From Winston Salem-Journal:

Meg Lowman has found that one way to stir interest in the new wing at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences is to hang out up in the trees.

Lowman was doing just that Wednesday on the campus of Salem College, dangling in a harness affixed to a stately maple tree.

The purpose of the treetop stop was to promote the Raleigh museum’s Nature Research Center, an 80,000-square-foot wing that opens April 20.

“The museum will focus on how we know what we know,” explained Lowman, the director of the Nature Research Center. “Most museums focus on what we know. They show you their snakes and other collections. We will focus on how we study treetops and how you look at DNA. This is what we hope will produce the next generation of scientists.”

On Wednesday, Lowman, known as “Canopy Meg” for her groundbreaking work in tree canopy ecology, visited Salem College as part of the center’s statewide marketing campaign. The crew has also gone up trees in Charlotte and Wilmington.

At each stop, Lowman has invited small groups to go up trees and examine the creatures milling about the trunk and branches, high above the world.

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From Sun Journal:

Meg Lowman, director of the Nature Resource Center — the new wing of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, is traveling across the state this week, meeting with different school groups to raise awareness about the 24-hour opening of the new wing April 20-21.

Earlier this week, she was at Tryon Palace, visiting with elementary school students from Craven County.

Her trip is meant to instill a love for science in the state’s youth.

Lowman is a pioneer in the science of canopy research and has written two books on her experiences in treetops around the world.

“The whole goal of the Nature Resource Center is to show the public how we know what we know about science,” she said.

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Visit Raleigh, the official blog of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, interviewed Dr. Lowman asking her 24 questions. Read it here.

From wwaytv3.com:

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Some kids spent the day learning outside. Their classroom? A large oak tree.

“It was really fun,” student Hope Honaker said. “We just got to learn how to gather bugs and stuff.”

A handful of students from the Friends School of Wilmington got to explore the treetops of Airlie Gardens. The event was part of a statewide tour to celebrate the opening of the new Nature Research Center in Raleigh.

Dr. Meg Lowman gave the students a bird’s eye view of what is living in our trees.

“Over half of the biodiversity on this planet lives in the tops of trees, and probably 90 percent of them have never been discovered,” Lowman said. “So if one of these kids turns into a scientist after this day, we might have done our job.”

The Nature Research Center is a new wing of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Its grand opening is April 20.

Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com:

What do a young Philippine clothing designer, an American social networker, an Indian medic, an Ethiopian teacher and a Nigerian farmer have in common?

They are all winners of the first-ever Rolex Young Laureates Awards for Enterprise (http://young.rolexawards.com). Though best known for their watches, Rolex also funds creative and innovative global environmental leaders, and they recently honored the emerging generation (also known as Generation Z).

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From National Geographic:

The movie version of the Dr. Seuss’s classic conservation story The Lorax tells the story of Ted, a boy who wanders beyond the walls of Thneedville, a superficial, plastic-loving city, in search of a real tree to impress the artistic Audrey. By the ruins of the once beautiful Truffula-tree forest, he meets the Once-ler, who tells Ted of the tree-loving Lorax, who used to say, “I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” It turns out National Geographic has its own Lorax: Meg Lowman, an NG grantee and director of the Nature Research Center at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. She is currently working to conserve forests in Ethiopia.

You’re widely known as “Canopy Meg” but can we call you a real-life Lorax?
I do speak for the trees.

So what do the trees have to say?
“We will keep you healthy and happy if you just leave us alone.”
The rainforest, while we are asleep, will do all our ecosystem services—all the things that trees do that are essential for humans and animals to stay alive—and they don’t really need anything in return.

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In Scientific American’s “A Blog Around The Clock”, Meg Lowman talks about the new Nature Research Center (NRC), her recent work in Ethiopia, and more.

Welcome to A Blog Around The Clock. What is taking up the most of your time and passion these days? What are your goals?

The new Nature Research Center (NRC), a technology wing of the existing North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, is opening on April 20, 2012. Everyone is invited! Invitation attached (click on the image left)!!! It will be a 24-hour science party! There will be live feeds in the SECU Daily Planet multi-media theater from scientists around the planet, ongoing activities in each research lab by our own “rock-star” NRC scientists, food and events related to science, and citizen science take-home ideas. …. and More. My recent article in the Observer summarizes all the stats about the NRC — read and enjoy!

Read the full interview on Scientific American – A Blog Around the Clock.

From Budding Scientist Blog at Scientific American:

Imagine walking through a science museum and, among the usual displays of dinosaur bones, butterflies, and amphibians you come upon a series of windows into state-of-the-art research labs. Inside, scientists from nearby universities and veterinary schools work on projects related to biodiversity, genetics, nanoparticles, and animal health and welfare. In front of each window is a touch screen. Tap it, and you can learn about each researcher’s specific project and the tools with which he or she is working. A few minutes later, one of the scientists emerges to discuss the research with visitors and answer questions. The exchange benefits the scientists as well: some are PhD candidates learning how to communicate what they do to a broader audience.

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Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com:

It sounds like a horror movie – billions of miniature, bear-like creatures crawling through the lawns and shrubbery in Raleigh, Charlotte and Durham. Neither drought nor flood nor extreme temperature will kill them. During a heat wave, they curl into a ball and wait for better conditions to “come back to life.” They dominate their miniature kingdom of soil, leaf surfaces and water droplets. These invincible, microscopic beasts are… tardigrades.

Tardigrade means “slow walker.” They’re also called water bears, bears of the moss or moss piglets. They thrive in water, coral islands, moist tropical forests, and even the extremes from deserts to Antarctic slopes. Dispersed on all seven continents, tardigrades may be the most common organism of N.C.

Fortunately, they are quite harmless. But it’s good to know and appreciate who lives in your neighborhood.

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Dr. Lowman’s latest Nature’s Secrets column in newsobserver.com:

Christmas lists abound with “stuff” that is usually manufactured, bought, discarded, and ultimately piles up in landfills. With the current economic downturn, what about a gift list centered on special places in nature that inspire and nurture our souls?

Many special natural places are close to home and essentially free; others require a veritable expedition outfitted to reach remote destinations. But near or far, the natural world engages our five senses and restores our spirits in ways that are difficult to equal in dollars and cents. Here is a survey of some North Carolina residents and their favorite natural places – some local, some global. On behalf of Nature’s Secrets, please enjoy your favorite spots in nature with loved ones this holiday season.

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