I want to lead you to find awe in your everyday surroundings, and help you find solace in the wonderful world of Science-the science of plants. A science that not only teaches you about the value of your environment, but meddles with many other important issues like the agony of the hungry, the greed of corporations and even the exploitation of religion.

Botany turns the average into the extraordinary — a Napoleon if you wish. Botany teaches the student at the macro level as well as the micro. It teaches the beauty of cultivating the earth by your own hands into a well-managed area that sustains the human body as well as the mind. It teaches the complexity that is the central dogma; it teaches the brilliance of our evolutionary history from single-celled organisms to the sophisticated multi-cellular beings we are today. The sub-disciplines of botany are diverse and the opportunities are even more rewarding.

Why I am shoving my one love down your throat? I merely want to entice you to become more aware of your surroundings and the interworkings of the organisms you pass by every day. I want you to probe into this area of study because in my short time here, I have seen a terrifying ignorance among the population at large that does not want to understand where their food comes from, the difficulties in cultivation or the complexity of our ecosystems. These problems are creating a world that will soon not be inhabitable by mankind and many other more beautiful organisms than ourselves.

I know some readers are committed individuals in their majors and will refuse to drop their mundane studies for the brilliance botany is. However, I implore you to get your hands dirty. There are many ways to go about pursuing botany, but the most practical (and the most fun) is tilling the land with your own two hands. There are always empty plots of land that need human cultivation (but be careful where you tread). These plots of land you can manipulate to produce some of the most amazing fruits and vegetables that will ever hit your taste buds. Plots of land that will help reduce your carbon footprint. Plots of land that will help you gain the most precious jewel — knowledge of the earth and the great bounty that she provides you.

However, if you are one of the many students who live in areas that do not provide a space for you to sharpen your gardening skills then I want to direct your attention to some student groups on campus that are pushing toward installing a very overdue community garden closer to student housing.

I hope you will probe your university resources to discover these groups and give them your support — support that is not just wanted, but needed. We need more students interested in this field because at the rate our Earth is declining we cannot afford to be ignorant anymore.