Christine Flanagan Receives 2009 National Odum Ecology Education Award

Christine Flanagan, award-winning plant science educator.
Christine shares fascinating details of plant biology with USBG visitors.

United States Botanic Garden (USBG) Public Programs manager and ASPB Education Foundation board member Christine Flanagan has been named the Ecological Society of America’s (ESA’s) 2009 Odum Ecology Education Award winner. The Eugene P. Odum Award recognizes an ecologist for outstanding work in education. ESA awards individuals who “through teaching, outreach, and mentoring activities . . . have demonstrated their ability to relate basic ecological principles to human affairs.” Christine has been actively building and growing public programs to support the USBG’s educational mission of inspiring people about the importance of plants to humankind.

Ecology and the environment have been a major focus of Christine’s publications, presentations, and exhibitions. For example, “Our Nation’s Crown Jewels,” a 2003 exhibit, was a collaboration she developed with Kauai’s Native Plant Society that showcased Hawaii’s rare and endangered plants. In February 2005, Christine became an active participant in ASPB education outreach efforts and helped the Society achieve access to public venues for its plant science education programs. Specifically, she was instrumental in supporting the exhibition of the ASPB-sponsored program, sLowlife, created by ASPB member Roger Hangarter. Christine was drawn to Roger’s project because it presents high science in an art gallery style, thus challenging many of the commonly held attitudes about plants while showcasing their beauty and connection to humans. Roger had combined the initial funding from the ASPB Education Foundation Grant Awards Program (GAP) with resources from the National Science Foundation, the Chicago Botanic Garden, the U.S. Botanic Garden, and Indiana University to fully develop the exhibit. With Christine’s guidance and support, sLowlife was installed at the U.S. Botanic Garden, in Washington, D.C., from November 1, 2005, to March 26, 2006. More recently, Christine cocurated 2008’s “One

Planet—Ours” exhibition, which partnered 43 U.S. organizations that demonstrated ways to build sustainable societies. Christine also developed the U.S. Botanic Garden’s well-regarded junior botanist program for children.

Christine’s work extends to supporting the outreach efforts of ASPB’s member scientists. She is an active participant of the Education Foundation board, a group that consults on the viability of GAP applications the Society funds each year. She also has been a contributor to the Education Forum of this newsletter. An article she wrote for the May/June 2006 issue, “Talking Science to John Q. Public: Is It All Just Geek to Him?,” exhorts plant biologists to communicate their work to a lay audience despite the handicap that plant anatomy, life histories, photosynthesis, and other aspects of plant biology often feel alien to our human, “mammal-centric” worldview. Her article describes some of her other outreach projects and includes the critical reminder that “whether it is in the grocery store, the garden, or the pharmacy, advances in plant sciences quickly manifest themselves in ways that affect every life. It is understandable that people sometimes feel victimized by change they didn’t ask for and don’t understand. In making their work accessible, scientists can share the excitement of discovery and soothe unease while building public support for research.”

Christine is certainly doing her part to help develop general understanding of and appreciation for the wonders of plant biology. ASPB is honored that she is involved with our Society’s initiatives and pleased that she has been recognized through the 2009 Odum Ecology Education Award for all of her ongoing accomplishments in outreach and education.
Christine received her PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Arizona. She first worked as an assistant curator for education at the Orland E. White Arboretum in Boyce, Va. She has served the U.S. Botanic Garden since 1996, first as public programs coordinator and, beginning in 2002, as public programs manager. For more information about Christine and her accomplishments, contact Sally Bourrie at (202) 226-4145.