Generous donation allows for the acquisition of three stereo microscopes used for identification exercises with plants, insects, and other small life forms
21.06.2010
The Sibylle Kalkhof-Rose Foundation has provided a generous donation of €10,000 for the purchase of high-quality microscopes, so-called stereo microscopes or binoculars, for the Green School in the Botanic Garden at Mainz University to implement the projects planned for the Green School. These microscopes are required for identification exercises with plants, insects, and other small life forms. They are also to be used to investigate anatomical adaptations of plants, to observe the biological structure of blossoms, and to conduct other exciting experiments, for example with carnivorous plants. The funds provided by the Sibylle Kalkhof-Rose Foundation allow the purchase of the first three stereo microscopes. "We are particularly grateful for the very generous support of the Sibylle Kalkhof-Rose Foundation. The very high demand for the services of the Green School shows that such involvement is worthwhile and has a sustainable effect on Mainz and the region," emphasizes Dr. Ralf Omlor, the curator of the Botanic Garden at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
The Green School in the Botanic Garden is a new educational facility that is currently unique in Germany. Last year, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz - together with a generous private donor and with the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Science, Youth, and Culture in Rhineland-Palatinate - built a modern training and seminar building in the Botanic Garden that has been used to serve the transfer of knowledge to a wide spectrum of users since the spring of 2010. The focus is on a program the content and didactics of which are adapted for school education. The practically oriented and interdisciplinary learning opportunity is intended to stimulate the interest of children and adolescents in nature and science from early on and to generate interest in studying. Furthermore, the Green School also provides training courses aimed at teachers. This extends the intercommunication of Mainz University with the schools in the region. An essential concern of the Green School is to raise the awareness for the meaning of biological variety for our lives.This is an important social challenge, given the problems of climate change and the global biodiversity crisis. It exceeds the core responsibilities of the university and requires committed partners.