Wednesday, March 29, 12:00—1:00 PM
Location: Online via Zoom
Humans mastered agriculture over 10,000 years ago and then successfully adjusted these skills as they spread to wild, new ecosystems around the globe. One would think growing plants in the controlled conditions of a spacecraft would be easier than in one’s own backyard…but NASA has discovered this is not true! If you are interested in plants, science, and space exploration join us for the presentation of “Plants in Space” by Texas plant expert and scientist, Mark “Merriwether” Vorderbuggen, Ph.D. He’ll guide you through growing plants on the International Space Station and why it’s much tougher than you might think. It’ll be both educational and entertaining…and you’ll have a better appreciation for life on Earth afterwards. This is a Zoom-based talk and registration is required.
Mark “Merriwether” Vorderbruggen, Ph.D. is often (somewhat) jokingly described as a scientist raised by wolves. Having a M.S. in medicinal chemistry and a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry, he brings science into the world of wild edible and medicinal plants. On the science side he has fourteen patents and numerous articles in research journals from his career as an oilfield chemist. But his true love is plants and the miracles they contain. He hosts one of the top wild edible/medicinal plant sites on the internet; he’s written countless foraging articles for a wide variety of magazines; taught hundreds of foraging walkabouts; appeared on radio, TV, and podcasts and has written a popular book on the subject.