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The Society for Ethnobotany

Fostering research and education on the past, present, and future uses of plants by people.

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Workshops

Organized Workshops
 Workshop #1  
 Day & Hour  Wednesday 5th, 2:30 - 4:00 pm
 Title
  Engaging the Public: Documenting your Work in Under a Minute!  
 Instructors
  John de la Parra, Harvard University and MIT and Ernest Anemone, Tufts University  
 Description
  With just a phone and a plan, you can make an engaging and informative video of your work! In this interactive workshop, John and Ernest will walk participants through exciting filmmaking tips and tricks, while also covering the fundamentals of producing a short internet-style film for maximum public impact. They will also screen selected submissions for the new SEB Public Engagement Award. Ernest and John co-teach classes on medicinal plants at Harvard University and Tufts University and have spent years documenting their fieldwork on film. In addition, Ernest brings his wide-ranging experience as a professional actor and award-winning filmmaker.  
 Pricing  $15/person
 Attendee Limit  10-30
 Duration  1.5 h
 

 Workshop #2  
 Day & Hour  Wednesday 5th, 1:00 - 4:00 pm
 Title
  Compiling Tools and Charting the Course: Co-Creating an Ethnobotanical Valuation Toolbox for the Anthropocene
 Instructors
  Jeffrey Wall, Morgan Ruelle and Michelle Baumflek  
 Description
  This engaged, collaborative workshop aims to envision and plot the development of a valuation toolbox for practitioners, students and researchers who aspire to democratize the conservation of plant value worldwide, and who aspire to put indigenous peoples’, women’s, ethnic minorities’ and other muted values for the living world on the biological conservation agenda and to keep it there. Through a series of facilitated exercises, the experiences, skills and foresight of workshop participants will be synthesized to collectively articulate tangible, appropriate strategies and methodologies necessary to address this grand challenge. Goals for the workshop include identifying the necessary capabilities and formats of the valuation tool box, deciding appropriate terminology, and identifying parallel literatures and working frameworks that can and should be engaged.  
 Pricing  $15/person
 Attendee Limit  10-30
 Duration  3 h
 

 Workshop #3
 Day & Hour  Tuesday 4th, 1:30 - 4:30 pm
 Title  Seeing Seeds
 Instructors  Sharon Bladholm
 Description
  We will draw from enlarged seeds subsequently adding watercolor washes, techniques will be discussed and demonstrated Attendees are invited to bring seeds of their own to work from, plus I will provide actual seeds from my own collection along with photos of enlarged seeds from ”Seeds: Time Capsules of Life” and John Janovecʼs book “Amazonian Seeds.” Participants will have a chance to see about 25 species of enlarged ceramic seeds for inspiration plus a Power Point presentation of botanically inspired art. While working, we will discuss the importance of seeds, including issues regarding loss of seed diversity, structure, color, form, dispersal methods and seed banks, both natural and storage facilities such as Svalbard. During the workshop I will share seed stories such as Methuselah, a 2000 year old date palm that is considered the oldest seed to ever sprout, found in Masada, Israel and Native American seed and plant stories. Stories can relay important information in a more memorable and engaging form.  
 Pricing  $15/person
 Attendee Limit  10 - 20
 Duration  3 h
 

 Workshop #4  CANCELLED
 Day & Hour  
 Title
  The Art of Media Storytelling  
 Instructors
  Susan Leopold, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of United Plant Savers  
 Description
  The Lloyd brothers had a strong conservation ethic and vision for future research when they spent decades acquiring the collection and established the intention to create the library. In this work shop we will learn about the making of the movie “Hope for Hydrastis”, looking at the collection of manuscripts, medicines, formulas and literature of cultivation and economics of goldenseal with current publications that tie in a multidisciplinary approach to storytelling. We will watch the movie discuss the project and finally talk about fellowship opportunities at special collections and how to put together a good proposal. We will also explore gaps in research in regards to native medicinal plants to inspire future scholars.  
 Pricing  $15/person
 Attendee Limit  10 - 30
 Duration  3 h
 

