Dr. Jim Bever, Distinguished Foundation Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Senior Scientist with the Kansas Biological Survey at the University of Kansas and co-pi on the
Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant and Soil Systems Across Kansas Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 OIA-1656006 Award, was part of a panel that presented at the
Big Botany Symposium held March 28, 2018. The all-day symposium was held in conjunction with the
Big Botany: Conversations with the Plant World exhibition opening at the
Spencer Museum of Art on the University of Kansas campus. The symposium provided an interdisciplinary space for scientists, artists, and other researchers to share their work on plant studies with each other and the community at large. Dr. Bever discussed "Plant Agency and the Maintenance of Mutualism" and described how “the agency of plants impact their story” by managing microbes and how they work together to help maintain diverse plant communities with high productivity.
To view Dr. Bever’s talk on YouTube go to the Big Botany Symposium’s video posted at:
His specific talk begins at the 6:18:50 mark.
Education and outreach funding is provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: "Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas." The grant's educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce or prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.
