Karen Snetselaar, St. Joseph's University
American Philosophical Society Museum and Pennsylvania Horitcultural Society
Times / Locations:
5:00 - 6:15 p.m., view Dialogues with Darwin in Philosophical Hall, 104 South Fifth Street
6:30 p.m., Lecture in Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut Street
After the lecture, APS Museum Director and Curator Sue Ann Prince will offer a curatorial tour of the exhibit.
Fee. To register and purchase tickets, please contact Carol Dutill, 215-988-8869 or cdutill@pennhort.org.
Charles Darwin is recognized world-wide for developing and disseminating ideas on evolution and natural selection. His work as an experimental scientist is less well-known. As a botanist, Darwin carried out a number of elegant experiments directed at understanding such wide-ranging topics as plant movement in response to light, mechanisms by which plants prevent self-fertilization, and responses of insectivorous plants to different food sources. As a gentleman scientist, Darwin did many of his experiments in his house or on the surrounding grounds, often involving his children in the activities. This talk will describe some of these botanical experiments and their impact on future plant biologists.
Dr. Karen Snetselaar is Professor and Chair of Biology at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. She is a botanist whose research is focused on plant symbiosis and fungi and has published extensively in science journals. In addition to her teaching responsibilities at Saint Joseph’s University, Dr. Snetselaar directs a program that brings hands-on science into Philadelphia elementary school classrooms. She has been teaching for the Wagner Institute since 1997 as a member of the adult education faculty and through the GeoKids program, a partnership with four elementary schools.