From Plant Press, Vol. 3, No. 3, July 2000.
Smithsonian Botanical Symposium “Linnaean Taxonomy in the 21st Century”, March 2001
The Department is organizing a new symposium series, the Smithsonian Botanical Symposium, which will be held each spring at the National Museum of Natural History. The first symposium is scheduled for 30-31 March, 2000. Its goal is to bring together the national and international plant systematics community to address a botanical topic of current significance. The inaugural symposium “Linnaean Taxonomy in the 21st Century” will focus on the relevance of Linnaean binomials and hierarchical ranks in the light of recent advances in phylogenetic systematics.
In addition to invited speakers, the two-day symposium will include a Friday evening student poster session and reception, and a Saturday evening dinner with a special keynote speaker. In honor of the symposium, the Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies, the Smithsonian Institution's Dibner Library, and the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation are producing a book exhibit “Plants and Books from Antiquity through the Renaissance: from Theophrastus to Linnaeus” that will open to the public at the time of the Sympoisum.
The meeting is hosted by the Smithsonian Institution, and co-sponsored by the U.S. Botanic Garden of Washington, D.C. and the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation. For more information and pre-registration please see the symposium web site at <http://persoon.si.edu/SBS2001/>.
Biodiversity of Guyana, March 2001
The Centre for the Study of Biological Diversity and The Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Guyana, and The Biological Diversity of the Guianas Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution,announce the symposium: “The Biodiversity of Guyana: A Global Perspective for the Future.”
The time has come to evaluate our knowledge of the biodiversity of Guyana by addressing the questions of “What do we know about the diversity of various groups of organisms in Guyana?”; “How does the diversity compare regionally and globally?”; “How can the biodiversity of Guyana be conserved?”; and “How will conservation affect the people of Guyana?” A week-long symposium is being developed to address these questions. Topics will include the following: Documenting biodiversity—The birds, butterflies and other organisms of Guyana; Estimating biodiversity: GIS, modeling and other ways of estimating biodiversity; Conservation, environmental policy, and sustainable development; and, Social issues and conservation.
The meeting will be held in Georgetown, Guyana, in March 2001 and will include talks, posters, and round table discussions. The purpose is to encourage and facilitate the expression of opinions on various issues concerning the biodiversity of Guyana. Symposium organizers hope there will be participation by many different organizations (Flora of the Guianas, Conservation International, Iwokrama, Tropenbos, etc.). It will be open to all interested parties, international as well as local. We hope for a large participation by Guyanese from the academic and conservation communities as well as policy makers from the Government of Guyana, the international banks, and representatives of the Amerindian Community. After the symposium, a volume will be published on “The Biodiversity of Guyana”.
For further information, or to submit suggestions or recommendations, please contact the Centre (nnasir@guyana.net.gy) or the Smithsonian (kelloff.carol@nmnh.si.edu). Visit our website at <http://www.nmnh.si.edu/biodiversity/bdg.htm>. Mailing address: Biological Diversity of the Guianas, Department of Botany, MRC166, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0166, USA.
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