Lawrence J. Winship

Lawrence J. Winship, professor emeritus of botany, received his B.S. (magna cum laude, honors in biology) from Yale University and his Ph.D. from Stanford University, where he completed his dissertation on nitrogen fixation and nitrate assimilation by lupines in coastal California.

He continued his research on nitrogen fixation at the Harvard Forest of Harvard University, where he investigated the energy cost of nitrogen fixation by nodulated woody plants, particularly alders. His recent research and teaching interests include the biophysics of gas diffusion into and out of root nodules and compost piles; computer models of forest succession applied to inquiry learning and the regulation of cell wall expansion during oscillatory growth in lily pollen tubes.

He teaches in the Environmental Science and Sustainability Program, sponsoring courses on sustainable living and the production of biomass fuels. In addition to teaching plant biology and forest ecology, Professor Winship is the current director of the Southwest Studies program and occasionally leads desert field courses on the US-Mexico border. His other interests include sustainable building and timber framing, the natural history of the Pioneer Valley, hiking, and sailing.