; RAPD data) to highly differentiated genetically (F[subscript]ST = 0.233; microsatellite data). Analysis of genetic structure suggested interspecific gene flow and indicated the presence of later generation hybrids. The presence of the exotic congener may affect the existence and genetic integrity of the native species. Overall, these studies contribute to our understanding of diversity in this interesting plant study system

Parliamentary Procedure Interactive Notebook

These resources were developed as an undergraduate student research experience. During the summer and fall of 2018, the Agricultural Education faculty in the Department of Teaching, Learning & Leadership recruited teachers and students to pilot and suggest revisions to these resources and to report their effectiveness in promoting engagement and learning of Parliamentary Procedure. This item contains three downloadable files. Student and teacher notebooks are designed to be printed on 8.5 x14 pages in booklet format. The cutouts are on standards letter size paper

Using Drones for Precision Agriculture

In this teaching module, students will learn what Precision Agriculture is and how to apply drone into Precision Agriculture practices. To use data (images) taken by drone, students will learn the basic theory of Remote Sensing. Using images, students learn how to make NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) maps and how to apply drone (remote sensing technique) in agriculture

Introduction to Soil Health for High School Students

Growing food from soil is a basic and important work to continue supporting the growing human population. Producing more foods and producing healthy food are challenging tasks, because producing foods use soil nutrients but can deplete the soil. This can adversely affect the natural balance. If the soil is healthy, we will not only increase production but also grow healthy food. This class is a starting point for learning about Soil Health – where students will learn about how the soil functions and how it directly influences the food we grow. In summary, it is all about striking the right balance and understanding the magic that happens beneath our feet in the world of soil and food production

Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of a Novel Virulent Klebsiella Phage Kp_Pokalde_002 in a Mouse Model

Published: 16 August 2021Phage therapy is one of the most promising alternatives to antibiotics as we face global antibiotic resistance crisis. However, the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of phage therapy are largely unknown. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the PK/PD of a locally isolated virulent novel øKp_Pokalde_002 (Podoviridae, C1 morphotype) that infects carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp56) using oral and intraperitoneal (IP) route in a mouse model. The result showed that the øKp_Pokalde_002 rapidly distributed into the systemic circulation within an hour via both oral and IP routes. A higher concentration of phage in plasma was found after 4 h (2.3 x 105 PFU/ml) and 8 h (7.3 x 104 PFU/ml) of administration through IP and oral route, respectively. The phage titer significantly decreased in the blood and other tissues, liver, kidneys, and spleen after 24 h and completely cleared after 72 h of administration. In the Kp56 infection model, the bacterial count significantly decreased in the blood and other organs by 4–7 log10 CFU/ml after 24 h of øKp_Pokalde_002 administration. Elimination half-life of øKp_Pokalde_002 was relatively shorter in the presence of host-bacteria Kp56 compared to phage only, suggesting rapid clearance of phage in the presence of susceptible host. Further, administration of the øKp_Pokalde_002 alone in healthy mice (via IP or oral) did not stimulate pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-a and IL-6). Also, treatment with øKp_Pokalde_002 resulted in a significant reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-a and IL-6) caused by bacterial infection, thereby reducing the tissue inflammation. In conclusion, the øKp_Pokalde_002 possess good PK/PD properties and can be considered as a potent therapeutic candidate for future phage therapy in carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infections.Gunaraj Dhungana, Roshan Nepal, Madhav Regmi and Rajani Mall