Dr. Gary Laursen was one of the guest speakers at last month’s Fairbanks Fungi Fest. Laursen taught biology and mycology for decades at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He’s traveled the world studying fungi and leads the High Latitude Mycological Research Institute. He has also authored a number of books, including Alaska’s Mushrooms: a Wide Ranging Guide. Laursen says he wants to correct the low regard many people hold about a group of organisms that lies between plants and animals.