Boston Flora

Tag: Harvard

  • Tuesday, February 17, 6:00 pm – Whale Conservation and the Future of the Oceans

    Whales have long been valued as a source of oil and whalebone. Treated as a commodity throughout history, they are increasingly recognized for their complex forms of communication, even culture, and the ecological role they play in the ocean. Joe Roman, Sarah and Daniel Hrdy Fellow in Conservation Biology, Harvard University, and Fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at University of Vermont, will discuss the history and future of whales in the world’s oceans, drawing from historical archives, DNA analyses, ecological studies of whale carcasses in the deep sea, and the effects of whale fecal plumes on ocean productivity. He will explain why conserving great whales is essential for the welfare of marine ecosystems. This Harvard Museum of Natural History lecture and book signing on Tuesday, February 17 beginning at 6 pm is free and open to the public. The event will be held in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge, and free event parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Tuesday, January 13, 7:30 pm – The Bee: A Natural History

    The January meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club will take place Tuesday, January 13 at 7:30 pm in Room 101 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge.  The speaker will be Noah Wilson-Rich, the founder of The Best Bees Company and author of The Bee: A Natural History.  The meeting is free and open to the public.  Snacks will be provided, and you are welcome to join the group at 6 pm for an informal pre-meeting dinner at Cambridge Common.  For more information email Shayla Salzman at shaylasalzman@FAS.harvard.edu.

  • Spring 2015, Mondays, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Roman Gardens

    Kathleen M. Coleman will present a new course at Harvard College’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences during the Spring, 2015 term entitled Roman Gardens. This seminar will study the botany, landscaping, cultivation, terminology, and social function of gardens in the Roman world, employing literary, epigraphic, papyrological, iconographic, and archaeological sources. Among the literary texts to be studied, including both prose and poetry, special emphasis will be placed on Latin treatises on horticulture from the Republic to Late Antiquity. To learn more about the course, visit http://isites.harvard.edu/course/colgsas-51347.  You may also email kcoleman@fas.harvard.edu.

    Professor Coleman is the James Loeb Professor of the Classics and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Her research interests include Latin literature, especially Flavian poetry, history and culture of the early Empire, arena spectacles, and Roman punishment.

  • Saturday, November 8, 2:00 pm – Eight Extraordinary Years of Scientific Travel: Alfred Russel Wallace’s Malay Archipelago

    The Harvard Museum of Natural History will host Andrew Berry, Lecturer on Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, on Saturday, November 8, beginning at 2 pm in Haller Hall (entrance at 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge.) Alfred Russel Wallace, who co-discovered the theory of evolution by natural selection with Charles Darwin, was a remarkable scientist-explorer. His eight years of travel in Southeast Asia (1854–1862) greatly influenced his scientific thinking and resulted in the discovery of thousands of new species, as well as a wonderful account of his journeys, The Malay Archipelago. To celebrate the release of a new edition of this classic work, Andrew Berry will tell Wallace’s extraordinary story, discussing how the book originated and how it shaped future generations of scientific travel. Regular Museum admission rates apply, and enjoy free parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Tuesday, October 28, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Olmsted Lecture: On the Theoretical and Practical Development of Landscape Architecture

    The Harvard University Graduate School of Design will present its Olmsted Lecture on Tuesday, October 28, from 6:30 – 8 in the Piper Auditorium of Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street in Cambridge.  The speaker will be Joseph Disponzio, and his topic is On the Theoretical and Practical Development of Landscape Architecture.

    Exploring the transformation of the modeling of land from garden-making to landscape architecture, this lecture by Joseph Disponzio will establish the intellectual origins of landscape architecture in relation to the new garden practices that emerged during the 18th century, and the texts that codified these practices, amid Enlightenment-era changes in the understanding of nature. Disponzio is Preservation Landscape Architect for the City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation, and Director of the Landscape Design program at Columbia University. He has taught at several institutions, published widely on garden history from the 18th century to the present, and is currently writing introductions for an edition of N. Vergnaud’s L’Art de créer les jardins (1835) and a translation of Jean-Marie Morel’s Théorie des jardins (1776).

    For accessibility issues, please contact the events office two weeks in advance at (617)-496-2414 or events@gsd.harvard.edu. Free and open to the public.

