Hope Jahren, a researcher in geobiology, loves trees. Lab Girl chronicles how Jahren went from a small town in Minnesota to running her own lab at the University of Hawaii. Yes, Jahren is a bit of a science nerd, but in a good way. She can rhapsodize over seeds and vines the way I do about Jack Vance and John D. MacDonald. Yet Jahren’s journey could not have been successful without her lab partner, Bill. Bill actually sleeps in the lab for years when funding money was short. Bill is Watson to Jahren’s Sherlock in solving geobiology problems. I hope this book inspires other women to consider science as a profession. Hope Jahren was interviewed by NPR’s “Morning Edition” and I’ve ebedded the link below. It’s worth a listen. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Prologue
Part One
ROOTS AND LEAVES
Part Two
WOOD AND KNOTS
Part Three
FLOWERS AND FRUIT
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Endnote
Nice one. Never heard of her but it sounds fascinating, even to someone with little or no interest in the subject.
Jeff, same here. I’m not a plant person (I’ve been accused by former girl friends of having a “Black Thumb”) but Hope Jahren’s passionate story of her love for trees and science. I was completely enchanted!
Same here too. Thanks, George.
Rick, you’re welcome.
Sounds wonderful. I will pass the title on.
Patti, I was impressed by Hope Jahren’s struggles to succeed in science. When she started, it was still a Boy’s Club and Hope had to overcome sexism and disdain in order to build her own lab. LAB GIRL is an inspiring story of someone who never gives up.
As a U Hawaii planetary science dropout, I’ll be likely to pick this up. Atop all else, she has a great voice…wonder if she’ll read an audiobook.
From her project’s web-page: UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I AT MANOA
The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa is well-known for pioneering research in such fields as oceanography, astronomy, Pacific Islands and Asian area studies, linguistics, cancer, and genetics. It is a land-, sea- and space-grant research institution and is nationally ranked in the top 30 public universities in federal research funding for engineering and science. The National Science Foundation has ranked it 49th overall. The University has many unique facilities, including the Hawai’i Institute of Geophysics & Planetology and the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology at Coconut Island, and the Institute for Astronomy.
–as I had finished high school in Hawaii. and was interested in literature and writing, political science, and the planetary sciences, it seemed a natural next step…and at $314/semester for in-state tuition in 1982-83, a no-brainer.
Todd, you’ve had a colorful and adventurous past!
Todd, I love Hope Jabren’s voice, too! Hope sent me a very nice form e-mail thanking me for my review.