Students explore how mathematical descriptions of the physical environment can be fine-tuned through testing using data. In this activity, student teams obtain satellite data measuring the Earth's albedo, and then input this data into a spreadsheet-based radiation balance model, GEEBITT. They validate their results against published the published albedo value of the Earth, and conduct similar comparisons Mercury, Venus and Mars. The resource includes an Excel spreadsheet tutorial, an investigation, student data sheets and a teacher's guide. Students apply their understanding to the real life problem of urban heat islands and deforestation. The activity links builds on student outcomes from activities A and B: "Finding a Mathematical Description of a Physical Relationship," and "Making a Simple Mathematical Model." This is Activity C in module 3, Using Mathematical Models to Investigate Planetary Habitability, of the resource, Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate? The course aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales.

This is a lesson about using radar to search for water on the Moon. Learners will use images to search for water on the moon. Additionally they will learn how Mini-RF can identify surface features that are permanently shadowed, or lack any visible evidence of surface morphology.

This is a lesson about elemental spectra. Learners will compare known elemental spectra with spectra of Titan and Saturn’s rings from a spectrometer aboard the NASA Cassini spacecraft. They identify the elements visible in the planetary and lunar spectra. The activity is part of Project Spectra, a science and engineering program for middle-high school students, focusing on how light is used to explore the Solar System.

On the 7th Student Materials page you will find: the Mathematical Foundation (an explanation of the mathematical content in each chapter), the Student Workbook (an overview of the chapter, daily class activities and matching homework sets, Practice Standards connections for the chapter, and student self-assessments), a link to purchasing a soft-cover version of the workbook (these are available at cost, however you are free to print all materials yourself), and a parent manual (this is the student workbook with selected answers and explanations.)

On the 7th Teacher Support Materials page you will find a Teachers’ Edition to the Student Workbook. It contains answers to all problems, pedagogical suggestions, and explanations of the mathematical flow of the workbook. Additionally, you will find the word version of the Student Workbook.

The Ute People: Stop 4 Museum of the West Virtual Tour. Watch this short video to learn about a Museum of the West exhibit or collection to preview your field trip or for a virtual field trip if you are unable to attend in person. The Museum of the West is part of the Museums of Westen Colorado. The Ute people once called all of Colorado their home. Shortly before Grand Junction was founded, the Utes were forcibly removed to Utah. David Bailey describes what life was like for the Utes prior to their expulsion from the area.

Students watch a Ute History video and analyze artifacts from the Ute culture including weapons

Virginia Cooperative Extension Gardener Handbook is a guide for all gardeners in Virginia. It covers a variety of topics important for beginning and experienced gardeners, including soil health, native plants, and integrated pest management. This manual provides an understanding of the basics of gardening in Virginia and helps to build a strong foundation of gardening knowledge. Resources for additional reading can be found at the end of each chapter. We encourage readers to take a deeper dive into the topics that interest them and continue their learning journey.

How to Access the Book
This text is available in multiple formats including PDF, a low-resolution PDF which is faster to download, and ePub. These are linked on the left side of your screen. The book is also available in HTML/Pressbooks at https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/emgtraining. Softcover print versions with color interior will be available for purchase in Spring/Summer 2023. The main landing page for this book is https://doi.org/10.21061/vcegardener

HTML/Pressbooks: ISBN 978-1-957213-47-7 https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/emgtraining
PDF: ISBN 978-1-957213-48-4
Print (paperback): ISBN 978-1-957213-42-2 [Forthcoming]
ePub: ISBN 978-1-957213-49-1

Table of Contents
1. Botany
2. Soils and Nutrient Management
3. Entomology
4. Plant Pathology
5. Abiotic Stress Effects on Plant Growth and Development
6. Diagnosing Plant Damage
7. Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
8. Plant Propagation
9. The Vegetable Garden
10. Fruits in the Home Garden
11. Lawns
12. Indoor Plants
13. Woody Landscape Plants
14. Pruning
15. Herbaceous Landscape Plants
16. Landscape Design
17. Water Quality and Conservation
18. Habitat Gardening for Wildlife
19. Virginia Native Plants

About Virginia Cooperative Extension
Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) is the outreach and engagement branch of Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, Virginia’s land-grant universities. Through VCE, Extension agents, specialists, and volunteers work to share knowledge and advance the wellbeing of all Virginians. This handbook serves as the main training text for new Extension Master Gardener volunteers.

If you are passionate about horticulture, environmental conservation, or gardening education, we invite you to join us by becoming an Extension Master Gardener at https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/master-gardener/Become-a-Master-Gardener.html.

Are you a professor reviewing or adopting this book for a course?
https://bit.ly/interest-vcegardener Instructors adopting or reviewing this text are encouraged to record their use on this form. This helps the book's sponsors to understand this open textbook's impact.

Suggested Citation
Virginia Cooperative Extension (2023). Virginia Cooperative Extension Gardener Handbook. Blacksburg: Virginia Cooperative Extension. https://doi.org/10.21061/vcegardener. Licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Accessibility Statement
Virginia Tech Publishing is committed to making its publications accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Pressbooks (HTML) and ePub versions of this text are tagged structurally and include alternative text, which allows for machine readability.

Report an Error: https://bit.ly/report-error-vcegardener
View Errata: https://bit.ly/errata-vcegardener
Tell us how you found the book: https://bit.ly/interest-vcegardener

Acknowledgments
This version of the Virginia Extension Gardener Handbook was made possible in part by financial and technical support from the Open Education Initiative at the University Libraries. Additional financial support was provided by the Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences.

Thank you to contributors and editors of this handbook:
• Kathleen Reed (2022 project advisor, editor, and contributor)
• Devon Johnson (2022 project manager and image author)
• Kindred Grey (2022 image author and Pressbooks formatting)
• Stacey Morgan Smith (2022 handbook editor)
• Emma Freeborn (2022 alt text and editorial assistance)
• Anita Walz and the Virginia Tech Publishing team (2022)
• The 2021/22 Handbook Review Team: Barb Wilson, Beth Kirby, Carol King, Courtney Soria, Doug Levin, Elaine Mills, Elizabeth Brown, Fern Campbell, JC Gardner , Jim Revell, Khosro Aminpour, Maraea Harris, Margaret Brown, Meagan Shelley, Melanie Thompson, Michael Cole, Mimi Rosenthal, Nancy Brooks, Nancy Butler, Patricia Lust, Ralph Morini, Sabrina Morelli, Shawn Jadrnicek, Sherry Kern, Stacey Morgan Smith, Susan Dudley, Susan Perry, Wendy Silverman and all other volunteers who contributed.

Previous versions:
• Dave Close, State Coordinator, VCE Master Gardener Program & Consumer Horticulture Specialist (2015 project advisor)
• John Freeborn, Assistant State Coordinator, VCE-MG Program (2015 editor)
• Sue Edwards (2015 editorial assistant)
• Diane Relf, Retired Extension Specialist, Environmental Horticulture (original compilation, revision, and editing)
• Judith Schwab (original compilation, revision, and editing)
• Elissa Steeves (original compilation, revision, and editing)
• R. Peter Madsen (original compilation, revision, and editing)
• Virginia Nathan (original compilation, revision, and editing)
Thank you to the many Extension Master Gardener volunteers and agents who have contributed feedback or made suggestions for this handbook over the years. Thanks also to the original contributors, including the Northern Virginia Master Gardeners, the Utah Cooperative Extension Service, and the Georgia Cooperative Service for use of their handbook material and the Texas Agricultural Extension Service and N.C. State for the use of their revised and expanded versions of this handbook (circa 2009). According to the 2009 version of this handbook, “material was taken from many Extension publications written in Virginia and other states.” We have worked to identify, rewrite, and attribute this content.

The original edition of the Virginia Master Gardener Handbook was printed January 1985. The handbook was revised January 1986, January 1987, July 1990, November 1994, December 1999, July 2009, and December 2015.

Disclaimer: This work may contain components (e.g., illustrations or quotations) not covered by the license. Every effort has been made to clearly identify these components but ultimately it is your responsibility to independently evaluate the copyright status of any work or component part of a work you use, in light of your intended use. Please check the references at the end of each chapter before redistributing.

"My name is Sata Vanasouk and I’m a media arts major at Boise State University, minoring in Chinese studies and global studies. My project, Visualizing Chinese, aims to intersect storytelling and language learning through colorful illustrations and unique little stories. It is important to note that this work is more vocabulary-focused."

-Sata Vanasouk

Vital Ice STEM Kit. The Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center collaborates with CSU faculty, National Parks and citizen science programs to translate their current scientific research into unique STEM experiences for students in the form of Educational Kits that can be checked out. Each kit contains just about all of the materials needed (minus common things like water and paper towels) to explore some really interesting scientific research topics.The kits are available for teachers and informal educators in Colorado to check out for a duration of a week by submitting either a local pickup form or a delivery form available at the linked website. This kit is provided free for educational use. This Kit is available in Spanish. Global Surface Temperatures: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/283054052/

Vuelve Viral Equipo STEM. El Centro de Extensión y Educación en Ciencias Naturales colabora con la facultad de CSU, los Parques Nacionales y los programas de ciencia ciudadana para traducir su investigación científica actual en experiencias STEM únicas para los estudiantes en forma de kits educativos que se pueden prestar. Cada kit contiene casi todos los materiales necesarios (menos cosas comunes como agua y toallas de papel) para explorar algunos temas de investigación científica realmente interesantes. enviando un formulario de recogida local o un formulario de entrega disponible en el sitio web vinculado. Utilice la información de contacto en la página de descripción general del kit STEM para obtener más información. https://www.cns-eoc.colostate.edu/stem-kits/ Este kit se proporciona de forma gratuita para uso educativo.

Web-based Website Design Reading and Resource List and Course Schedule

CSE 629 Web-based Website Design

Students will create a professional, business,
or education related website using free webbased software, widgets, and training. Course
emphasizes learning by doing and following
best practices for creating user-friendly web
sites. Designed to train and develop web design
skills as well as develop the ability to work
with and employ free, online tools. By closely
learning one system, students can apply that
knowledge and easily integrate with other
systems available online.

This is a lesson about the requirements for life on another planet. Learners will grow organisms in one of 12 classroom environments and identify common requirements (such as water, nutrients, and energy). They will also design a mission to identify habitable places by searching for water, nutrients, and energy. A math extension explores measuring calories. This is activity 2 of 5 in "Astrobiology in your Classroom: Life on Earth..and Elsewhere?"

The clock is ticking: A technology demonstration that could transform the way humans explore space is nearing its target launch date of June 24, 2019. Developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the Deep Space Atomic Clock is a serious upgrade to the satellite-based atomic clocks that, for example, enable the GPS on your phone.

Ultimately, this new technology could make spacecraft navigation to distant locations like Mars more autonomous. But what is an atomic clock? How are they used in space navigation, and what makes the Deep Space Atomic Clock different? Read on to get all the answers.

In this Moveable Museum lesson plan, students write a research proposal, drawing on their knowledge of a nomadic culture. Then they submit their proposals to you - the governing agency that determines what fieldwork will be supported. The 12-page PDF guide has educator materials including background information, teacher strategies, assessment guidelines, and detailed notes about the curriculum standards addressed. The Writing the Research Proposal activity worksheet has six questions designed to guide students' research and help them gather the information needed for their proposals.