Student Conversation: Indigenous Knowledge and Ecological Conservation

Northwestern University undergraduate and graduate students are invited to join us for a lunchtime conversation with Hector Ortiz, Assistant Professor of Plant Biology at Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and a conservation scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden. His research explores a unique aspect of ecology and the natural history of plant species: focusing on the study of ancestral agricultural and ecological cultural practices that have shaped plant species populations in different ecosystems in northern Mexico and the US. He focuses especially on wild and cultivated plant species used by pre-Columbian groups for food, drinks, fiber, medicine, and other materials. Ahead of the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, Professor Ortiz will speak with students on the value of indigenous knowledge in ecological conservation. Lunch is served starting at 11:45 a.m.

Please note that 720 University Place is not an ADA-accessible space. Increasing physical access to buildings and facilities is a goal of the University, but not all buildings and venues have been updated.