#67 Beronda Montgomery, PhD

This month, Mary met up with Dr. Beronda Montgomery, a plant biologist, writer, researcher and scholar. Dr. Montgomery works to understand how individuals perceive, respond to, and are affected by the environments in which they live. By investigating the response of photosynthetic organisms (i.e., plants and cyanobacteria) to external light cues, she is able to identify related roles for innovative leaders in human settings.After over 18 years at Michigan State University as a Foundation Professor in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Beronda served as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean, and Professor of Biology at Grinnell College. In that time, she co-founded the annual Black Botanists Week. Then, since 2025, she's been the Sally Starling Seaver Fellow in Biological Sceinces with Radcliffe Harvard Institute.In this episode, Mary and Beronda speak of her most recent book, When Trees Testify. As Beronda writes, "Plants don't just passively provide. They also take action. They are masters of adaptation. They 'know' what and who they are, and they use this knowledge to make a way in the world. Plants are even capable of transformative behaviors that allow them to maximize their chances of survival in dynamic and sometimes unfriendly environments." Quite consistent with the rich spirit of her words here, this HILFH conversation was rich and enlivening. You can learn more about Beronda Montgomery by checking out her books, When Trees Testify and Lessons from Plants. Also spend some time with her website and the additional writings there. Let yourself be informed and inspired by Dr. Montgomery and the love of plants.MUSICRolled Ankles. Music by Nicholas Panek from PixabayMoonlight on Your Hands. Music by Mircea Iancu from PixabayEvening Strings. Music by DPStudioMusic from PixabayOriginal theme music composed and performed by Gary Ferguson.----HILFH is an educational project of Full Ecology. Check us out and let us hear from you.