Dr. Margaret D. Lowman – “Canopy Meg†— Awarded $75,000 to Create Forest Canopy Exhibit
Sarasota, FL / 31 August, 2005 – Dr. Margaret D. Lowman, Director of Environmental Initiatives and Professor of Biology & Environmental Studies at the New College of Florida, was recently awarded a $75,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant is for the creation of a traveling exhibit entitled “Out on a Limb – Forest Canopies,†which will provide public education about forest biodiversity, how treetops provide energy for all life, and the importance of forest conservation both locally and globally. The exhibit will also illustrate the difficulties scientists face when trying to access canopies for study.
Dr. Lowman’s exhibit will utilize a mix of media including a rain forest diorama, scaled models of scientists exploring the canopy, photographs, and activities for interactive learning and play. When complete, the “Out on a Limb – Forest Canopies†exhibit will be on display in various community venues throughout southwest Florida.
Canopy research provides a highly visual, fun and interesting, and exploratory approach to scientific inquiry that can be effectively communicated and easily comprehended by the general public and students. To learn more about inviting the exhibit into your community or school, please contact Dr. Lowman at lowman@ncf.edu.
Dr. Lowman is internationally recognized for her pioneering research in forest canopy ecology, and has explored all three major rain forests of the world — Africa, Australia/Asia, and the Neotropics (including the Amazon). She is the author of over 95 peer-reviewed publications and four books. Dr. Lowman’s recent autobiography, Life in the Treetops, received a cover review in the New York Times Sunday Book Review; she recently completed Forest Canopies – a definitive textbook for forest canopy ecology.
Known to many as “Canopy Meg,†Dr. Lowman has conducted global conservation work in Africa, Samoa, the Amazon basin, and Australia, and her education outreach has included distance learning via satellite to millions of children throughout the world. For more information about “Canopy Meg†and forest canopies, visit www.canopymeg.com