In memoriam: Diana Wall
Diana Wall: Scientist, mentor, community leader, role model, advocate and friend.
Image credit: Colorado State University
by Dennis Ojima & Jill Baron
It was March 25th when, with shock and great sadness, we learned of Diana Wall’s passing. Like many from the ESA community, we have long admired and treasured Diana’s presence, compassion and insights. She was always there for us professionally and personally doing what friends do: advise, support and approve. From Thanksgiving dinners to Broncos games, her friendship was an enduring warmth in our lives. And now suddenly, Diana is no longer with us.
Diana’s love for soils and ecology began when she was a child in Kentucky and North Carolina. That love never wavered and her astronomical scientific contributions are matched only by her love of inspiring and encouraging students and young professionals to also follow their passions. Our daughter Claire was among those touched, accompanying Diana to the Dry Valleys of Antarctica as a field and laboratory technician while not yet 20 years old. Diana formally mentored or advised more than 40 undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate and visiting scientists at Colorado State University alone. For informal mentoring and encouraging young scientists Diana was unmatched; she made everyone she encountered feel seen and valued. She was a role model especially for women in science. Diana’s early career had its share of discrimination in a male-dominated discipline and this only made her stronger and determined to create a supportive environment for women in science and ecology. Throughout her life she supported, mentored and coached women researchers in overcoming barriers and building confidence.
Diana was a consummate communicator on the role of soil biodiversity in ecosystem conservation. In her leadership roles with the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program and at the CSU School of Global Environmental Sustainability she passed on those skills, providing experiential tools for scientists and students to increase their communication abilities to policy makers and civil society. Diana believed in the Ecological Society of America as an agent of change in environmental research and education. While ESA President in 2000 she was able to move these ideas into real and lasting programs.
Others will write about her unparalleled accomplishments and awards. Few scientists achieved as much as Diana Wall in their lifetimes, and few are as humble and caring as she was. The world has lost a great and dignified scientist, and we have lost a dear friend.
Diana’s groundbreaking research in Antarctica was just one of her many accomplishments.
Image credit: Martijn Vandegehuchte