This event now has a waitlist.

Continuing our series of hikes led by recognized local experts, our September outdoor program will be led by Gary Kauffman, USDA Forest Service Botanist/Plant Ecologist.  Some of you may remember Gary from his 2019 presentation and hikes featuring the serpentine barrens near Franklin.  Those of us participating were treated to a spectacular assortment of unique and unusual wildflowers.  For 2021 Gary will take two groups to the Big Ivy on September 28 and October 15 with a focus on old-growth forest ecology.  

GET READY FOR BLAST OFF!
August 10, 2021 at 5:30 to 6:30 P.M. via Zoom

Here is the ZOOM LINK

Tim DeLisle will look at all the roles plants have and will serve in space exploration. From providing food, oxygen, and removing contaminants from the air to providing needed compounds and building materials, and even  providing humans with purpose and well-being.  

Welcome Aboard!

Our presenter is Timothy DeLisle and is PARI’s Director of Software Engineering.  He has been part of the leadership for PARI’s camp programs for eight years and sees the outreach, education, and experiences PARI offers as the true primary role of his job.  He has served as an Astrophysics instructor for the Duke University’s summer camps.  He has tutored Computer Science at Wake Forest University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  He has been writing curriculum for STEM education since 1999.  His focus in software development is creating vibrant, dynamic, intuitive user interfaces for complex instruments, and data visualization that helps to highlight the story a researcher seeks to tell with their data.

Sunny skies greeted a full complement of 15 members participating in our August Tree ID Walk at Shope Creek.  It was ably led by Dave Ellum, Dean of Land Resources and Professor of Forestry at Warren Wilson College.  In addition to covering identification tips for about 30 species of trees, Dave also shared a great deal of information about forest management, silviculture, and medicinal understory plants.  The group witnessed first hand the impact of badly managed clear cutting and the impact on the forest decades later.  Dave also shared provocative views regarding the management of exotic invasive plants and the efforts to save our chestnuts and hemlocks.  It was an interesting and entertaining outing for those of us lucky enough to participate.