Botany Videos

Last week Dr Jim Endersby, from the University of Sussex in the UK, told the tale of how Joseph Dalton Hooker met Tasmanian Ronald Gunn who, over the years, sent hundreds of carefully dried and preserved specimens of unknown flora to Kew, where Hooker named and classified his finds. Today Europe's museums and botanic gardens are full of dried plants, stuffed animals etc, as a result of the dedication of these men.

A study in the American Journal of Botany finds that plants can tell if they're next to a relative and will grow to allow the kin more access to light. Cynthia Graber reports.

Dr Jim Endersby is a lecturer in British History at the University of Sussex in the UK and he's the author of a book called Imperial Nature - Joseph Hooker and the Practices of Victorian Science. Joseph Hooker was an internationally renowned botanist and a close friend and early supporter of Charles Darwin and he was one of the first British men of science to become a full-time professional. Dr Jim Endersby talks about Hooker's career and offers interesting insights into the 19th century naturalists.

Meet Ina Vandebroek-an ethnobotanist by profession and a salsa dancer on the side. She is one of the scientists that we are profiling on "The Secret Life of Scientists," a web-exclusive series from NOVA. Every two weeks, you'll have a chance to meet a new scientist or engineer. Watch their videos. Ask them questions. Find out how their surprising secret lives fuel their science, and vice versa. "The Secret Life of Scientists" is produced for NOVA by Seftel Productions. Visit pbs.org/nova/secretlife. Exclusive funding for "The Secret Life of Scientists" provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Meet Ina Vandebroek-an ethnobotanist by profession and a salsa dancer on the side. She is one of the scientists that we are profiling on "The Secret Life of Scientists," a web-exclusive series from NOVA. Every two weeks, you'll have a chance to meet a new scientist or engineer. Watch their videos. Ask them questions. Find out how their surprising secret lives fuel their science, and vice versa. "The Secret Life of Scientists" is produced for NOVA by Seftel Productions. Visit pbs.org/nova/secretlife. Exclusive funding for "The Secret Life of Scientists" provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

It s Nobel Time Again, and IgNobel Time, Give TWIS A Prize, DARPA Wants You, Slow-Motion Brains, Chemical Racing, The BOSS, Quantum Waffles, Mushroom Lighting, Scientist Says, Little Old Lady Findings, Revisiting the Sun and the Moon, and the Minion Mailbag

Return Of Da #1 Fly Boy [Mixtape] in stores now!...! (C) Lil' Flip - Posted In The Trap (feat. Scoop-A-Star) ...!!!

A ten year old kid s got another thing coming when he messes with this stump.

The evolution of plant life is the story of a journey from water to land.

Part 5: Scholar/Author examines meaning of the Ten Commandments during October 9, 2007 talk at Bethany Lutheran Church in Ishpeming, MIAn expert on the Old Testament and the Ten Commandments - Brueggemann examined the mighty tablet that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai during an early October 2007 talk at Bethany Lutheran Church in Ishpeming - a small northern Michigan town near Lake Superior.Dr. Brueggemann interjects his trademark humor and calls the commandments the Big Ten. Christians like us need to recover the Ten Commandments - Brueggemann said to a fairly liberal audience of several hundred people - adding: We ve sort of turned them over to the right wing - and we need to take them back - and we need to understand them. Brueggemann said the Ten Commandments are guidelines for people who care about the neighborhood - locally and worldwide including respecting your neighbors whether next door or on the other side of the globe.Dr. Brueggemann gives his view and interpretation about the practical meaning of some of the commandments.For example - Brueggemann said not taking God s name in vain is not about swearing - but rather not taking advantage of using the Lord s name - and not using it for self promotion or as a commodity to be bought and sold.We would like to say Brueggemann does a smashing job explaining the tablets - but we ll leave the quips to Dr. Brueggemann.You will find out he is one Biblical Scholar with a sense of humor who carves out interesting thoughts and analysis about those famous words in stone.Here is noted theologian and author - Dr. Walter Brueggemann.Time: 9:58 --- Dr. Brueggemann s comments were edited only for length - not for content. ---

