Howard Payne University will host its first University Colloquium Series event of the year Friday, February 19, 10:00-10:50 a.m. in Room 121 of HPU’s Winebrenner Hall.
This University Colloquium Series event is entitled Project H.E.L.P. (HPU herbarium, engage in citizen science, locate/label and participate in data collection). Discussion will include the definition of an herbarium, its history and use at HPU and how citizens can assist in the HPU herbarium as well.
Dr. Jack Stanford, professor emeritus of biology, will discuss the importance of herbaria and their history at HPU.
“An herbarium is a repository for plants and a very useful thing,” said Dr. Stanford. “The purpose of the herbarium is to make a record of what plants are there.”
Dr. Marilyn Mathis, associate professor of biology, is the herbarium curator. Dr. Mathis will speak about the herbarium’s need for citizen science.
“We want to get the word out about what an herbarium is and the need for citizen science volunteers,” said Dr. Mathis. “Citizen science is different from volunteering in that we are collecting data specifically for a research purpose.”
Sara Wood, senior biology major from Orange Grove, will discuss the present-day operation of the HPU herbarium during the event. Wood, the herbarium manager, oversees the day-to-day operation along with the almost 30,000 specimens it houses.
There is no charge to attend this event and the public is encouraged to attend.
For more information about HPU’s University Colloquium Series, please contact Dr. Kristen Hutchins, associate professor of biology, at 325-649-8158.
Pictured above are HPU senior Sara Wood and Dr. Jack Stanford.
