Hope Jahren

Jahren became a scientist during an era when females were generally unwelcome in the realm. She was the product of a traditional Mid-West family, though they had Norwegian ancestry. She credited that ancestry with their reticence to talk about things of importance. Her father was a science teacher at a small community college. Her mother was a housewife who was brutal in her effort to care for her home and family. She spent a great deal of time in the garden and Jahren often joined her mother there, working to raise the produce for their family but also learning the basics of plants. She would combine the love of science and the love of growing things into a career that eventually landed her in Hawaii with her husband, son, and long-time science partner, Bill.

Jahren and Bill met when she was a graduate student. She noticed...