Biennial Election and Speaker, May 2021 - Tom Volk: Everyday and Extraordinary Fungal Superheroes

Any dues paying FFSC member can vote and can also volunteer or be nominated as a minister. (Please note that the Prime Minister and Vice Prime Minister positions require having served previously as a board member. The other positions can be held by any FFSC member.) To get a sense of what is entailed in these positions, see the FFSC Bylaws.

Tom Volk, a mycologist with 2 hearts will discuss:

Everyday and Extraordinary Fungal Superheroes

Many fungi are beneficial to people, including mushrooms, molds, and yeasts. This talk explores the many useful fungi in our everyday lives. including delicious edible mushrooms and medicinal mushrooms. There are many important drugs made from fungi, such as penicillin and steroids, and many industrial products, such as citric acid and ethanol. Fungi are well represented in arts and crafts to make our days happier. There are also some extraordinary uses for fungi, including bioremediation and biopulping. We will talk about a wide panorama of fungi for everyone.

Tom Volk is a Professor of Biology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He teaches courses on Mycology, Medical Mycology, Plant-Microbe Interactions, Food & Industrial Mycology, Advanced Mycology, Organismal Biology and Latin & Greek for Scientists.  His internet web page, Tom Volk's Fungi has a popular "Fungus of the Month" feature, and an extensive introduction to the Kingdom Fungi.  Besides dabbling in mushroom cultivation, Tom has worked on the genera Morchella (morels), Cantharellus (chanterelles), Hydnellum (a tooth fungus), Armillaria (honey mushrooms) and Laetiporus (chicken of the woods, or sulfur shelf), as well as several medical mycology projects, prairie mycorrhizae, mycoprospecting, and fungi involved in coal formation. He also has conducted fungal biodiversity studies in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alaska, and Israel.   Having lectured in 38 states so far, Tom is a popular speaker at many amateur and professional mycological events throughout North America, including many NAMA and NEMF foray He has presented numerous pre-covid lecture at FFSC meeting and at the Fungus Fair and hopes to return in-person soon.