Maria Fadiman
Encyclopedia
Maria Grace Fadiman is an ethnobotanist and professor of Geosciences at Florida Atlantic University
.
, and psychologist and published author, James Fadiman. She received her BA from Vassar College
, her MA from Tulane University
and her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin
. She was the recipient of an NSF
Grant in 2000-2001 which she used for her dissertation research in Ecuador
.
Fadiman joined the faculty at Florida Atlantic University
in 2004. Prior to her appointment at FAU, she served as part time faculty at Sonoma State University
.
In 2006, she was recognized as an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic. According to the National Geographic website, Fadiman was one of only eight Explorers honored by National Geographic in 2006.
Fadiman's research specializes in Latin American and African ethnobotany
, with a focus on rainforest
cultures. Fadiman's research and publications examine the various ways that indigenous peoples
interact with plants in their daily lives, with particular emphasis on the economy
and on gender roles.
In Starbucks The Way I See It No 233 she said "I used to think that going to the jungle made my life an adventure. However, after years of unusual work in exotic places, I realize that it is not how far off I go, or how deep into the forest I walk that gives my life meaning. I see that living life fully is what makes life – anyone’s life, no matter where they do or do not go – an adventure."
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
.
Biography
Fadiman was raised in Palo Alto by documentary filmmaker, Dorothy FadimanDorothy Fadiman
Dorothy Fadiman is an American documentary filmmaker, director, and producer.-Biography:Dorothy Fadiman was raised in Pennsylvania and is married to psychologist and published author, James Fadiman. She is the mother of Renee Fadiman and Maria Fadiman...
, and psychologist and published author, James Fadiman. She received her BA from Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
, her MA from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
and her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. She was the recipient of an NSF
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Grant in 2000-2001 which she used for her dissertation research in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
.
Fadiman joined the faculty at Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
in 2004. Prior to her appointment at FAU, she served as part time faculty at Sonoma State University
Sonoma State University
Sonoma State University is a public, coeducational business and liberal arts college affiliated with the California State University system. The main campus is located in Rohnert Park, California, United States and lies approximately south of Santa Rosa and north of San Francisco...
.
In 2006, she was recognized as an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic. According to the National Geographic website, Fadiman was one of only eight Explorers honored by National Geographic in 2006.
Fadiman's research specializes in Latin American and African ethnobotany
Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany is the scientific study of the relationships that exist between people and plants....
, with a focus on rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
cultures. Fadiman's research and publications examine the various ways that indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
interact with plants in their daily lives, with particular emphasis on the economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
and on gender roles.
In Starbucks The Way I See It No 233 she said "I used to think that going to the jungle made my life an adventure. However, after years of unusual work in exotic places, I realize that it is not how far off I go, or how deep into the forest I walk that gives my life meaning. I see that living life fully is what makes life – anyone’s life, no matter where they do or do not go – an adventure."
Recent publications
- 2005, Cultivated Food Plants: Culture and Gendered Spaces of Colonists and the Chachi in Ecuador. Journal of Latin American Geography 4(1): 43-57.
- 2004, Management, Cultivation and Domestication of Weaving Plants: Heteropsis and Astrocaryum in the Ecuadorian Rain Forest. The California Geographer 44:1-19.
- 2001, Hat weaving with Jipi, Carludovica palmate, (Cyclanthaceae) in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. The Journal of Economic Botany 55(4):539-544.