# Event Details

- **Event Name**: March General Meeting with Tom Bruns
- **Event Start and End Date**: Tue, 14 Apr, 2026 at 07:30 pm – Tue, 14 Apr, 2026 at 09:30 pm
- **Event Description**: Tom Bruns - A burning interest in fungi - Recolonization in the post-fire fungal community.  This meeting is free and open to the public. Come at 7pm to socialize, program starts at 7:30pm.

Tom Bruns is an emeritus professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is best known for his work in ectomycorrhizal systems where he has contributed to the understanding of community and population structure, spore banks, mycoheterotrophic plants, spore dispersal, and molecular method development. His later work focused on post-fire saprobic fungal communities, and involved experimental fire manipulations, coupled with gene expression and soil metabolomics.

Tom's talk will address the question, "How do fungi survive or recolonize after wildfire?" This question was the basis for multiple studies in the Bruns lab over three decades. Some of these studies were initiated after wildfires burned through research plots that were originally set up for other questions, while other studies involved controlled experiments. All used DNA-based identification methods that allowed the fungi to be identified in their vegetative and spore stages.

Results from these studies show that there is a major turn-over in fungal species following fire. This includes both mutualistic fungi associated with tree roots (i.e., ectomycorrhizal fungi) and saprobic fungi that live on dead material. Those fungi that recolonize rapidly do so primarily from spores and other propagules that have laid dormant in the soil for decades as "spore banks", and at least some of the species appear to have heat-stimulated spores. There is a set of saprophytic fungi that are well-known to occur after fire that have been called "fireplace fungi" or "phoenicoid fungi". Many earlier studies have shown that these fungi consistently fruit after fires, and are generally restricted to such post-fire habitats. From DNA methods we now know that some of these dominate the soil within days after a fire and have some ability to digest charcoal.

Tom has mentored 19 PhD students and 19 postdoctoral associates. He has taught multiple courses on mycology at Berkeley and won the Weston Teaching Award from Mycological Society of America in 2007 and the Distinguished Teaching Award from the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley for his efforts. He served as president of the Mycological Society of America in 2011-2012, the president of the International Mycorrhiza Society from 2015-2017, and received the Distinguished Mycologist Award in 2018 from the Mycological Society of America for his career achievements in the field. More details on his early path into mycology can be gleaned from his interview for the Oral History for Mycology. His publication record includes over 200 papers primarily in the fields of fungal ecology and systematics.

The meeting is open to the public and will be offered both in person and via Zoom for those unable to attend physically. Tom Bruns has graciously agreed to allow PSMS to record this presentation for later viewing on the PSMS website (members only)
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/seattle/march-general-meeting-with-tom-bruns/200029848112132
- **Event Categories**: meetups, nonprofit, workshops
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 36

## Ticket Details


## Event venue details

- **city**: Seattle
- **state**: WA
- **country**: United States
- **location**: 3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, WA, United States, Washington 98105
- **lat**: 47.6581
- **long**: -122.29029
- **full address**: 3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, WA, United States, Washington 98105

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: March General Meeting with Tom Bruns
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/997c36eb94230ed18e0c8cfaedaf7dec40c4d003f89c197912a26568acfbb120-rimg-w960-h540-dca89276-gmir?v=1775929573

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is March General Meeting with Tom Bruns being held?
  - **A:** March General Meeting with Tom Bruns takes place on Tue, 14 Apr, 2026 at 07:30 pm to Tue, 14 Apr, 2026 at 09:30 pm at 3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, WA, United States, Washington 98105.
- **Q**: Who is organizing March General Meeting with Tom Bruns?
  - **A:** March General Meeting with Tom Bruns is organized by Puget Sound Mycological Society.
- **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me?
  - **A:** March General Meeting with Tom Bruns is ideal for curious learners, students, and skill-builders looking to gain hands-on knowledge and practical expertise in a focused, interactive setting. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Seattle, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If March General Meeting with Tom Bruns sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast.

## Structured Data (JSON-LD)

```json
[
    {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "Event",
        "name": "March General Meeting with Tom Bruns",
        "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/997c36eb94230ed18e0c8cfaedaf7dec40c4d003f89c197912a26568acfbb120-rimg-w960-h540-dca89276-gmir?v=1775929573",
        "startDate": "2026-04-14",
        "endDate": "2026-04-14",
        "url": "https://allevents.in/seattle/march-general-meeting-with-tom-bruns/200029848112132",
        "location": {
            "@type": "Place",
            "name": "3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, WA, United States, Washington 98105",
            "address": {
                "@type": "PostalAddress",
                "streetAddress": "3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, WA 98105-5699, United States",
                "addressLocality": "Seattle",
                "addressRegion": "WA",
                "addressCountry": "US"
            },
            "geo": {
                "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
                "latitude": "47.6581",
                "longitude": "-122.29029"
            }
        },
        "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode",
        "description": "Tom Bruns - A burning interest in fungi - Recolonization in the post-fire fungal community.  This meeting is free and open to the public. Come at 7pm to socialize, program starts at 7:30pm.\n\nTom Bruns is an emeritus professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of Cali",
        "organizer": [
            {
                "@type": "Organization",
                "name": "Puget Sound Mycological Society",
                "url": "https://allevents.in/org/puget-sound-mycological-society/5607864",
                "description": "Our Mission is to foster the understanding and appreciation of Mycology as a hobby and a science and to assist related institutions in these purposes."
            }
        ]
    }
]
```