Boston Flora

Tag: Rutgers University

  • Wednesday, January 13, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – The Challenges of Restoring Urban Native Habitat, Online

    Patches of native habitat in urban and other degraded areas provide important ecological services. A design team developed and tested a series of planting that attempted to restore ecological connections between fragmented and degraded remnant habitats in large, urban areas. Old, urban landfills were planted with woodland patches of various sizes to determine how quickly mutualisms, including seed dispersal and pollination, occurred. Focusing on Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York and Orange County Great Park in California, where complex habitat was integrated with civic needs, Dr. Handel, in this January 13 Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar, will explore how these types of ecological solutions can be applied to many urban designs. The event begins at 12 noon and is free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/the-challenges-of-restoring-urban-native-habitat/

    Dr. Steven Handel is a Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolution at Rutgers University where he studies the potential to restore native plant communities, adding sustainable ecological services, biodiversity, and amenities to the landscape. His research explores pollination, seed dispersal, population growth, and problems of urban and heavily degraded lands.
    Previously, Dr. Handel was Director of the Marsh Botanic Garden at Yale University, a Visiting Professor at Stockholm University, and Research Scholar at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He is the Editor of the professional journal Ecological Restoration and an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow of the Ecological Society of America. He was elected an Honorary Member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and also received the Society for Ecological Restoration’s highest research honor, the Theodore M. Sperry Award. Dr. Handel received his BA from Columbia College in Biology and MS and PhD degrees from Cornell University in the Field of Ecology and Evolution.

  • Tuesday, April 3, 6:00 pm – Life’s Engines: How Microbes Made Earth Habitable

    Paul Falkowski, Distinguished Professor, Bennett L. Smith Chair in Business and Natural Resources, Departments of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, will speak on Tuesday, April 3 at 6 pm in the Geological Lecture Hall at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street, on the topic Life’s Engines: How Microbes Made Earth Habitable. The free public lecture is part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series, supported by a generous gift from Dr.s Herman and Joan Suit.

    For almost four billion years, microbes had the primordial oceans all to themselves. Over time, they transformed the chemistry of our planet, making it habitable for plants, animals, and humans. Paul Falkowski will discuss how microbes made life on Earth possible—and how human life would cease without them today. By examining the inner workings of these miniature “engines” and the processes by which they are built and assembled—like building blocks— within every creature that walks, swims, or flies, he will reveal how microbes are the great stewards of life on Earth.

    Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage. This event will be livestreamed on the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture Facebook page. Check https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/life%E2%80%99s-engines-how-microbes-made-earth-habitable the day of the program for a direct video link. A recording of this program will be available on our YouTube channel approximately three weeks after the lecture.

    https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/styles/large_body/public/imagefield_crop/field_image/person/paul_g_falkowski_0.png?itok=aK2tJ4XW

  • Tuesday, February 27, 6:00 pm – As the Seas Rise, Can We Restore Our Coastal Habitats?

    Steven Handel, Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolution, Rutgers University Visiting Professor in Landscape Architecture, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, will present a free lecture at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge, on February 27 at 6 pm.

    As sea levels rise, the potential loss of coastal habitats is a threat across the globe. This is of particular concern in the eastern United States, where coastlines are largely developed and offer few open spaces for habitats to move inland if present natural lands are lost. Considering the current conditions of coastlines, as well as future development scenarios, Steven Handel will discuss strategies to help maintain our coastal character and the ecological services of coastal habitats that are critical to the social, cultural, and environmental well-being of our region. Free and open to the public. Free event parking at 52 Oxford Street Garage.

    Presented by Harvard Museum of Natural History in collaboration with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod. This event will be livestreamed on the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture Facebook page. Check https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/seas-rise-can-we-restore-our-coastal-habitats the day of the program for a direct video link. A recording of this program will be available on our YouTube channel approximately three weeks after the lecture.

    http://envirostewards.rutgers.edu/Colloquium%202014%20Environmental%20Stewards%20Duke%20F.%20&%20Rutgers%20033-002.jpg

  • Wednesday, November 9 – Thursday, November 10 – Northeast Greenhouse Conference and Expo

    The biennial Northeast Greenhouse Conference & Expo is co-sponsored by New England Floriculture, Inc. – a group of grower representatives from the Northeast, augmented by University and Cooperative Extension staff in each state, who specialize in greenhouse crops and management. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn, share and connect with other industry professionals. The conference takes place at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough on November 9 and 10. There will be educational sessions, and don’t miss DAZED AND INFUSED. Join Sue Adams, Adams Farm and Greenhouses, for an educational cocktail hour on Tuesday evening featuring specialty cocktails using herbs and other plants. Advance registration is required. No charge to attend, and cash bar will be available.

    Sign up to have breakfast Thursday morning with a presenter who is an expert in your area of interest. Presenters and their topics will include: Sinclair Adam, Penn State University (Perennials); Mandy Bayer, University of Massachusetts (Irrigation, plant height control); Raymond Cloyd, Kansas State University (Insect pests and controls); Stephanie Cohen, Perennial Diva (Perennials); Chris Currey, Iowa State University (Greenhouse herbs, greenhouse environment); Kathy Kelly, Penn State University (Social Media); Tom Manning, Rutgers University (Greenhouse design, energy efficiency); Jeffrey Marstaller, Cozy Acres Greenhouses (Zero emissions, Advanced biocontols); Anna Meyerhoff, Bassett Healthcare Network (Worker protection); Kelly Norris, Des Moines Botanical Gardens (Iris, perennials, marketing); Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, Buglady Consulting (Biocontrols of pests); Brian Whipker, North Carolina State University (Plant Diagnostics, PGRs). Advance registration is required. Tickets are $25. For complete information and registration visit http://www.negreenhouse.org/html/show_info.shtml

  • Sunday, June 23, 3:30 pm – The Human Shore: Seacoasts in History

    More than half of Americans now live within 50 miles of ocean, but should they? John Gillis (Rutgers University), in his new book The Human Shore: Seacoasts in History, argues that an inadequate understanding of the natural and human history of our shores has left communities unprepared for coastal dwelling.  John will speak at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge, on Sunday, June 23 beginning at 3:30 pm.  For more information visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu/lectures_and_special_events/index.php.  Regular Museum admission rates apply.

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