STEM

What’s Growing Inside the Life Sciences Greenhouse?

Wednesday, February 12, 2014, By Keith Kobland

What’s growing inside the greenhouse atop the Life Sciences Complex in the middle of winter? More than you might expect.

Biology Greenhouse from Syracuse University News on Vimeo.

(video transcription below)

Keith Kobland, SU News: In the dead of winter, it is a beacon of life. It may be freezing outside, but inside, it’s a different story. Kari Segraves is an associate professor in biology and studies the relationship between living organisms.

Kari Segraves: The idea is that we would have one room that would be used primarily for research and having plants that were genetically modified, potentially, and doing very specific types of experiments in. And then to have another set of rooms where we could also have teaching facilities.

Keith Kobland, SU News: Segraves took us on a tour of the biology greenhouse, located on the fifth floor of the Life Sciences complex. There are some constants here. The hum of the lights for instance, and the presence of a wide variety of greenery. Here we have yucca plants and next door—green grass. But it’s not just plants growing here. There are other living creatures too…

Kari Segraves: What’s kind of funny about this greenhouse, is that while we grow—greenhouses are design for plants—but we also grow a lot of insects in this greenhouse. So there are at least two different researchers right now who are studying insects in this space as well.

Keith Kobland, SU News: And interestingly enough it’s not the cold that presents the greatest problems here.

Kari Segraves: The outside conditions, especially during the summer, can be problematic. The warmer it is outside, the harder it is to keep the space cool. You’re talking about a glass house with the sun beating down on it. This facility is absolutely critical. We have a lot of people in our department who study plants, and in different ways so from genetics to ecology and evolution and there’s no way we could do our research without having a space like this.

Keith Kobland, SU News: A space like this: an oasis of green in a sea of white. Keith Kobland, SU News.