Part 3: Bible Scholar:/Author talks about the Bible and how it relates to greed, the environment, the 10 Commandments and Old Testament storiesWell-known biblical scholar Dr. Walter Brueggemann of the Atlanta area spoke to Northern Michigan residents in early October 2007 about the 10 Commandments, greed, the environment and other social topics.In part three of a four-part series, Earth Keeper volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson reports from Northern Michigan University.Time: 9:50 --- Some of the verbatim from Dr. Brueggemann s talk - follow along - then a full story:Dr. Brueggemann: "So that the theological question - that we don't answer easily - the logical question is that is there really a connection between the violation of the commandments - written broadly - and the well being of the earth." --- Reporter: In October 2007, Dr. Walter Bureggemann, an expert on the Old Testament, spoke at Northern Michigan University. --- Dr. Brueggemann: Hosea's poem is an anticipation of Wendell Berry - perhaps you know Wendell Berry - the critic of agribusiness who has written in many places that distorted social relationships inescapably will distort the environment - a distortion that is caused by greed and acquisitiveness and self-indulgent entitlement because the commandments articulate the restraints that are necessary for the maintenance of the environment.- and when there is excessive greed, when the land is overused, when the horizon is abused or the oceans are over fished, when the forests are stripped, the whole creation becomes dysfunctional. --- Reporter: Brueggemann said the Lord has an indictment with the inhabitants of the land," Brueggemann said. That lead to an nteresting exchange with a member of the audience: --- Dr. Brueggemann: Fifth text is in Hosea four verses one-three"The Lord has an indictment with the inhabitants of the land. The inhabitants of the land are abusing the land so Yahweh is taking them to court. Here is the indictment - see what this makes you think of.. "There is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, adultery, bloodshed." What does that make you think of - Audience member: "Iraq?""I meant in the Bible - I don't want to get into anything contemporary. "There is lying, sealing, killing, adultery - the ten commandments."The indictment is - Israel in its acquisitiveness has violated the ten commandments.."Now from what I have told you - what do you think comes next - therefore."Now I want you to get this: Therefore the land mourns." This is a Biblical idiom for drought. That's what they said - when you violate the ten commandments you get a drought.- and then it says - because of the drought - the beasts and the fields and the birds and the air and the fish in the sea - What's that supposed to make you think of? Creation are perishing." This is an extraordinary three verse poem. The indictment is you break the ten commandments - the connection is the therefore - and the threat is that creation will be undone and won't grow anything anymore ."The logic of the poem is that the violation of the ten commandments will lead to the dismantling of creation.""I heard a Rabbi once say - that in Auschwitz all ten commandments were systematically violated - and then he said whenever you violate all ten commandments then you get Auschwitz.""Oh I would not suggest that our ecological crisis is of Auschwitz proportion - but if you fill the therefore with moral passion - you have got to believe that the violation of God's commandments eventually jeopardize and risk the good gift of creation." ---First Kings 21 - Naboth's Vineyard - King Ahab wanted vegetable garden that Naboth had "who could not sell because the land was not a possession it was inheritance The land did not belong to him rather "He belonged to the land." Ahab and wife Jessiebell eventually frame Naboth as a traitor and got him executed.. All Land owned by Traitors fall to the crown That's when the prophet Elijah arrived on the scene.- who Ahab identified as enemy of his regime of acquisitiveness. Ahab - God's death sentence? --- Fourth text in Mica two versus one thru five :"Alas for those who devise wickedness and evil deeds on their beds.""They start scheming and plotting before they get out of bed - and when they get out of bed they have a cup of coffee and while they are still in their bathrobe they call their broker and take some more land away from somebody." When the morning dawns they perform it - they covet fields and seize them, houses and take them away - they oppress household and house - people and inheritance." "The power class schemes about how to take over real estate before they every get out of bed in the morning - they covet - the poet uses covet which as you know comes right from the tenth commandment - thou shalt not covet - thou shalt not be acquisitive - thou shalt not gather more commodities t one's self." They buy up houses and fields and they violate the neighborhood and they take advantage of those who do not have sharp lawyers. The comes - it won't surprise you - the therefore. "Therefore says the Lord - I am devising evil against this people and you shalt not walk haughtily for an evil time will come." "And then the