Students and Alum Lead First Campus Fungi Fest
From left: Alden Dirks ’16, Pennsylvania state mycologist Hannah Huber, and internationally acclaimed scientist and author Merlin Sheldrake.
Swarthmore Fungi Fest, an upcoming event series organized by Josie Low ’27, explores the world of fungi and a growing movement to learn from fungi, especially in the time of a climate crisis.
Through a diverse range of programs, Fungi Fest will explore the social and ecological importance of the fungal kingdom, conservation efforts in Pennsylvania, and the role of fungi in the interdisciplinary contexts of science, law and government, and creative writing and art.
“Swarthmore is the perfect place for mushrooms,” says Low, a senior from Forest Hills, N.Y., majoring in biology and environmental studies. “We have a humid climate, the Crum Woods, and most importantly, a passionate community. Although we don’t have a formal mycology class, I can feel the excitement when mushrooms begin emerging in the fall.
“I want Swarthmore Fungi Fest to be a symbiotic place for both academia and community science,” Low adds, “bridging disciplines and mediums, and bringing together fungi and people.”
“Swarthmore is the perfect place for mushrooms,” says series organizer Josie Low ’27 (above).
The events include a guided walk in the Crum Woods, a film screening, an exhibition, a cooking demonstration, an introductory lecture on mycology by accomplished mycologist and educator Alden Dirks ’16, and a conversation between internationally acclaimed scientist and author Merlin Sheldrake and Hannah Huber, Pennsylvania’s first official state mycologist.
“As the environmental emergency has worsened, there’s been a growing awareness of the interconnectivity of the living world,” says Sheldrake. “Fungi are really powerful poster organisms for ecological thinking.”
Swarthmore Fungi Fest is supported by the William J. Cooper Foundation, Swarthmore College Libraries, the Biology Department, the Campus and Community Store, the English Department, the Environmental Studies Program, the Film & Media Studies Department, Kitao Gallery, the Office of Sustainability, the Teaching and Learning Commons, and Scott Arboretum & Gardens, as well as the Philadelphia Mycology Club and the New Jersey Mycological Association.
All Cooper Series events are free and open to the public, though some may require registration in advance. View the full schedule of Fungi Fest events on the Cooper Series site.
