An oak begins its life with the precarious journey of a pollen grain, then an acorn, then a seedling. A mature tree may shed millions of acorns, but only a handful will grow. The few that survive may go on to live for hundreds of years. But the long life of an individual is only a part of these trees’ stories.
In his new book, Oak Origins: From Acorns to Species and the Tree of Life, Andrew Hipp, PhD, travels through more than 50 million years of oak evolutionary history, from oaks’ beginnings in the once-warm forests of the Arctic, to today’s species in montane cloud forests of Mexico and broad-leaved evergreen forests of East Asia.
In this engaging conversation with a notable scientist and author, hear about the global research effort to understand oaks, discover how this book came to be, and learn how oak evolution may shape the forests of the future. Learn how Andrew Hipp and his colleagues around the world study oak genomes, the movement of genes between species, and the evolution of oaks in real time to understand how evolution has shaped the beauty and diversity of oak trees we enjoy today.
Books will be available for purchase and a book signing will follow the program.
Speaker: Andrew Hipp, PhD, director of the Herbarium and senior scientist in plant systematics, The Morton Arboretum
Course number: N400
Instructor
Andrew Hipp, PhD, senior scientist in plant systematics and director of the Herbarium, The Morton Arboretum
Andrew Hipp, PhD, senior scientist in plant systematics at The Morton Arboretum is director of its Herbarium and a lecturer at University of Chicago. Hipp leads the Arboretum’s Plant Systematics Research Group, investigating the shape and timing of the plant tree of life and how its species have arisen and shaped our world, with a strong focus on oaks.
He was awarded a 2014 Fulbright Fellowship in France for his work on the evolution of oak diversity, a 2018 Distinguished Informal Science Education Award by the National Science Teachers Association, and a 2023 Fulbright Specialist Award in Germany for his work on oak evolutionary history. Andrew is the author of Field Guide to Wisconsin Sedges (University of Wisconsin Press, 2008) and sixteen children’s books on a variety of natural history topics (Powerkids Press, 2002–2004), as well as academic articles and book chapters.
Hipp’s creative work has appeared in Arnoldia, Scientific American, International Oaks: The Journal of the International Oak Society, Places Journal, and his natural history blog, A Botanist’s Field Notes. Learn more about his work on the Arboretum’s Plant Systematics Research Group’s website.
What to Know
This program is held entirely indoors.
Please bring materials for taking notes (if desired) and a light layer that can be removed in case of variable temperatures in the room.
Access Cost
An access cost is available to students, participants in the Museums for All program, and others who would benefit from a reduced price to participate. Please select “Access” ticket pricing when registering.
If the access cost is a barrier to participating, if you are interested in registering a group, or if you have other questions about the program, please email education@mortonarb.org.
Program Schedule
Saturday, February 15, 2024, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Cudahy Room, Administration and Research Center, East Side