poem goes on to say: You will say oh we are utterly ruined. Oh help us God help us' and it will be too late because your land will be owned by foreigners." ------ Full Story: --- Biblical scholar warns about consequences of greed, overindulgence, and abuse of the environment - says northern Michigan sulfide mine is losing proposal Dr. Walter Brueggemann: Christians are in denial over past religious violence, must own antisemitism(Marquette, Michigan) - Speaking to packed audiences at two northern Michigan events, noted theologian Dr. Walter Brueggemann warned that today's world should change its ways because the "creator will not tolerate the ultimate despoiling of creation."Speaking to over 400 people in Ishpeming and Marquette, Dr. Brueggemann said historically greed, disregard for the environment and "the violation of the ten commandments will lead to the dismantling of creation."An expert and prolific author on the Old Testament, Brueggemann quote numerous biblical verses and described the prophets of the time as "poets" who warned about the greedy abuse of nature because people must "view the environment as God's gift that requires responsible management."Bringing humor and simple explanations to complex scripture, Dr. Brueggemann's animated translations invoked passion, laughter, and stunned silence that was often punctuated with crescendos, whispers and dramatic gestures like a fist in the air or hands clutching his head."Every national security state works itself to destruction - never learning in time the limits to acquisitiveness and giving full rein to satiation," Brueggemann said Monday night (Oct. 8, 2007) at Northern Michigan University in Marquette.Dr. Brueggemann's ecumenical public talks are reflected in his personal life. Brueggemann is a member of the United Church of Christ, teaches at a Presbyterian Seminary, and worships in an Episcopal congregation.The standing room only crowd clapped when he tied abuse of the environment to the proposed sulfide mine near Lake Superior in Marquette County by stating abused land will not produce in the future."What this poet knows is that absentee ownership and agribusiness - and you can extrapolate the word mining - I don't know much about it but I know that much - will simply refuse to produce when the land becomes a tradeable commodity and is no longer caressed, and honored and treated with its own particular creation magic," Brueggemann said. "The land requires ownership that is partnership and without such partnership creation loses its interest in fruitfulness."In an interview following his talk, Brueggemann said while he doesn't know the all the details about the proposed sulfide mine he has done "some reading on the crisis of the proposed mining initiative" in Michigan's Upper Peninsula."It is obviously a case in which the well being of the environment and the well being of the neighborhood are being subordinated to economic interests," Brueggemann said."In the bible, the economy is, according to the Torah, kept subordinated to the well being of the neighborhood," Brueggemann said. "This seems to me a case in which economic interests want to overpower the concerns of the neighborhood.""From the perspective of biblical faith, that is always a loser," Brueggemann said.Speaking to about 200 people Tuesday night (Oct. 9) at the Bethany Lutheran Church in Ishpeming, Brueggemann said in the New Testament Jesus fed people with loaves of bread warning his followers about the evil ways of greedy pharaohs.Brueggemann said "for the sake of the common good - for good health care policy, good schools, for better housing - the work of the neighborhood depends upon the power of the dream to dream outside the pharaoh's regime of anxiety.""One way to understand the worship of the church, is every time we gather - we gather to dream the dream of God's abundance that powers us to the neighborhood," Brueggemann said.Rev. Warren Geier, pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Ishpeming, said in all Dr. Brueggemann's talks the theologian "highlighted that God's intention for the world, as articulated in the Ten Commandments, is that we live in relationship with God and with the neighbor."This can't be done without respect and care for the neighborhood' which is the earth, God's gift of creation," said Geier, who organized Brueggemann's U.P. visit. Brueggemann "emphasized the need the tell the truth, not to deny reality and pretend things are other than they are," Geier said."This is done in order to get to hope, the realization that there is another way that counters ways that seem unchangeable - to use Dr. Brueggemann's words: The data on the ground is not the final truth; it's outflanked by the fidelity of God. There are new gifts to be given'," Geier said.Describing a story about land abuse in the book of Isaiah, Brueggemann said the text warns about coveting land and "exercising eminent