Life on Land
Northwestern Experts and Initiatives
Nyree Zerega
Nyree Zerega is the Director of Program in Plant Biology and Conservation, a collaboration between Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden. Zerega’s lab explores the evolution, genetic diversity, origins and pollination biology of plants. her research uses phylogenomic, collections-based, and experimental field approaches to explore the evolution and genetic diversity of underutilized crops and their wild relatives, pollination, biogeography, and taxonomic revisionary work. Zerega is also interested in applying findings to conservation of plant genomic resources and more sustainable agriculture.
Plant Biology and Conservation Program
The Program in Plant Biology and Conservation is a partnership between Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden. The program was developed to train students to address the rapid changes the biological world is experiencing due to global climate change, increases in invasive species and diseases, and habitat fragmentation that will all have significant impacts on the health, survival, diversity, and distribution of the biota as we know it. The program offers students a strong theoretical and methodological foundation within the fields of ecology, conservation, and evolutionary biology, together with the in-depth knowledge required to be able to identify and articulate the frontiers of scholarship and applied science within their area of specialization.
Featured Course
Biological and Ecological Principles (202-0-1)
An applications-centered track to discuss biology and ecology as they relate to engineering in general, and environmental engineering specifically, while also discussing the ramifications for society at large. The goal of this course is to provide students with an overview of the fundamentals of biology and ecology. Biology topics include cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry; ecology topics include biological interactions, microbial ecology, and biogeochemical cycling.
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