astronomy

Patricia Kern Holmgren

Patricia Kern Holmgren is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Patricia Kern Holmgren rather than just read about it. In short: Patricia May Holmgren (née Kern; born 1940) is an American botanist. Holmgren's main botanical interests are the flora of the U.S. intermountain west and the genera Tiarella and Thlaspi.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Patricia May Holmgren (née Kern; born 1940) is an American botanist. Holmgren's main botanical interests are the flora of the U.S. intermountain west and the genera Tiarella and Thlaspi. Holmgren was the director of the herbarium at the New York Botanical Garden from 1981–2000, and editor of Index Herbariorum from 1974–2008.

Life Patricia May Kern was born to Robert Evan Kern (1919–2004) and Ruth Eleanor Beaudoin Kern (1921–1992) in 1940, in Athens, Indiana. Her parents began raising Christmas trees in 1946, and Holmgren spent part of her summers trimming trees and weekends in the fall and winter helping with the business. Holmgren was introduced to nature at an early age; through her father's conservation work on their property, and during family vacations to western national parks during the farm's off-season. From fifth grade to her high school graduation, Holmgren was active in 4-H, winning many contests in forestry and sewing. Holmgren attended high school at Rochester High School in Rochester, Indiana, graduating in 1958 as valedictorian. Holmgren attended Indiana University, getting a B.S. in 1962. She later attended the University of Washington, completing a M.S. in 1964 and a Ph.D. in 1968. At the University of Washington, Holmgren completed a systematic study of Tiarella (Saxifragaceae) with advisor Arthur R. Kruckeberg. She remained at the University of Washington for her Ph.D., a systematic study of the Thlaspi montanum (Brassicaceae) group, with advisor C. Leo Hitchcock. In addition to her own research, Holmgren became chief editorial assistant during the preparation of the last two volumes of the Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest with Hitchcock. Patricia married fellow botanist Noel H. Holmgren (son of botanist Arthur H. Holmgren) in 1969.

Career

After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Washington, Holmgren accepted a job as herbarium specialist at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) in 1968. Holmgren spent her entire working career at NYBG, eventually becoming the Director of the Herbarium in 1981, a position she held until her retirement in 2000. As director of The William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, Holmgren insisted on the highest possible standards for specimen management and for keeping the herbarium in the forefront on new innovations (such as the creation of an online Index Herbariorum and development of the C.V. Starr Virtual Herbarium). Holmgren was also instrumental in conception, fundraising, and design of a new, state-of-the-art building to house the herbarium, the International Plant Science Center, which officially opened for research in 2002. Holmgren continues to work at the garden as Director Emerita of the herbarium. In addition to her herbarium leadership, Holmgren played an active role in a number of botanical societies and botanical journals:

American Society of Plant Taxonomists: Council member (1975–1979), Treasurer (1985–1988), President (1989–1990) Association of Systematics Collections: Board of Directors (1988–1994), Secretary (1992–1994) Botanical Society of America: Council member (1975–1984), Secretary (1975–1979), Vice President (1980), President (1981) Brittonia: Associate Editor (1975–1991), Managing Editor (1984–1991) Index Herbariorum: Editor (1974–2008) International Association for Plant Taxonomy: Board of Directors (1993–2005) Taxon: Editor of News and Notes (1983–1988), Editor of Herbaria and Institutions (1992–2002) Patricia Holmgren and Noel Holmgren were instrumental to the completion of Intermountain Flora: Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A., a nine-volume flora on the vascular plants of the western United States between the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada ranges. In addition to collecting many herbarium specimens that would provide the baseline data for descriptions and geographic distributions; Patricia was involved in editing, proofreading, and writing family treatments for the flora.

Awards The New York Botanical Garden's Distinguished Service Award (1988) Botanical Society of America Distinguished Fellow (Merit) Award (1991) Botanical Society of America Centennial Award (2006) The American Society of Plant Taxonomists's Asa Gray Award (2012), jointly with Noel Holmgren The New York Botanical Garden's Gold Medal Award (2013), jointly with Noel Holmgren

Legacy In 2009, botanists W.L.Wagner & Hoch published Neoholmgrenia is a genus of flowering plants from Canada and western USA, belonging to the family Onagraceae and named in her honour.

Plant species named after Patricia Holmgren Astragalus holmgreniorum Barneby—named in honor of Patricia Holmgren and Noel Holmgren Bartsia patriciae N.H. Holmgren Carex holmgreniorum Reznicek & D.F. Murray — named in honor of Arthur H. Holmgren, Noel Holmgren, and Patricia Holmgren Hiraea holmgreniorum C.E. Anderson—named in honor of Patricia Holmgren and Noel Holmgren Mentzelia holmgreniorum J.J. Schenk & L. Hufford—named in honor of Patricia Holmgren and Noel Holmgren Orthocarpus tolmiei subsp. holmgreniorum T.I. Chuang & Heckard—named in honor of Arthur H. Holmgren, Noel Holmgren, and Patricia Holmgren Scutellaria holmgreniorum Cronquist—named in honor of Patricia Holmgren and Noel Holmgren

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Patricia Kern Holmgren

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Patricia Kern Holmgren claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Patricia Kern Holmgren before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Patricia Kern Holmgren ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Patricia Kern Holmgren

In research: Patricia Kern Holmgren appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Patricia Kern Holmgren in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Patricia Kern Holmgren is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1940 births, 20th-century American botanists, 20th-century American women biologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Patricia Kern Holmgren outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Patricia Kern Holmgren in 20 minutes

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Close the page and write down what Patricia Kern Holmgren means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Patricia Kern Holmgren in simple terms?

Patricia May Holmgren (née Kern; born 1940) is an American botanist. Holmgren's main botanical interests are the flora of the U.S. intermountain west and the genera Tiarella and Thlaspi.

Why does Patricia Kern Holmgren matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Patricia Kern Holmgren?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Patricia Kern Holmgren.