17 November 2006

Welcome to the rainforest

Photo Opportunity: Saturday November 18th, 11 am, Visitor Centre, Botanic Garden
(on arrival, contact Lesley Anderson in the Visitors Centre (tel: 01382 381190)

The secrets of the rainforest will be unlocked for a group of Tayside school pupils at the University of Dundee Botanic Garden this Saturday (November 18th).

The pupils will discover some of the secrets of the rainforest and the many benefits humans gain from plants at "Welcome to the Rainforest and Plants for People", the third in a series of four Royal Society of Edinburgh Masterclasses organised by the College of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee.

The masterclass will be led by Alasdair Hood, Curator and Neil Paterson, Education Officer at the Botanic Garden.

`Welcome to the Rainforest’ will introduce the pupils to the connections between geography, physical climate and the biodiversity of the tropical rainforests of the world, through the bewildering variety of plants that can be seen in the Botanic Garden glasshouse.

In the session `Plants for People’ the pupils will identify 40 plants from around the world used by humans for food, construction, medicine, even sewage treatment, look at their geographical origins and how we use them, plus be encouraged to consider the implications of transporting crops over huge distances.

The RSE Masterclasses are offered to S1 and S2 pupils from schools across Dundee, Tayside and Perth & Kinross who have shown an enthusiasm and flair for science and technology. Pupils have the opportunity to benefit from exposure to the inspiration of experts at the University, and the opportunity to roll-up their sleeves and take-on practical, hands-on challenges.

For further information on the Masterclasses, please contact Emma Faragher, Education Assistant, RSE, on 0131 240 5000.

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk