NEW CLUB MEETING LOCATION IS The Calaway Room at the Third Street Center.

This will be live streamed video presentation starting around 6:15PM

Dr. SHIVA DEVKOTA

His talk: Mycophilic Bonds: Mountains, Mushrooms, and the Ethnomycological Thread

Shiva Devkota, a Research Scientist at Gandaki Province Academy of Science and Technology (GPAST), Nepal, earned his PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Bern University, Switzerland. As a PhD returnee to Nepal, Shiva has significantly contributed to the field of Mycology, particularly focusing on Caterpillar fungus, Wild Mushrooms and Lichens since about two decades with interesting publications. Notably, he initiated the “Digitization of mycological collections in Nepal - 2020” project, resulting in the complete digitization of 6433 herbariums (mushrooms and lichens), now accessible on the GBIF Global Portal.   Together with International Mountain Trekking, Washington DC, Shiva introduced mycotourism in Nepal, organizing successful expeditions in Everest (2022) and Annapurna (2023), with plans to revisit Everest in 2024. This mycotourism initiative has gained recognition in various national and international media outlets, including the Washington Post, The Explorers Journal, and Fungi Magazine. Apart from that Shiva has also introduced metagenomic approach to map mycorrhizal fungal networks in the Everest area being the SPUN underground explorer 2023. Shiva Devkota’s contributions extend globally, as evidenced by the naming of a new lichen species, Lobaria devkotae M.X. Yang &; Scheid., discovered in Xizang Province, China, and described in the journal PERSOONIA 2022. During the monsoon (mostly June – Sep in Nepal), Shiva passionately educates marginalized communities, citizen scientists, and enthusiasts about wild mushroom edibility, addressing the urgent issue of mushroom poisoning in Nepal.