Renowned mycologist to describe new uses for mushrooms

Pioneering mycologist Paul Stamets, famed for his research into medical and technological uses for mushrooms, will present a talk titled ?Solutions from Nature: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World,? at Skidmore Monday, Feb. 9. Free and open to the public, the lecture will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium of Palamountain Hall. It will be followed by a reception and a book-signing featuring Mycelium Running, Stamets?s latest book advocating the use of fungi to heal ecosystems, remediate toxic stockpiles, and boost immunity.

In his lecture, Stamets will discuss the evolution and future uses of mushrooms, touching on about a dozen species; as the visible ?fruit? of some kinds of fungi, mushrooms multiply by sending out underground runners and help decompose plant and animal matter and create soil. Stamets believes they can also play a role in replacing chemical insecticides and breaking down toxic wastes, including petroleum-based products such as diesel and dioxins. According to a National Public Radio story about the May 2007 oil spill in San Francisco Bay, oyster-mushroom spawn donated by Stamets helped break down the oil in a novel remediation project established in Golden Gate State Park. Mushrooms can also produce antibiotics capable of inhibiting such bacteria as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and can serve as mycofiltration membranes to reduce or eliminate pollution from farms and factories.

A dedicated mycologist for more than 30 years, Stamets has been described as a visionary who made his way, via non-traditional routes, to become a world authority on new technological uses for edible and medicinal fungi. Over the years he discovered four new species of fungi and pioneered numerous techniques in mushroom cultivation; he holds 22 patents for myco-related technologies. Among his awards and honors are a 1998 Bioneers Award from the Collective Heritage Institute; a 1999 ?Founder of a New Northwest Award? from the Pacific Rim Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils; and the Argosy Foundation?s E-chievement Award. In November 2008, the Utne Reader recognized Stamets as one of 50 Visionaries of the Year.

He is the author of numerous articles and five books, including The Mushroom Cultivator, written when he was an undergraduate; Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms; Mycomedicinals; Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World; and Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World. Founder and president of Fungi Perfecti, Stamets protects and clones many ancestral strains of fungi from the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest; he served as supplier and co-investigator of the first two NIH-funded clinical studies using medicinal mushrooms in the United States.

The Stamets lecture is presented as part of the Skidmore?s Distinguished Scientist Lecture Series with support from the Vasudha Living and Learning Community at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; while on campus, Stamets will also meet informally with students and faculty.