Australia Dr. Monica Ogierman
monica.ogierman@acpfg.com.au
Education Manager
Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG)
University of Adelaide
South Australia, 5064
AUSTRALIA
www.acpfg.com.au

Australia

The first international "Fascination of Plants Day" will be launched under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO). The goal of this activity is to get as many people as possible around the world fascinated by plants and enthused about the importance of plant science for agriculture, in sustainably producing food, as well as for horticulture, forestry, and all of the non-food products such as paper, timber, chemicals, energy, and pharmaceuticals. The role of plants in environmental conservation will also be a key message.
Everybody is welcome to join this initiative!

m o r e »   click here

We invite you to organize for the 18th of May 2012 a fascinating activity related to plants attracting and interacting with the public. Just contact your National Coordinator Monica Ogierman monica.ogierman@acpfg.com.au or the EPSO Coordinator Jan-Wolfhard Kellmann jkellmann@ice.mpg.de to discuss and get access and guidelines for using the Fascination of Plants Day corporate design. We invite many others to join, ranging from schools to horticulture and anyone who feels to have a suited contribution to this initiative. Many plant science institutions, universities, botanical gardens, and museums, together with farmers and companies, have already announced that they will open their doors, with a variety of plant-based events for all the family. Also, the media are invited to join in, and scientists, farmers, politicians and industrialists will discuss with them and present the latest state-of-the-art research and breakthroughs in the plant science world and explore all of the new potential applications plant science can offer.

The Fascination of Plants Day will be backed up by a range of events in public spaces, theatres, cafes, central city squares and parks designed to get everyone thinking about plants.

Plants are fascinating. From one little seed, planted into soil, many green lives can arise - from small herbs up to big trees, or from ornamental flowers to substantial crops which all animals and mankind need to survive on this planet. Plant biologists estimate the total number of plant species roughly to be about 250,000. On the back of this coordinated activity we hope to plant many virtual and constantly germinating seeds in the collective mind of the European and World Public that plant science is of critical significance to the social and environmental landscape now and into the future.

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These institutions will take part at the Fascination of Plants Day. If you also like to join this initiative, just contact your national coordinator Monica Ogiermann

ARC Centre for Excellence in Plant Cell Walls

 

  • Urrbrae high Tour of Plant Accelerator
    As part of the Science in Schools program a class of Yr9 (or Yr12) students from Urrbrae Agricultural high school will be shown the facilities of the Plant Accelerator at the Waite Campus of Adelaide University. This event is aimed at highlighting Fascination of Plants Day.
    Secondary school students
    24th May 2012
    Jennifer Washington 61 8 8313 6501 jennifer.washington@adelaide.edu.au

ARC Centre for Excellence in Plant Energy Biology

 

  • Get into Genes
    Get into Genes will run special sessions the weeks leading up to Fascination of Plants day. The program runs for two hours and involves hands-on fun and educational activities. Students attending will hear from top plant researcher and receive Fascination of Plant Day stickers.
    Alice Trend, 08 6488 4481, alice.trend@uwa.edu.au
    Secondary school students
    11-18th May 2012
  • Fascinating Plants Media releases
    A series of releases and fact sheets will be sent out to media outlets about Fascinating discoveries and traits of plants with images.
    Alice Trend, 08 6488 4481, alice.trend@uwa.edu.au
    General Public
    11th-18th May, 2012

Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics

 

  • Australian Fascination of Plants Day Video Competition
    Make a 3 minute video about why plants and plant science are fascinating. You could win $1000. The competition is open to Australian secondary school students and closes on Fascination of Plants day (May 18th, 2012) . To find out more visit http://www.acpfg.com.au/videocomp/
    Target audience: Secondary school students
    Monica Ogierman, 61 8 8313 6725, monica.ogierman@acpfg.com.au
  • Get into Genes disovers fascinating plants!
    Get into Genes (www.getintogenes.com.au) is an award winning program that explores the use of gene technology in the generation of important cereal crops such as wheat and barley. The program will run special sessions the week leading (14 -18 May 2012) up to Fascination of Plants day. The program runs for two hours and involves hands-on fun and educational activities. Students attending will hear from top plant researchers, receive Fascination of Plant Day stickers and have the chance to win a T-shirt!
    Secondary school students
    Alison Wilson, alison.wilson@acpfg.com.au 14- 18 May, 2012

Australian Science Communicators SA

Rona Sakko 61 8 8463 5937 rona.sakko@csiro.au

 

  • Penfolds Magill Estate Heritage Tour
    Join us in a joint celebration of wines and autumn vines as we tour Penfolds Magill Estate. This is a guided historical tour of this working winery, with heritage-listed bluestone cellars, Still House and underground tunnels. Learn how wine is made and watch the fermentation process in action in giant barrels.
    What better way to observe the first ever international “Fascination of Plants Day”? We particularly encourage those who have a passion for wine, brewing, history or agricultural botany so they can share their knowledge amongst others on the tour.Need further convincing? The tour includes tasting of six Penfolds Wines in the Still House.
    Everyone welcome but please book beforehand by contacting Rona Sakko at ronadel@dodo.com.au or 0419 8277 23
    Magill Estate Cellar Door, 78 Penfold Rd, Magill SA
    Sunday 20th May 2012
    11AM - 12 PM
    $15 per person

