Thursday, March 13th, 7:30pm

Mary Elizabeth Banning (1822-1903) was one of the first American mycologists. She was a talented, self-taught scientist who studied mushrooms in Maryland in the mid-1800s. Banning was one of the first women to describe new species of fungi to science. Throughout her life, she produced scientific descriptions, beautiful illustrations, and rich narratives about her fungal encounters. On account of her gender, however, Banning’s work and talent went under appreciated in her lifetime, and her name was lost to obscurity for almost a century. This talk will celebrate her contribution to science and mycology through an exploration of her illustrations, taxonomic work, and story-telling, drawing from the collections at the New York State Museum. 

Dr. Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian is the Curator of Mycology at the New York State Museum, and a professor of biology with Bard Prison Initiative. Her research focuses on fungal taxonomy, diversity and evolution, as well as queer theory and philosophy of science. Her forthcoming book (May 2025), Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature, is a collection of essays challenging our expectations of what is normal, beautiful, and possible.