The Murray and Ann Blum Natural History Museum Education Fund
At the annual meeting of the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Natural History, Director Bud Freeman announced the inauguration of the Blum Fund, created in honor of Dr. Murray S. Blum, research professor of Entomology at UGA and a founding member of the Friends. Dr. Blum, an enthusiastic educator and scientist, inspired students and others with his love of insects. The Blum fund will help support undergraduate student participation in the Museum.
Donations to the Blum Fund may be made through the Friends website (naturalhistory.uga.edu). Pledge cards are available at the Museum Gallery. Contact Friends President Dac Crossley (dac.crossley@gmail.com) or Museum Director Bud Freeman (bud@hemip.nhm.uga.edu) for further information about the Blum Fund.
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Director Freeman discusses the Fund with Mrs. Ann Blum and daughter Dawn
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Reworking the Museum Gallery
Exhibit space in the Museum Gallery is being enhanced by the addition of new display cases and an improved set of “Discovery Drawers.” The Friends have contributed funds to this upgrade by supporting carpentry work for the revised display spaces, as announced by Treasurer Paige Cummings at the Annual Meeting last month. The Gallery remains open with minimal exhibits now, but stay tuned for an announcement of a gala opening in the Fall.
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Does it take two to tango?
University of Georgia botanist Robert Wyatt will present the third talk in the Natural History Lecture Series at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 30 in the auditorium of the Richard B. Russell Special Collections Library. His lecture, “Sex in the Garden,” will be preceded by a reception with coffee and cookies, and is free and open to all.
This lecture is a tongue-in-cheek presentation about various facets of plant reproduction, dealing with plant sexuality in a humorous and anthropomorphic manner, considering questions such as are males really necessary? does it always take two to tango? and does size matter? Wyatt uses real-world examples to stimulate thinking about plant reproduction, while simultaneously entertaining the audience with comparisons and contrasts, some rather far-fetched, to animal, including human, reproduction.
Wyatt obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his doctorate from Duke University, both in botany. He taught for two years at Texas A&M University before joining the faculty at the University of Georgia, where he was a professor of botany and ecology for more than 20 years and still retains an adjunct appointment. From 1999 to 2005 he was the executive director of the Highlands Biological Station, an interinstitutional center of the University of North Carolina. He has won numerous awards for teaching and research, including a Guggenheim Fellowship that enabled him to produce a book, Ecology and Evolution of Plant Reproduction. He has trained more than 40 graduate students, received millions of dollars in research grants, and published more than 160 scientific papers.
The Natural History Lecture Series is organized by the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Natural History, a non-profit organization that supports and advances the mission and programs of the Museum by increasing public awareness, supporting service and outreach programs, fundraising and mobilizing other resources. The Series is co-sponsored by the Friends of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
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Please visit out our web site (http://www.gmnhfriends.org) for a list of Friends activities, officers and Board Members.
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-- Cheers from Dac Crossley, President
Friends of the Georgia Museum of Natural History.
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Our email newsletter lets you know what is happening around the Museum and details about upcoming trips and activities of the Friends. Be sure to check out our website at http://gmnhfriends.org and Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.
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