The FIU Institute of Environment and Department of Biological Sciences present the 2023
Spring Semester Plant Talk Series.
Seminars will be delivered in WC130 at noon, they will take place every other Tuesday between
January 31st and April 11th
We invite you to join us for informal discussions on research presentations, travelogues, virtual
field visits and more! This series will explore the research happening in the world of plants and
encourages conversation amongst colleagues and scientists about the work being done.
For more information, please contact Dr. Javier Francisco-Ortega (ortegaj@fiu.edu) or Dr.
Andre Naranjo (anaranjo@fiu.edu)
Spring Semester Plant Talk Series.
Seminars will be delivered in WC130 at noon, they will take place every other Tuesday between
January 31st and April 11th
We invite you to join us for informal discussions on research presentations, travelogues, virtual
field visits and more! This series will explore the research happening in the world of plants and
encourages conversation amongst colleagues and scientists about the work being done.
For more information, please contact Dr. Javier Francisco-Ortega (ortegaj@fiu.edu) or Dr.
Andre Naranjo (anaranjo@fiu.edu)
Talk Schedule
Plant Talk 1: Ancestral area analyses reveal Pleistocene-influenced evolution in a clade of
coastal plain endemic plants
Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 @ 12PM EST - 1PM EST
Speaker: Dr. Andre Naranjo (Botanical Curator of the Wertheim Conservatory; Department of
Biological Sciences - Modesto Maidique Campus, FIU)
Note: Research recently published in Journal of Biogeography 2022: 00:1-13 (DOI:
10.1111/jbi.14541)
Plant Talk 2: Ornamental germplasm resources: Maintenance, characterization, and
genetic improvement
Date: Tuesday, February 14, 2023 @ 12PM EST - 1PM EST
Speakers: Dr. Rao Nageswara (Geneticist - Ornamental plants lead; USDA-ARS Subtropical
Horticulture Research Station, Chapman Field, Miami)
Plant Talk 3: Title and date to be announced - Part of Glaser Seminar Series
Date: Week of March 11, 2023 @ 12PM EST - 1PM EST
Speaker: Dr. Liliana Dávalos (Professor in Conservation Biology, Stony Brook University)
Plant Talk 4: Characterizing the landscape of plant science careers
Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2023 @ 12PM EST - 1PM EST
Speakers: Dr. Melissa McCartney (Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences -
Modesto Maidique Campus, FIU)
Plant Talk 5: Bloom and doom: using omics to understand the dynamics of harmful
algal blooms
Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 @ 12PM EST - 1PM EST
Speaker: Dr. Schonna Manning (Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences -
Biscayne Bay Campus, FIU)
coastal plain endemic plants
Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 @ 12PM EST - 1PM EST
Speaker: Dr. Andre Naranjo (Botanical Curator of the Wertheim Conservatory; Department of
Biological Sciences - Modesto Maidique Campus, FIU)
Note: Research recently published in Journal of Biogeography 2022: 00:1-13 (DOI:
10.1111/jbi.14541)
Plant Talk 2: Ornamental germplasm resources: Maintenance, characterization, and
genetic improvement
Date: Tuesday, February 14, 2023 @ 12PM EST - 1PM EST
Speakers: Dr. Rao Nageswara (Geneticist - Ornamental plants lead; USDA-ARS Subtropical
Horticulture Research Station, Chapman Field, Miami)
Plant Talk 3: Title and date to be announced - Part of Glaser Seminar Series
Date: Week of March 11, 2023 @ 12PM EST - 1PM EST
Speaker: Dr. Liliana Dávalos (Professor in Conservation Biology, Stony Brook University)
Plant Talk 4: Characterizing the landscape of plant science careers
Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2023 @ 12PM EST - 1PM EST
Speakers: Dr. Melissa McCartney (Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences -
Modesto Maidique Campus, FIU)
Plant Talk 5: Bloom and doom: using omics to understand the dynamics of harmful
algal blooms
Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 @ 12PM EST - 1PM EST
Speaker: Dr. Schonna Manning (Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences -
Biscayne Bay Campus, FIU)