Students’ love of Biology grows atop science building

DECATUR Biology major Jessica Kerr is gaining ground on an environmental enigma unique to the Midwest.

The Millikin University junior is doing it by growing a garden project atop the Leighty-Tabor Science Center, thereby restoring part of the land taken out of production by the building, standing as it does on some of the richest soil on the planet.

But because the Midwest is also home to some of the world's greatest weather extremes, often only amplified by elevation, her challenge is to discover which plants will survive and the minimum amount of soil (a special, lightweight medium) needed to produce acceptable results.

Sedums are supposed to be the ones that take to roof life the best, so it's kind of a bummer ours didn't come out like we expected, Kerr said. As you can see, the Vera Jameson is dead, and the Angelina's nowhere to be seen.

We're not so sure the pigeons didn't have something to do with that, biology Professor Judy Parrish quickly added.

That disappointment aside, Kerr's research project is already producing data in the form of a paper she just completed as Leighty Scholar and will continue to do so as her James Millikin Scholar project until she graduates.

Initial results are that the black-eyed susans, purple coneflowers and the blue grama grass she planted in June did well enough, regardless of soil depth, but yields from the cherry tomatoes, bush beans and snow peas were significantly better with more soil.

Kerr said the peas wouldn't even grow in 3 to 4 inches of rooflite as compared to 7 to 8 inches. The sun fried their roots, she said.

Over the next several months, it will be important to see how well the native prairie perennials overwinter.

For the summer, however, the science center roof essentially became Kerr's home away from home.

Read more:
Students' love of Biology grows atop science building