Glencairn Elementary School brought science to their students in East Lansing last week when they held their annual Science Night.  This event brings together different members of the science community to showcase to students how science is an integral part of our lives. 

For the second year in a row, the Plant Metabolic Network (PMN) attended the event with a booth run by PMN director Dr. Charles Hawkins. The purpose of this booth was to give students and their families hands-on experience learning about how the smells of fruits and other plants are caused by chemistry and metabolism. 

At the booth titled “Why Do Bananas Smell so A-Peeling,” Dr. Hawkins brought back our most popular activity leading students in a guessing game where they matched scents to their plants of origin. This activity teaches students about how the different molecules produced by plants give each of them their distinct smell. 

These young scientists had the opportunity to see and touch 3-D models of the molecules that produce each smell, and could sort through each model to identify their favorite scent! Before they left the booth, they were able to choose between different fruit-scented stickers that they could take home with them to remember their experience at Science Night. 

Members of PMN love getting to work with the community to educate on the complexity and captivating nature of plant metabolism. To continue their public outreach this year, PMN will run a booth at the MSU SciFest on Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6 from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM. The booth will be located at the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility Room 2202.

We’d love to bring PMN to your future science events! If you’re interested in hosting PMN, please contact us using our contact page on the website.