Tomato professor employs unique style of teaching
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE C HRONIC LB
What can a tomato teach
a third grader?
Quite a lot. according to
Dr. Gloria Muday. a biology
professor at Wake Forest
University.
Muday secured a two
year grant from the
American Society of Plant
Biology last year to employ
her "Teaching with
Tomatoes" program in the
classrooms of a handful of
local elementary, middle and
high schools in the Winston
Salem/Forsyth County sys
tem.
"The goal is to get kids
excited about plants and
food and how plants grow
and develop and those kinds
of things." she said. "It's a
lot of fun. It's great to see
how excited they get."
Four schools will take
part in the project this year:
Mount Tabor and Parkland
Magnet high schools.
Paisley IB Magnet Middle
and Old Town Elementary,
explained Mary Jo Lee, who
served as liaison between
the university and the school
system for the project.
"We're all student par
ents. so I think there's been
a great deal of satisfaction
for us, just looking at it as
bringing science to life for
these kids," Lee said. "I am
having the time of my life."
Muday and other Wake
Forest faculty members and
Photo* by Layla Fanner
Dr. Gloria Muday discusses the attributes of a tomato with students.
students visited
third graders at Old
Town Elementary
School Tuesday to
teach them lessons
in biology, using
one of Muday's
favorite fruits.
The Wake
Forest team visited
Paisley earlier in
the day, where stu
dents learned how
genetics created the size,
taste, texture and shape of
the various tomatoes. Visits
to the high schools are slated
for later in the year.
Ktsshr
At Old Town,
students exam
ined the size,
color, shape and
taste of roughly
60 varieties of
tomatoes, many
of which were
grown in a garden
on the campus of
Wake Forest, and
even planted their
own tomato
seeds. Third grade teacher
Michele Wepprecht said the
hands-on nature of the les
son would likely stick with
the students.
"Tomorrow, we'll be
able to come back in and
talk to them about this, and
because they saw it and
touched it and smelted it,
they'll be able to walk away
and retain a lot more," she
said. "...It's always a
greater impact than just
showing them."
Muday, who has taught
at the university for nearly
two decades, has studied
tomato plants on and off for
more than seven years.
"We are interested in the
hormones that control plant
growth and development,"
Marc Luria Lopez shows his enthusiasm for the lesson.
she explained. "...We're
interested specifically in
what controls the roots of
tomatoes and other plants ...
and how we might make
those roots grow better."
If successful, Muday's
research, which is funded by
a grant from the USDA,
could allow food plants to be
grown in areas where the
terrain makes it difficult
with traditional plants.
Taking part in Teaching
with Tomatoes served as a
lab for the WFU students.
"We're kind of taking on
an initiative to reach out to
the community and educate
kids about some of the stuff
that we're learning about as
well." said Stuart Kessler, a
senior, political science
major. "I thought it was a
lot of fun."
Some of the students
approached the tasting table
with trepidation, while oth
ers converged on the variety
of plates, tasting each vari
ety with abandon as the
WFU students looked on.
Kessler said he enjoyed
interacting with the young
sters.
"I think it's important to
give back to the community
like we're doing," said the
Charlotte native.
"Personally, it's really grati
fying to me to come and see
these kids and how excited
they get about it."
Brady
from page Al
leave the nest, one by one."
Dilcy Brady has lived with her mother
for most of her life. The 84 year-old retired
housekeeper at Old Town Elementary admits
that she never imagined she'd be afforded
the chance to grow old with her mother. But
then. "I never thought I'd see a black presi
dent either," she declared.
Ethel Brady, or "Mother Brady," as her
church family affectionately refers to her,
has lived through many great changes in his
tory as well, including both World Wars, the
Great Depression and the Civil Rights
Movement, but she says the election of
Violet Glenn Madison
speaks.
President
B a r a c k
Obama stands
out as the
most amazing
historical
moment she
has wit
nessed.
D i 1 c y
describes her
mother as "a
beautiful.
Christian,
hardworking
lady" who
ruled the
household
with a firm
but loving
hand
Brady's
nurturing
spirit extend
ed even beyond her own children, said Violet
Glenn Madison, a family friend who grew up
with the Brady children.
"Mother Brady was my mother too."
Madison told those present at the celebra
tion. "Whenever wc were together, if we did
anything that was wrong (and) she told us to
behave, we did. because we knew if she
spanked us. we were going to get it from our
parents too."
Madison regaled the audience with tales
of the growing up in the "old days." Brady
smiled at several points during Madison's
talk, nodding in gleeful recognition of the
stories she heard retold
"We had no telephones, so whenever you
wanted to talk to somebody, you'd just go
outside and holler." Madison said "...that
was the telephone at that time."
Madison said Mother Brady has been an
inspiration to her
"Miss Ethel is one woman who is a
woman of God. If you want to know a per
Phritrw by Lay la Farmer
Brady with her friend and former employ
er. Pollyanna Stewart ( far right ) and
Stewart's son, Mike, and his wife. Marilyn.
son who lives the life she teaches, the life
she preaches, that is Miss Ethel." Madison
declared. "Mother Brady, never, never have I
heard her say anything to hurt anybody's
spirit. She always has a smile on her face.
She's such a wonderful person."
Mother Brady, a great-great grandmoth
er. said she was flattered by the outpouring
of adulation, a practice that has become an
annual tradition at Piney Grove.
"I'm glad to see everybody. I guess
somebody thought about me," she quipped,
looking out at the festive tables populated by
her church members and loved ones. "I said
there is no need (to make such a fuss). I said
it ain't been long since I had one (birthday),
so here we are again. 1 thank everyone
who's here."
Renita Linville. the wife of Pastor James
Linville. said Mother Brady is well-deserv
ing of all the praise.
"She has a very quiet way about her. but
there's a reverence there," said Linville.
"She has a beautiful spirit."
First Lady Linville said she believes in
honoring folks for their good works while
they are still here on Earth
"That's one of the marks of a Christian
..to honor those who have given so much
of their time, talent and substance to the
Kingdom of God," Linville declared. "(But)
we do it because we love her. It's that sim
ple."
? ? I
Brady is surrounded by some of her great great grandchildren.
Mother Brady (second from left ) with her daughter, Dilcy, Piney Grove Pastor James
Linville and First Lady Renita Thompkins Limville.
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