domain and buying up the property of neighbors until there is no one left but you.""You are left to live alone in the midst of the land - woe you," he said.An Atlanta resident, Dr. Brueggemann said a verse that states "these many houses shall become desolate - large beautiful houses without inhabitants" reminds him of the once prosperous southern cotton plantations."When I read about large beautiful houses that become desolate without inhabitants I think of Tara in Gone with the Wind," Brueggemann said in Marquette. "You know that the cotton industry in the south was the wealthiest economy in the world and nobody paid any attention."Describing an agricultural economic crisis, Brueggemann said "the text goes on in this poem to imagine that when the land is organized so that it destroys a neighborhood that the land simply refuses to produce.""God has said to the land be fruitful' and the land simply says I won't do it - I won't grow anything'," Brueggemann said.Brueggemann's talks were co-sponsored by Lutheran Campus Ministry, the interfaith NMU EarthKeeper Student Team, the NMU departments of Philosophy and English, the Northern Great Lakes Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Bethany Lutheran Church in Ishpeming.Brueggemann's visit "was another way we like to continue our (environmental) work and invite other people into our community so that we can learn from them and continue to grow in our knowledge about theology and creation and the environment as well," said Jennifer Simula, the NMU EK project director and a student leader with NMU Lutheran Campus Ministry.Understanding the audience was filled with supporters of the environment, Brueggemann said he is "aware of the work of the Earth Keeper's Covenant and so I already know that you are into these issues" describing his talk "simply as a reinforcement footnote to what all of you have already thought."Dr. Brueggemann said you know when the poets (prophets) are about to make a point - and interject "moral passion" - when they use words like "therefore" or "alas.""When you read a therefore' in this poetry you must duck," said Brueggemann - in one example of his wit that evoked laughter sometimes adding levity to an intense Biblical lesson."I believe the gap between consumer indulgence and the consequences of that in our society has to be filled with moral passion and not with explanation," Brueggemann said.The poets, Brueggemann said, warned of the possible outcomes of human behavior and were used in the Bible "as an interface between the power of acquisitiveness - on the one hand - and the poetry of alternative on the other hand.""All through the heady years of Jerusalem there were ad-hoc protests and dissents and warnings," Brueggemann said of the poets who today would be considered liberal.The poets were "not social action liberals - which they were - they were poets - they wrote poetry so that the world could be imagined outside the domain of (King) Solomon."In the book of Hosea, "the Lord has an indictment with the inhabitants of the land," Brueggemann said."The inhabitants of the land are abusing the land so Yahweh (God in the Old Testament) is taking them to court," he said.Brueggemann crafts his messages to have a direct bearing on today's world while sticking to Biblical history - thus causing the audience to think and draw their own conclusions of time."Here is the indictment - see what this makes you think of," Brueggemann said leading the audience to a purposely indirect point. "There is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, adultery, bloodshed. What does that make you think of?"An audience member said: "Iraq?""I meant in the Bible - I don't want to get into anything contemporary," said Brueggemann - delighting the crowd."There is lying, stealing, killing, adultery - the ten commandments," Brueggemann explained bringing home a Biblical lesson with contemporary impact. "The indictment is - Israel in its acquisitiveness has violated the ten commandments.""Now from what I have told you - what do you think comes next - therefore'," Brugeggeman said. "Therefore the land mourns - this is a Biblical idiom for drought.""When you violate the ten commandments you get a drought.