Australian Society of Plant Scientists

A/Prof Ros Gleadow tel+ 61 (0) 3 9905 1667, ros.gleadow@monash.edu

 

  • National Photo Competition
    To support Fascination of Plants Day 2012, ASPS will hold a photo competition for the most interesting, arresting, and outright fascinating image from the plant world. Please visit the ASPS Facebook site at http://on.fb.me/wj49qM and post your best photos to the wall.
    General Community
    March to May, 2012

CSIRO's Double Helix Science Club
http://csiro.au/

 

  • Field trip to the Olive Hill Revegetation Project
    We will walk up to this area in the Morialta Conservation Park where native vegetation is being restored. We'll seek out remnant flora, reptiles and birds, we'll identify animals by their scats and we will help to remove weeds and olives
    Science club members and their families, plus any interested general public (space permitting)
    Sunday 13 May 2012 10am to noon
    Rona Sakko 61 8 8463 5937 , rona.sakko@csiro.au
  • Penguin & vegetation Tour
    This guided tour will be a comprehensive, enjoyable and educational nature experience. We will view little penguins as they come ashore after a day's fishing, plus learn about the native vegetation in the area.
    Science club members and their families, plus any interested general public (space permitting)
    Saturday, 19 May 6 PM
    Rona Sakko 61 8 8463 5937 , rona.sakko@csiro.au
  • The Food Forest
    Tour of this celebrated permaculture property includes organic food production, compost toilet, biodiversity and revegetation, water recylcing, ecologically sustainable buildings, animal life and more.
    Science club members and their families, plus any interested general public (space permitting)
    Sunday 3 June - 2.30pm
    Rona Sakko 61 8 8463 5937 , rona.sakko@csiro.au
  • Plants that attract birds
    We will join renowned ornithologist Dr David Paton and his field workers as we collect birds from mist nets, then identify, weight and band them before releasing them. We will learn about the importance of native vegetation, including flowers, for attracting birds and what we need to do to provide the right habitat for them to breed and flourish.
    Science club members and their families
    Sunday 10 June
    Rona Sakko 61 8 8463 5937 , rona.sakko@csiro.au

Dairy Futures CRC

Joanna Oreo, 0407 535 345, joanna.oreo@getintogenes.com.au

 

  • Get into Genes meets FoPD
    Get into Genes (www.getintogenes.com.au) is an award winning program that explores the use of gene technology in agriculture. In Victoria, the program highlights the latest technologies and techniques used in moleclar plant and animal breeding programs. Leading up to FoPD, Get into Genes has been promoting the 3 minute video to all secondary school students and teachers who attend a workshop. Students attending a Get into Genes workshop during FoPD week will receive stickers and have the chance to win a T-shirt!
    Secoondary School Students
    Video: March-May 8-16 May 'FoPD week/s' @ LaTrobe University - Viewbank Secondary College will be bringing 7 groups of year 10 students to the Get into Genes workshops during this time - FoPD will be heavily promoted to these students.

High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre, CSIRO Plant Industry
http://www.csiro.au/ ...
https://www.facebook.com/events/263259557105825/

 

  • Fascination of Plants Day Seminar – 3D plant imaging
    Target audience: University Students
    May 18th, 11AM Event Venue: High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre, CSIRO Plant Industry, Clunies Ross St, Acton ACT
    Alyssa Weirman 6246 5541 alyssa.weirman@csiro.au
  • 3D plant analysis over time: understanding plant architecture and growth using imaging technologies
    3D plant analysis over time: understanding plant architecture and growth using imaging technologies - In this presentation, Xavier Sirault will introduce a novel 3D mesh based technique developed for temporal high-throughput plant phenotyping and present initial tests for the analysis of Gossypium hirsutum vegetative growth. Based on plant meshes previously reconstructed from multi-view images, the methodology involves several stages, including morphological mesh segmentation, phenotypic parameters estimation, and plant organs tracking over time. This initial study focuses on presenting and validating the accuracy of the methodology on dicotyledons such as cotton and will present the challenges of applying this method to cereal.
    CSIRO Plant Industry  Clunies Ross St  Black Mountain  Canberra ACT 2601 Alyssa Weirman Ph: 61 2 6246 5541 Fax: 61 2 6246 4975 alyssa.weirman@csiro.au
    http://www.csiro.au/ ...

