Interested in learning about finding your own fungi?

Join Ronan Library online, as we co-host, Foraging for Mushrooms in Montana with Dr. Cathy Cripps from MSU on April 20th, 2023, from 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Registration link:

www.tinyurl.com/mushroomMT

Description:

Foraging for wild mushrooms has become a popular activity in Montana and across the country. The idea of free food from forests and meadows is appealing, but a wrong choice for the frying pan can be potentially deadly. There are dangerous mushrooms out there--and also lots of delicious ones! This presentation covers how to get started collecting wild mushrooms, including how to find them, how to pick them, and how to identify them. Choice Montana edibles such as King Boletes, chanterelles, morels, hawk wings, lion’s mane, oysters, and more, are shown in full color and their edible properties described. The general rules for eating wild mushrooms are also important to know. Lastly, a few of the toxic species to be avoided, especially those that have caused poisonings in Montana, will be discussed. Further resources for wild mushroom hunting in Montana are provided. Learn about the diversity of mushrooms in our state and how they promote ecosystem health!

Presenter Bio

  • Dr. Cathy Cripps: Cathy is mycologist and professor at Montana State University where she teaches and does research on fungi. She earned her BS from the University of Michigan and PhD from Virginia Tech. Her research on mushrooms that survive in Arctic and alpine habitats has taken her to Iceland, Svalbard, Norway, Greenland, the Austrian Alps, Finland, and our own Rocky Mountains. The use of mycorrhizal fungi to promote whitebark pine restoration at high elevations is another research focus. She is lead author of “The Essential Guide to Rocky Mountain Mushrooms by Habitat”, editor of “Fungi in Forest Ecosystems” and “Arctic and Alpine Mycology 8” and has authored numerous scientific papers. With over 40 years of experience collecting mushrooms, first as an amateur when she lived in a cabin in Colorado and later as a professional leading forays and teaching field classes in Montana, her love and enthusiasm for the Rocky Mountains and its fungal creatures runs deep.

Some things we can learn from AI

Click Here to find outWhy prompt engineering and AI are important

In my personal experience from using generative text and images using AI tools it's easy to see the applications. Writing unique, sensible text or drafting a concept from just a description in your head is an invaluable tool that the next generation is primed to take advantage of. The following was created using the Bing AI. There are many others that do different things. Google has Bard coming from DeepMind.

On this website here: there's an AI for that you can search for a specialized AI using an AI to interperet what your asking. The world is changing but are we ready?

The Nautilus Shell

The night was dark and quiet, except for the gentle sound of waves crashing on the shore. A faint glow emanated from the sand, where tiny bioluminescent creatures lit up the beach like stars. Among them, a wispy, bipedal, translucent figure moved swiftly and silently, searching for food.

The creature was a remnant of an ancient race that once ruled the oceans, but had been driven to near extinction by humans and their pollution. It had adapted to live on land, hiding in caves and forests during the day, and venturing out at night to hunt for mollusks and insects. It had no name, no language, no memory of its past. It only had instincts and curiosity.

As it scoured the beach, it sensed something different. A faint vibration in the sand, a subtle change in temperature, a familiar scent. It followed its nose, digging deeper and deeper into the sand, until it uncovered a large shell. It was smooth and shiny, with a spiral shape and a pearl-like luster. It was a nautilus shell, a relic of its ancestors.

The creature felt a surge of emotion. It recognized the shell as something precious, something that belonged to it. It held it close to its chest, feeling its warmth and weight. It felt a connection to the shell, as if it contained a part of its soul. It felt a flash of memory, of swimming in the deep sea with others of its kind, of exploring coral reefs and sunken ships, of being free and happy.

The creature smiled. It had found something it thought was lost to time. It had found a piece of its history, a clue to its identity. It had found a treasure.

Written by Bing

Using another AI to punch up the same text on the left results in this below:

The Power of Prompt Engineering and AI

As someone who has personally experienced the incredible capabilities of generative text and image tools powered by AI, I cannot stress enough the importance of prompt engineering in unlocking their full potential. With these tools, it's astonishingly easy to generate unique and coherent text or bring to life a concept from just a simple description in your mind. It's a tool that the next generation is perfectly positioned to leverage for their benefit. For instance, Bing AI has already demonstrated its creative prowess, and Google's DeepMind is also working on an exciting project called Bard.

The Tale of the Nautilus Shell

One moonless night, the world was shrouded in darkness, and the only sound was the gentle lapping of waves against the shore. Yet amidst this tranquility, the sand on the beach emitted a faint glow, courtesy of bioluminescent creatures that dotted the coastline, casting an ethereal light akin to stars in the sky. Among them, a slender, translucent figure with two legs moved with grace and agility, on the hunt for sustenance.

This enigmatic creature was a surviving member of an ancient race that once reigned supreme in the depths of the ocean. However, human pollution had driven them to near extinction, forcing them to adapt to life on land. By day, they sought refuge in caves and forests, venturing out only under the cover of night to forage for mollusks and insects. They had no name, no language, and no recollection of their past. They relied solely on their instincts and insatiable curiosity.

This enigmatic creature was a surviving member of an ancient race that once reigned supreme in the depths of the ocean. However, human pollution had driven them to near extinction, forcing them to adapt to life on land. By day, they sought refuge in caves and forests, venturing out only under the cover of night to forage for mollusks and insects. They had no name, no language, and no recollection of their past. They relied solely on their instincts and insatiable curiosity.

Reading Makes Your Brain Grow Stronger