Two experts will talk about the health of campus trees on Friday, September 11, during the first Science Forum of the semester.
Sharon Jean-Philippe, an assistant professor of urban forestry, and Sam Adams, UT campus arborist, will present “A New Vision for Trees on the University of Tennessee Campus.” The forum begins at noon in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena.
Jean-Philippe and Adams will discuss strategies to move toward a plant health care approach and long-term plans to develop an interactive app for UT students and visitors to learn about trees on campus.
The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.
Free and open to the public, each Science Forum consists of a forty-minute presentation followed by a Q-and-A session. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch or purchase it at the café in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Science Forum, sponsored by the UT Office of Research and Quest magazine, is an initiative to raise awareness of the research, scholarship, and creative activity happening on campus.
Jean-Philippe earned her master’s degree and doctorate from UT. She has taught at UT since 2010, with her research focusing on promoting the health and diversity of urban forests.
Adams was hired in 2015 to provide tree care and maintenance services for the campus. He is working with Landscape Services to conserve and protect trees around campus.
Here are the upcoming Science Forum speakers:
September 18 – Tessa Burch-Smith, assistant professor of biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology, “Can Anything Good Come Out of GMOs?”
September 25 – Wanda DeWaard, environmental educator at Earth Kin, “The Mystery and Magic of Monarch Butterflies”
October 2 – Shannon Mahurin, staff scientist for Nanomaterials Chemistry Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, “Desalination: The Quest for Clean Water”
October 9 – Colin Sumrall, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, “The Origins of Birds: Did the Age of Dinosaurs Really End?”
October 23 – John Schwartz, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, “Restoring Urban Streams: What is ‘Natural?'”
October 30 – David Matthews, professor of architecture and design, chair of interior design, “Design Thinking and Creative Process: How Designers Approach Wicked Problems and Engage the Future”
November 6 – Matthew Mench, Condra Chair of Excellence Professor and head of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering, “Where Do We Put All the Renewable Energy?”
November 13 – Melissa R. Allen, postdoctoral researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, “Climate Variability and Change: What Fundamental Science and Modeling Tell Us”
November 20 – Natalie Mong, education director for Upstate Birds of Prey, topic TBA
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CONTACT:
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)