Celebrating Diversity in Plant Sciences Symposium

In collaboration with:

The Gómez-Pompa Lecture

Dr. Arturo Gómez-Pompa is an Emeritus Professor of Botany at the University of California, Riverside. He joined the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences in 1986, as Professor of Botany and Director of UC MEXUS. His life’s work in tropical ecology, the conservation, restoration, and management of tropical forests, ethnobotany, and floristics is highly regarded. Dr. Gómez-Pompa was recognized for his contributions to research, education, and shaping government policies around conservation. Upon his retirement in 2005, the Botany and Plant Sciences department (BPSC) established an endowment fund to honor his legacy with a biennial guest lecture on plants and people. More information about Dr. Gómez-Pompa can be found on our history page.

The Yermanos Lecture

Dr. Demetrios M. (Jim) Yermanos was a Professor of Agronomy and Agronomist at the University of California, Riverside. When the Department of Agronomy was established on the Riverside campus in 1961, Dr. Yermanos was appointed as one of the original faculty members in that department, which eventually became the current Department of Botany and Plant Sciences (BPSC). At UCR, Dr. Yermanos continued his oilseed research, investigating flowering and capsule development. His lifelong interest in oilseed crops, no doubt, was deeply rooted in the Greek tradition of the veneration of oil and the olive tree, as Dr. Yermanos was born in and spent many years working in Greece. Following his death in 1983, his wife Anastasia established an endowment in his honor. BPSC honors his legacy with a biennial guest lecture in the general area of crop development. More information about Dr. Yermanos can be found on our history page.