 Workshop #5  
 Day & Hour  Wednesday 5th, 1:00 - 4:00 pm.
 Title
  Geography of Viticulture, Lecture and Wine Tasting  
 Instructors  Nicholas Dunning
 Description
  Wine can be made from any fruit or sugar source. Most commonly, commercially produced wine is produced from grapes, chiefly from varietals of the species Vitis vinifera. This species was domesticated in the South Caucasus region some 7,000 years ago, diffused initially throughout the Mediterranean, then globally. Production of V. vinifera proved initially problematic in eastern North America, so European colonists and their descendants began making wine from five native North American grape species. Eventually, grafting of V. vinifera vines onto North American root stock proved to be the salvation of a 19th century pandemic devastating vineyards in Europe and elsewhere. In this lecture, we will look at the different grape species used to make wine and sample several wines made from native North American grapes, including one that made Cincinnati the wine capital of North America between the 1830s and 1850s. We will also look at how V. vinifera is affected by climate, slope, and soil, and sample several pairs of wine that showcase those effects.  
 Pricing  $25/person
 Attendee Limit  10 - 25
 Duration  3 h
 

 Workshop #6  
 Day & Hour  Wednesday 5th, 1:00 - 4:00 pm.
 Title
  Including Pollinators in Traditional Forest Practices and Conservation  
 Instructors  Brian J. Dykstra
 Description
  Pollinators are often keystone species in plant communities, and therefore human communities. Often bees are the primary pollinators, and in most cases indigenous people have a wealth of knowledge regarding the native bees. This knowledge extends into knowledge of plant medicinal properties and phenology. Unique properties of plant resins, nectar, and pollen are often utilized by humans after bees have done the initial collecting/harvesting. Learning objectives:
  1. The connection between bee/pollinator diversity, cultural diversity, and plant reproduction and diversity -- and thus human health and well-being, and cultural resilience.
  2. Indigenous Peoples' knowledge of pollinators has been documented, and its relevance toward cultural and ecosystem continuity
  3. Decline in indigenous pollinators and how this impacts Indigenous People
  4. Relevant aspects of governmental, organization, groups report and agreements.
  5. Success stories in which revitalization of indigenous beekeeping practices and protection of native pollinators.
  6. Group activity: building a conservation model which includes indigenous knowledge of pollinators.
  
 Pricing  $15/person
 Attendee Limit  10 - 30
 Duration  3 h
 

 Workshop #7  
 Day & Hour  Wednesday 5th, 1:00 - 2:30 pm.
 Title
  Networking for Applied Ethnobiology-Ethnobotany Practitioners, Professionals, and Scholars  
 Instructors  Lisa Gollin, Trish Flaster
 Description
  Ethnobiologists/ethnobotanists come from diverse fields (botany, anthropology, geography, medicine, nutrition, agriculture, art, architecture, etc.) and possess the knowledge, skills and experience to make critical contributions to: food security and sovereignty, natural and cultural resource management and historic preservation, climate change resilience and adaptation and environmental futures, nutrition, public health and medicine, natural product development and sustainability, wildfire prevention and response, field and methods training and guide writing, to name only a few. This session will expand on the Networking Social event held at the 2017 SEB-SoE joint conference. Come meet with resource professionals who will share their experiences and background in applied work, the cross-over skills in natural-social sciences they bring to their projects, and where they see opportunities for attendees. Introductions and a brief panel discussion will be followed by a group breakout activity. Each resource professional will head a group covering a topic related to the fields, topics, and opportunities open to ethnobiologists/ethnobotanists in the public and private sectors, NGO’s and more. Attendees can choose one group or circulate to exchange ideas, build connections, and foster collaborations.  
 Pricing  $15/person
 Attendee Limit  10 - 30
 Duration  1.5 h