Flower Power: Experiences in Forensic Botany (ONLINE)

Responsable : learn@vandusen.org

Lieu : Via Zoom

Description :

About the presentation: 
Since 1986, Rolf Mathewes has been involved in criminal and other legal investigations, using macroscopic plant remains and microscopic pollen and spores as trace evidence in homicides and other cases, including an indigenous land claim.  His academic background in paleobotany and pollen analysis prepared Rolf for investigations involving the fragmented and small plant parts that often turn up in police investigations.   Rolf will review some basic principles and the history of forensic botany, and then focus on his experiences with some real cases in British Columbia.  His “signature case” is the murder of Heather Thomas in 2000 in Cloverdale, and the role of plant evidence in convicting the murderer.

About the speaker:  

Rolf Mathewes is a full professor of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University, and served as the Associate Dean of Science between 2000 and 2011.  He received a BSc in Biology from SFU in 1969 and a PhD in Botany from the University of British Columbia in 1973.   His research has focused mainly on postglacial vegetation history and climate change in western Canada (especially on the Queen Charlotte Islands, now Haida Gwaii), using pollen and plant macrofossil analysis.  In his academic career, he has been president of both the Canadian Association of Palynologists and the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists, and associate editor of the Canadian Journal of Botany and the journal Ecoscience.   Spinoffs from paleoecological research include involvement in criminal investigations as a forensic botanist, identifying and interpreting plant remains in homicides and other forensic cases. He received the 2011 Simon Fraser University Alumni Association award for academic achievement.

 

Disponibles : Complet

Prix : 15,00 $ Taxes en sus

Notes : Pre-registration is required. This course will take place online, and recordings will be available for a limited time to participants. Online course log-in details will be sent 24 hours before course date. Cancellation policy: No refunds will be given for education courses. A credit will be applied to your account for cancellations with one week's notice. With less than a week's notice, no credit will be given. No new credit will be issued if the cancelled course was purchased using prior credit. Program cancellation by the VBGA due to Public Health Restrictions will result in education program credit equivalent to the value lost. Please notify us of your cancellation in writing to learn@vandusen.org

Prérequis : Educational programs are available for both members and non-members. In order to register for a class, you first need to open an account with Amilia, our online registration portal. Note that your membership account does NOT give you this access. You must open a separate account in Amilia. Follow this link to create your account: https://www.amilia.com/en/Signup Please save your Amilia account username & password for registration in future classes.

Informations supplémentaires : Speaker: Rolf Mathewes

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