SLAM Lab in the News
SLAM Lab in the News
May 5, 2022
Pollinator planting kicks off state wide project
Students in HORT 342 - Landscape Planting, Establishment, and Management had a hands-on final assisting in planting a pollinator garden on campus. Dr. Thompson worked with Julie Stevens's Landscape Architecture class to conduct site and soil assessments for their planned pollinator garden. The project was part of a larger multi-county award to build such demonstration gardens. Dr. Thompson's 342 students helped to install the garden instead of taking a traditional final exam, which all students appreciated. Pollinator garden planting on campus.
April 21, 2022
Dr. Thompson wins North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Educator Award
NACTA, the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, is a professional society for those engaged in teaching agriculture-related topics at the post-secondary level. The Educator Award recognizes those individuals whose efforts represent the very best in agricultural higher education. The NACTA Educator Award is a criterion-based award and is reviewed by a committee of NACTA members.
December 6, 2021
Planning grant seed for future urban tree diversity.
An Iowa State University researcher is leading a national USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) planning grant to dig up the dirt on low tree diversity in urban areas.
September 17, 2021
Horticulture class challenges students to put their knowledge to practice
Most students at Iowa State University define their educational pathways by the classes they take and the subjects they study. For those in Horticulture 444: Landscape Construction and Management, though, the concept of an educational pathway is much more literal.
September 8, 2021
Students of Iowa State University’s Department of Horticulture gathered to restore a walkway and staircase located on campus. The students, led by Horticulture Assistant Professor Dr. Grant Thompson, had begun the project the previous week on Sept. 1, as a part of their course: Landscape Construction Management.
September 1, 2021
USDA NIFA SCRI Planning Grant Award: Increasing Resiliency Through Greater Tree Diversity
Despite the immense diversity of trees native to North America, only a limited number of species dominate our urban spaces and landscapes. As a result, the average community in the United States relies on just six species for the majority (61.5%) of its street and park trees. In the face of threats from introduced pests and climate change, urban forest resiliency has been consistently undermined by the established system of tree production and procurement - often at great expense to the growers and communities affected. Our interdisciplinary group of researchers and extension educators aims to change this status quo by identifying the policies, market forces, and knowledge gaps that perpetuate the repeated use of a handful of tree species. In this planning project, we will engage stakeholders and industry groups through a series of meetings and focus groups to establish our long-term research and outreach agenda for a larger USDA-Funded project. Once identified, we will draw on an array of biological, social, and economic research methods to identify the most actionable opportunities for increasing the diversity of our nation's urban trees. In accomplishing these goals, we will advance SCRI's mission to increase the efficiency of specialty crop production while reducing the threat invasive pests and disease pose the economic viability of the nursery industry.
April 1, 2021
In this seminar, Dr. Grant Thompson (Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture) and Marcus Jansen (MS Student, Department of Horticulture) will present their experiences adapting a hands-on experiential learning course in tree and shrub identification to a hybrid model that allowed students to transition between in-person and online learning. The teaching team developed a robust collection of photos, videos, and scans of plant specimens on campus, giving students the opportunity to distinguish one plant species from another in a virtual platform. By providing resources of synchronous and asynchronous learning, the team was able to meet student accommodation needs and generally increase course accessibility.
Participants will learn some ideas for using staged and in-the-moment digital media to reach students on campus and from afar while enhancing the ability to meet student needs.
February 23, 2021
Thompson awarded for uprooting traditional learning and replanting it online.
The plant identification course taught by Grant Thompson, assistant professor of horticulture, typically involves many hands-on learning experiences, including weekly walking tours to identify plants. Thompson altered the course last fall so students were able to learn in-person, online or a combination of both.
January 22, 2021
CELT Teaching Spotlight: Grant Thompson
Dr. Grant Thompson, Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture has spent two years teaching at Iowa State University (See Thompson’s Horticulture page). Recently, Thompson received the Excellence in Excellence in Remote Instruction COVID-19 Exceptional Effort Awards for, “outstanding virtual delivery of HORT 240: Landscape Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines, and for enduring improvements to student accommodations.”