The symposium series will open on Jan. 13, 2021, with a keynote address by David Cooper, deputy executive secretary for the Convention on Biological Diversity. His talk is titled, “Humanity at a Crossroads: What transformative changes are needed to achieve the UN global biodiversity targets?” and will feature highlights from the recent Global Biodiversity Outlook.

On Wednesdays between Jan. 20 and March 24, 2021, from 1:25 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., the series will offer weekly symposia virtually via Zoom. During these sessions, faculty and experts from multiple colleges, institutes and centers will share their innovative programs on valuing, studying, managing and educating others about biodiversity. These presentations will feature studies of biodiversity impacts on disease spread, crop production, wild and indigenous food availability, tourism, efforts to use remote sensing and augmented reality to study and promote biodiversity, and programs to incorporate biodiversity into energy production, student training and media communication strategies.

For additional information, including Seed Grant application:  http://www.sustainability.psu.edu/symposium