  • Saturday, October 25, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Harvard’s 2nd Ever Fungus Fair

    Explore the wondrous world of fungi! Join Harvard students on Saturday, October 25, from 10 – 1 for a closer look at the mushrooms, yeasts, and molds found in gardens, forests, labs—and even in our own refrigerators. Learn about the use of fungi in common foods such as bread and cheese. This is an opportunity to investigate museum collections and participate in hands-on activities and taste tests led by Harvard students. Regular museum admission rates apply. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street.
    Free event parking available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Saturday, October 25, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Small Worlds: Through a Small Glass Window

    Highlighting the intricate beauty of plants and nature, Josh Falk’s Small Worlds: Through a Small Glass Window is an ongoing macro-photo series shot with the intent of not only showcasing the subtleties of what we often take for granted in
    nature, but to also create new abstract landscapes through manipulation of depth of focus and segmentation of the larger picture. As if the photos themselves and their glass-like finish are windows into a brief moment of time, Falk invites the viewer to look out, or perhaps in, to a new and reimagined world of nature and its complex beauty.  The Arnold Arboretum will host the opening reception for this show in the Hunnewell Building on Saturday, October 25, from 1 – 3, and the exhibit will remain on view through February 3, 2015.  For more information visit www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Thursday, October 2, 6:00 pm – Saving Lemurs from Extinction

    Primatologist and MacArthur Fellow Patricia Chapple Wright, Professor of Anthropology at Stony Brook University, and recipient of the 2014 Indianapolis Prize for her extraordinary contributions to conservation efforts, will discuss her work protecting the lemurs and ecosystems of Madagascar. Wright will share her experiences engaging the Malagasy government, community stakeholders, and scientists in a team effort to integrate conservation with development projects, including one collaboration that led to the establishment of Ranomafana National Park, a World Heritage Site in southern Madagascar. This Harvard Museum of Natural History event is free and open to the public.  The Thursday, October 2 lecture will begin at 6 pm in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford St.  Presented in collaboration with the Indianapolis Prize. Free event parking available in the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Friday, April 10 – Tuesday, April 21 – Musical Journey of Historical Gardens from Lisbon to Rome

    The American Horticultural Society is planning a Mediterranean Cruise April 10 – 21, 2015. Enjoy a rare voyage that combines sublime chamber music with the pleasure of cruising to some of the finest gardens in the Mediterranean Sea. This glorious spring cruise features exclusive recitals in historic venues on several islands and in coastal towns of this fabled region. As we sail the coast of Iberia, to the islands of Mallorca, Sardinia, and Sicily, and on to Southern Italy, we encounter lush, beautifully landscaped gardens in spectacular Mediterranean settings. We will visit the Generalife Gardens near the Alhambra (below); the oasis of Palmeral of Elche, a UNESCO World Heritage site; Valencia’s Jardin Botanico; and the Orto Botanico Cagliari –which will open its doors on Saturday exclusively for the American Horticultural Society group.  Katy Moss Warner, President Emeritus of AHS, will be your host in this musical journey of historical gardens from Lisbon to Rome aboard the 100 guest, all suite Corinthian. Also accompanying the guests will be John Stewart, Senior Preceptor in Music at Harvard University, Emeritus, a composer and music theorist. Complete itinerary and costs may be viewed at http://www.ahs.org/uploads/pdfs/2015_Mediterranean_Brochure_Final.pdf.

  • Saturday, July 26, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm – Getting to Know Your Chainsaw

    Before using a chainsaw, it is best to understand all of its parts, built in safety features, maintenance requirements, and the forces in play once you rev its small but powerful engine. If you own a saw, bring it to this Arnold Arboretum class, to be held Saturday, July 26, from 9 – 12:30 in the Hunnewell Building Equipment Garage (and you know you’ve always wanted to see the Equipment Garage – this of what must be stored there!) If you don’t own a saw but intend to purchase one, wait until you’ve attended the class to learn which styles and features are best for your size and needs. Participants should bring safety goggles, gloves, and ear protection. Dress for the outdoors and bring a snack and beverage. Head arborist John DelRosso will conduct the session. A class on use and felling techniques will be offered on October 4. Registrants must sign an Assumption of Risk and Release to participate.  Fee $45 Arboretum member, $58 nonmember.  Register on line at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Policies.aspx.