What Do Plant-Themed Rubber Ducks, the Gateway Arch, and Biology Teachers Have In Common?

The Answer is the 2025 NABT Professional Development Conference!

This Halloween, the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Education Committee brought a dash of green to the annual National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) Professional Development Conference in St. Louis, MO. Committee members Erin Friedman (University of Lynchburg) and Jennifer Robison (Manchester University) embarked on a mission: to energize and equip biology teachers from across the country to include more plants in their courses and classrooms.

Over the course of the conference, our message was clear: plants are the foundation of nearly every ecosystem, and introducing learners of all ages—from kindergarten through undergraduate—to plant biology is critical for future science literacy.

A Booth Bursting with Botany (and Costumes!)

Attendees were immediately drawn to the ASPB booth by our vibrant display of live plants and the promise of a thrilling duck hunt! Adding a layer of Halloween fun, all of our booth volunteers embraced the spirit of the day.  Our team dressed up, ranging from famous fictional ecologists to creative plant-themed concepts like a complete kelp forest habitat. The message was clear: the wilderness must be explored! The costumes not only celebrated the holiday but also reinforced our passion for all aspects of the natural world, drawing in teachers who stayed for the rich conversation and the wealth of practical teaching resources.

• Resources for the Classroom: We distributed hundreds of lesson plans developed by ASPB members through the BLOOME grant program. These ready-to-use materials cover diverse topics and grade levels, making it easy for teachers to integrate cutting-edge plant science into their existing curriculum.
• The Principles for Teaching Plant Biology: Teachers learned about and received copies of the Principles for Teaching Plant Biology. The Principles represent a framework for understanding and appreciating the critical roles of plants to create, improve and sustain life; a gateway to exploring the fascinating intricacies of plant science through inquiry and scientific thinking; and are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
• Meet the BLOOME Winners: Our booth became a hub for innovation as past BLOOME grant winners stopped by. They shared their successful activities, offered tangible advice on the application process, and inspired others to bring their own novel teaching ideas to life.

The Great St. Louis Duck Hunt

To make learning unforgettable, we introduced the “Great Plant Duck Hunt.” We challenged attendees to scour the conference hall and find one of 17 hidden plant-themed rubber ducks. Each lucky duck carried a unique nametag listing one of the Principles for Teaching Plant Biology.

This interactive challenge was a smash hit! Winners were awarded their own rubber duck to take home, along with a fun pack of Principles stickers. The excitement surrounding the hunt perfectly illustrated how something unexpected and fun can draw attention to an important educational topic.

By the end of the event, the results were spectacular: all of our educational handouts were distributed, BLOOME winners received valuable feedback on their in-progress projects, and every single plant-themed rubber duck had been found and placed in its forever home—ready to inspire future biology lessons.

We are already counting down the days until we can bring the fun, the plants, and the ducks to NABT 2026 in Dallas, TX!

Written by Erin Friedman