Biology on the Farm

Biology teacher Rob Buyea grew up in rural upstate New York, hanging out at his best friend’s family farm; during college he worked summers on a larger dairy operation. So it’s no coincidence that when the NMH science department expressed a desire to integrate the farm into the curriculum, Buyea’s name came up (his wife Beth, a fellow science teacher, volunteered him, he says with a smile).

The program began in spring 2007 and involves all students in Buyea’s Biology I class. Working in pairs or trios, they design and carry out their own research, and then present their results to the class. Experiments have included how best to distil oil from rosemary plants; investigating plant germination using several variables, such as the growing medium and pH of the water; propagating plants from clippings using root hormones; and monitoring a cow who gave birth to a calf. Farm director Richard Odman, farm assistant Rachel Onuf, and science lab technician Bill Nordstrom all work closely with the group.

Buyea says the farm is a great learning tool, allowing the students hands-on experience, an appreciation of how the farm works, and of how difficult real-life experiments can be. “Things get broken. The kids make mistakes. And as all good scientists do, they end up with more questions than answers.”