THE ODYSSEY OF A WOMAN FIELD SCIENTIST by Jean H. Langenheim

Langenheim noted that, early in her career, she was frequently helping to break new ground for women scientists by serving as the “token” female in scientific endeavors, and that she drew much of her strength from her mother, whom she called the greatest influence on her life. She published her life story in 2010, titled The Odyssey of a Woman Field Scientist: A Story of Passion, Persistence, and Patience, revealing much about her adventures while traveling and researching, but also discussing the enormous changes she witnessed in the roles of science and women in American society during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Langenheim’s career took her to five continents, including such countries as Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Ghana and Australia, in pursuing plant ecological, paleobotanical and some ethnobotanical research. Langenheim retired in 1994 but continued to be active as an Emeritus and Research Professor at UCSC until her death in 2021 at the age of 96.ĭr. She was a world-renowned authority on tree resins and amber. Langenheim enjoyed a fulfilling career in higher education, serving as a faculty member at several colleges and universities before settling at the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1966, where she distinguished herself in the field of plant ecology, authoring numerous publications in her discipline and garnering many awards and honors. She was named a TU Distinguished Alumna in 1979 in recognition of her career accomplishments and loyalty to her alma mater, and she also was named to the esteemed Circle Society and Chapman Legacy Society.ĭr. Jean Langenheim graduated summa cum laude from TU with a degree in Botany. Langenheim augmented the fund with a gift of mineral interests in 2018, in the hope of assisting more students through her mother’s namesake scholarship fund. Langenheim (BA ’46) established an endowment in honor of her mother to support biology students at The University of Tulsa: The Jeanette Harmon Biology Scholarship. In the same way one would plant a seed, nurture it with water and sun, and watch it grow into a vibrant flower, Dr.

THE ODYSSEY OF A WOMAN FIELD SCIENTIST by Jean H. Langenheim