2013 Britton Gallery Talk Series
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013
Managing the Wild: Baseline Data for Sustainable Use of Tropical Forest Resources
A Conversation with Garden Scientist Charles M. Peters, Ph.D.
Based on his recent work in Southeast Asia with rattan palms, Dr. Peters discusses the importance of inventory and growth data in sustainable resource use. Just as a banker would not think of managing an investment without knowing the size of the principal and the interest rate, foresters also need detailed information about the inventory and growth rate of the plant populations that they manage. These diagnostic data are best collected by the community groups that plan to use them. Following the talk is a demonstration of some of the resources and tools used to manage wild populations of tropical forest species.
2–3 p.m.
Space for this program is limited; reservations are required.
For reservations, please e-mail membership@nybg.org or call 718.817.8725.
FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2013
Into the Unknown: Frontiers of Plant Discovery
A Conversation with Garden Scientist Benjamin Torke, Ph.D.
For centuries, researchers have strived to catalog the word’s plant diversity, but with each passing year many new species of plants are discovered and described as new to science. Dr. Torke discusses how many more species remain unknown and sheds light on the most promising frontiers of plant discovery, from the tropical rain forest to collections in museums and molecular research in laboratories. Following is a tour of the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium to see examples of recent plant discovery from his research in the American Tropics.
2–3 p.m.
Space for this program is limited; reservations are required.
For reservations, please e-mail membership@nybg.org or call 718.817.8725.
FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2013
Mosses at the End of the World: A Bryoflora of the Cape Horn Archipelago
A Conversation with Garden Scientist William P. Buck, Ph.D.
Dr. Buck discusses his current project to document the mosses of the Cape Horn Archipelago in southernmost Chile. For centuries, little exploratory work was done in this remote region because of the harsh climate, rocky shoals, and hardships of fieldwork. Yet the Archipelago is particularly rich in mosses, and a number of species new to science have already been discovered. Following is a walk through the Thain Family Forest—the largest remaining tract of old-growth forest in New York City—to point out some of the mosses that grow there and contrast them with mosses found at Cape Horn.
11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Space for this program is limited; reservations are required.
For reservations, please email membership@nybg.org or call 718.817.8725.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013
Losing Paradise: The Threats to Biodiversity in Micronesia
A Conversation with Garden Scientist Wayne Law, Ph.D.
Dr. Law discusses how the loss of traditional knowledge―gained over centuries and adapted to the local culture and environment―threatens conservation of unique plants in the remote islands of Micronesia in the Western Pacific Ocean. Human development activities are further impacting these islands’ upland forest ecosystems. Following the talk is a behind-the-scenes demonstration in the Garden’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Laboratory to illustrate some of the mapping tools used to assist in the conservation of plants and traditional culture on Micronesian islands and in other parts of the world.
11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Space for this program is limited; reservations are required.
For reservations, please email membership@nybg.org or call 718.817.8725.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013
High Performance: A Computer Cluster Advances Science at the Garden
A Conversation with Garden Scientist Damon P. Little, Ph.D.
Dr. Little discusses how the rapid advancement of techniques for gathering scientific data in the past 15 years has outpaced the ability to rigorously analyze that data―until now. Using an example from his own research on DNA barcoding, Little sheds light on how the new computer cluster at the Garden allows for greater speed, power, performance, efficiency, and cost effectiveness in analyzing data from plant discovery. Following is a tour of the Pfizer Plant Research Laboratory to see examples of cutting-edge data gathering in plant science and high performance computer cluster analysis of that new information.
2–3 p.m.
Space for this program is limited; reservations are required.
For reservations, please email membership@nybg.org or call 718.817.8725.