Help us save our rare plants collection!

Dear friends of the Emory University Herbarium:

We have some exciting things happening at the Emory University Herbarium! Our mission is to serve as a botanical research and educational resource for the Emory University and global community. We aim to foster understanding of the human-nature interface by collecting, preserving, researching and exhibiting botanical specimens and ethnobotanical objects. To meet these aims, we have engaged in several interesting projects this Spring:

  • Our plant specimens are currently featured in the special exhibit: “Shakespeare’s Natural Worlds” at Woodruff Library on the second floor. See pictures of the exhibit and read more about it in the Emory News!
  • Our students collected more than 170 new species to add to the Emory Herbarium collection during an alternative spring break trip to south Florida. Read about their experience in the field in a series of blog posts on the Destination Health EU blog!
  • We have launched our fundraiser to save our rare plant Granite Rock Outcrop Collection on Emory’s crowdfunding platform: Momentum!

I’m writing because we need your help to raise both funds and awareness about our  rare plant Granite Rock Outcrop Collection project. We are currently funded only via philanthropic donations and must raise the necessary funds to make our conservation efforts for these rare plant samples a success. Here’s how you can contribute to these efforts:

  • Donate to the project. Every donation, both large and small, can make a real and meaningful impact on our work! This is where our most immediate and urgent need is today.
  • Spread news about the project. We need to get the word out! Please share this link with friends and your social media outlets: http://bit.ly/1WVGXCM
  • Volunteer at the herbarium. We have one PhD botanist on staff to serve as the collections manager, but the rest of our work is performed by volunteers! We work with both students and members from the community in these efforts.

Thanks for your help and commitment to botanical research and education!

For the people and the plants,

Dr. Cassandra Quave

Curator, Emory Herbarium

Support the Emory Herbarium on #GivingTuesday

Looking for a cause to support on ‪#‎GivingTuesday‬? Please consider a donation to the Emory University Herbarium. Funds will be used to support student research projects and efforts to revitalize our collection of more than 20,000 plant specimens.

Donations can be made through the secure Emory website and are tax-deductible.

Emory Herbarium at the Science at Hand event

We had a great time at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s “Science at Hand Event”! Our display featured specimens of medicinal plants, puzzles, a crop origins matching game, a botanist’s tool kit and a coloring station. You can find pictures of the event on our new Instagram site: https://www.instagram.com/emory_herbarium/

Emory Herbarium at the Atlanta Science Festival Expo!

The Emory Herbarium participated in a science outreach event with the 2015 Atlanta Science Festival at the Science Expo. Out theme was “What’s that smell? Plant chemistry in our foods, medicines and perfumes”. Thanks so much to Drs. Bradbury and Lyles and all of the student volunteers that made this special event possible!

View photos from this special day on our Facebook page HERE.

Join the Emory Herbarium at Fernbank 3/14!

Volunteers from the Emory University Herbarium will be at Fernbank Museum of Natural History on Saturday, March 14th from 10 am – 2 pm for their special “Wild Poisons Day”. join us for fun activities for all ages, and learn about how plants are important to our daily lives! To find out more, visit the Fernbank event website HERE.

Fernbank Museum Outreach Event: Deadly Cures

We had a great time at Fernbank Museum of Natural History for the Herbarium Outreach event and lecture today! Click HERE to view photos from the event on Facebook.

A blog writeup on the lecture “Deadly cures: Medical discoveries from poisonous plants” was posted on Destination Health EU, and is available HERE.

Coming Events: March 1st public lecture on poisonous plants!

Deadly Cures: Medical Discoveries from Poisonous Plants

Emory Herbarium Curator, Dr. Quave, will be giving a special free public lecture “Deadly Cures: Medical Discoveries from Poisonous Plants” on March 1st at 4 pm at Fernbank Museum of Natural History. We’ll also have an educational outreach event before the talk, with displays from the Emory University Herbarium and hands-on activities for kids! Space is limited – reserve your free tickets now at 404.929.6400.

Visit this link to see the full event description: https://www.fernbankmuseum.org/calendar-of-events/special-lecture-deadly-cures/

Emory Herbarium to participate in the Atlanta Science Festival Expo!

We are very excited to announce that the Emory University Herbarium will be participating in the Atlanta Science Festival Exploration Expo in March! Our science topic this year is:

“What’s That Smell?  Plant chemistry in our food, perfume, and medicine”

Did you know that plants make chemicals that give them their own special smell? Come learn about how we use these plant chemicals every day in our food, perfume, and medicine!

Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 28th, 2015 from 11am-4pm at Centennial Olympic Park. Learn more about the Atlanta Science Festival Expo here: http://atlantasciencefestival.org/expo  We hope to see you there!