Growing Understanding of Photosynthesis

On Thursday, 11 dual-enrollment Greenhouse Management and Plant Science students switched from their usual Westview classroom led by David Hochreiter and traveled to UT Martin where they worked alongside professors Dr. Isaac Lepcha and Dr. Bethany Wolters conducting experiments on plant photosynthesis and respiration. Hochreiter reported students were given instruction on the requirements for photosynthesis to occur and carried out an experiment where they took samples of spinach leaves and submerged them in two liquids to compare and contrast the end results. One solution was a carbonate solution and the other was distilled water. After pulling a vacuum on both samples, students exposed both samples to light to observe the photosynthetic process. Students taking part in the morning experiments were Jackson Abel, Garner Anderson, Elijah Boyd, Raymond Callahan, Heidi Chapman, Brice Cook, Carson Dinning, Joshua Dyer, Cade Spaulding, Aspyn Williams, and Nathan Wykoff.