Elizabeth (Liz) Van Volkenburgh

Elizabeth (Liz) Van Volkenburgh is Professor Emerita of Biology at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.  Her research has centered on how plants grow, especially leaves. She taught courses in Plant Physiology, and the Physiological Basis of Plant Behavior.  Liz received her B.S. in Botany from Duke University, and her Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from the University of Washington.  After postdoctoral work at the University of Illinois, and the University of Lancaster (UK), she accepted a position at the University of Washington and developed her Plant Growth Lab.  Students in this lab have worked on leaf growth in beans, poplar, Arabidopsis, tomato, corn, and sunflower. Research has ranged from the molecular basis for light-induced leaf cell expansion, to the adaptive value of leaf teeth, and the mechanisms underlying drought tolerance in beans.  This work has involved international colleagues, via sabbatical and research visits at the University of Groningen (Netherlands), Palacky University (Czech Republic), and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Colombia). Throughout her work, Liz has been fascinated by what plants do, and how they do it, thus plant behavior.  She is a founding member and President of the Society for Plant Neurobiology/Plant Signaling and Behavior. 

When considering communication about plants, within plants and among plants and their living partners, we humans are inclined to reference our own forms of knowing, learning and telling.  But plants are plants.  The field of ‘plant blindness’ highlights how difficult it is for humans to perceive and understand how plants are.  It is tempting to anthropomorphize plant behavior to convey our excitement at discovering how plants live.  

Teaching plant physiology and behavior to learners around the world creates encounters with education systems embedded in different cultures.  These range from the active learning classrooms of the US to diligent explorative learning in Europe, all the way to willing but unsure listening in the Pacific Islands.  Our language of communication, English, is variously understood.  Patience, examples, respect and trust are helpful.  Under all of these circumstances, keeping in mind that plants are plants is useful.

Most people have some experience with plants.  When reminded that all living organisms ‘problem-solve’ in order to survive, interest in how plants do this develops.  Knowledge of physiology helps us understand our own bodies, and that of plants as well.  Plant motivation, however, is based on producing food, less on consumption.  A shift in viewpoint, in our approach, helps us accept and communicate honestly that plants are plants.  Their modes of communication may not resemble ours.  How do they, plants, communicate?