- and then it says - because of the drought - the beasts and the fields and the birds and the air and the fish in the sea - What's that supposed to make you think of ? Creation is perishing. This is an extraordinary three-verse poem.""The indictment is you break the ten commandments - the connection is the therefore - and the threat is that creation will be undone and won't grow anything anymore," Brueggemann said. "The logic of the poem is that the violation of the ten commandments will lead to the dismantling of creation.""The poet only knows that the land that is being abused is God's creation and the poet knows there are limits to be honored and respected, restraints to be exercised and trusts to be cared for and when self indulgence overrides limits, restraints and trusts - creation has a way of circling back and bringing death," Brueggemann said."I heard a Rabbi once say - that in Auschwitz all Ten Commandments were systematically violated - and then he (Rabbi) said whenever you violate all ten commandments then you get Auschwitz'," Brueggemann said."I would not suggest that our ecological crisis is of Auschwitz proportion - however you have got to believe that the violation of God's commandments eventually jeopardize and risk the good gift of creation," Brueggemann saidDuring a meeting at the Lutheran Campus Ministry house, Brueggemann said the American "Christian community has been overly pre-occupied - for a long period of time - with personal salvation and redemption - and the result of that is that we have reneged on the Creator - Creation question."Brueggemann said "you can't just turn it (the environment) into a commodity""I believe that our work in scripture study and teaching is to reread the Bible away from those personal questions toward the large questions of creation and creator so we learn to view the environment as God's gift that requires responsible management," Brueggemann said.With the exception of noted Lutheran theologian Joseph Sittler, Brueggemann said that "Lutherans are notorious for not having had a very vibrant Doctrine of Creation."Brueggemann said many fundamentalists just "want to talk about me and Jesus, and being saved by the blood and all that kind of business."Fundamentalists "have no understanding of creation at all" and don't "understand that our reception of the reality of God also has to do with honoring the Earth differently," Brueggemann said."Those categories have almost been lost in the way the church conducts its teaching."Many churches refuse to face antisemitism and past religious violence and instead are "sort of pretending" that Christian-related atrocities did not happen, Brueggemann said."I think we invite people to engage in wholesale denial about their own lives," Brueggemann said.As a result of denial, the communication to churchgoers, Brueggemann said, is "well if you feel violent - talk about it somewhere else - don't do that here because we are all nice people here."It is "better to say we have a long history of antisemitism - we've go to own that," Brueggemann said. "I think that good recovery of the Bible is like good psychotherapy."At Bethany Lutheran Church in Ishpeming, Brueggemann said one of the saddest quotes by Jesus is in the New Testament book of Mark.After Jesus feeds ten thousands people at two events with loaves of bread to spare - he's out in a boat with two disciples who don't understand his frustration over why they forgot the bread, Brueggemann said."The paragraph ends with what I think must be one of the saddest statements of Jesus in the new testament - Jesus says to them do you not yet understand?' He says to his disciples you don't get it, do you?'," Brueggemann said."What's to get - is - wherever Jesus is - the power of anxiety has been broken - and there is an abundance that lets us get our minds off ourselves," Brueggemann said."So the disciples - the church - is invited to get its mind off itself - off its scarcity - off it's narrow budget - off its parsimony."The disciples "did not understand that Jesus is in the bread business," Brueggemann said."Watch out for the bread of the Herodians and the bread of the pharisees - he says watch out for the bread of the pharaoh because if you eat the bread of the pharaoh your stomach will be filled with anxiety," Brueggemann explained.Brueggemann said Jesus then "gets a little reprimanding and he says to them do you have eyes and not see - do you have ears and not hear and do you have hearts and not understand - don't you know what we have been doing'?"Brueggemann added that Mark says Jesus "took the bread, he blessed the bread, he broke the bread, he gave them the bread.""These are the four great verbs in the church for abundance - he took, he blessed, he broke, he gave - these are the four verbs of the Eucharist," Brueggemann said."These are the verbs whereby the gospel takes the stuff of the earth and transforms it into a wondrous abundance.""So what Mark is telling us is - that the disciples know the numbers but they haven't any idea what the numbers mean," Brueggemann said.Brueggemann participated in Bill Moyers acclaimed PBS television series on the Book of Genesis. A graduate of Elmhurst College, Professor Brueggemann studied at Eden Theological Seminary, receiving his Doctorate of Divinity from Union theological Seminary, New York, and a Ph.D from Saint Louis University. Brueggemann was professor of Old Testament at Eden before joining the faculty at Columbia Theological Seminary in 1986. He is currently William Marcellus McPheeters Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia.

