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Rendering of the Plant Science Lab

On October 1, the Morris Arboretum & Gardens held a groundbreaking for its new Plant Science Lab. The facility will incorporate a wet lab and the equipment necessary for the Morris’ team of researchers and botanical scientists to study how plants evolve and adapt in relation to climate change, with an emphasis on species found throughout Pennsylvania.

Scientific research in botany and horticulture has been one of the pillars of the Morris Arboretum & Garden’s mission since its founding in 1932,” said William Cullina, F. Otto Haas Executive Director, to open the event, at which Morris advisory board members, Lab donors, and a variety of guests from across the University joined the plant sciences staff. “This facility will allow the Morris to use the latest technology to begin answering many of the taxonomic and ecological questions generated by more than 90 years of work, and many more research questions of biological and horticultural interest.”

Construction is expected to be complete in early 2025. The Lab is a key component of the Morris’ 20-year site plan, which includes new research greenhouses, an adjacent nursery, and, eventually, an additional science building with a teaching lab and an herbarium.

Read more about it in the Fall/Winter edition of MA&G Seasons.

Fun fact: Cullina broke ground with a 120-year-old shovel owned by Morris namesake John Morris.

Pictured (foreground, from left): Elizabeth P. McLean, emeritus member of the Morris’ Board of Advisors; Anne Papageorge, Senior Vice President, Facilities & Real Estate Services; Michael D. Scales, Vice President, Division of Business Services; Cullina.