Lecture / Seminar Wheelchair Accessible All Ages
[email protected]
902-679-8604
Seeds for the Future: Seed Banking at Acadia and Around the World by Alison Purcell
Abstract: What happens to a seed when we save it for the future? This presentation will explore the science and practice of seed banking, from local conservation efforts at the Acadia Seed Bank to the internationally connected work of the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew in the United Kingdom.
Alison will introduce the role of seed banks in conserving plant genetic diversity, discuss how seeds are collected, processed, tested and stored, and share examples from the developing seed-banking program at Acadia. The presentation will also highlight her recent visit to Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, where billions of seeds representing over 40,000 plant species are conserved as a resource for research, restoration and biodiversity conservation.
The presentation will consider how seed banking can provide a form of “insurance” for plant diversity, while emphasizing that conservation does not end with putting seeds in a freezer. Seed collections can support research, propagation, ecological restoration and the recovery of threatened species.
Biography: Alison Purcell is a Research Associate at the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where she works in seed conservation, plant propagation, and tissue culture. Her work contributes to the development and growth of the Acadia Seed Bank, which focuses on conserving native plant diversity of the Acadian Forest Region and supporting rescue, research, restoration, and propagation. Alison has experience working with native seed collection, processing, viability testing, storage, and propagation, with a particular interest in developing practical approaches to seed conservation and understanding the growth and development of native species.
In 2026, Alison had the opportunity to visit the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew’s Wakehurst site in the United Kingdom, gaining insight into large-scale international approaches to seed conservation and long-term storage.
Every week, we invite ALL members and members of our local community to join us for a free, casual ALLways Learning Series (formerly Lunchtime Learning Series). We cover topics both big and small in scope, from local to international, and from arts to sciences. We aim to offer lively talks, from engaging speakers, that anyone in the audience can enjoy. No registration is required.
[email protected]
902-679-8604
Seeds for the Future: Seed Banking at Acadia and Around the World by Alison Purcell
Abstract: What happens to a seed when we save it for the future? This presentation will explore the science and practice of seed banking, from local conservation efforts at the Acadia Seed Bank to the internationally connected work of the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew in the United Kingdom.
Alison will introduce the role of seed banks in conserving plant genetic diversity, discuss how seeds are collected, processed, tested and stored, and share examples from the developing seed-banking program at Acadia. The presentation will also highlight her recent visit to Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, where billions of seeds representing over 40,000 plant species are conserved as a resource for research, restoration and biodiversity conservation.
The presentation will consider how seed banking can provide a form of “insurance” for plant diversity, while emphasizing that conservation does not end with putting seeds in a freezer. Seed collections can support research, propagation, ecological restoration and the recovery of threatened species.
Biography: Alison Purcell is a Research Associate at the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where she works in seed conservation, plant propagation, and tissue culture. Her work contributes to the development and growth of the Acadia Seed Bank, which focuses on conserving native plant diversity of the Acadian Forest Region and supporting rescue, research, restoration, and propagation. Alison has experience working with native seed collection, processing, viability testing, storage, and propagation, with a particular interest in developing practical approaches to seed conservation and understanding the growth and development of native species.
In 2026, Alison had the opportunity to visit the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew’s Wakehurst site in the United Kingdom, gaining insight into large-scale international approaches to seed conservation and long-term storage.
Every week, we invite ALL members and members of our local community to join us for a free, casual ALLways Learning Series (formerly Lunchtime Learning Series). We cover topics both big and small in scope, from local to international, and from arts to sciences. We aim to offer lively talks, from engaging speakers, that anyone in the audience can enjoy. No registration is required.
Admission
Pricing: Free
32 University Avenue
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
902-585-5242
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More venue Info
| Other Events at K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre |
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| Fri Oct 23, 2pm Acadia Lifelong Learning |
| Thu Oct 29, 5:30pm Law and Society Lecture by Harini Sivalingam |
| Fri Oct 30, 2pm Acadia Lifelong Learning & Sabbatical Showcase |
| Sat Oct 31, 10am Looking at Nature through the Lens of Evolution |
| Wed Nov 4, 7pm Behind the Lens: Life in the Prime Minister's Office |
| Thu Nov 5, 7pm Moody Hamilton Lecture - Jonathan Fowler |
| Fri Nov 6, 2pm Acadia Lifelong Learning |
| Fri Nov 13, 2pm Acadia Lifelong Learning |
| Fri Nov 20, 2pm Acadia Lifelong Learning |
| Fri Nov 27, 2pm Acadia Lifelong Learning & Sabbatical Showcase |
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