Kermit Olson Memorial Lecture
The Kermit A. Olson Memorial Lecture was established at the University of Minnesota in 1970, through an endowment from the estate of Kermit A. Olson. The purpose of the fund is to provide an annual lecture by an outstanding horticulturist or landscape architect. The lecturer is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award.
The 2020 lecture will feature our Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, Dr. John M. Dole from North Carolina State University where he is currently the Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. His lecture, “A Floral Journey – Discovering the Magic of Flowers” will discuss how flowering plants are the backbone of horticulture, to all of agriculture, and how the flowers they produce are integral to our society. Flowers occur in an almost infinite range of colors, sizes, shapes, fragrances and more. How did they get that way and what do the variations mean? During the lecture, we will explore the importance of flowers in our society, the evolutionary history of flowers and the pollination strategies that have shaped flowers.
Please visit z.umn.edu/kermitolson2020 to RSVP