Breakfast of Science Champions, an annual STEM engagement event, brings together centers, departments and other organizations across campus to provide hands-on science experiences for middle school students. This program is a partnership between The Ohio State University and Columbus City Schools. The Center for Applied Plant Sciences (CAPS) and the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (ABRC) have served as a program host site since 2012. During their visit to CAPS and ABRC, students tour our laboratories and growth facilities, meet faculty, staff and graduate students, and participate in plant science investigations.
This one-day event brings hundreds of students from more than a dozen schools to campus each year. A variety units across campus come together to serve as host sites, with dozens of faculty, staff and graduate students facilitating the program. In 2016, CAPS and ABRC took a lead role in organizing the event when Courtney Price, Education and Outreach Specialist, served on the program planning committee. Since that time, the administration of the program has shifted to the Office of Outreach and Engagement.
Breakfast of Science Champions is one of many initiatives that make up CAPS’ and ABRC’s education and outreach efforts. We welcome the opportunity to raise awareness about the important role plants play in our daily lives, while hopefully inspiring the scientists of tomorrow to consider plant science as a career.