Panels and Plants Chapter 1: Bryophytes

<p>    This project is an educational comic-activity book that is meant to introduce plant biology and taxonomy to students with a high-school level understanding of biology through the lens of herbarium collections. This first chapter, about bryophytes, is an introduction to the field of plant biology and plant specimen collection. There will be a total of four chapters in the series (Bryophytes, Lycophytes and Monilophytes, Gymnosperms, and Angiosperms), with the latter three currently in production. <br /> This project utilizes a comic format to help students better visualize and connect with the content as opposed to standard text. Interactive specimen collections and activities are included in this book - see the respective sections for detailed information. The Michigan State University Herbarium values educational outreach and creates opportunities for the public to learn about the importance of herbaria and spread awareness about plant biodiversity.</p> <p>    This project also addresses plant awareness disparity, which is a term that describes society's tendency to overlook plants in the environment, leading to a lack of appreciation of the value, importance, and presence of plants. This can have negative consequences for botanical and ecological conservation efforts. Introducing plant biology education through visual media and storytelling is a method of combatting plant awareness disparity in teenage and young adult students.</p> <p>    This project is a collaboration between the Michigan State University Herbarium and Fluffy Little Fern, illustrator and plant biologist. Shreya Balla, the artist behind Fluffy Little Fern, is finishing her degree in Environmental Biology/Plant Biology at MSU. She is an artist and illustrator from southeast Michigan. This project is part of her internship through the Herbarium, and she wrote and illustrated this educational comic book to promote students’ knowledge and interest about plant biology. Herbaria are collections of pressed and preserved plants across space and time. The MSU Herbarium documents biodiversity of plants and fungi for research, education, and outreach, and their team preserves, conserves, and organizes over 500,000 specimens in Michigan State’s Department of Plant Biology. If you have feedback about this project, please email us at the addresses found on the websites listed below.</p> <p>If you would like to learn more about the MSU Herbarium, visit https://herbarium.natsci.msu.edu/</p> <p>View and support Fluffy Little Fern’s work here: https://www.shreyaballa.art/</p>