Date: Apr 24, 2007

HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND ALLIED HUMAN SERVICES TO INAUGURATE A "TEACHING" VEGETABLE GARDEN

For the Teachers of Tomorrow So They Can Inspire Their Students to Nurture and Preserve the Environment

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … On Tuesday, April 24, from 11 a.m. to noon, Dean of the School of Education and Allied Human Services Maureen Murphy, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Teaching Irene Plonczak and Dr. Plonczak's undergraduate students in the science methods class (ELED 129), will inaugurate a vegetable garden at the Science Room of Hagedorn Hall, located on Hofstra's South Campus in room 036 (lower level).

This garden is part of an environmental education project aimed at providing future teachers with the experience and understanding of teaching methods that will both inform their students about the environment and inspire them to nurture and preserve it.

Hofstra's faculty and students will be joined by Robert Patterson, senior liaison officer for Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, who is a representative of "The Growing Connection" (www.thegrowingconnection.org). This program connects youth around the world by promoting the growth of fresh, nutritious vegetables in sustainable container gardens, and providing them with hands-on learning opportunities in nutrition, life science, entrepreneurship and civic engagement.