[Plsfaculty] Seminar Meetings w/ Dr. George Hudler

[Gabriel Rodriguez]

"Fridays seminar speaker, George Hudler is the author of "Magical Mushrooms,
Mischievous Molds", a popular book that he and others use in undergraduate
courses  with the same or similar title.  (see more below).  He is also a
forest pathologist and currently is head of the Cornell Plant Pathology
Department."

Times available to meet with Dr. Hudler are:

Thursday, March 24

2:30-3:00pm

3:00-3:30pm

3:30-4:00pm

Friday, March 25

9:00-9:30am

9:30-10:00am

10:00-10:30am

10:30-11:00am

11:00-11:30am

11:30-12:00pm

1:30-2:00pm

2:00-2:30pm

2:30-3:00m


If you would like more than a half hour meeting please let me know and I can
arrange that.


Book Summary of Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds
"Hudler's light-hearted approach to the subject of the impact of fungi on
human history is refreshing and will attract students and lay people who
have some interest in this area. Better yet, it will entice readers who were
not concerned with this topic at all before delving into the book. . . .
[Hudler] is to be commended for discovering some extremely exciting
information, some of it little known even to mycologists."--James W.
Kimbrough, University of Florida
 
Mushrooms magically spew forth from the earth in the hours that follow a
summer rain. Fuzzy brown molds mischievously turn forgotten peaches to slime
in the kitchen fruit bowl. And in thousands of other ways, members of the
kingdom Fungi do their part to make life on Earth the miracle that it is. In
this lively book, George Hudler leads us on a tour of an often-overlooked
group of organisms, which differ radically from both animals and plants.
Along the way the author stops to ponder the marvels of nature and the
impact of mere microbes on the evolution of civilization. Nature's ultimate
recyclers not only save us from drowning in a sea of organic waste, but also
provide us with food, drink, and a wide array of valuable medicines and
industrial chemicals.
Some fungi make deadly poisons and psychedelic drugs that have interesting
histories in and of themselves, and Hudler weaves tales of those into his
scientific account of the nature of the fungi. The role of fungi in the
Irish potato famine, in the Salem Witch Trials, in the philosophical
writings of Greek scholars, and in the creation of ginger snaps are just a
few of the many great moments in history to grace these pages.
Hudler moves so easily from discussing human history to exploring scientific
knowledge, all with a sense of humor and enthusiasm, that one can well
understand why he is an award-winning teacher both at Cornell University as
well as nationally. Few, for instance, who read his invitation to "get out
of your chair and take a short walk" will ever again look without curiosity
and admiration at the "rotten" part of the world around them. "Magical
Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds "is full of information that will satisfy
history buffs, science enthusiasts, and anyone interested in nature's
miracles. Everyone in Hudler's audience will develop a new appreciation of
the debt they owe to the molds for such common products as penicillin, wine,
and bread.

One of 45 very positive comments "Rate my Professor" on George's course:

People say, "why take the course? I don't like mushrooms." Look, it's not
about the mushrooms, it's about Hudler. He could talk about paint drying on
a wall and I'd sit in the front row and take good notes. Absolutely a must
take -- Cornell's famous classic courses are wines and psych101, but this
tops both of them.



 

Gabriel Rodriguez

School of Plant Sciences

1140 E. South Campus Dr.

Forbes 303

Tucson, Arizona 85721

520-621-1977

520-621-7186 FAX

 

 

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