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<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Dear plant enthusiasts,</span>
<div><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Department of Botany, the United States Botanic Garden, and
Smithsonian Gardens will host the 21<sup>st</sup> Smithsonian Botanical Symposium, “<b>Advancing Plant Conservation Through Horticulture</b>,” on May 17, 2024.</span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br>
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The focus of the Symposium will be on conservation horticulture, the application of the technical knowledge and practical expertise
of growing plants for the advancement of plant conservation, which is critical in our time of rapid global change if we are to ensure the survival of imperiled plant species. Botanic gardens and conservation organizations around the world maintain diverse
and wild-collected ex situ plant collections, care for plants of concern in situ, provide plants for population augmentation and repopulation, and support conservation education and advocacy. Many plants that are extinct or facing extinction in the wild persist
in cultivation through such efforts. The 21st Smithsonian Botanical Symposium will explore these topics and current research at the nexus of plant conservation and horticulture.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In addition, the 21<sup>st</sup> José Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany will be awarded at the Symposium to
an international scholar who has contributed significantly to advancing the field of tropical botany. The award is named in honor of Dr. José Cuatrecasas, a pioneering botanist who spent many years working in the Department of Botany at the Smithsonian and
devoted his career to plant exploration and taxonomy in tropical South America.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Symposium will be a hybrid event, with invited speakers giving afternoon presentations in Baird Auditorium of the National
Museum of Natural History (NMNH) for both in-person and virtual guests. This will be followed by a
<a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/botany/news-and-highlights/smithsonian-botanical-symposium/call-posters" id="OWA7a0182a6-7653-e5e1-6e77-11119aa6900a" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;" data-loopstyle="linkonly">
poster session</a> and evening reception for in-person guests at the Conservatory of the U.S. Botanic Garden.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The event is
<b>free</b>, but all attendees, both in-person and virtual, must <b><a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/botany/news-and-highlights/smithsonian-botanical-symposium" id="OWA6ed58aa5-aefa-edca-a546-8bb9b6f91506" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;" data-loopstyle="linkonly">register</a></b>
in advance.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b><a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/botany/news-and-highlights/smithsonian-botanical-symposium" id="OWA39849aa9-ac5c-f7fb-a405-18b5918648a9" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;" data-loopstyle="linkonly">Registration
</a></b><a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/botany/news-and-highlights/smithsonian-botanical-symposium" id="OWAe430b5bc-f095-2234-2211-d5a5b2569a2c" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;" data-loopstyle="linkonly">and</a><b><a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/botany/news-and-highlights/smithsonian-botanical-symposium" id="OWAbf98a95f-983b-890f-3e0d-110ce7c156b4" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;" data-loopstyle="linkonly"> poster
abstract submission </a></b><a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/botany/news-and-highlights/smithsonian-botanical-symposium" id="OWA0346f68f-001b-d6a4-e825-b53802f4d4a0" class="OWAAutoLink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;" data-loopstyle="linkonly">is
now open</a>.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br>
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Best regards,<br>
Gary Krupnick</span></div>
<p class="elementToProof" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>Gary Krupnick, Ph.D. (he/him)</b></span></p>
<div id="Signature">
<p style="margin: 0px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Head of the Plant Conservation Unit</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Department of Botany</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>w</b> 202.633.0940
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: black;"> <a href="mailto:krupnick@si.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">krupnick@si.edu</a></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(0, 193, 213);">SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(0, 119, 139);">NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY</span></p>
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