Ornithology Group

Attempts to forecast ecological responses to global change

Please join us for the first Teale Lecture of 2020 featuring Dr. Ned Friedman of Harvard University.

Dr. Friedman is the Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and the Director of Harvard’s historic Arnold Arboretum. Friedman’s scientific studies have fundamentally altered century-old views of the earliest phases of the evolution of flowering plants, Darwin’s so-called “abominable mystery”, and he is deeply interested in the history of pre-Darwinian evolutionary thought, particularly the largely forgotten contributions of horticulturists and botanists.

As Director of the Arnold Arboretum, Friedman has worked to expand the Arboretum’s societal impact through diverse initiatives in public programming, enhanced communication between scientists and the public, and the embedding of scientific scholarship within the living collections.

In this presentation, Dr. Friedman will discuss the importance of human connections with nature and the powerful roles that everyday experiences in personal and public gardens can play in restoring and nurturing those connections.

Spending time with nature has been proven to treat a variety of stress-related illnesses, as well as fostering a deeper understanding that enriches the human condition and inspires us become better stewards of the planet. Botanical gardens are places where evolution actually happens, and they allow for unique learning experiences and non-threatening introductions to evolutionary thinking for the public. Botanical gardens also preserve rare species for future generations.

Before joining the faculty at Harvard, Friedman held positions as Professor and Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Colorado, and Associate and Assistant Professor of Botany at the University of Georgia.

Research in the Friedman Lab at Harvard focuses on the organismic interfaces between developmental, phylogenetic and evolutionary biology: https://plantmorphology.org

Professor Friedman received his PhD in Botany from the University of California, Berkeley. His notable awards and honors include: Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Pelton Award, Botanical Society of America; Waynflete Lecture series, University of Oxford (by election); Fellow of the Linnean Society (London); Creative Research Medal, University of Georgia; Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation.

Teale 2019-2020: https://cese.uconn.edu/the-edwin-way-teale-lecture-series/

Substrates beneath ecosystems: a primer on New England's glacial landscape

What maintains the balanced polymorphism among three male morphs of ruffs?

Linking macroevolution and ecology using plant-arthropod mutualisms