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Alice Faber Tryson was a trailblazer in botany, and despite being honoured by her peers, was not given the fame she deserved. Which is often the case with people of colour, indingenous people, and women in the field of science. Born as Alice Elizaebth Faber on August 2, 1920, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Wisconsin is whereContinue reading “Alice Faber Tryson and her Legacy”

One thing I have learned in class about how to use the internet and about how to get behind paywalls legally was using the sound and moving image libraries to watch documentaries and even movies that often require a fee to watch. Previously, being a science major, I had no idea this existed, perhaps owingContinue reading “Learning About How to Use the Internet”

Charles Darwin is one of the most famous, if not the most famous historical figure in ecology. His theory of evolution which was published in his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, in 1859. The evidence provided in thisContinue reading “Charles Darwin and Plants”

On one cold, wintery morning I decided to take a trip to the Sound and Moving image library, with the goal of finding a great movie, one that could win the title of “Plant Ecology movie everyone should watch”. I started by typing in “York University Sound and Moving image library” into google. What wasContinue reading “My Visit to the Sound and Moving Image Library”

There is a reason why The Lorax (released in 2012) is entered into the BIOL 4095 film festival as much as it is. It touches on so many topics related to the Applied Plant Ecology course. In summary, there is a city called Thneedville, in which there is nothing organic but the people living there.Continue reading “The Lorax and Applied Plant Ecology”

Have you ever wondered how we could ever restore land, and how to make it fertile again? Look no further than this fascinating idea an orange juice company had in Costa Rica! Approximately 1000 truckloads of orange peels (about 12000 tons) were dropped off in a national park. The hope of the University of PennsylvaniaContinue reading “Bitter Late Than Never”

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a treaty signed by 196 countries to preserve the biological diversity on our planet, as well as finding sustainable options and using the genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. This treaty was founded in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, withContinue reading “The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity”

A woman I would like to shine the spotlight on is Agnes Roberston Arber, a British plant morphologist and anatomist, historian of botany and philosopher of biology. She was born in 1879 in London, England, and was intrigued by botany at a young age. She had published her first research piece in the school’s magazine,Continue reading “Historical Figures: Agnes Roberston Arber”

Gregor Johann Mendel is a historical figure in ecology who is recognized as one of the founders of genetics. His discovery of heredity and how traits are passed on is still taught to this day. Mendel crossbred pea plants to express how genes are passed on from one generation to the next. Mendel was bornContinue reading “Historical Figures: Gregor Johann Mendel”

The film “WALL-E” by Andre Stanton from Pixar Animation released in 2008 was an amazing story about the effects of human civilization on our planet. The story follows the titular character of WALL-E, a trash compacting robot whose role it is to clean the earth. After discovering plant life on earth has returned, WALL-E goesContinue reading “WALL-E and Ecology”