The idea of Kids Tech University, though founded in Germany more than a
decade ago, is still relatively new in the United States. In fact, Bowling Green State University is
only the third such program in this country.Kids Tech University (KTU) allows middle and high school
students an opportunity to experience collegiate-style educational experiences primarily in the STEM
areas, which includes science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Each session includes both a
lecture and a hands-on activity.On Saturday, Dr. Brett M. Tyler, director of the Center for Genome
Research and Biocomputing at Oregon State University, was the featured speaker.There were 85 children
and parents in attendance."The Kids Tech program is very popular in Europe," Tyler said prior
to his lecture on Saturday morning.He first became familiar with the program through a colleague at
Virginia Tech, the home of the first program in the U.S. He previously was featured at one of their
sessions and wanted to continue his involvement with KTU. The second program is located at Virginia
State University.Tyler is also the lead investigator of a $9.1 million grant from the United States
Department of Agriculture to study "Integrated Management of Oomycete." In simplest terms the
grant focuses on soybean diseases."We study root rot diseases," Tyler explained noting that
the oomycetes are parasitic marine algae. The topic of phytophthora (Greek for plant devourer) root rot
may not be the first topic young students care to learn about, however, Tyler’s talk was designed to
show them the relationship between plant diseases and human diseases.The professor said he planned to
talk about microbes in general."I will tell the students that diseases are caused by microbes in
both people and plants. Like them, plants get sick," Tyler said in advance of his presentation.In
addition to his Saturday morning presentation at Olscamp Hall, the students participated in a series of
plant-related "hands-on" activities at Eppler North on campus in the afternoon.Paul Francis
Morris, professor of biological sciences at BGSU, is also the program director for KTU locally.The
hands-on activities were popular with the children.According to Morris, the hands-on activities in the
afternoon session included an opportunity to get a lesson on how to focus a compound microscope and take
the similar test to one given in year one biology labs."However the most exciting activity was the
extraction of DNA from strawberries," he said.The program director said, "One alumni told me
that his daughter enjoyed the program so much, that she wanted to go to BGSU and become a volunteer for
the KTU program."Morris noted, "Soybeans are a big crop … in Wood County. The Kids Tech
University program provides an opportunity for children to interact with world class scientists
addressing local problems."Tyler’s research goals include helping to find ways to improve treatment
and minimizing the effects of diseases in both plants and people.Tyler is in his second year of the
five-year grant from USDA which also funds the KTU program at BGSU."We’re making very good progress
on new disease-resistant geonomic technology," he said of the research.He is also looking for
sponsors to step forward to fund KTU down the road."The USDA funding will not continue
indefinitely," Tyler said.The final program of this year’s KTU program will be this coming Saturday
when BGSU’s Distinguish Research Professor Dr. Ronny Woodruff presets a program entitled "What Can
Flies Tell Us About Human Health and Evolution?"