Sharing the secrets of leaves

A few weeks ago our lab participated in ASU’s Open Door outreach event, sharing our research with families and children throughout the region. Here are a few photos of our team in action!

Our biggest draw was our leaf tensiometer, which we use for studying the mechanical properties of plants (like force to tear). We brought branches of a range of desert and campus species for people to experiment with. More than a few leaves were sacrificed for the cause.

We also brought along some microscopes to examine the branching patterns of leaf veins using some of our research samples for ongoing desert studies – these were a big hit as well!

Thanks to all our dedicated lab members for committing their weekend to communicating the excitement of what we do to the public – and thanks to postdoc Dr. Pierre Gaüzère for the photographs.