NMU President meets for an hour with students trying to save environment research project; Dr. Les Wong given ongoing petition with nearly 900 signatures to stop Native Plants Project from being uprooted to build dormsDr. Wong impressed with students knowledge, preparation: NMU is "producing young scholars who want us to do the right thing"Students to explain effort to save the Native Plants Project at Lake Superior environment conference(Marquette, Michigan) - Students presented an ongoing petition with nearly 900 signatures to Northern Michigan University President Les Wong during a one-hour meeting today and left his offices with renewed hope to save an environment research project from being uprooted to build dorms. The Native Plants Project will be destroyed to build dorms if the proposed NMU Master Plan is not changed. NMU student Michael Rotter, a senior biology major spearheading the petition drive, and representatives of three other student environment organizations attended the meeting with NMU President Les Wong that lasted about an hour on Thursday (Oct. 25, 2007). NMU Student Michael Rotter is leading the fight to protect the Native Plants Project that has involved the blood, sweat and tears of hundreds of students "I found the meeting encouraging," said Rotter, adding the students presented Dr. Wong with petitions signed by nearly 900 NMU students who hope to save the Native Plants Project from being destroyed to build dorms. Five students met with Dr. Wong including Amber Masters, social chair for the Environmental Science Organization; Cory Howes, president of the Students Against Sulfide Mining; Eric Miller, president of the Superior Geography Club; and NMU senior Emily Wessels, an NMU senior and environmental science major. "Dr. Wong seemed very supportive and open to our opinions - but no promises were made," said Rotter, a member of the Northern Michigan University EarthKeeper Student Team. "We showed him maps of the area and we talked to him about future ideas for the study area," Rotter said. The five-acre Native Plants Project is located on the northside of the Northern Michigan University campus. (NMU Native Plant Project Photos by Professor Dr. Ronald Sundell) NMU President Wong has stressed the master plan is a proposal and a final decision has not been made. Dr. Wong said he "was thoroughly impressed with the students' knowledge and preparation." "Their ideas have merit and their proactive manner in helping me think through the issues was deeply appreciated," Dr. Wong said. "I'm proud of the role NMU played not only in their education but in producing young scholars who want us to do the right thing." "I look forward to future meetings with them," Dr. Wong said. Students are learning a great deal about the environment as the work inside and out on the Native Plants Project at NMU Dr. Wong was presented with future plans for the Native Plants Project including planting white pine and red oak trees to protect students from bitter winter weather in an area of the five acre Native Plants Project that Rotter described as "a wind tunnel that channels the wind through the buildings." "He really liked some of ours ideas to reduce the winds in the area during the winter and to rearrange the sidewalks for students to have better access to classes and other areas of campus," Rotter said. Rotter said some of the white pine trees will be 10-feet tall when planted so there is an immediate effect that will provide increasing protection with the growth of branches. Northern Michigan University students are trying to save their four-year-old Native Plants project that will be a valuable seed tool for other northern Michigan environment efforts and help attract students to the campus along Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula if its not destroyed to make dorms "Dr. Wong gave us some advice on who we can talk to in the administration about keeping out native plants study area intact," Rotter said. "Dr. Wong was very open and very inviting to our ideas on the native plants area," Rotter said. "He could not guarantee us anything but it was very encouraging none-the-less." Rotter said the students were given information on how to be put on the agenda of the December NMU Board of Trustees meeting to make a presentation about the native plants. The students will continue the petition drive and other efforts to spare the Native Plants Project from being uprooted. "Our next step is to continue to meet with members of administration and talk to the Board of Trustees and to continue collecting signatures on our petitions," Rotter said. Students have gathered about 900 signatures in an attempt to stop NMU from removing the Native Plants Project that has received $24,000 in state and federal funding, said Rotter, who spent many hours protecting the plants from this summer s drought and is spearheading the petition drive with help from other students. Thousands of students hours have gone into making the project a success and it includes