1. business and industrial
2. energy
3. nuclear power

The Department of botany and plant biology with the Conservatoire & Jardin botaniques open their doors to the general public during the internaFonal Fascina'on of Plants Day FOR THE SCHOOLS Monday 18th May 2015
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the Department of Plant Biology (BIVEG) Tuesday 19th May 2015
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the Conservatoire & Jardin Botaniques (CJB) The following acFviFes will be proposed: •  Trivial EvoluAon : Les plantes. Discover, in world premiere, the interacFve game for teaching the evoluFon of plant species (BIVEG & CJB) •  DomesAcaAon of plants. Learn how some species such as tomatoes have been domesFcated to join our tables. Which plants may contribute crucially to human’s diet of the future? (BIVEG) •  The world in a garden: Compare what you've learned with what you can see, feel, touch (CJB) FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC • 
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Monday 18th May 2015 – 18h30 – BIVEG: Panel discussion – Green revoluFon: mistakes of the past, challenges of the future Tuesday 19th May 2015 – 18h00 – CJB: Guided theme visit: “Research in a garden: discover, with the help of living collecFons, the different research pursued in Switzerland and their importance for life on earth” SCHOOL ACTIVITIES -­‐ BIVEG TITLE: The Society of Plants ABSTRACT: In the remarkable documentary “Il était une forêt” by Luc Jaquet, the intertwined lives of animals and plants are described from a two dimensions perspecFve. Animals live their lives through space whereas plants live their lives through Fme. As a ma_er of fact, plants are sessile organisms bound to live their existence in the place where they began their life with no possibility to move elsewhere. Animals on the other hand can move and cover big distances. Though, compared to certain plants, their life is relaFvely short. These two different dimensions come together as human’s path to civilizaFon has always been accompanied by the benefits and supports provided by plants. Food, medicine, buildings, clothing, cosmeFc, are some of the ways plants have been used by human beings since the dawn of civilizaFon. Throughout centuries of human evoluFon, plants have always made the difference. But how much do we really know about our green allies? In universiFes’ laboratories the various processes behind the life of these sessile organisms have been invesFgated for a long Fme. Even Charles Darwin, the father of the famous evoluFonary theory, has invesFgated plant physiology being the first one to describe the process that allows plants to perceive the surrounding light and regulate their growth accordingly (i.e. phototropism). Nowadays, plant research is applied to medical and agricultural studies to provide humans with be_er lives and “green” soluFons to environmental problems. Here we propose an opportunity for schools to approach the fascinaFng world of plants and appreciate how much the society they are living in, sFll depends on them. ACTIVITIES: Key aspects: Synergic interacFon of humans and plants Natural vs. ArFficial evoluFon DomesFcaFon of plants Program: Date: 18th May 2015 What: 4 sessions of 1h30’ each Session plan: 5’ IntroducFon
40’ first acFvity 45’ second acFvity Sessions schedule: 9h00 – 10h30 10h45 – 12h15 13h30 – 15h00 15h15 – 16h45 – – – The Society of Plants Trivial EvoluFon: Les plantes The DomesFcaFon of Tomatoes SCHOOL ACTIVITIES -­‐ CJB TITLE: Plant EvoluFon: not that trivial! ABSTRACT Land plants are remarkably diverse, morphologically, ecologically, physiologically…they were able to adapt to almost all climates and they developed amazing strategies to survive, disperse themselves, a_ract pollinators or escape from predators even if they can’t move. Understanding how plant diversificaFon occurred, is one of the quesFons that have puzzled botanists for ages. Plants were firstly named and classified (the aim of systemaFcs) according to their morphological and anatomical characterisFcs. However, morphology is someFmes misleading as plants of different groups may display similar adaptaFons and convergent characterisFcs. The use of molecular markers has considerably eased the understanding of plant evoluFon. However it also showed how much it remains complex. This is why a game, named ‘Trivial EvoluFon – Les plantes’, has been recently developed to help people understand and play with the complexity of plant evoluFon. Plants remain a major source of food, medicine, clothes and building for Humans. Above all, they represent a key factor for Earth equilibrium. This is why it is important to understand their role in the biosphere and to preserve them accordingly. ACTIVITIES Key aspects: EvoluFve history of land plants Morphological convergence AdaptaFon strategies Program Date 19th May 2015 What 2 sessions of 1h30’ each (9h00 and 15h00) Session plan 10’ IntroducFon
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Plant EvoluFon : not that trivial 40’ First acFvity
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Playing with the game ‘Trivial EvoluFon – Les plantes’ 40’ Second acFvity -­‐
AdaptaFon in the Garden – Let’s see how it looks! Session schedule 9h00 – 10h30 15h00 – 16h30 GENERAL PUBLIC EVENT -­‐ BIVEG The iniFaFve called "green revoluFon" which took place in the 1950s contributed to an increased agricultural producFon, while producing unintended negaFve effects. The debate organized by the Department of botany and plant biology of the University of Geneva will focus on new strategies to develop sustainable food producFon, respecqul of the environment, while addressing the benefits and drawbacks of the original green revoluFon. This debate will bring together representaFves of industry, academic research in plant sciences, agro-­‐ecology, environmental protecFon, and the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture. PANEL DISCUSSION: Moderator: Academia: Environment: Federal Office for Agriculture:
Industry:
Agro-­‐ecology: SCHEDULE: M. Christophe Ungar -­‐ RTS Prof. ChrisFan Fankhauser -­‐ UNIL
Dr. Luigi D’Andrea -­‐ stopOGM
Dr. Sylvain Aubry -­‐ OFAG M. Benoît Ducret -­‐ Celagro Dr. Marco Barzman -­‐ INRA 18h30 -­‐ 19h45 Panel discussion 18h30 -­‐ 18h45 IntroducFon (Dr. Marco Barzman) 18h45 -­‐ 19h30 Debate 19h30 -­‐ 19h45 QuesFons from the public 19h45 -­‐ 21h00 AperiAf & Poster session GENERAL PUBLIC EVENT -­‐ CJB Botanic gardens are fascinaFng places since they gather, in a single place, thousands of species that are usually sca_ered all around the world. For that reason they are also much involved in biodiversity studies and preservaFon. Importantly, they are, with other insFtuFons, at the front of environmental protecFon, a very actual topic that has social and poliFcal implicaFons everywhere in the world. Because they are a showcase of biodiversity, botanic gardens are also much involved in scienFfic mediaFon. With a vision that is spacing from the ecosystems to the genes, the Conservatoire & Jardin botaniques (CJB) of Geneva focuses its research on the study of plants and fungi. Taking advantage of the FascinaFon of Plants Day 2015 event and of its living collecFons, the CJB will offer to the general public a guided tour of the research pursued in Switzerland, with a specific focus on the projects conducted at the Biodiversity and Plant SystemaFcs Laboratory at CJB. PROGRAM: Date 19th May 2015 Schedule An auernoon visit (18h00-­‐19h30) guided by a scienFst and a gardener of CJB, for the general public. Where MeeFng point: at the entrance of the Botanical Garden of Geneva, 1 place Albert Thomas.