Wednesday June 2nd, 2021 – 7:00pm. Zoom opens at 6:30.
Presentation “Orchid Recovery Program”
Dr. Lawrence (Larry) W. Zettler earned his B.S. degree from the University of Florida (1987) and Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from Clemson University (1994). In 1996, he established Illinois College’s Orchid Recovery Program that enlists the help of undergraduate college students to conserve rare species throughout the world. He has worked with 100+ undergraduate students studying rare orchids in the Midwest, Florida, Hawaii, Cuba, and Ecuador. During 2012-2017, he collaborated with researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to conserve rare orchids of Madagascar. He is currently studying rare orchids in the Western Pacific (Republic of Palau) with researchers at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. He has authored/co-authored 50+ peer-reviewed scientific publications, three book chapters, and illustrated two books in color including Dragonflies of North America (Scientific Publishers, 2000). His research with students has been publicized on media outlets including National Public Radio, Huffington Post, Radio Havana Cuba, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, CBS Miami, and National Geographic. In February 2020, he was invited by the U.S. Postal Service to speak at the unveiling of the native orchid postage stamps. He and his wife, Dr. Elizabeth Rellinger Zettler, and their daughter, Audrey, enjoy quiet home life in Jacksonville, Illinois with their menagerie of pets and plants.