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Clip: Season 7 Episode 17 | 7m 12s | Video has closed captioning.
A hidden gem at Ohio State University, the Biological Sciences Greenhouse, is tucked away on the top floor of the 12th Avenue parking deck. Producer Leticia Wiggins checks in on some of their exciting ecological collections, along with finding out more about their status as a learning lab on campus.
Aired: 03/16/23
>> EMILY AND DAVID IT'S WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU BOTH TODAY, I WANT TO START BY ASKING WHERE ARE WE WHITE NOW?
>> WE ARE ON THE MEDICAL TEAM AT OSU, WE ARE ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR OF THE 10th AVENUE ORIGINAL VISITOR PARKING FOR PARKING GARAGE WHICH IS THE THE HOSPITAL, OR THE MAIN HOSPITAL.
>> THAT'S GOT TO BE A SURPRISE SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN UP HERE, SOME PEOPLE COME THROUGH.
>> NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW WE ARE UP HERE, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE WALKED EITHER UP AND DOWN 12 AVENUE OR JOHN HERRICK DRIVE.
TOTALLY MISSED US WAY UP AT THE TOP, IT IS A HIDDEN GEM.
>> WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP DOING?
WITH THE STATE, WHAT ARE YOU >> WE DO OUTREACH, WE HAVE PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT COME IN AND USE THE FACILITY ANYWHERE FROM PRESCHOOL, DAY CARE, ALL THE WAY THROUGH ELDER HOSPITAL GROUPS .
SECOND WE DO SOME RESEARCH UP HERE AS WELL, WE HAVE SOME GREENHOUSES THAT NOW.
HAVE RESEARCH IN THEM RIGHT AS WELL AS SOME GROWTH CHAMBERS, THEN THERE IS A LIVING CLASSES AT OSU.
LABORATORY FOR A LOT OF OUR --OSU.
ECOLOGY CLASSES, THEY, PEER AND USE THE FACILITY TO SUPPLEMENT THEIR LEARNING.
ANYWHERE BETWEEN THREE AND 4000 USING THE FACILITY.
STUDENTS END UP COMING UP AND >> HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN HERE?
IN THIS SPACE, I GUESS.
>> THE GREENHOUSE HAS BEEN ON TOP OF THE PARKING GARAGE 1993, ORIGINALLY DOWN ON STREET LEVEL BEHIND WHAT WAS THE OLD ZOOLOGY BUILDING.
AS THEY BUILT THE CANCER CENTER, THEY STARTED BLOCKING SUNLIGHT AND SUNLIGHT NEEDS TO GROW.
THEIR SOLUTION WAS TO ADD THREE LEVELS TO THE PARKING GARAGE AND PUT THIS UP ON TOP.
>> OHIO STATE HAS HAD GREENHOUSES FOR A LONG TIME, I DON'T KNOW IF A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT.
BASED AROUND >> OUR MISSION IS AGRICULTURE AND GREENHOUSES ARE A BIG PART OF THAT.
WE ARE SET UP A LITTLE MORE FOR EDUCATION, IN OUR ROOM.
WE HAVE EVERYTHING SEPARATED BY SPECIES.
YOU GET TO GO THROUGH AND SEE ALL OF THE AGAPE , FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.
THIS IS TYPICAL CONSERVATORY -- IN HERE, >> IT REALLY OPENS UP THIS IS INCREDIBLE.
OH MY GOSH.
WE HAVE A VARIETY OF SPACE.
INTERESTING PLANTS IN THE >> ONE OF THE PLANTS THAT WERE NEW IS THE AUTHOR PHALLUS TITANIUM ALSO KNOWN AS THE LARGEST FLOWER.
STINK FLOUR, IT'S THE WORLD'S WE HAD SEVERAL EVENTS WHERE PEOPLE COME UP AND VIEW IT, WE CONSIDER IT A VEGETATIVE STAGE.
IT WILL BE IN THIS VEGETATIVE STATE FOR SEVERAL.
IT OF TIME TIME FOR, ONCE IT IS THE FLOWER.
