My grandfather (1890-1980) was a metallurgist with a passion for botany. He would take me on walks as a child to identify plants in a local arboretum. I was hooked. My passion bloomed in my teens when I spent summers at a canoeing and nature camp in Canada. We trudged through swamps, paddled through wilderness, and banded birds for the Provence of Ontario. I've been in love with, and studied Nature my entire life.