“DNA Barcoding in Plants: The Future of Identification, Discovery, and Conservation of Tropical Biodiversity”
Dr. W. John Kress was born in Illinois and received his education at Harvard University (B. A., 1975) and Duke University (Ph. D. 1981) where he studied tropical biology, ethnobotany, evolution, and plant systematics. Among his over 100 scientific and popular papers on tropical botany are his books entitled Heliconia: An Identification Guide, Heliconias – Las llamaradas de la Selva Colombiana, A New Century of Biology (with Gary Barrett), A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs, and Climbers of Myanmar, and Plant Conservation – A Natural History Approach (with Gary Krupnick). His current research focuses on coevolution between plants and their pollinators, plant DNA barcoding, and advanced technological tools for taxonomists. He has just recently published a new book, entitled The Weeping Goldsmith (Abbeville Press), which describes his experiences exploring for plants in the isolated country of Myanmar. Dr. Kress is also interested in the intersection of science and art. To this end he is published two original art projects, called Botanica Magnifica (Abbeville Press) and Tulipae Hortorum, with photographer Jonathan Singer and a book on plant evolution, entitled The Art of Plant Evolution (Kew Publications), with Dr. Shirley Sherwood using contemporary botanical art to illustrate the diversity of the plant world. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and currently Executive Director of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation. Dr. Kress is an Adjunct Professor of Biology at George Washington University in Washington, DC, and Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Yunnan. Currently he is Curator and Research Scientist as well as former Chairman of the Department of Botany at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.
Cosponsors:
The Gifford Arboretum Lecture is part of the CETroB lecture series
Former Gifford Arboretum Lecturers (click here)
1984
Richard Howard
Professor emeritus and former Director of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
1985
Mark Plotkin
Ethnobotanist, Time magazine’s 1999 Hero of the Planet
1986
Bill Theobauld
Director of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens
1992
Richard Howard
Director of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
1993
Taylor Alexander
Professor of Biology and Creator of Microbiome, University of Miami
1994
Walter Hodges
USDA plant explorer and oversaw NSF awards for Tropical Botany
1995
Christine Padoch
Professor of Ecological Anthropology
Institute of Economic Botany at the New York Botanical Garden
1996
Luis Diego Gomez
Director of Las Cruces Biological Station
and The Robert and Catherine Wilson Botanical Garden
1997
Robin Foster
Professor of Plant Ecology, Field Museum of Natural History
1998
Paul Cox
Director of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens
1999
Meg Lowman
Director of Research and Conservation, Marie Selby Botanical Garden
2000
Peter Ashton
Professor of Forestry
and Faculty Fellow of the Center for International Development, Harvard University
2001
Robin Marantz Henig
Author & Freelance Science Writer
2002
Alvaro Calonje-Daly
Director of Dolmestch Arboretum & Horticulturist, Cali, Colombia
2003
Robin Chazdon
Professor of Ecology, University of Connecticut
2004
Peter M. Vitousek
Clifford G. Morrison Professor in Population and Resource Studies
Department of Biological Sciences and FSI Senior Fellow, Stanford University
2005
Georgia Tasker
Journalist, Miami Herald
2006
Douglas Larson
Professor Emeritus, University of Guelph
2007
Deborah A. Clark
Professor, Department of Biology
University of Missouri St. Louis
2008
Julie S. Denslow
Research Ecologist and Team Leader
Invasive Species Unit Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry
USDA Forest Service
2009
Lúcia Lohmann
Professor, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil