Dr. Meg Lowman and Student Bryson Voirin Attend Int'l Canopy Conference

Dr. Meg Lowman, Professor of Environmental Studies at New College of Florida, and research assistant Bryson Voirin, third-year student at New College, are among the invitees to an international forest canopy conference this week in Cornwall, UK. The Eden Project, as it is known, is an indoor botanical gardens and research center specializing in attaining a more environmentally sustainable future. For the next week, Dr. Lowman and Mr. Voirin will be engaging in lectures on recent research and demonstrations of the latest advancements in canopy research.

New College student Bryson Voirin climbs a tree during a BioBlitz last year on the Crosley Estate

The Eden Project is home to a vast array of common and rare plant species from around the world. The Eden Project is a showcase of all of the environmental questions of today, as well as many solutions for the future. The Project focuses on regular, worldwide educational initiatives in order to assist communities in making steps be effective stewards of the world.

Meg Lowman is a world-renowned pioneer in rainforest canopy biology. For over twenty-five years she has explored all of the world’s major rainforests studying plants and animals in the treetops upwards of two hundred feet. She has published seven books, including a groundbreaking textbook on canopy biology. In addition, she has published dozens of articles on various aspects of the world’s canopies. She has recently been tenured at New College with a full-time professorship.

Bryson Voirin, a third-year biology major at New College and Dr. Lowman’s research assistant, is currently involved in canopy research in both Panama and Florida’s Myakka State Park. He has also conducted coral and fish research in both Bocas del Toro, Panama, and Roatan, Honduras. Also as President of College Republicans, he has worked to promote political and civic awareness on campus and among local youth.

For more information about the New College Environmental Studies program, please contact New College Public Affairs at (941) 359-4314.