Learn more about the work NYBG scientists do to protect and preserve the plants of the world from the scientists and experts themselves.
Meet the Scientists
11 a.m.–3 p.m.
The Science Division of The New York Botanical Garden encompasses several departments, and contains more than one hundred scientists, including staff, graduate students, Emeritus Curators, and Adjunct Scientists. All are working toward the Garden’s scientific mission to explore, understand, and conserve the Earth’s vast botanical diversity. Stop by the booth and learn about the work being done here in the Bronx or in other cities and countries around the world.
Saturday, April 23
Dr. Kenneth G. Karol is the Cullman Associate Curator, Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics. His expertise lies in Green Algal Systematics and Evolution (Charales) all over the world. To learn more about his work, click here.
Dr. Gregory M. Plunkett, a botanist and evolutionary biologist, is the Director of NYBG’s Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics. He studies the world’s amazing plant diversity, using field, herbarium, and DNA-based laboratory approaches to gain insights into the evolutionary and biogeographic history of plants, especially those in the carrot and ivy families (Apiaceae and Araliaceae, groups that encompass >6,000 plant species). He also works to document the plants, their traditional uses, and their indigenous names in the South Pacific Islands, most actively in Vanuatu, a country of over 80 islands and more than 130 languages, as part of NYBG’s Plants & People of Vanuatu program.
Sunday, April 24
Dr. Benjamin M. Torke is an Associate Curator in the Institute of Systematic Botany at the New York Botanical Garden. He holds a PhD. in Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology from Washington University and is an expert on plant diversity in the Amazon rainforest, and the systematics, evolution, and ecology of tropical trees. For the past decade, Dr. Torke, has been working in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest, in close collaboration with Brazilian partners, to build inventories of the plants of two expansive protected areas in the basin of the Tapajós River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon River. These efforts have greatly expanded knowledge of the flora of this biodiverse and rapidly changing region, which is under intense threat from whole-scale landscape changes brought about by human-mediated deforestation and climate change. The data generated are critical for the conservation and management of the biological resources of the two protected areas, in that they constitute a baseline of information against which future change can be measured. Dr. Torke’s research has also led to the discovery of many new species and has provided insights into the dispersal ecology of tropical trees and the ancient assembly of plant communities in the Amazon rainforest.
John Y. Park is a Bioinformatics Postdoctoral Associate at NYBG. John received Ph.D. from the University of Florida with the work analyzing diverse leaf cycling patterns in the tropical forest. At NYBG, John works on a project to harness the full power of artificial intelligence to automate plant classification. Due to the rapid decrease in global biodiversity, it has never been more crucial to accelerate plant discovery. To achieve this goal, John is at the frontline in NYBG to apply state-of-the-art computer vision algorithms to digitized plant specimen images. John also leads NYBG’s collaborative effort with data scientists and machine learning engineers to develop the novel methods for plant classification, through annual community-based algorithm competitions.
Herbarium Pop-Up
11 a.m.–2 p.m.
NYBG Herbarium staff showcase samples collected from the Garden’s 250-acre landscape. Learn more about the plant specimens housed in the collection and how to collect and preserve samples.
The staff include:
Kate Samra holds a bachelor’s degree in Botany from the University of Michigan. She has been collecting and pressing plants for personal study and art for several years. Kate currently works in the specimen mounting room of the NYBG Herbarium, where she enjoys preparing pressed plants from Brazil and Myanmar.
Kelcie Brown is a curatorial assistant in the phanerogamic collection at NYBG’s William and Lynda Steere Herbarium. She has worked in herbaria for 5 years and just celebrated one year at NYBG. Herbarium work is her passion, and she is always happy to answer any and all questions about herbaria and their lasting importance!
LuEsther T. Mertz Library Deaccessioned Books Cart
11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Stop by and pick up a deaccessioned book to take home from the LuEsther T. Mertz Library collection. These books have been deaccessioned for a variety of reasons: age of publication, condition, circulation, and content. We hope these books will find second homes on your bookshelves.
Bronx Green-Up Pop-Up
Sunday; 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Bronx Green-Up is a program that provides horticulture education, training, and technical assistance to Bronx residents, community gardeners, urban farmers, local schools, and community organizations. Come and meet the team and see how the program is inspiring NYC residents to get involved in improving their communities through greening projects.
