The long-running Science On Tap series — a monthly program of talks that are a combined effort between the Academy of Natural Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Chemical Heritage Foundation, the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science — has turned into one of the city’s better “geek nights.” Part of this is its thoughtful programming, and another part is that its usual home, National Mechanics, is a great venue that ensures that no matter how dense the “Science” part is, the “Tap” is never an afterthought.

This month’s theme, “Botanical Time Travel: Viewing the Past with Modern Techniques and Historic Plant Collections” delves deep into the world of Herbaria – those library-like collections of pressed and dried plants. Herbaria and its attendant collection and cataloging techniques have been around for centuries, quietly driving scientific process, but right now, herbaria is also in a moment where it’s meeting big data, and the results promise to be life-changing. Tonight’s speaker, Jordan Teisher, is the Collection Manager for the Botany Department at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, and he’s eminently equipped to, er, pass on the herb. –Aria, that is. 

More info/Facebook invite here.