Communicating an Awareness of Plants Through Science and Art

Roger Hangarter
Indiana University

Roger Hangarter earned his Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from Michigan State University. He did postdoctoral work at Michigan State University and at the University of Illinois, Urbana. He was assistant and associate professor in the Department of Plant Biology, Ohio State University and is currently a Professor in the Department of Biology at Indiana University.

Hangarter’s research focuses on physiological and molecular mechanisms controlling plant growth and development, with an emphasis on mechanisms by which plants perceive and respond to environmental stimuli. He has had a long-standing interest in photobiology and has conducted research on auxin physiology, photosynthesis, and plant photosensory systems. His recent work is investigating how light and gravity response systems interact to control plant architecture and how light regulates chloroplast motility and development. Hangarter has a strong interest in communicating his science to broader audiences. His public efforts include lecturing in local gardening classes, park programs, participating in K-12 teacher workshops, and conducting activities at a local children’s science museum. He has also created a major award-winning web site (Plants-In-Motion) that provides a large collection of time-lapse plant movies and educational material that is freely available worldwide to teachers and students.

His movie documenting the above-ground phase of 17 year cicadas was awarded first place for Non-Interactive Media in the 2005 NSF/AAAS Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge. He also collaborates with artists to develop visually compelling educational exhibits.

He recently created a traveling exhibit, sLowlife, that uses time-lapse movies, still images, and live plants to try increase awareness of plants as living sensory organisms. The exhibit was installed at the United State Botanical Garden in Washington DC from Oct 26, 2005 to March 26, 2006. In 2007, it will be at the Missouri and Chicago Botanic Gardens and will move to other venues over the next several years.