“Through millions of years of evolution, the structures and processes of organisms have resolved many of the engineering and environmental challenges facing the modern world – we just need to look, observe, and learn.”

Prof. Jas Pal Badyal | FRS & Professor of Chemistry, Durham University
Denis Hayes | Founder of Earth Day, President of Bullitt Foundation
Andy Hill | Curator-Horticulturist, UBC Botanical Garden
Dan Hinkley | Director, Heronswood Garden
Douglas Justice | Associate Director, Horticulture and Collections, UBC Botanical Garden
Dr. Robert J Lang | NASA Physicist, Origami Artist and Theorist
Dr. Wanda Lewis | Emeritus Professor; Chartered Engineer and Fellow at the Institute of Frei Otto
Christine Lintott | Principal Architect & Biomimicry Professional, Christine Lintott Architects
Alec Mackenzie | Owner, Argus Controls
Kelty McKinnon | Partner, Landscape Architect, PFS Studio
Grant Mansiere | Student, Canada-Wide Science Fair Participant
Michael Pawlyn | DirectorE xploration Architecture
Richard V. Piacentini | President & CEO, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Dr. Loren Rieseberg | Professor of Botany & Founder of the Rieseberg Lab, UBC Biodiversity Research Centre
Dimitri Smirnoff | Biologist and Educator, California Academy of Sciences

FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY, PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY AT DURHAM UNIVERSITY

Professor Jas Pal Badyal, FRS, is internationally recognized for his pioneering research on the functionalization of solid surfaces. He has invented a wide range of novel surfaces for technological and societal applications including antibacterial to prevent the spread of disease, fog harvesting in arid climates, and water purification.

FOUNDER OF EARTH DAY & PRESIDENT OF THE BULLITT FOUNDATION

As president of the Bullitt Foundation, Denis leads an effort to mold the major cities of Pacific Northwest and British Columbia into models of sustainability for a rapidly urbanizing planet. The Foundation applies ecological principles to the design of healthy, resilient human ecosystems. Under his leadership, the Foundation designed and constructed the Bullitt Center—the world’s greenest office building—which it operates as a commercial enterprise.
Denis was the principal national organizer of the first Earth Day in 1970 and took the event international in 1990.

CURATOR-HORTICULTURIST, UBC BOTANICAL GARDENS

Andy Hill is a Curator-Horticulturist at the University of British Columbia Botanical Gardens.

DIRECTOR OF HERONSWOOD GARDEN

Dan Hinkley is a teacher, writer, lecturer, consultant, nurseryman, naturalist and gardener. Above all, he is committed to solid and sustainable horticultural practices, above average garden plants, landscapes of distinction and raising the collective awareness of the diversity of plant life on Earth as well as the magic and mysteries of our natural world.

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, HORTICULTURE AND COLLECTIONS, UBC BOTANICAL GARDEN

Douglas Justice is responsible for day-to-day operations of the UBC Botanical Garden and interpretation of plant collections. Douglas teaches horticulture and plant identification and is actively involved with local, national and international botanical and horticultural organizations.

PHYSICIST, ORIGAMI ARTIST AND THEORIST

Robert Lang is a pioneer of the newest kind of origami—using math and engineering principles to fold mind-blowingly intricate designs that are beautiful and, sometimes, very useful.

EMERITUS PROFESSOR; UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, CHARTERED ENGINEER AND FELLOW AT THE INSTITUTE OF FREI OTTO

After a short spell in industry, Wanda Lewis joined the University of Warwick in 1986 where she is based to this day She is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Engineering, a chartered engineer, and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Her 30 years of research experience is reflected in her monograph Tension Structures: Form and Behaviour, numerous research articles, and press releases. She is a pioneer of form-finding methods that predict optimal shapes of building and bridges, as a function of statistically prevalent loads (a feature observed in natural structures).

PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT & BIOMIMICRY PROFESSIONAL, CHRISTINE LINTOTT ARCHITECTS

A practicing Architect and a Biomimicry Professional, Christine is committed to bringing nature inspired design to the building industry. She is a passionate translator of nature’s genius, communicating across disciplines to define, discover and create relevant solutions to infrastructure challenges.

OWNER, ARGUS CONTROLS

Alec Mackenzie is the former owner of Argus Controls, a North American leader in the design and supply of advanced automated monitoring and control systems for the horticulture, aquaculture and biotechnology industries. Its clients include universities, agriculture biotech companies, government agencies and commercial growers.

PARTNER, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, PFS STUDIO

As a landscape architect and partner at PFS Studio, Kelty specializes in the creation of unique, innovative public spaces that are both culturally and ecologically rich. Her work spans across scales from intimate gardens to cultural precincts, and includes waterfront parks, streetscapes and public plazas.

Student, Summerland Secondary School; Canada-Wide Science Fair Participant

Grant Mansiere is a former high school student at Summerland Secondary School. In 2017, Mansiere’s science fair project examining trembling aspens, was one of 30 projects nation-wide to be selected for the Canada-Wide Science Fair. In Ottawa, Mansiere presented his research on this incredible monoculture to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

ARCHITECT ON THE EDEN PROJECT; DIRECTOR, EXPLORATION ARCHITECTURE

Michael Pawlyn established Exploration Architecture in 2007 to focus on designing high performance buildings and solutions for the circular economy. Previously he worked with Grimshaw and was central to the team that designed the Eden Project. Michael Pawlyn also jointly initiated the widely acclaimed Sahara Forest Project.

PRESIDENT & CEO, PHIPPS CONSERVATORY AND BOTANICAL GARDENS

Richard Piacentini is the President and CEO of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Since 1994, he has guided the Pittsburgh organization from public to private management and is responsible for the green transformation of its facilities and operations, including the opening of the first LEED certified visitor’s center in a public garden; the first LEED® certified greenhouse (LEED® Platinum EBOM); the Tropical Forest Conservatory, one of the most energy-efficient conservatories in the world; and the Center for Sustainable Landscapes, a net-zero energy and water building and the only building to meet the Living Building Challenge, LEED Platinum, 4 Stars Sustainable SITES and Platinum WELL Building certifications.

PROFESSOR OF BOTANY & FOUNDER OF THE RIESEBERG LAB, UBC BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH CENTRE

Loren Rieseberg is the founder of the Rieseberg Lab at UBC’s Biodiversity Research Centre, where he is also a professor of botany. He is a distinguished professor of biology at Indiana University and a past MacArthur Foundation fellow.

BIOLOGIST AND EDUCATOR, CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Dimitri Smirnoff is a biologist, educator, and certified Biomimicry Professional. He is currently an educator and researcher at the California Academy of Sciences. Dimitri graduated from Carleton with a degree in biology and later studied at Arizona State University where he earned a Master of Science in biomimicry.

DIRECTOR OF LABORATORY RESEARCH AND ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF GENOMICS, NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

Barbara A. Ambrose, Ph.D., Director of Laboratory Research and Associate Curator of Genomics at The New York Botanical Garden, investigates patterns and processes of plant diversity. She is interested in understanding the vast amount of plant diversity, the DNA that encodes plant morphology, and how changes in DNA can explain the diversity that we see. She uses classic botanical techniques, molecular biology, genome sequencing, and bioinformatics to better understand plant evolution and development. Barbara earned a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of California at San Diego and a B.Sc. in Biology at the University of the Virgin Islands. She was awarded a National Science Foundation International postdoctoral fellowship to study the evolution and development of Lacandonia schismatica, the only known plant with inverted reproductive whorls. This research combined field research in Chiapas, Mexico with molecular genetics. Her work has appeared in peer reviewed journals and her striking images of plants have appeared in popular science magazines and on the covers of science publications.