Plant Science Bulletin 60(1) 2014 uncertain about my future in botanical research, I was looking for opportunities to explore my interest in biology education. I registered for his graduate education courses on “Teaching About Plants” and “Visualizing Science” and realized through Jim’s example that you could have a passion for science without needing to do bench science. Jim’s love of science practically oozed out of his pores when he was teaching, and I still remember the joy he conveyed about every scientific concept he taught. When Jim and I began our discussions about the ideas that would lead to “Plant Blindness,” it was mainly out of a sense of injured disbelief that others couldn’t see the plant world as clearly as we did. We would cry (figuratively) into our coffee and try to explain to each other how people could walk around the world and not see all the plants. Others attributed this phenomenon to an explicit bias against plants, but Jim and I—optimists always— thought it was more of a collective lack of awareness. It was Jim’s understanding of cognitive processing of visual features that ultimately provided the explanation we published—that, in essence, the visual system and the brain, along with a strong dose of culture, make people “blind” to plants. Jim dove into spreading the word about Plant Blindness with the same enthusiasm he demonstrated in teaching, and I will never forget his joy when the term caught on and started to be used by others.
Jim Wandersee and Renee Clary, co-founders of the EarthScholars team.
Personal Memories By Renee Clary Jim Wandersee chaired my PhD committee, and we subsequently founded EarthScholars Research Group, the primary focus of which is to enhance the integration of geological and biological knowledge in science instruction (http://earthscholars. com/). To date, EarthScholars Research Group has produced 52 peer-reviewed journal articles, 16 book chapters, 49 electronic publications, and 156 research presentations. One research article, “Krakatoa Erupts!” was honored with the 2012 Gold (first prize) Association Media and Publishing EXCEL Award for outstanding feature article. Throughout the 12 years of our research program, EarthScholars presented research by invitation at many international forums, including the International Botanical Congress (Austria), the International Geological Congress (Norway, Italy, Australia), and the Delta Research and Global Observation Network (Cambodia). EarthScholars also served as official interpretative science signage consultants for Missouri Botanical Garden’s Doris I. Schnuck Children’s Garden, and designers for the Palmetto Trail at Barton Arboretum.
Not only did Jim instill a sense of research ethics and professionalism among his students, but he also built a community of scholars. He facilitated multiple networking opportunities each year for doctoral students and past graduates, including the annual 15o Lab Banquet. One highlight of the banquet was the announcement of the prestigious Giverny Award winner for the year, given to the outstanding children’s science picture book. The 2013 awardee, Green, marked the 16th year the award was presented (http://www.15degreelab. com/2013givernyaward.html). However, attendees also acknowledged that discussions of scholarly publications, and the sharing of accomplishments and challenges, were incredibly rich and valuable experiences. The careful mentoring and guidance served former students well: Jim’s students make major research contributions in both national and international forums.
Until his retirement, Jim held the W.H. “Bill” LeBlanc Endowed Chair of Educational Theory, Policy, and Practice and was proud that “…the LSU 9