The project includes field sampling of vegetation, insects, birds, small mammals, and is expected to attract reptiles and amphibians NMU President Wong said that "there is no clear consensus on the location of the residence halls and there is considerable opinion that any structure that impinges on the Native Plant Project would not have campus-wide support." If the native plants project is taken off the chopping block, President Wong and other members of the NMU administration will prove the university is sincere when it uses the slogan "Northern Naturally" to promote the campus, Rotter said. The native plants outdoor classroom will include a northern open pine barrens, a retention pond/wetland area, upland mesic forest and shrub types representing various northern Michigan habitats. The project has attracted insects, birds, and small mammals and is expected to attract amphibians and reptiles. Over the past four years, hundreds of NMU students have worked hard to build the Native Plants Project that will soon become a beautiful part of campus if it's not destroyed by NMU dorm planners The outdoor classroom is used to study ecological modeling, plant identification, native plant propagation, restoration techniques and water quality. Dr. Sundell said that campus planners have other areas to build dorms instead of destroying the native plants area. "We understand the work that has gone into the planting project, and that some of the plants may not do well if moved," said Dr. Wong, who has toured the project. "We want feedback on the big ideas." Rotter is receiving support from student organizations including the NMU Environmental Science Organization, Superior Geography Club, Sustainable Agriculture club, and the Students Against Sulfide Mining. Native plants help keep waterways clean, build habitat for animals and other organisms, Rotter said. The student founders of the project hope to be able to show to their children what they helped start. "I have always told my students that the project they started is part of a long term green-scaping of the campus," Sundell said. "The university has started an environmental sustainability committee to make our campus greener and address other issues like reducing our energy requirements, and less pesticide and fertilizer use." Beautiful flowers are part of the project that is coming of age and will soon have many flowering plants in brilliant colors "Our Native Plants Project is a prime example to the university committee and the general community on how to develop more sustainable systems on campus and the U.P.," Sundell said. "In the plan they state this a would be a green corridor - this is already a green corridor," Sundell said. "If they carry through with the plan they have a building that would block that green corridor. "The native plants are part of a current green corridor that stretches north from classrooms in the new science building to the existing dorms," Sundell said. Hundreds of students from the student environmental science organization and NMU classes have assisted in development of the Native Plants Project site, Sundell said. NMU students who have helped Professor Sundell develop and manage the Native Plant Project over the past four years are Mike Stefancic, Jason Woodhull and Michael Rotter. The three students each spent a summer managing the native plants including planting, maintaining and developing of the site Sundell said. This map shows the five acre project at NMU that is growing each year but now faces destruction to make way for dorms and other student housing. Despite the worst drought in U.P. history the student volunteers added about 11,000 native plants to the project this summer, Sundell said. "This Native Plants Project is valuable as an educational and research site and a native seed bank for future environmental restoration project in the central U.P.," said Sundell. "As the project moves forward NMU will become a major seed source for environmental restoration projects in the central U.P." The Native Plants Project is coming of age and will add beauty to the campus including flowering plants and grasses in various shades of white, yellow, pink and purple, Sundell said. NMU students put loving care into the five-acre Native Plants Project on the north side of campus (NMU Native Plant Project Photos by Professor Dr. Ronald Sundell) Student Michael Rotter can be reached by calling 231-250-3061 email: mrotter@nmu.eduThe NMU EK Student team can be reached by calling 906-475-5068 email: earthkeeper@charter.netProject Prof. Dr. Ronald Sundell can be reached at 906-227-1359 email: rsundell@nmu.edu

