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Cultivating Community: A Discussion of Lessons from Plants • FIRST Book Discussion
March 20, 2023 @ 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Dean Byron McCrae (Dean of Students) leads a discussion on Dr. Beronda Montgomery’s brief book of powerful metaphors that help us thrive and foster our collective success.
The discussion summary can be viewed here.
A brief review by Cathy N. Davidson and Christina Katopodis from this site describes Lessons from Plants:
“This gorgeous book by microbiologist Dr. Beronda L. Montgomery is as beautiful to read as it is to hold—in your hands, in your heart. We can’t stop thinking about Montgomery’s key lesson: if you have a plant that is struggling, you figure out what environmental changes it needs to thrive—more or less water or sunlight, better soil. When people fail to flourish, we’re quick to blame the individual. As an African American woman, Montgomery makes us think about society and how we approach problems (do we compete or do we build a collaborative effort for a holistic solution?). Humans have much to discover from our photosynthesizing world: how plants learn—from their own kin, their friends, and their foes—and Montgomery helps us to understand the nature (literally) of teaching and learning.”
Additional writing from Dr. Montgomery:
Montgomery (2020) Lessons from microbes: What can we learn about equity from unculturable bacteria?
Molecular Biology and Physiology. 4: e01046-20. https://journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10.1128/mSphere.01046-20
Montgomery (2021) My most memorable mentors? Plants.
Nature. 592:327.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00961-9
Mondisa, Packard, & Montgomery (2021). Understanding what STEM mentoring ecosystems need to thrive: A STEM-ME framework.
Mentoring & Tutoring. 29:
https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2021.1899588
Montgomery & Whittaker (2022) The roots of change: Cultivating equity and change across generations from healthy roots.
The Plant Cell. 34: 2588-93.
https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac121
