Title: "What Hollywood Can Teach Us About Our Planet"

Featuring:
Professor Jodie Holt, University of California-Riverside

Synopsis:
Plants are fundamental to our existence, yet most people only notice plants as a green backdrop to their daily lives.  Without greater human awareness of plants and their importance, efforts to conserve plant biodiversity will be futile.  Why don’t we often ‘see’ plants even though they are all around us?  

Using principles of plant form and function, Dr. Holt will explain why plants look like they do and enhance your ability to ‘see’ plants.  A slide presentation of images from Dr. Holt’s work as a botanical consultant to the movie Avatar, as well as from her many years studying and teaching botany, will be used to illustrate this talk.