|
Preview the University of Minnesota's new plant conservatory with curator Dr. Lisa Philander. The College of Biological Sciences Conservatory is a biodiverse collection of plant species from around the world, servicing the needs of classes, researchers, and the surrounding community through sharing both plants and expertise. The collection is the most diverse in the Upper Midwestern United States, containing over 1,600 species of plants. As curator, Dr. Philander cares for everything from rare and endangered plants, to invasive species, to plants that show developing economic potential. The material from this diverse living collection is leveraged to provide maximum benefit for students, scientists, and the public at large.
The new CBS Conservatory is set to open this spring, featuring regional collections including plants from cloud forest, maritime, desert, sub-tropical, and tropical climates, as well as special collections like as the Corpse Flower - the notoriously noxious plant, native to Sumatras equatorial rain forests, that reaches six feet tall and emits a scent often likened to rotting meat. Tonight, Dr. Philander will lead us on an advance tour of the new facility and share some of her favorite specimens with us.
Dr. Philander's research is focused on defining social, personal and environmental health towards the goal of building stability, resilience and sustainability in local food and ethnomedical healthcare systems. Her South African fieldwork began with an examination of the prevalence of traditional medicinal plant knowledge in Cape Town school gardens, and led to the discovery of a revitalization of traditionally used herbals by bush doctors who were protesting biomedical dependency and socio-political access to conservation lands. Dr. Philander's commitment to community food systems began with studying school gardens while working at the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Garden, as well as community gardening projects in urban South African townships. As a postdoctoral researcher in Wyoming, she studied local food systems, community gardens and CSAs, assessing their feasibility in marginal high altitude areas with short growing seasons. Her most recent research venture involves food sustainability solutions with the creation of portable, solar-powered indoor growing stations to create indoor garden-based teaching tools for schools in northern climates.
Cafe Scientifique combines cutting-edge science and conversation in a fun, casual cabaret setting, often over dinner and a beer (or two). Throughout Café Scientifique's eight-year residency at the Bryant-Lake Bowl, theatergoers have regularly packed the room to hear talks on topics ranging from dinosaurs to exoplanets to the inner workings of the human brain. Every month, Café Scientifique offers an opportunity for anyone to engage with incredible scientists and researchers in an informal, accessible way.
NO REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES.
|
|
 |
LocationBryant Lake Bowl Cabaret Theater (View)
810 W Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55408
United States
Categories
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
|
Contact
|
