Beronda Montgomery facts for kids

Beronda Montgomery is a scientist, writer, and a great communicator about science. She studies how plants and other living things that use sunlight for energy change to fit their surroundings. She also works to help students and scientists learn and grow, especially those from groups that haven't always had many chances in science. She helped start Black Botanists Week, which celebrates Black scientists who study plants.

In 2022, Dr. Montgomery joined Grinnell College as a professor of biology. She also served as the vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college until July 2024. Before Grinnell, she was a professor at Michigan State University.

Education and Early Career

Beronda Montgomery earned her first degree in biology from Washington University in St. Louis. She then received her master's degree in biology from the University of Central Arkansas. In 2001, she completed her PhD in Plant Biology at the University of California, Davis.

After her PhD, she became a postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University. This research was supported by an award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). In 2004, she started working as a faculty member at Michigan State University, where she stayed until the spring of 2022.

Leadership in Academia

Dr. Montgomery has held many important leadership roles at universities. From 2016 to 2020, she was the assistant provost for faculty development at Michigan State University (MSU). In this role, she helped all professors and staff with their research and creative projects.

Later, she became the interim assistant vice president for research and innovation at MSU in 2020. She then served as assistant vice president for research and innovation from 2021 to 2022. In April 2022, she was named associate vice president for strategic initiatives and operations at MSU. She held this position until she left MSU in the summer of 2022.

From July 2022 to July 2024, Dr. Montgomery was the vice president for Academic Affairs and Dean of the college at Grinnell College in Iowa.

Plant Research

Dr. Montgomery's research focuses on how living things that use photosynthesis (like plants and cyanobacteria) change to deal with different light conditions. These organisms need to react to changes in light to keep making their own food. They have developed special ways to grow and develop in response.

Her lab studies important molecules that help with this process. These include pigments that absorb light and phytochromes, which are light-sensing receptors. Her team works to understand how these molecules control cell shape and function. They look at how plants like Arabadopsis and cyanobacteria respond to different environments and stresses.

Dr. Montgomery's important research has been recognized by many scientific groups. She was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2018. In 2020, she became a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She was also elected a fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists in 2021 and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2022.

Helping Other Scientists

Dr. Montgomery also studies and teaches about how to be a good mentor. A mentor is someone who guides and supports another person, especially in their career. She focuses on helping students and new scientists from groups that are not often seen in science.

She has written a lot about ways to help people succeed in science. She creates strategies for good mentorship that focus on each person's unique needs and goals. Dr. Montgomery has also worked with others to create lasting opportunities for career growth.

For example, she worked with the American Society for Microbiology and the National Science Foundation. They created the ASM-NSF Leaders Inspiring Networks and Knowledge (LINK) program. This program connects researchers with students and teachers. She also led the ASM Watkins Graduate Research Fellowship for six years. This fellowship helps more students from underrepresented groups earn their doctoral degrees in microbiology.

Dr. Montgomery also helps professors learn how to be good mentors themselves. This ensures that new scientists continue to get good guidance and that more students from diverse backgrounds join STEM careers.

Because she is an expert in mentorship, Dr. Montgomery serves on many leadership boards. She also advises universities on how to make their research and education programs more diverse and welcoming. She used to be on the advisory board for 500 Women Scientists. There, she shared her knowledge to help make science open and available to everyone.

Books

• Lessons from Plants, published in April 2021.
• When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy, expected in January 2026.

Awards and Honors

• National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2007
• Michigan State University Foundation Professorship, 2016
• American Society for Microbiology Distinguished Lecturer, 2017-2019
• American Academy of Microbiology Fellow, 2018
• John Wiley Jones Distinguished Lecturer, 2019
• Cell Press CrossTalk's 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America List, 2020
• Union of Concerned Scientists Science Defender, 2020
• American Association for the Advancement of Science, Elected Fellow, 2020
• Ritter Memorial Lecturer, 2021
• NSF BIO Distinguished Lecturer, 2021
• Botanical Society of America, Charles Edwin Bessey Teaching Award, 2021
• American Society of Plant Biologists, Elected Fellow, 2021
• GardenComm [Garden Communicators International], Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award, 2021
• American Society for Cell Biology, Mentoring Keynote Award, 2021
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Elected Fellow, 2022
• American Society for Microbiology, Honorary Diversity Lecturer Award, 2022
• American Society of Plant Biologists, Adolph E. Gude, Jr. Award, 2022
• Hutchinson Medal of the Chicago Horticultural Society, 2023
• American Society of Plant Biologists, Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award, 2024
• American Society of Plant Biologists, Member, American Society of Plant Biology Pioneers, 2024
• North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC) Excellence in Supporting Diversity, 2024
• Pauline Newman Distinguished Speaker, Vassar College, 2024
• Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM), 2025

See also

In Spanish: Beronda Montgomery para niños