The Collegian

Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: News

The new Hillsdale College greenhouse, built during reconstruction of the science buildings in 2008, offers students many opportunities, especially with features that the old greenhouse did not have.

The new greenhouse is larger, has greater air circulation and a separate workroom, said acting Biology Department Chairman Ranessa Cooper. It also can be set to automatically control temperature and shading.

Cooper said the greenhouse contains plants she can use to teach students in her botany classes.

"The plants we grow in there [are from] many major plant groups," Cooper said. "There are plants that showcase plant evolution, and plants known for certain characteristics."

Among these plant groups, the greenhouse features a species of plants that existed during the time of the dinosaurs, and "a plant that flowers and smells like a rotting corpse," Cooper said.

Although constructed for biology majors, Cooper said the door to the greenhouse is always open for students who want to explore.

Cooper said some students have even brought their sick plants into the greenhouse in attempts to save them, and that President Larry Arnn's wife Penny even brings her orchids in for "what she calls a 'spa treatment.'"

Senior Emily Walsh, who worked full time for the greenhouse over the summer, is not a biology major, but enjoys spending time there.

Walsh learned how to diagnose and care for common plant problems such as white flies and scales, which she said are "little bugs that look like turtle shells that stick to plants and suck the nutrients out."

Cooper said she is very grateful for the greenhouse not only for the science students, but also for students like Walsh, who have become more interested in science because of it.

"Emily wasn't a science person, but she embraced it, and started growing her own herbs," Cooper said.

She said she enjoys watching students get interested in plants. Beyond the interest it sparked in her for gardening, Walsh enjoys the ambiance.

"It's my favorite job I've had on campus, and I've had a lot of jobs on campus," Walsh said. "I can come in here and just put on music and work. It's therapeutic."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools