MSU Science Festival promotes plant propagation

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Kaishi Chhabra

Katherine Hagman gave a welcome speech to attendees at Lansing Brewing Company.

For its Science Festival month, Michigan State University hosted a plant-breeding event at Lansing Brewing Company on April 8. Students and local residents learned about the benefits of working with plants and how to grow a plant collection through propagation.

Bethany Troy from the MSU Department of Horticulture led the presentation and explained the benefits of plants and their relationship to humans. Troy was approached by a friend that works with the MSU Science Festival to speak at “Plants, Propagation, and You!”

“I just want to reach out to people,” said Troy, perennial garden manager, “to help inspire them to maybe start a plant collection at home that could help them improve their lifestyle a little bit.”

Kaishi Chhabra

Plant propagation hosted by MSU Science Festival at Lansing Brewing Company.

Troy also talked about plants’ role in reducing technostress, a psychosomatic illness caused by working with computer technology on a daily basis. Physiological anthropology studies have proven interaction with indoor plants, compared with mental work, can reduce stress.

“This event is all about the ways that interacting with plants and gardening can have a positive effect in your life,” said Katherine Hagman, assistant coordinator at MSU Science Festival.

Hagman said one of MSU Science Festival’s missions is to educate the public on ways and role STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts & Mathematics) disciplines play in everyday life and the skills that will shape the future.

Kaishi Chhabra

Johnson attended “Plants, Propagation and You!” at Lansing Brewing Company

“Science is all around us,” said Roxanne Truhn, coordinator of MSU Science Festival. “We want to make people aware that science is everywhere around us. So this event is a way to show people how common science is by learning how to breed their house plants.”

Elizabeth Johnson attended the event with her friend Kanna Lehmann, a Lansing resident. They were interested to know the effects of plants in daily life. Lehmann is excited to know more about the horticulture.

“I’m new to Lansing,” Johnson said. “I moved here recently so I’m definitely going to go and check out the horticulture gardens at MSU sometime during the Science Festival.”

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