Thammasat University students interested in botany, ecology, sociology, economics, forest sciences, and related subjects may find it useful to participate in a free 19 October Zoom webinar conference on How Plants Made Our World and Can Save It.
The event, on Wednesday, 19 October 2022 at 2pm Bangkok time, is presented by the Faculty of Science, the University of Melbourne, Australia.
The TU Library collection includes a number of books about different aspects of plant studies.
Students are invited to register for the webinar at this link:
As the webinar description posted online explains:
From the oxygen we breathe to the food we eat – plants are central to the survival of our species. Using plants to offset the impacts of climate change; modifying plants or soil microbes to increase nutrition; growing plants on our buildings and roofs, or on other planets – are these the next big chapters for the future of plants? Find out as our expert green thumbs get together and uncover the mysterious world of plants.
In our fourth Science at Melbourne public lecture for 2022, the Faculty of Science invites guests to hear a moderated discussion with our expert panel followed by an audience Q&A session broadcast live from our beautiful Burnley Campus.
Host: Professor Moira O’Bryan, Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne
Moderator: Professor Kirsten Parris, Professor of urban ecology, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne
Panellist: Professor Michelle Watt, Adrienne Clarke Professorial Chair of Botany, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne
Panellist: Dr Claire Farrell, Senior Lecturer (Green Infrastructure), School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne
Panellist: Professor Stefan Arndt, Professor of Physiological and Ecosystem Ecology, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne
The Science at Melbourne Lecture series is the premier public event series from the Faculty of Science. The event program seeks to share our knowledge and love of science with the wider community, engaging them in current research and empowering them to ask questions and take actions for a better world. The series runs throughout the year covering scientific research, discoveries and theories that play exciting or unexpected roles in shaping and advancing our society.
Professor Michelle Watt
Adrienne Clarke Professorial Chair of Botany, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne
A scientist focused on discovering how plants function and applying those discoveries to breeding plants that provide food and healthy environments for humans living on Earth and in space. Professor Watt’s group targets the root systems of plants, which are understudied because of they are generally hidden, yet central to water and carbon solutions for plants adapted to resource-limited environments like Australia and space.
Dr Claire Farrell
Senior Lecturer (Green Infrastructure), School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne
Claire’s research includes using natural ecosystems as templates to design optimal green infrastructure to manage stormwater and cool cities. This includes designing and evaluating green facades, rain gardens, green roofs and ‘woody meadows’. Woody meadows are naturalistic plantings of Australian shrubs to improve the appearance and function of low maintenance landscapes.
Professor Stefan Arndt
Professor of Physiological and Ecosystem Ecology, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne
An ecologist with 20 years of experience in applied ecosystem science. His research centres around the question how plants and entire ecosystems cope with changes in environmental conditions and how they respond to climate extremes like drought or heat stress. He investigates plant performance under environmental stress to predict which plant species will be best suited to survive and thrive in a future climate in forests, revegetation projects or urban areas. His research has three major areas of focus.
Professor Kirsten Parris
Kirsten Parris is a Professor of Urban Ecology in the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences at The University of Melbourne, and the Leader of the NESP Hub for Clean Air and Urban Landscapes (CAUL).
She has a deep affinity with frogs, and research interests that span urban ecology, amphibian ecology, conservation biology, animal behaviour, field-survey methods and ecological ethics.
Kirsten’s current research projects focus on the impacts of urban noise on acoustic communication in birds and frogs; the ecological costs and benefits of artificial wetlands in urban landscapes; community ecology in cities; and practical ways in which humans can better share the urban environment with other species.
She is also a committed science communicator, and convenes the Science Communication Research Chapter of the Ecological Society of Australia.
As The Guardian reported in February:
I find it such a weird cultural quirk that, in modern western society, we tend to dismiss plants, and in particular gardens, as frivolous. At best, some kind of quaint, suburban hobby, at worst, merely frivolous decoration. The outdoor equivalent of drapes and scatter cushions. I’ve sat in meetings on major urban design projects when teams of fancy architects will openly refer to gardens as “developers’ parsley”: a useless garnish chucked on at the last minute. However, the reality is that study after study has consistently shown how green space can profoundly affect how we understand our surroundings, navigate the world around us, and feel about ourselves. It affects not just our mental and physical health, but how we interact with others, how we structure society. Trials demonstrate that exercise in green spaces tends to feel easier, even if subjects are burning more calories. Our levels of stress and anxiety are measurably reduced when we are surrounded by plants. Healing times in hospitals have been reported to be faster when patients are given green views. Antisocial behaviour decreases, even crime rates are statistically reduced. This research is still very much in its infancy, but it all points to some seriously transformative stuff.
Of course, all of this should come as very little surprise, as we know the health of any species is dependent on its access to an ideal habitat. And whether we are doing it consciously or not, that is exactly what we are doing when we garden: engineering our surroundings to mimic the fertile, forest-edge ecosystems in which we evolved.
No matter how different they appear, gardens around the world all share the same basic elements. A sheltered area, screened from view to refuge from predators, contrasted with a comparatively open space to spot prospective prey. A clean water source, ideally a fast-flowing one, which is more likely to be safe to drink, and, of course, lots of flowering species – a tip-off for the future location of tasty fruit.
When we garden, not only do we make the world a more beautiful place, we also improve local biodiversity, cool overheated cities, mop up pollution and mitigate against flooding, all while improving our own health and well-being, which together have been shown to directly determine how effectively our society functions. Plants are key solutions to pretty much every major problem that faces our species today.
So maybe I really do have a superpower, but I share it with all gardeners, and the only thing you need to start participating in this miracle of life is a packet of seeds. So, without further ado, here’s the Observer’s special supplement to inspire you and give you some ingenious ideas on how to get growing.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)