Students convert Lutheran Campus Ministry lawn into eco-friendly Native Plants GardenRainstorm stops briefly for Blessing of the Garden ceremony (Marquette, Michigan) - A "Blessing of the Garden" ceremony was held recently at Lothlorien - the Northern Michigan University Lutheran Campus Ministry house near Lake Superior.Performing the ceremony was Rev. Jon Magnuson, director of Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) at Northern Michigan University (NMU) in Marquette, MI; and Rev. Tesshin Paul Lehmberg, head priest of Lake Superior Zendo, a Marquette Zen Buddhist temple.The Lothlorien lawn has been turned into a native plants garden that includes rocks from three of the Great lakes and a solar fountain.A heavy rain poured the entire day almost causing the ceremony to be moved inside, but the sun came out for 20 minutes and the rain resumed just as the blessing and a tour were completed. The LCM house name, Lothlorien, comes from Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.The garden includes numerous different plants from Michigan and others from the Boreal border regions of the northern United States including Black Eye Susan and aster, dogbane, bluestem, and Sensitive fern. Prayers, incense, bells, and chants were part of the ceremony that included a tour of the garden by NMU Student Michael Joko Rotter, who is a member of Lake Superior Zendo."Lothlorien is a magical kingdom part of what Tolkien called Middle-earth - where time passes differently," said Rev. Jon Magnuson, a Lutheran pastor, who founded the NMU EarthKeeper Student Team. Many of the campus ministry students belong to the interfaith NMU EK Student Team. "One of the first images of the Old Testament around the beauty of God's creation is a garden," Rev. Magnuson said."Our natural native plants landscaping - our Lothlorien garden - is a sign of a new way of living with the world," Magnuson said. "It honors the indigenous and native plants of our region."The garden and the name of the LCM house reflect the way the students feel about nature."Lothlorien came into being first as a song," Rev. Magnuson said. "The garden will need little - if no artificial watering - no fertilizers and will be a haven for birds and other small creatures.""There is going to be a solar fountain - the fountain represents the water of Lake Superior and the waters of our baptism," Magnuson said. A fountain in the garden is going to be converted to solar power in the spring of 2008 and the sun will charge a battery allowing the water to flow in cloudy weather."In the back of the house there are rocks from the Lake Superior watershed," Rev. Magnuson said. "The pebbles represent the different worlds of the individuals who make up the region - and the people in the Great Lakes basin," Magnuson said. Rotter, who manages the garden, said the students hope neighbors will enjoy the beauty of the native plants and use it as an example for their lawns."We hope this will allow people to learn about the amazing diversity of out native plant communities and inspire people to learn the benefits that native plants have, such as requiring a third less water, and no pesticides or fertilizers," said Rotter, a Zen Buddhist member of the NMU EK Student Team."The Zen garden represents our interconnected lives in nature,: Rotter said. "The stones from each of the great lake watersheds represent the flow of water, the substance that gives us life, and shows us how all of us are downstream' and depend on our connection to the earth for life." Rotter said the "garden represents the hope of the future.""It's a powerful symbol of the future of people living in the environment," Rotter said. "Hopefully as the garden grows the area near the house will help us return to our original nature and realize the dynamics of nature and the role we play." "Native plants are important parts of the ecosystem but because we have introduced new horticulture and many different types of plants, and sprayed our lawns with chemicals and destroyed areas with lawn mowers - we have lost our sense of being part of nature," Rotter explained.The October 5, 2007 blessing happened a couple hours after Rotter received the bad news about the nearby five-acre Native Plants Project that he manages on campus with other students.NMU planners are proposing that the four-year-old Outdoor Classroom and Native Plants Research Area be uprooted to build dorms, however the university president says final decisions have not been made.

The finale of 'Jewels' asks: how does a compound go from the rainforest to the pharmacy? Where Dr. Strobel's research leaves off, the work is just beginning for pharmaceutical companies looking to create new drugs. The testing phase may take years and many millions of dollars before a new drug hits the shelves of the local pharmacy. And the odds are remarkably slim: only one in 10,000 compounds are brought to market. But for Dr. Strobel, the process is not just a one-way street. After a compound is licensed, Strobel returns to Australia to share the news of the discovery and to offer a percentage of the profits back to the aboriginal people. In this way, he preserves a mutual relationship of respect between cultures. In turn, this makes the work truly sustainable: knowledge and resources complete the cycle and return to nourish and reward the origin. This cycle guarantees that new shoots will continue to grow.