The acclaimed ecologist and groundbreaking author will explore the interconnectedness of our forests and planet
SUMMARY
- Wed, May 1 | 7:30 p.m. | Campbell Hall
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- Join the world’s foremost forest ecologist on a journey through the unseen world above our heads and below our feet
- Part of Arts & Lectures’ Earth, Air, Fire, Water Series
- $30 / $20 / $10 all students (with valid ID)
- Tickets & Info: www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu
“What Simard is revealing here has implications and potential on the scale of mapping the human genome. Simard is one of this planet’s most insightful and eloquent translators.” – John Vaillant, bestselling author of The Golden Spruce
SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Suzanne Simard, Finding the Mother Tree on Wednesday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Campbell Hall. As the world’s foremost forest ecologist, Suzanne Simard has reshaped the way we understand the life and growth of plants. In her groundbreaking work Finding the Mother Tree, Simard explained how trees interact and communicate using below-ground fungal networks. Her research established the existence of “mother trees” that play an important role in the flow of information and resources in a forest. The concepts she developed have influenced everyone from earth scientists to artists – think James Cameron’s Avatarand Richard Powers’ The Overstory. Join Simard for a dazzling journey through the unseen world going on above our heads and under our feet.
Books will be available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Chaucer’s.
ABOUT SUZANNE SIMARD
Suzanne Simard is a Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia and the author of the book Finding the Mother Tree.
She is a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence and has been hailed as a scientist who conveys complex, technical ideas in a way that is dazzling and profound. Her work has influenced filmmakers (the Tree of Souls in James Cameron’s Avatar) and her TED talks have been viewed by more than 10 million people worldwide.
Simard is known for her work on how trees interact and communicate using below-ground fungal networks, which has led to the recognition that forests have hub trees, or Mother Trees, which are large, highly connected trees that play an important role in the flow of information and resources in a forest. Her current research investigates how these complex relationships contribute to forest resiliency, adaptability and recovery, and has far-reaching implications for how to manage and heal forests from human impacts, including climate change.
Simard has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and presented at conferences around the world. She has communicated her work to a wide audience through interviews, documentary films and her TEDTalk “How trees talk to one another.”
ABOUT UCSB ARTS & LECTURES
Founded in 1959, UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) is the largest and most influential arts and lectures organization between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A&L annually presents more than a hundred public events, from critically acclaimed concerts and dance performances by world-renowned artists to talks by groundbreaking authors and film series at UCSB and Santa Barbara-area venues. With a mission to “educate, entertain and inspire,” A&L also oversees an outreach program that brings visiting artists and speakers into local classrooms and other venues for master classes, open rehearsals, discussions and more, serving K-12 students, college students and the general public.
Earth, Air, Fire, Water Series Sponsors: Patricia & Paul Bragg Foundation, Audrey & Timothy O. Fisher, Justin Brooks Fisher Foundation, and Sara Miller McCune
Supporting Sponsor: Natalie Orfalea Foundation | Lou Buglioli
Suzanne Simard is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures in association with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Community Environmental Council, Explore Ecology, The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, UCSB Bren School and UCSB Environmental Studies Program
Special Thanks: The Santa Barbara Independent
Tickets are $30 / $20 / $10 all students UCSB students (Current student ID required)
For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or purchase online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.
UCSB Arts & Lectures gratefully acknowledges our Community Partners the Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli for their generous support of the 2023-2024 season.