He grew up in the United Kingdom,
where “everyone is a gardener” and his research focuses on how plants sense the
world around them and then how they use that information to survive and thrive. What happens when an insect chews on a leaf or we pick a flower? How much does
the plant “know” about what is going on? Plants don’t have a brain but can they
count? Dr. Gilroy’s research group uses time lapse imaging to follow how the
whole plant responds to these kinds of events married with imaging techniques that
allow us to see the action of the very molecules that make the plant work.
He currently pursues these projects
in settings that range from his laboratory at UW-Madison to experiments for
NASA on the International Space Station. The title of his October 2 talk was “When
I talk to my plants are they listening? How plants sense the world around
them”.
The meeting was open to the public and held at the Stonefleid Apartments in Dodgeville on October 2. Professor Gilroy’s talk was sponsored by the Iowa County Master Gardeners Association.
