Professor Beronda Montgomery of Michigan State University

"Color Vision and Light-Dependent Developmental Plasticity in Cyanobacteria”. February 25, 2022, 12:00-1:00 pm (RBC184 and Zoom). REGISTER by February 20, 2022.

Beronda L. Montgomery, Ph.D., is a writer, researcher, and scholar who pursues a common theme of understanding how individuals perceive, respond to, and are impacted by the environments in which they exist. Dr. Montgomery is currently a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Microbiology & Molecular Genetics at Michigan State University (MSU). She is also a member of the MSU- Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory. However, she has just been appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Grinnell College, where she will start in July 2022. Her primary laboratory-based research focuses on photosynthetic organisms' responses (i.e., plants and cyanobacteria) to external light cues. Additionally, Dr. Montgomery pursues this theme in the context of effective mentoring and leadership of individuals, and the role of innovative leaders in supporting success. Her comprehensive efforts are to promote career competencies and increase diversity in the natural sciences and the professoriate in general. As a thought leader on inclusivity in academic and research environments, she will be speaking to the theme of plant biology and insights for human thriving from her recently published book Lessons from Plants (April 2021, Harvard University Press) contributing to ASLO’s commitment to foster a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive scientific society).