Walking down the first-floor hallway of the Swenson Science Building at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), the sounds coming from room 109 might catch your attention: shuffling of chairs and lab equipment mixed with enthusiastic conversation between students create an air of academic engagement.
Inside the room, students in General Biology II are preparing their workspaces for an activity. They congregate in groups around small crates containing cylindrical grow tubes. Some of the tubes are covered in tinfoil, while others are open, revealing radish plant seedlings inside. Half of the plants contain soil amended by biochar, a charcoal produced through a process called “pyrolysis,” where biomass is heated to extreme temperatures in a low-oxygen environment. These students are trying to determine if biochar can help crops grow more efficiently.
At the front of the room, Graduate Teaching Assistant Taylor Velander is giving instruction. Sunlight from a series of high windows illuminates the whiteboard as he records notes for the class. Today’s task, he explains, is to measure the CO2 output from the radish plants. “We’re going to have to decide as a class what procedures we’ll use,” he says.

Students in General Biology are studying the effects of biochar-amended soil on the growth of radish plants.
The radish plants were grown by the class at the beginning of the semester and maintained in the campus’s greenhouse. Now that they’ve sprouted, their attributes can be observed and measured.
At the far end of the room, Katie Hopp crouches to view the radish plants from eye level as a fellow student adjusts the angle of a small lamp shining on the grow tubes. Hopp, a biology major and aspiring physician, explains how they plan to capture CO2 measurements from the plants using a meter that’s tethered to a computer. Hands-on learning, she says, is key for her. “It helps me learn when I’m actually touching and working with things.”
Sam Schulstrom is in the group next to Hopp’s. It happens to be his birthday, and he’s happy to be spending part of the day working in the lab. “Couldn’t ask for anything better,” he says. Schulstrom, an earth and environmental sciences student, grew up on a farm in Carlton and is excited to work on a project that could help farmers improve their soil conditions. Like Hopp, he also enjoys hands-on opportunities like these.
“It’s how I learn,” he said, “and it really promotes a deeper understanding of the topic.”

Students work together to record CO2 measurements from small radish plants.
Schulstrom returns his attention to his work, reviewing a worksheet and discussing next steps with his lab partner. In the background, Velander makes his way to a student raising their hand and Hopp points to the graph on her computer, where CO2 measurements begin to populate. Scanning the room, it’s clear to see how a general biology lab goes beyond general—It’s active, collaborative, forward-thinking and carries these students one step closer to realizing their goals.
This class experience is part of the Swenson College of Science and Engineering’s SAIL program (Swenson Active and Innovative Learning), which aims to engage students in learning beyond the traditional classroom setting.