Italian, int'l experts gather to talk green power

Scientists from around the world will gather to talk about pollution-fighting algae, new frontiers in plant biology, and all things plant-related at the Italian Botanical Society's 107th congress, to be held in Benevento from September 18-22. The Campania region's agri-genetic resources, the adaptability of Mediterranean forests, and industrial uses of detoxifying plants will also among the talking points at the congress, organized by Professor Carmine Guarino of Sannio University's Natural Sciences Department. Experts will discuss the relationships between plant biology, sustainability, biodiversity, and landscape. Researchers will present the latest green technology findings, such as plants that can decontaminate land and water that have been polluted with heavy metals. Representatives from the industrial sector will be on hand, to find out how plants may play a part in our evolution from expensive, polluting factories to green, cheaper bio-factories. Among the green experts in attendance will be New York University's Lee Newman, University of Massachusetts' William J. Manning, Henk Schat Vrije from Amsterdam University, Marc André Selosse from Montpellier University, Santiago Gonzalez Martinez from Madrid-based Forest Research Center, as well as top experts from every Italian university.