WHAT: University of Nebraska at Kearney Science Café
HOSTED BY: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society
TITLE: “Communicating the beauty and biology of Nebraska’s natural resources”
TOPIC: Rivers and their surrounding lands are among the most beautiful and biologically diverse places in the world. Advancements in cameras and other technologies enable people to document, perceive and study such landscapes in creative ways. This presentation includes examples of projects that cross disciplinarily boundaries, including of science and art, to communicate about natural resources in Nebraska. Examples from the Platte River and Sandhills are highlighted, featuring views of animal life, seasonal changes and how people come to know and experience place.
PRESENTER: Mary Harner is a professor at UNK in the communication and biology departments who studies the ecology of river and wetland ecosystems. She leads a program that emphasizes student training, public communication and use of imagery to monitor ecosystem change and biological diversity. She has studied rivers in western Montana, New Mexico and Nebraska. In recent years, she has enjoyed focusing efforts closer to home along the Platte River and in the Sandhills of Nebraska.
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
DATE: Monday, Feb. 26
PLACE: The Loft at Cunningham’s Journal, 15 W. 23rd St., Kearney
CONTACT: Allen Thomas, UNK chemistry professor, 308.865.8452, thomasaa@unk.edu
