Dr. Mason Heberling
Associate Curator of Botany
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Title: Making the most of herbaria
Abstract: As dead plants glued to paper, herbarium specimens may not seem like much at first glance. But they are far more than meet the eye. With over 400 million specimens collected by many thousands of botanists over nearly five centuries worldwide, herbaria comprise a critical resource for understanding the world around us. Historically, these collections were primarily used to understand, describe, and organize the tree of life (taxonomy and systematics). While these longstanding uses remain critical in modern research, the use of museum collections have deepened and expanded in unanticipated ways. Established well before the current era of digital data and molecular biology, herbarium specimens are now being used in ways not even fathomed a century, or even a year, ago. They are active resources for the sciences and humanities alike. Heberling will highlight his research using collections to understand plant responses in a time of rapid environmental changes. As novel uses of specimens are increasing, new curatorial needs and perspectives need to be considered, including an open re-evaluation of the very collection event itself and rethinking the specimen. As we enter the Anthropocene, herbaria have likewise entered a new era with enhanced scientific, educational, and societal relevance. Perhaps now more than ever, we must continue to curate and to collect specimens. And we need to rethink how we do both of those things.
LOCATION:HUH Seminar Room 125, 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART:20251212T170000Z DTEND:20251212T180000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR