Sunday, June 16th - Half-Day - Morning - 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Fees, where indicated, include coffee breaks and any necessary supplies
How to Tackle Teaching Plant Life Cycles
Organized by: Emily Sessa
Free
Winter twig and fruit identification
Organized by: Suneeti Jog
$15.00
Conservation through Ethnobotanical Relationships: A case study in Generational Remembrance of Plants through Culturally Significant Foods in Metro-Detroit's Ukrainian Diaspora.
Organized by: Nina Lawrin
$15.00
SISRIS: Supporting Inclusive and Sustainable (collections-based) Research Infrastructure for Systematics
Organized by: Andrea Weeks and Shawn Krosnick
$15.00
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Workshop Descriptions
How to Tackle Teaching Plant Life Cycles
Submitted By: Emily Sessa
Abstract
Life cycles are a fundamental aspect of organismal biology, and a cornerstone of most introductory biology and botany courses. Despite the importance of this topic and its ubiquity in the lab and lecture hall, plant life cycles can be a challenging subject to teach and students are often bewildered by the extensive terminology and unfamiliarity of the alternation of generations life cycle that plants undergo. During this workshop, the organizers and participants will share and discuss teaching methods for this topic, with the goal of providing everyone with a range of tools and approaches for tackling plant life cycles in their classes. We will discuss learning objectives, critical concepts, and assessment methods, and participants will be invited (if they wish) to share their own slides and/or other materials related to teaching plant life cycles, so that we can benefit from each other’s experiences. We will focus primarily on sexual reproduction and alternation of generations in land plants, but as time and participant interest permit, we may also discuss more advanced topics (e.g., selfing, apomixis) and/or additional life cycles (e.g., fungi). Students are very welcome to attend, and prior teaching experience is not necessary.
Organizers
Emily Sessa, New York Botanical Garden
Jennifer Blake-Mahmud, Hope College
Eddie Watkins, Colgate University
Winter twig and fruit identification
Submitted By: Suneeti Jog
Abstract
The workshop will teach participants to identify common species of trees and woody shrubs of the midwestern and eastern United States, with a special emphasis on distinguishing species of oaks in the winter. Participants will learn to use basic botanical features used for identification such as buds, twig characteristics, bark, and fruits. This will be a hands-on workshop where participants will be able to discern morphological characters, distinguish odors unique to certain taxa, and experience pertinent textures that will aid in species identification. In an increasingly ever-changing digital world, this back to basics, old-school and resilient approach using only winter attributes will be a refresher on plant identification of woody species.
Fresh as well as herbarium specimens of leafed out material will also be on display to compare with winter twigs, so that participants can associate dormant stages with active growth forms. The workshop will culminate with a keying exercise of unknown specimens of winter twigs. This workshop will be most beneficial to those who need field botany skills as well as international field botanists wishing to delve into winter botany.
Identifying tree species accurately is very important for ecological monitoring and for protecting and managing natural areas, in an ever changing, anthropogenically altering world.
Planned Speakers
Suneeti Jog, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Matt Finzel, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Conservation through Ethnobotanical Relationships: A case study in Generational Remembrance of Plants through Culturally Significant Foods in Metro-Detroit\'s Ukrainian Diaspora.
Submitted By: Nina Lawrin
Abstract
I propose a conversation around how ecological knowledge is preserved after immigration. It can include a portion where participants partake in the creation of a food/ culturally significant plant relationship to take home with them as well as a conversation around how we all can reconnect to ourselves through the land and preserve ecological knowledge while sharing in unity during these times of change.
In this pilot study I argue against the negative connotations of acculturation and acknowledge the fluidity, creativity, and adaptability of Ukrainian-American immigrants and their foodways. Ukrainian immigrants were able to assimilate to life within metro-Detroit while simultaneously preserving traditional foodways through celebratory foods. Through annual, familial holiday meals at Christmas, Easter and the occasional wedding, the matriarchal lineage has effectively preserved cultural keystone foods through language, use, and preparation. Community and schools also played a vital role in traditions and food preservation. First generation immigrants embraced transnational migrant identities which is reflective in their foodways. Second and third generations varied in frequency and seasonality as compared to first generation immigrants, although those who partook in annual Ukrainian celebratory foods were able to preserve key ecological food plant knowledge, usage, and language.
Planned Speakers
Ethnobotanist Nina Lawrin with potential guest
SISRIS: Supporting Inclusive and Sustainable (collections-based) Research Infrastructure for Systematics
Organized by: Andrea Weeks and Shawn Krosnick
Scientific discoveries derived from biological collections depend on the people who create the infrastructure of preserved specimens. However, currently accepted metrics of professional success for taxonomists ignore the essential functions of collection, identification, and annotation of research specimens that support published research. This results in an incomplete picture of the contributions of those working in biological collections. Recently, web-based informatics tools have been developed to improve the attribution of specimens, so that collectors and determiners can track their contributions to subsequent research discoveries made using their work and receive greater professional recognition. In this workshop, participants will learn how to create an inclusive and sustainable research ecosystem for collections-based research by increasing the attribution of the people. This half-day workshop will comprise four hours of instruction about the structure and use of the web-based informatics tool Bionomia and the other software services that interact with this platform, including ORCID, GBIF, Wikidata, and Zenodo. The workshop will emphasize (1) how participants can use these tools as part of their collections-based research activities and (2) how increased attribution can be used as a means to effect community-level change in how taxonomic expertise is acknowledged. Participants will practice attributing specimens to historical collectors from underrepresented groups, which will directly increase the visibility of hidden figures in natural history collections. To defray the costs associated with workshop participation and to encourage participation from underrepresented groups, 20 stipends of $350 each will be available to workshop attendees.
Please visit https://github.com/aweeks3/SISRIS for more information on applying for participant support.