Plant Information Center

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Plant Information Center
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PIC Team

• Principal Investigators
• Evelyn Daniel
• ILS Professor
• Peter White
• Director, NC Botanical Garden
• Jim Massey
• Curator, UNC Herbarium
• Jane Greenberg
• ILS Professor

• Staff Members
• Michelle Fox
• PIC Project Coordinator
• Peter Buch
• ILS Grad Student
• Justin (Gus) Dopke
• ILS Grad Student
• Mary James
• Ecology Grad Student

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PIC Partners

• Priscilla Dennison, Lead Science Teacher,
  McDougle Middle School
• Jake Lehrer, Librarian,
• Carrboro Branch Library
• Carolyn White, Library Media Specialist
• McDougle Middle School

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Partnership
Orange County Public Library
NC Botanical Garden
School of Information and Library Science
McDougle Middle School
UNC Herbarium
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PIC Advisory Board

• Debbie Berry
• Science Teacher, McDougle
• Gregory Georges
• Photographer
• Stephanie Haas
• ILS Professor, UNC
• Jim Hardin (retired)
• NCSU Herbarium Curator

• Gail Jones
• School of Education Prof., UNC
• Anne Lindsey
• Laurel Hill Press
• Gean McBane
• Media Specialist, Stanback
• Jim Murphy
• BOTNET Consultant

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PIC Advisory Board

• Barbara Pedersen
• Science Teacher, Guy B. Phillips
• Deborah Pedersen
• Info. Resource Specialist
• Milo Pyne
• Reg. Vegetation Ecologist
• Fiona Rae
• Science Teacher, McDougle

• Brenda Stephens
• Librarian, Orange County
• Vin Steponaitis
• Archaeology Professor, UNC
• Wendy Weiher
• Rare Plant Initiative
• NCWFPS

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Vision

• To connect the research community and the general
  public.
• To nurture the interest and enthusiasm of the
  public in the study of trees, plants, and natural
  history.

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Location Focus

• Generally, the Southeastern United States
• More specifically, the state of North Carolina

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What Is An Herbarium?
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A Herbarium is

• A museum collection of plant specimens with
  associated label and research data.
• Herbaria are the fundamental documentation of
  plant diversity.

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The UNC Herbarium

• Founded in 1908
• Includes 660,000 labeled museum specimens of
  plants, algae, fungi and fossils
• Largest collection in the Southeast
• Ranked 3rd among university collections by NSF

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One Herbarium Specimen
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NC State Tree

• Longleaf Pine (Pinus pallustris)

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How Can We Acquaint Teachers and Students With
This Important Resource?
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Objectives and Tasks for PIC

• 1. Demonstrate a successful cooperation between
  the university, the public school system, and the
  public library

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Objectives and Tasks

• 2. Create and test an interactive Plant
  Information Center for the general public,
  libraries, and public schools.

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PIC Features

• Search
• Images
• Glossary
• Ask an Expert
• FAQs

• Lesson Plans
• Prize Specimens
• Links
• Bibliographies
• Email

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Objectives and Tasks

• 3. To develop educational experiences using
  primary research materials from the herbarium for
  6th grade students.

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Objectives and Tasks

• 4. Test the usefulness of digital images of
  herbarium specimens for plant identification and
  for inspiring the public and public school
  children with the aims and methods of
  professional botanical science.

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Research / Evaluation

• Image access and use

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Research / Evaluation

• Image access and use
• Metadata effectiveness

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Research / Evaluation

• Image access and use
• Metadata effectiveness
• Electronic access to subject expertise.

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Questions?