C8294 - LE SFIDE DELLA BOTANICA NELL'ANTROPOCENE E IL RUOLO DEI MUSEI

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide an overview of the role, function, and enhancement of university botanical museums (Botanical Garden and Herbarium) in the fields of research, conservation, communication, and education on biodiversity, evolution, and the importance of plants for life on Earth. It intends to offer knowledge about the origin and historical evolution of botanical museum collections and the concepts of Botanical Garden and Herbarium, retracing their roles and functions up to the present day. Critical issues, potentialities, and future perspectives will be presented to foster a critical and informed view of this particular type of museum and the contribution they can make to society in the current context of global changes and biodiversity crisis, with reference to the United Nations 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals. At the end of the course, the student: (a) understands and knows the characteristics of the museum structures covered in the course and their respective collections, and is able to: (b) recognize the historical and scientific value of the collections under study, (c) collect, prepare, and catalog plant specimens (exsiccata), (d) design specific educational pathways, (e) promote scientific communication to contribute to the transformation of museums toward dialogue and knowledge transfer to society.

Course contents

The course will address both theoretical and practical aspects of the relationship between science, museums, and society. Through the study of museum collections, topics such as plant evolution, biodiversity, and biodiversity conservation will be explored, highlighting the fundamental role of plant diversity in achieving the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Through direct engagement with the Botanical Garden and the Herbarium, students will explore communication strategies as well as opportunities for active public engagement through citizen science projects focused on the study, enhancement, and management of botanical museum collections.

The course will also present the techniques, challenges, and opportunities associated with the digitization of botanical specimens, with particular emphasis on exsiccata collections (dried plant specimens).

Finally, the course will examine the limitations, challenges, and potential of museum institutions. Students will identify and define a specific objective and develop their own project proposal aimed at enhancing and innovating the promotion, communication, and public engagement associated with botanical museum heritage.

Topics

• The Botanical Garden and the Herbarium: history and functions.
• Botanical Garden and Herbarium collections: acquisition, cataloguing, collection management, and scientific research.
• Plant diversity and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Practical activities for explaining plant diversity, evolution, and classification.
• The Herbarium and the scientific importance of exsiccata collections.
• The Botanical Garden and the current diversity of vascular plants, with a particular focus on flowering plants (angiosperms).

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture slides.
Scientific articles and specific literature (which will be made available by the instructor).

Teaching methods

Theoretical and seminar-based activities.
Practical activities in the laboratory and museum spaces.

Assessment methods

To assess the activities carried out, the student will be required to produce a written paper on a topic related to a theoretical/practical museum experience of interest, agreed upon with the professor.

Teaching tools

Video projector and computer. For the practical activities, specimens from the museum collections and laboratory equipment (e.g., stereomicroscopes) will be used.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students [http://]) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Marta Galloni

See the website of Silvia Del Vecchio