The first meeting of the so-called “Simple Seminars”, inspired by the humanist and physician, García de Orta, will take place today, March 10, at 9 pm, at the Casa da Memoria in Guimarães. In a conversation open to all, with the participation of guests from the scientific field and moderated by Alexandre Gamila, an attempt will be made to understand the role of botany in the development of humanity, its reality in Portugal, and what new paths open before it. The future, the promoters summed up.

According to the organization, the “mini-symposiums” want to create a space for dialogue between the public and specialists, in conversations that revolve around science, especially botany, but not only. The first session, on Friday (March 10), at 9:00 p.m., features guests Carlos Ribeiro, biologist, researcher, and executive director of the Guimarães Landscape Laboratory, Milen Matos, biologist, science interviewer, and professor at Universidad Aveiro, Manuel Miranda Fernández, Researcher at the Center for Geography and Spatial Planning Studies at FLUP, and co-author of the podcast “Ficções Botânicas”. The sessions are moderated by Alexandre Gamila, journalist and multimedia content producer.

The second session of these talks is booked for June 16th, with a focus on the history of plant science – such as the impact of discoveries on the identification and influx of new species – that also is a history of the world, civilizations and technology. In the conversation, history and some stories of botany will be touched on, and how we rely on the developments they provide us with to understand a world with less and less plants.

The ‘Simple Seminars’ are organized by A Oficina and are part of the Casa da Memoria programme. Admission to the sessions is free.