Monash University
http://www.monash.edu.au/

A/Prof. Ros Gleadow President of the Australian Society of Plant Scientists
99051370 Ros.Gleadow@monash.edu

 

  • Dr Beth Gott's Aboriginal Garden Tours at Monash University
    To mark Fascination of Plants Day, Dr Beth Gott from the School of Biological Sciences is conducting tours of the Aboriginal Garden at Monash University. Dr Gott is a highly experienced ethnobotanist and established this educational garden at Monash University, with examples of plants eaten and used by the first Australians
    Everyone is welcome!
    Tours will be held at 11 am and 2 pm on Friday 18th May. Please meet in the foyer of the Monash Science Centre (Building 74) located in the northeast corner of the Clayton Campus. In the event of bad weather, Dr Gott will be available for a short presentation and Q&A at the Science Centre.For bookings, please email science-centre@monash.edu or call 99051370.
    http://www.sciencecentre.monash.edu.au/plantsday.html

Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centre
http://www.questacon.edu.au/

 

  • Fascination of Plants Day in Q Lab
    Come & look at plants in different ways and use plants in unusual ways, such as using citrus fruits to make batteries, using plants as pH indicators, and looking at plants under micrscopes
    18th May, 2012, 9 AM - 5PM General public
    Questacon, King Edward Terrace, Parkes ACT 2600
    Michael Bennett Tel: (02) 6270 2854  Fax: (02) 6270 2833 mbennett@questacon.edu.au
    http://www.questacon.edu.au/qlab/

The Plant Accelerator, University of Adelaide
www.plantaccelerator.org.au/

 

  • Open-House at The Plant Accelerator
    The Plant Accelerator® is a world-leading plant research facility. It offers fully automated plant handling on a large conveyor system and the latest technology in high throughput plant imaging for the repeated measurements of the physical attributes (phenotype) of plants automatically and non-destructively. During ‘Open House’ visitors will be able to see what’s happening inside The Plant Accelerator.; www.plantaccelerator.org.au; bookings for groups is essenial.
    general public
    20-05-2012, 2pm - 5pm, The Plant Accelerator, Hartley Grove, Urrbrae 5064 SA
    Bettina Berger, 08 8313 0825, bettina.berger@adelaide.edu.au
    http://www.plantaccelerator.org.au/

The University of Melbourne:
School of Land & Environment and School of Botany

Dr Christin Down (08) 8344 5071 cdown@unimelb.edu.au

 

  • "Rain and Shine: a simple guide to what makes plants grow"
    To mark International Fascination of Plants day, The Melbourne School of Land and Environment (MSLE) is hosting the launch of David Smith’s "Rain and Shine: a simple guide to what makes plants grow". Supporting David will be speakers from the School of Botany and the MSLE, who will share the secrets of Victoria’s unique plants, and give a glimpse of the designer plants of the future. We will also be taking this opportunity to announce the winners of our Plants are Fascinating Essay Competition for VCE students. Come along – be informed, enjoy refreshments, and wait with bated breath to hear the announcement of our Essay Competition winners.
    The interested public
    5 pm, 18th of May 2012. The Student Learning Centre,Building 142 (between Gates 13 & 14), Melbourne School of Land and Environment, the University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3010
  • Plants are Fascinating: Essay Competition
    Why do you find plants fascinating? If you're a VCE student, tell us in 1,000 words or fewer and enter our essay competition. There are cash prizes, and we are hoping to have the winning essays made into a book by Connor Court Publishing. For full details, terms and conditions, please contact Dr Christin Down.
    Year 11 and 12 VCE Biology students (Victoria only)
    Deadline for essay submissions has been extended to 5 pm on the 14 May 2012; winners announced 18th of May 2012.

The University of Queensland
http://www.uq.edu.au/

 

  • Art exhibition 'homage to seeds'
    Local artist Sophie Munns will complete a 3-week stint as a 'botannical artist in residence at the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience where she will gain inspiration for her 'homage to the seed' series of artwork as well as prepare an exhibition at IMB that will to co-incide with 2012 International Fascination of Plants Day on Friday 18 May.
    Bronwyn Adams 07 3346 2134  b.adams@imb.uq.edu.au General public
    http://www.imb.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=177784
  • Public lecture by Julian Cribb
    Julian Cribb is one of Australia's most experienced science communicators and writers. He will talk upon "the importance of plants to the survival of the human race" in a public lecture organised by UQ's Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation
    Graeme Hammer 07 3346 9463 g.hammer@uq.edu.au
    General public
    http://www.imb.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=177784

The University of Western Australia.
School of Plant Biology and SPICE: Secondary Teachers enrichment program

Associate Professor Jan Dook, SPICE program, UWA
Phone:  +61 8 6488 2597, Jan.Dook@uwa.edu.au

 

  • Fascinating Samphires
    While some plants are stunningly beautiful and others may have incredible perfume, some plants have amazing adaptations enabling them to survive in hostile environments. The Fascination of Plants Day at UWA will focus on the adaptations of samphires; plants that can withstand and thrive in extremely salty environments.  The visit for Year 11 students from UWA's Fairway Program will include a laboratory activity, participation in an interactive quiz / exercise and a talk.
    Secondary school students - Year 11
    May 18, 2012
    http://spice.wa.edu.au/fascination-of-plants/