&ldquo\;Erin Zimmerman has exposed a roote d gender failure in science. Her book is important not for this alone. Her work is essential for understanding the future resilience of all flora on this planet.&rdquo\; -Diana Beresford-Kroeger\, author of \;To Speak for the Trees.
\nZimmerman takes us back to her childhood in rural O ntario where she became fascinated with plants. She tells us how that obse ssion led to a life in academia working to become a professional botanist. It was a challenging career path because natural history &ndash\; the col lection\, description\, and classification of species &ndash\; is in many ways a &ldquo\;dying science.&rdquo\; But to Zimmerman\, it is one worth f ighting for.
\nIn her memoir Zimmerman traces her career path and ar gues that natural history research needs to continue\, not only because th ere may be as many as 100\,000 plant species yet to be discovered\, but be cause an understanding of this science is crucial in the fight against bio diversity loss. Despite her passion for studying plants\, Zimmerman&rsquo\ ;s career choices narrowed in the face of failing institutions and subtle\ , but ubiquitous\, sexism\, and she began to doubt herself.
\nUnroot ed \;is a scientist&rsquo\;s memoir\, a glimpse into the ordinary life of someone in a fascinating field. It is about plants\, looking at the wo rld with wonder\, and what it means to be a woman in academia&mdash\;an en vironment that elbows out mothers and those with responsibilities outside the lab. Zimmerman delves into her experiences as a new parent\, her decis ion to leave her position in post-graduate research\, and how she found a new way to stay in the field she loves. She ends with a call to action for anyone wishing to help in the fight to save species.
\nErin Zimmerm an is an evolutionary biologist turned science writer and essayist. She ha s a bachelor&rsquo\;s degree in plant biology and physics from the Univers ity of Guelph and postgraduate studies in fungal genetics and molecular sy stematics from the Université\; de Montré\;al&rsquo\;s biodive rsity institute. For her doctoral research\, she traveled to South America to collect plant specimens\, and worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens at K ew. Zimmerman has published nine academic papers\, as well as numerous ess ays that have appeared in publications like New York Magazine\, Huffpost\, Smithsonian Magazine\, Los Angeles Review of Books\, Undark\, and Narrati vely.
\nReserve "Unrooted" \;here.
\nAuthor talk will begin at 2:30pm.
\nLight refreshments will be available and copies of "Unrooted" will be available for sale.
\nSeating is limited\, but standing room will also be avai lable. Please register to reserve a seat.
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