IT TAKES QUITE A FEW YEARS TO GET THE FORM LARGE ENOUGH .
IT WILL SHOOT A LARGE FLOWER OUT THAT OPENS OUT TO ABOUT 4 1/2, 5 FEET AROUND.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS POLLINATED BY DUNG BEETLES AND OTHER INSECTS AND THE LIKE.
IT DOES SMELL A LITTLE BIT LIKE ROTTING MEAT.
IT IS CURRENTLY A THREATENED SPECIES, IT IS NATIVE TO THE REGION OF INDONESIA.
IT DOES NOT TOLERATE HUMAN DISTURBANCE VERY WELL.
THE OIL PLANTATIONS ARE TRYING TO DRIVE DOWN OVERALL NUMBERS IN THE WILD.
COLLECTIONS LIKE OUR IMPORTANT FOR POTENTIAL --ARE SPECIES.
REPOPULATION OF THE STINK >> HOW STINKY IS IT?
IT IS BAD.
>> IT'S LIKE AND 11.
IT REALLY SMELLS FOUL.
>> WE HAVE ORCHIDS, WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE?
>> WE HAVE A NICE COLLECTION OF ECONOMIC PLANTS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OBSERVATORY IF YOU WANT TO CHECK THOSE OUT.
>> LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
>> THIS PLANT RIGHT HERE, THIS IS A COCKNEY TREE.
USUALLY AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR IT WILL FLOWER AND PRODUCE FRUIT.
AS THE FRUIT RIPENS, IT TURNS A NICE, RED COLOR AND INSIDE ARE THE SEEDS.
IT IS HARD FOR A LOT OF KIDS TO CORRELATE THE FACT THE SEEDS ARE WHAT WE CALL COFFEE SEEDS.
TO SEE THEM LITERALLY ATTACHED TO THE TREE AND TAKE THEM UP HANDS.
HIS --WE EXAMINE THEM IN THEIR KIDS FIND NEAT.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF >> SOMETHING YOU DO WAS CONNECTING ALL THE DOTS THERE.
>> THIS TREE IS BEAUTIFUL.
CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS TREE?
WHAT'S THE STORY?
>> PROBABLY OUR LARGEST TREE, THE CEILINGS ARE ROUGHLY 35 FEET .
YOU CAN TELL IT'S PRETTY BIG, IT'S BEEN ON CAMPUS A LITTLE OVER 100 YEARS.
WE HAD SOME PHOTOS WHEN THEY BUILT THE GREENHOUSE OF THEM TRAINING IT UP OVER THE SIDEWALLS, THEN PUTTING THE ROOF ON AFTER.
IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE ALSO COLLECT SEVERAL SPECIES OF.
SOMETHING USEFUL FOR IT CAN BE REPOPULATING.
>> THINKING ABOUT THE WORLD AND ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM, IS THERE MAINTAINING A LOT OF THIS REALLY INTERESTING WORK --ROLE ABOUT?
THE PEOPLE MAYBE DO NOT KNOW >> WE ARE ROOM FOR PLANTS, IT IS PRESERVATION OF GENETICS.
>> WHAT WOULD BE ONE THING THAT YOU WOULD HELP STUDENTS AND PEOPLE VISITING WOULD TAKE AWAY FROM THE SPACE?
>> JUST THE OVERALL DIVERSITY THAT THE PLANT WORLD HAS , ALL THESE PLANTS REPRODUCE IN SOME FORM OR THE OTHER WHETHER IT BE FRUITS, OR CONES, OR THAT SORT OF THING BUT TO HAVE THOSE DIFFERENT EXAMPLES IN A SMALL AREA LIKE SOME OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS THAT COME UP AND SAY MY GRANDMA HAS THAT PLAN.
OUR WALLS.
THERE IS RECOGNITION OUTSIDE OF >> FOR ME, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE STUDENTS HAVING A WIDE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT SAMPLE OF ASSESSMENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS AS OPPOSED TO PRESENTATION.
LOOKING AT THEM ON A POWERPOINT I THINK YOU WILL WALK AWAY WITH A BETTER EXPERIENCE.
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