Boston Flora

Tag: Stanford University

  • Thursday, December 15, 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm – How Weather Has Shaped Human History, Online

    Droughts, blizzards, hurricanes, dust storms, typhoons, and floods. Dramatic weather might seem to be a new phenomenon, but weather and climate change have been shaping human history for thousands of years. Caroline Winterer, a professor of history at Stanford University, shares a series of weather-driven turning points that were strong enough to force migration, end wars, and create famines. From the ancient world, when melting glaciers drove human migrations, to droughts that helped to spread the plague, to Napoleon’s disastrous invasion of Russia, to the dustbowl that compelled many Americans to flee further West, to the lasting consequences of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, climate’s inexorable power has changed who we are and where we can live. 

    We may think we can conquer weather, but weather is actually in control. Winterer takes a look back at epochal climatic turning points to share insights into the aftermath of past climate change, and how it might affect us going forward. This Smithsonian Associates online webinar takes place December 15 beginning at 6:30 pm. $20 for Smithsonian members, $25 for nonmembers. Information and registration may be found at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/weather-human-history

    Dust Storm approaching Stratford, Texas, 1935

  • Wednesday, October 27 – The Olmsteds and Campus Design Symposium

    Duke University and the National Association for Olmsted Parks will host a Symposium on October 27 on The Olmsteds and Campus Design.

    In the wake of the Civil War, American universities emerged as important national institutions.  Olmsted believed that the physical environment of learning – buildings and grounds – played a significant role in the success of education.  He planned campuses for Cornell and Stanford and successor Olmsted firms undertook projects at scores of institutions including Duke, Sewanee, Colby College, Harvard, Gallaudet, Wellesley, Swarthmore, and Johns Hopkins. 

    In this day-long symposium, practitioners and scholars will focus on the Olmsteds and Campus Design to discuss campus planning and how Olmsted principles can inform campus design today.    The roster of speakers includes: 

    • Cathy Blake, FASLA, University Landscape Architect, Stanford University: Rebuilding the Olmsted Framework at Stanford University
    • Mark Hough, FASLA, University Landscape Architect, Duke University: Uncovering the Olmsted Brothers Legacy at Duke University
    • Laurie Olin, FASLA, FAAR, Partner, Olin Studio and member Olmsted 200 Honorary Committee.  Keynote: The Olmsteds and the American Campus
    • Frederick Steiner, FASLA, FAAR, Dean and Paley Professor, University of Pennsylvania School of Design: Olmsted and Land Grant Institutions
    • Michael Vergason, FASLA, FAAR, Principal, Michael Vergason Landscape Architects: Adapting Olmsted Precedent in Contemporary Campus Design

    Continuing education credits will be offered and attendance is limited to 80 participants. For a small fee, breakfast and lunch will be served.  

    More details, including how to register, will be available at https://olmsted200.org/events/symposium-the-olmsteds-and-campus-design/. 

  • Wednesday, January 11, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Keeping Invasive Plants Out of Landscaping

    The Ecological Landscape Alliance will sponsor a webinar on Wednesday, January 11 from 1 – 2 on Keeping Invasive Plants Out of Landscaping, with Doug Johnson. Invasive plants can cause significant damage to native ecosystems, and horticulture has been a top pathway for introducing invasive plants. Now that we know more about the environmental risk, how can we make sure landscaping does not cause problems in the future? Numerous efforts are making progress on this front, many with explicit support from the green industry.

    The PlantRight partnership in California has brought together stakeholders to reach consensus on plant species that can voluntarily avoided. Efforts in other states have pursued both voluntary and regulatory lists. To ensure that invasive plant lists are developed with appropriate scientific basis and transparency, state invasive plant councils have developed a standard process. Such lists can be used to support green building codes. In California, recent inclusion of Cal-IPC’s invasive plant list in water-efficient landscaping guidelines and green building code point out challenges inherent in bridging between our evolving ecological understanding and sensible landscaping rules and guidelines.

