Archives: Events

It’s movie night at the Lloyd! Join us for a viewing of A Force for Nature: Lucy Braun (2018). This one-hour documentary explores the life and legacies of E. Lucy Braun, one of the foremost botanists and ecologists in American history. A Cincinnati native, Braun helped preserve natural spaces in Kentucky and Ohio. The documentary will be introduced by the director, writer and producer Meg Hanrahan. A question-and-answer session will follow.  

Registration required.

How can trees provide us with health benefits? Growing research shows regularly spending time around trees provides a wide range of human health benefits.  Join Dr. Rama Kasturi as she explains why trees are the best healthcare not only for us but for a planet under siege from rising temperatures and climate change. Dr. Kasturi has a Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry. She is an advocate for the underserved and promoter of environmental sustainability. She published her photo essay of her healing journey within the natural world of Burnet Woods in 2019 entitled Four Seasons in Burnet Woods. 

Watch the recording on YouTube.

Few plant species have captured our delight and eventually our disdain as has the Callery pear tree (Pyrus calleryana). Imported into the United States from China in the early 1900’s, this species was first considered the savior of pear fruit crops along the Pacific coast. Eventually it became one of the most popular ornamental trees in the 1980’s-1990’s. Prized for its gorgeous white flowers in early spring, its tree shape, and quick growth, the species was commonly sold as the cultivar ‘Bradford’, before being released as ‘Chanticleer’, ‘Aristocrat’, ‘Cleveland Select’, ‘Respire’, and many other cultivars. Although each cultivar was self-sterile, the different cultivars could freely pollinate each other, leading to a sudden increase in fruit production as more people planted a greater variety of cultivars in the landscape. Seeds were then carried by birds to nearby natural areas, leading to a surge in wild Callery pear, which formed monocultures and frequently displaced other plant species. Today, increasing number of states are listing the Callery pear as an invasive species, and Ohio is the first state to ban the commercial sale and distribution of the species. In this presentation, we will explore this transition of the Callery pear from a popular garden tree to a despised invader of natural areas and explore the implications this has for other plant species.

Watch the recording on YouTube.

 

Theresa Culley is a plant biologist, Professor and Head of the Departmental of Biological Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. A desire to help reduce impacts of invasive plants in natural areas led to her involvement in the Ohio Invasive Plants Council and the Ohio Invasive Plant Advisory Committee. Recently, Culley has been working within the Midwestern Invasive Plant Network on a communication platform that shares information on plants escaping cultivation, as sentinels of plant invasion. 

Mike Hall, Appalachian Forest Manager of The Nature Conservancy of Ohio, discusses conservation at the Richard and Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve System of southern Adams County, Ohio. The Nature Conservancy not only conserves land to protect endangered species but works to restore forests. Learn more about efforts to support the conservation and research of the wildlife in the forests and prairies of Ohio.

Registration Required.

Join us for an informative evening with  leaders  in  plant  research in medicine. Dr. Barry O’Keefe of the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute will moderate presentations from Nick Oberlies, Patricia A. Sullivan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at University of North Carolina Greensboro, and Cassandra Quave, Curator of the Herbarium and Associate Professor of Dermatology and Human Health at Emory University. This is a one-time opportunity to hear this program.

 

Registration Required.

 

Barry O’Keefe, Ph. D.

Dr. O’Keefe is an expert in the screening of natural product extracts and the discovery of novel bioactive compounds. He has pioneered the discovery of biotherapeutics from natural products, especially in the area of antiviral proteins As Director of the Molecular Targets Program and Chief of the Natural Products Branch, Dr. O’Keefe is integral in the National Cancer Institute’s drug discovery efforts from natural product extracts.

 

Nicholas Oberlies, Ph. D.

Professor Oberlies is the Patricia A. Sullivan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. His lab focuses on the discovery of new drug leads and the analysis of herbal remedies. This includes support from the National Institutes of Health for using fungi as a source for anticancer and antimalarial leads and the analysis/quality control of herbal remedies. Prior to joining UNCG, he spent more than a decade at Research Triangle Institute, mentored by Drs. Wall and Wani, who were the discovers of taxol and camptothecin, both of which had a major impact on cancer chemotherapy.

Cassandra Quave, Ph.D.

Professor Quave is Curator of the Herbarium and Associate Professor of Dermatology and Human Health at Emory University, where she leads natural product drug discovery research initiatives and teaches courses on medicinal plants, microbiology, and pharmacology. As a medical ethnobotanist, her work focuses on the documentation and pharmacological analysis of plants used in traditional medicine. She earned her B.S. in Biology and Anthropology from Emory University in 2000, her Ph.D. in Biology from Florida International University in 2008 and completed post-doctoral fellowships in Microbiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (2009-2011) and Human Health at Emory University (2012). Her research focuses on the discovery of plant secondary metabolites with antimicrobial properties. This work is supported by the National Institutes of Health, industry contracts, and philanthropy.

 

 

Get outside this winter with the Lloyd Library as we explore Walnut Woods of Evanston! This forest is the newest of Cincinnati’s parks. This forest in recovery has become a living laboratory for Walnut Hills High School students who are part of the restoration efforts with community volunteers including the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati and Cincinnati Parks. Horticulturist Greg Torres takes us on a guided hike of Walnut Woods of Evanston and shares site history, how students and the community became galvanized to restore the site, the on-going conservation research, and future land management plans.  Meet at the corner of Jonathan Ave and Sulsar St.

No reservations required.