2026 Spring Seminars

View our seminar speaker lineup and recordings for the 2026 Spring semester. Want to attend a seminar? Stay up to date with events by adding the Plant Sciences Google Calendar. Seminar Recordings will be added week by week. Recordings are available for 180 days after the date of the seminar.

Seminars are at 3:30pm CT each date in Alderman 405 or by Zoom. In-person attendance is highly encouraged and recommended. Snacks are provided thanks to the Horticultural Science Evadna Fern Cohen Fund, affectionately known as “The Cookie Fund.”

Our seminars are possible thanks to the Hoover Family Fund, started by Emily Hoover and Jim Luby.

DateTitlePresenter(s)

Zoom Registration

Recording

1/21/2026Welcome Back Social Hour

1/28/2026The Science (and Art!) of Floral Design: Exploratory concepts from decades of teaching

Neil Anderson

Horticultural Science Professor: Department of Horticultural Science at UMN

Register Here

Recording

2/4/2026

Exploring the Challenges & Potential of Participatory Research in Agriculture

Possible thanks to the Hoover Family Fund

Douglas (Doug) Jackson-Smith

Professor and Kellogg Endowed Chair of Agroecosystem Management at The OSU

Register Here

Recording

2/11/2026The Bell Museum Herbarium: past, present, future

Tim Whitfeld

Herbarium Collections Manager at the Bell Museum

Register Here

Recording

2/18/2026

The Head Grower

ONLINE ONLY

Roberto Ramirez

General Manager / Head Grower of MightyVine

ONLINE ONLY

Register Here

ONLINE ONLY

Recording

2/25/2026Science Education...

Kara Baldwin

Education and Community Engagement Coordinator at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve

Register Here

Recording

3/4/2026CANCELED

3/11/2026

Spring Break

3/18/2026How a Turf Degree Turned Into Dirt, Debt, and Destiny

Sam Bauer

Owner of BauerTurf LLC

Register Here

Recording

3/25/2026A Global Tomato Epidemic: Tomato brown rugose fruit virus epidemiology and impact

Robert Alvarez-Quinto

Plant Pathology Assistant Professor at UMN

Register Here

Recording

4/1/2026

The Physics of Farming without Sunlight

Possible thanks to Hoover Family Fund

Bruce Bugbee

Professor: Crop Physiology Lab at Utah State University

Register Here

Recording

4/8/2026

Management Practices and New Cropping Systems to Improve Soil Health and Nutrient Retention

Possible thanks to the Hoover Family Fund

Florence Sessoms

Assistant Professors: Roots, Rhizosphere, and Resilience at The OSU

Register Here

Recording

4/15/2026UMN Cannabis Research Center

Darin Erickson

Professor of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota

Register Here

4/22/2026Horticulture and the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center: A productive partnership

Rob Venette

Entomology Adjunct Associate Professor at UMN, Director of Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plant & Pest Center, & Research Biologist

Register Here

Recording

4/29/2026

Kermit Olson Distinguished Alumni Award

Plants, People, and Progress: 25 Years in Controlled Environment Agriculture

Dr. Neil Mattson

2026 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

Professor in the Horticulture Section of the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University

Register Here

Recording