Testimonials for Pioneer Member Mary Lou Guerinot

Aaron Atkinson – With forgiving but firm guidance, Mary Lou built an atmosphere that was supportive, creative, confident and certainly productive. Her management style, tact, and work ethic is something that I look for in the people with whom I surround myself today.

Heather Benson – Mary Lou is a terrific person and was a wonderful graduate advisor. I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from her.

Carolyn Chapman – I am tremendously grateful to Mary Lou for her generosity of guidance and support while I was an undergraduate in her lab. Thank you for giving me experiences and advice that opened up future opportunities and experiences to me.

Erin Connolly – Pioneer is truly a fitting term for Mary Lou. Without question, her work has transformed our understanding of metal ion homeostasis in plants. She’s always prioritized the most important questions and been fearless in establishing new systems and approaches to address those questions and she is everyone’s favorite collaborator. But just as importantly, she’s always been direct and honest about her work and scientific opinions and our field has benefited immensely from her integrity. She’s also one of the most generous scientists I’ve ever met; this includes time spent mentoring, teaching and serving as a leader (of her department, at the college level, and for ASPB). I was fortunate to take two undergraduate courses with Mary Lou and then to work with her on my undergraduate honors thesis, as her lab technician and later as a postdoc. I’ve learned so much from her about so many things and she helped make it all so meaningful and just really fun! There’s no one I respect and admire more than Mary Lou and I’m so grateful to have been her trainee, mentee, colleague and friend all these years. Thanks for everything, Mary Lou!

Jeeyon Jeong – Mary Lou was my graduate advisor and is still an amazing mentor I look up to. As a graduate student, I learned so much from her – most importantly, she taught me how to be a scientist and what it means to be a true mentor. I also enjoyed working in the Guerinot lab and the parties Mary Lou and Rob hosted for us were always memorable (delicious food, great company, and the hot tub in snowy winter!). It has already been 15 years since I left the Guerinot lab, but Mary Lou is still the go-to person I seek advice from and has been a sounding board I trust. She will always be a significant role model scientist and mentor to me. Thank you, Mary Lou!!

Tomi Jun – Mary Lou gave me my first experience with molecular biology. I started out cleaning beakers and packing pipette tips in her lab as a freshman, and later graduated to helping with experiments and ultimately writing my honors thesis with her. She has been a patient and supportive mentor throughout the years. I had to take 2 years off from college to complete mandatory military service in Singapore. Upon returning to college she welcomed me back to the lab and even supported my working in the lab an extra year after graduation, giving me the time I needed to apply to medical school. My experiences with molecular biology in her lab were foundational to my growth and development as a clinician and researcher. While I now work on cancer genomics rather than plant biology, the principles of molecular biology and the scientific method that I learned from Mary Lou remain constant. To me, Mary Lou embodies the highest ideals of academia — a pioneering scientist, a dedicated educator, and an inspiring mentor.

Kristin LeVier – When I started graduate school in Mary Lou’s lab as a 22-year-old, I had a university degree, but was still a baby in so many ways. During the 5 years I spent working under Mary Lou I learned who I was and how to become an independent, thoughtful adult. Mary Lou modeled integrity, intelligence, humor and a strong work ethic every day — wonderful things for my young, developing self to see and emulate. I’ve rarely met anyone as forthright and honest with their opinions as Mary Lou, and it’s something I valued then and have valued and sought out ever since. I learned how to be a good writer and a good speaker under Mary Lou, two skills that I think benefit anyone, no matter what they do in life. Her free-flowing editing pen taught me more about how to write well than any class ever could have. Mary Lou allowed me to work independently, while guiding me in how to think through complicated science. I couldn’t have asked for a better PhD advisor. Mary Lou made a huge impact on my life and I’m forever grateful to her for the time and energy she put into helping me grow up and become a thinker, a scientist and an adult.

Adi Ratner – Professor Guerinot was a great mentor during my undergraduate studies. While working in her lab, I developed a rigorous standard of the scientific method that has been critical in my career as a physician. It was so important to have Professor Guerinot as a role model.

Felipe Klein Ricachenevsky – To me, Mary Lou Guerinot was a reference when I started working on metal transporters at the beginning of my Master’s degree in Brazil. Her pioneering work in the field, and the centrality of the findings, made her someone who inspired me. During my PhD (also in Brazil), she accepted me as a visiting student in her lab at Dartmouth, where I was able to be directly mentored by her, learn from her group and discuss high quality science. Mary Lou became not only a model as a scientist, but also as a mentor: she is able to guide while giving intellectual freedom; to inspire people to do their best; and to maintain a collaborative environment with other scientists and colleagues. I simply loved the time I spent in her lab, and I still miss those days. Mary Lou sent me to many different meetings, introduced me to people and allowed me to pursue my goals, which made the time I was within her group a defining period of my graduate studies. After that, Mary Lou was very kind and attended my PhD defense in Brazil, which was an incredible gesture – I obtained my PhD with one of my idols in the audience! Later, she continued to support my career while it advanced: she accepted me to do post-doctoral research in her lab; helped me start my own research group in Brazil shortly thereafter; and collaborated on projects I submitted to Brazilian and international funding agencies. I believe the trust she had in me made me a more confident and critical scientist. In summary, Mary Lou is a model mentor and researcher, who I try to emulate (but will never match!) with my own students and colleagues. Because of this, I will always be thankful to her for how she impacted my career and life in general. She is a true inspiration.

Gregory York – Mary Lou is a fantastic scientist and mentor. I had the pleasure of conducting an undergraduate thesis project in her lab in 1991-1992. Mary Lou is a generous advisor, letting undergraduate students work and learn independently in her lab, while always being willing to provide guidance and help solve problems as needed. She is also gifted at being able to communicate the many ways in which it can be a joy to practice science. Having Mary Lou as a mentor was great preparation for me for graduate school and my subsequent work in science and law. All of us have benefitted enormously from Mary Lou’s efforts. I am glad that her contributions are being recognized here