Climate scientist and policy expert Anna Farro Henderson embarks on a remarkable narrative journey in "Core Samples," exploring how science is done, discussed, legislated and imagined. Through stories both raucous and poignant — of far-flung expeditions, finding artistic inspiration in research, and traversing the systemic barriers women and mothers face in science and politics — she brings readers into the daily rhythms and intimacies of scientific research and political negotiation.
Grounded in her experiences as a climate scientist, an environmental policy advisor to Minnesota Senator Al Franken and Governor Mark Dayton, and a constant juggler of the many roles and responsibilities of professional moms, Henderson’s eclectic, unconventional essays range from observations, confessions and meditations on lab and fieldwork to a packing list for a trip to the state capitol and a lactation diary. Readers are invited on voyages as far afield as the Trinity nuclear test site in New Mexico, the Juneau Icefield in Alaska and a meteor crater in Ghana — and as close to home as a town hall meeting in America’s corn belt.
A love letter to science and a bracing (and sometimes hilarious) portrait of the many obstacles women, mothers and people digging for truth navigate, "Core Samples" illuminates the messy, contradictory humanity of our scientific and political institutions. Bringing us behind the closed doors of discovery and debate, Henderson exposes the flaws in research institutions, the halls of government and the role of science in policy, yet she shows how each crack is also an invitation for camaraderie, creativity and change.
Anna Farro Henderson is an earth scientist, policy expert and award-winning author. She served as an advisor to Minnesota Senator Al Franken and Governor Mark Dayton, helping write clean energy bills and overseeing the design and implementation of regulations to protect lakes, rivers, and drinking water. She led the analysis and development of Minnesota’s second climate plan. She currently works in climate philanthropy and teaches at the Loft Literary Center. "Core Samples: A Climate Scientist’s Experiments in Science and Politics" is her first book. She holds a B.A. from Brown University and a Ph.D. from University of Minnesota. For more information, visit her website annafarrohenderson.com.
Please join us in Brandi Recital Hall, located in Storer Hall, on Monday, Nov. 18, at 4:30 p.m.
Co-sponsored by the Richard L. Thomas Professorship, Department of Environmental Studies and Science & Nature Writing.