"Alison has brought sound science to enable issues to be addressed through her rigorous and objective scientific approach and challenging the apparent experts with a depth of knowledge second to none" Professor Alison Hester, a senior research scientist within the James Hutton Institute’s Ecological Sciences group in Aberdeen, has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) in recognition of outstanding contributions to science and its application to real-world issues. More information from: Bernardo Rodriguez-Salcedo, Media Manager, Tel: +44 (0)1224
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View the programme for the day and you can register here. The event is funded by SEFARI Gateway's Responsive Opportunity Fund.
Tiina is a permanent biodiversity researcher in the Tropical Diversity section interested in the evolution, ecology and distribution of tropical biomes, and the taxonomy and systematics of the plant family Solanaceae. More can be found out about Tiina here.
Since the emergence of late blight ( Phytophthora infestans) in the 1840s this disease has presented a major challenge to the potato industry, with annual losses estimated to be £55 million in the UK. Our aim was to engage people with the potential of wild potatoes to tackle this and other problems by acting as sources of useful genes. We also wanted to tell the story of how our collective research places Scotland at the forefront of the fight against late blight. A key part of that story is the pivotal role of a potato associated with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh that was the first case
My current role involves the curation of the Commonwealth Potato Collection, I am the potato glasshouse and germplasm manager. The commonwealth potato collection comprises of around 1524 seed-based accessions of tuber-bearing Solanum accessions representing over 90 different potato species ( https://ics.hutton.ac.uk/germinate-cpc/#home). Two thirds of the collection are wild relatives of the potato and the remainder are landraces of cultivated potato from South America. The wild species represent adaptation to a very broad range of biotic and abiotic challenges and are of great value for
My current role involves facilitating public engagement with RBGE science in an informal educational context through a variety methods including: events, exhibitions, digital and community outreach. A focus on food and crop plants has proved to be an effective public engagement hook that leads into topical issues such as biodiversity loss, climate change and making agriculture more sustainable. As well as developing the programme for annual flagship events, such as the Edinburgh Science Festival, I work collaboratively with RBGE scientists, the SEFARI collective and external organisations with
Scotland’s National Outcome’s include protecting and enhancing our natural environment, and reducing our global environmental impact, helping to deliver the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals including Goal 13 – Climate Action and Goal 15 – Life on Land. To help deliver these we need to understand Scotland’s biodiversity. Current biodiversity research in Scotland addresses a range of issues including studies of individual species or habitats (for example grouse moors), as well as of large and inter-connected habitats and ecosystems (for example studies of resilience in key habitats)
"Food and farming are becoming even more important as Scotland aims to expand its food and drink sector, and this award recognises the people who are managing our farmland and producing food in ways that support nature" Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer, managers of Lynbreck Croft, have picked up the Nature of Scotland 2019 Food and Farming Award, sponsored by the James Hutton Institute, for their success in establishing a 150-acre mixed habitat croft enterprise focussed on sustainable food production. More information from: Bernardo Rodriguez-Salcedo, Media Manager, Tel: +44 (0)1224 395089