photograph courtesy of Special Collections and Archives
Diversity Endangered, Remnants From A Richer Past
CLP and Reception, February 8, 2012 4-6 pm
Pitts Room, James B. Duke Library
Diversity Endangered is a natural history exhibition created by the Smithsonian Institution with a grant from the National Science Foundation. Twelve colorful panels cover every aspect of the effect humans have on the Earth’s ecosystems.
The Department of Classics at Furman and the South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson are collaborating on a digital library of historical botany, from the ancient Greeks, through the early exploration of the Carolinas, to living plants under curation and in the wild today; and one section of the exhibition will be devoted to this joint effort. Furman’s Decorative and Fine Arts Collection and Special Collections and Archives will illustrate the destruction of natural habitats with artifacts and showcase plant and animal species through rare books.
Dr. Wade Worthen will open the exhibition on February 8, 2012 with a CLP lecture on several aspects of biodiversity. He will demonstrate the scope of diversity, introducing the many and varied life forms, and explain why biodiversity is crucial. He will address current conditions including a discussion of mass extinction. Finally, he will illustrate what actions are being taken to address the loss of biodiversity.
We look forward to seeing you on February 8th!