In the San Francisco Business Times‘ May 2, 2014 issue, Dr. Meg Lowman made the list of the most Influential Women in Bay Area Business.
Dr. Meg Lowman
Chief of science and sustainability, California Academy of SciencesEducation: B.A., biology cum laude, M.A., Williams College; M.Sc., ecology, University of Aberdeen, Scotland; Ph.D., botany, University of Sydney, Australia.
Community involvement: Meg Lowman treetops camp (science mentor to at-risk teenage girls at the annual camp), Science Online, Earthwatch, Planets for People, Tree Foundation, Young Voices for Climate Change, Explore! (Discovery TV), 7th International Canopy Conference.
Proudest accomplishment: To be one of the world’s first “arbornauts.” (Translation: an astronaut explores outer space, whereas an arbornaut explores the treetops). As one of the only women in tropical biology at the time, my tree-climbing career led me to discover that half of the world’s biodiversity on land lives in the tops of trees.
Dream super power: My dream super power is children — I strongly believe that engaging youth with the magic and wonder of science will inspire solutions, leaving our world in good hands.
Female role model: Harriet Tubman, who was an extraordinary naturalist who could “read” the moss on the treetrunks to navigate the underground railway to free the slaves.
Surprising fact about you: I am an entomophagist, meaning that i eat bugs. My kids and I have lots of recipes for things like tarantula tempura and cricket hors d’oeuvres. Eating insects is actually one of the planet’s most sustainable diets.
See Meg’s entry and see the rest of the women that made the list