Career of the Month

Sullivan, Megan, The Science Teacher

Ethnobotanist

According to Plant Talk (2007), approximately 270,000 species of plants exist on Earth. The number of known species--including trees, flowers, fruits, and herbs--increases almost daily as scientists make new discoveries. From indigenous cultures in Australia to urban communities in the United States, and everywhere in between, plants are used in clothing, medicine, furniture, food, and symbolic and spiritual rituals. Ethnobotanists, such as Maria Fadiman, study this relationship between people (ethno) and plants (botany). In the rain forests of Latin America and African Savannas, home to hundreds of thousands of plant species, Fadiman works to help people and plants live in harmony.

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How did you choose this field?

I had always wanted to do conservation work, but I was initially intimidated by science and studied Latin American literature as an undergraduate. Then, …

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Publication information: Article title: Career of the Month. Contributors: Sullivan, Megan - Author. Journal title: The Science Teacher. Volume: 74. Issue: 5 Publication date: July 2007. Page number: 70. © 2009 National Science Teachers Association. COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group.

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