Pioneer Member

Prudence Hall – Robert Bandurski was not averse to taking chances on uncertain things. I was the fortunate recipient of his chance-taking when he welcomed me to his lab as a beginning graduate student. He was taking a chance because, in part, I was beyond the normal age for graduate students. The 5 or so years I spent as a student in the Bandurski lab were invaluable in the subsequent years. Not only did I learn about plants and their physiology but also ways to study their properties. I also saw how a major research lab could be managed and how the lab could be an environment in which all would benefit by being there. The international flavor in the Bandurski lab set a standard for how to integrate us all into common efforts, a benefit for each of us. Dr. Bandurski also encouraged us to think about the world beyond our immediate research questions; issues and questions of importance today. The broader view of the roles of plants in the world was especially valuable in my subsequent life in working in the classroom and laboratory with undergraduate students planning on careers in science.