The panel “Girls in Space” was inspired by my wife Mary, who also happens to be the love of my life, (along with our cat Milton!). She has spent almost 3 decades laser focused on scientific research, learning, and teaching with her colleagues and students. Mary has spent her entire academic career at ASU where, along with her research and teaching, she currently serves as the associate-chair of the psychology department at the College for Liberal Arts and Sciences. Similar to Suzanne Simard who wrote “In Search of the Mother Tree”, Mary is an example for women everywhere who accomplish by “doing” with little or no complaint, often on an uneven playing field. And the panel afforded me another opportunity to add elements representing matter, energy, and consciousness that are all part of our physical universe.
Lastly, the middle panel titled “Come Together” is a nod to our humanity and to all things organic. And it’s a special nod to Suzanne Simard who helped to enlighten me about the pervasiveness of consciousness. The “Tree of Life” is taken from Peter Jackson’s interpretation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”. It was worn on the vests and chest plates of the humans of Gondor in Middle Earth. The panel means simply, to me, be mindful of our physical universe.