Faculty

Norman Thomson - Special Interests

a) Inquiry and Problem Solving in Science

In order for one to be an effective science educator, interested in teaching and promoting the knowledge of a discipline, one should have an experiential foundation in how that knowledge is constructed. My experiences are derived from doing research in ultrastructural botany. First, using scanning electron microscopy and Solorina as a model genus, we (Thomson & Thomson, 1984) demonstrated that fungal spore ornamentation can be used for taxonomic identification of lichen species and this contribution is reported in The Bryologist.

A second major research project (Thomson, Evert, & Kelman1995a, 1995b) established early processes (0 - 72 h) involved in wound healing in plant cells in the absence of pathogens. The potato tuber, Solanum incanum, served as a model plant organ.

wound

We correlated data using bright field, fluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy along with cytochemical and biochemical analyses.

This research provided answers to a problem dating back to 1842, when the complex material suberin was first discovered. The results have provided major economic benefits (millions of dollars/year) for world potato production and storage (potatoes are the world's 4th most important food crop). The research was published in the Canadian Journal of Botany. The results may now be found included in numerous introductory college botany, bacteriology, and plant pathology textbooks.