    Doug Johnson is Executive Director of the nonprofit California Invasive Plant Council. Along with overseeing Cal-IPC’s programs, he currently serves on the executive board for the National Association of Invasive Plant Councils, and was the first chairperson of California’s Invasive Species Advisory Committee. He holds an MA in Geography from San Francisco State University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. As a leader in the land management community, Cal-IPC delivers science-based tools and training, facilitates implementation of landscape-level projects, and advocates for strong public policy. Current projects include screening potential future weeds, mapping giant reed across the Central Valley, and developing vulnerability indices for Sierra meadows and San Francisco Bay salt marshes. The 2016 Cal-IPC Symposium—the organization’s 25th—celebrates park stewardship in honor of the National Park Service Centennial. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register and see more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-keeping-invasive-plants-out-of-landscaping/#sthash.Wx8q0fvK.dpuf

  • Sunday, April 12, 6:00 pm – Literary Lights

    The Associates of the Boston Public Library invite you to the 27th Annual Literary Lights Dinner on Sunday, April 12 beginning at 6 pm at The Boston Park Plaza Hotel.  This year the honorees are Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Author of Infidel, presented by Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns, Katherine Boo, author of Behind the Beautiful Forevers, presented by Jill Ker Conway, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Plato at the Googleplex, presented by Alan Lightman, Wendell and Florence Minor, husband and wife collaborators on children’s books (pictured below,) presented by Mary Higgins Clark, Amor Towles, author of Rules of Civility, presented by Claire Messud, and Niall Ferguson, Keynote Speaker and author of The War of the World, presented by David Gergen.  Tickets ($475 and up) are available on line at www.literarylights.org. Proceeds will support the David McCullough Conservation Fund, William O. Taylor Art Preservation Fund, Associates Endowment Fund, and the Associates of the Boston Public Library’s operations.

  • Wednesday, May 7, 7:00 pm – The Extreme Life of the Sea

    Drawing on his newest book, The Extreme Life of the Sea, marine scientist Stephen Palumbi will explore the spectacular life forms, such as blind zombie worms, ageless jellyfish, and the unicorn-like narwhal, that thrive at the ocean’s most brutal limits. From the icy Arctic to boiling hydrothermal vents and pitch-dark trenches, Palumbi looks at extreme habitats and considers how humans may be driving dramatic changes to the ocean’s ecosystem. The lecture and book signing will take place Wednesday, May 7, beginning at 7 pm at the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, and is sponsored by the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Stephen is the Jane and Marshall Steel Jr. Professor of Biology and Director of Hopkins Marine Station at Stanford University. Free and open to the public. There is free event parking in the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

    http://press.princeton.edu/images/k10178.gif

  • Second Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits

    The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is pleased to announce an opportunity for scientists to inform the nation’s science policy. This August, AIBS — with the support of event sponsors Botanical Society of America, Genetics Society of America, Long Term Ecological Research Network, Society of Systematic Biologists, and University of Michigan Biological Station, and Event Supporter Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve — Stanford University — will convene the 2nd Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event.

    This nationwide event enables scientists to meet with their members of Congress in their own district rather than in Washington, DC, and allows elected officials to learn first-hand about the science and research facilities in their district. This initiative is an opportunity to show elected officials how science is conducted and to showcase the people, equipment and facilities that are required to support and conduct scientific research.

    The 2nd Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event will be held throughout the month of August 2010.

    Each August, Representatives and Senators spend time in their Congressional districts and home states. This event is an opportunity for scientists and representatives of research facilities to meet with their member of Congress to demonstrate how science is conducted and why a sustained investment in research and education programs must be a national priority. Participating scientists will either meet with their elected officials at a district office or may invite them to visit their research facility.

    Participants will be prepared for their congressional meetings by AIBS Public Policy Office staff. Training for this event will be conducted through an interactive webinar program. In addition, participants will receive information about federal appropriations for biological and environmental research, tips for conducting a successful meeting with an elected official, and resources to craft and communicate an effective message. The AIBS Public Policy Office will provide participating scientists with guidance and some assistance with scheduling meetings. (Depending upon your institutional policy, individuals inviting their members of Congress to their facility may want to consult with the organization’s government relations officer.)  Participation is free, but registration is required and space is limited.  Registration will close on July 16, so log on to www.aibs.org/public-policy/congressional_district_visits.html.  And thanks go to asymptotia.com for the science cartoon contest submission pictured below.

    http://asymptotia.com/wp-images/2008/07/ucs_cartoons_2008-7.jpg