Overview

I am the children and youth program leader for Cornell Garden-Based Learning. I have authored many educational resources, publications, book chapters, and articles, and I collaborate with others to plan conferences and workshops to foster educator professional development. I teach several classes in the Horticulture Department, work with diverse students in individual study. I am also an artist; my work has been shown widely in NYS.

Research Focus

I collaborate with human development researchers and program evaluation specialists to explore youth and adult interactions in garden settings, community and youth development skills and assets gained in garden-based learning, as well as to conduct formative and summative evaluations of our programming efforts.

Outreach and Extension Focus

I provide statewide leadership and coordination of a multidisciplinary garden-based learning extension program for children and youth educators. I collaborate with my Cornell Garden-Based Learning co-leader; professional development educator Liz Falk; and state and national partners to strengthen the research link to garden-based learning, and am passionate in particular about engaging the voice of young people in the planning, design, implementation, and overall organization of garden programs. See the Garden-Based Learning website for more information. http://gardening.cornell.edu

Teaching Focus

My goal for teaching and learning is to inspire and engage students in the life-long learning process, and to ignite a hunger for continued involvement with the plant world. I am keenly interested in the power of significant learning experiences, and I am passionate about plants and their ability to transform lives, whether in a university classroom, or by way of other avenues, such as the distance learning arena, and public, community-based venues. I aim to use my creativity and energy to inspire students to achieve a sense of personal mastery and collective action through collaboration, becoming exemplary scholars, professionals, and world citizens. After more than 25 years in the garden-based learning arena, I enjoy mentoring students, while learning from their innovative and resourcefulness. Vital to this accomplishment is establishing an environment based on trust, with evident structure, open communication, and mutual respect, in which students can realize their full potential and vision for their course work, as well as for their future.

Additional Links

• Cornell Garden-Based Learning
• Art of Horticulture
• Link to CALS Research and Impact
• Link to Research & Expertise Across Cornell

Awards and Honors

• I have received two Garden Writers’ Association awards for my publications, and was the 2005 recipient of an American Horticultural Society’s Great American Gardener Award, the Jane L. Taylor Award, given to an individual, organization, or program that has inspired and nurtured future horticulturists through its efforts in children’s and youth gardens. I also received the 2009 Innovative Teacher Award for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. This college award recognizes using creative initiatives beyond the traditional teaching techniques to develop an innovative teaching program. In 2009 I was selected as a Kaplan Family Distinguished Faculty Fellow, an honor given for a commitment to academic service learning. In 2011, our program received the Signs of Sustainability Award, given by Sustainable Tompkins, for Youth Grow, our program’s youth leadership project.
• Signs of Sustainability Award for Youth Grow, youth leadership project (2011) Sustainable Tompkins

Selected Publications

Journal Publications

• Eames-Sheavly, M., & Mark Miller, (2008). Recommendations for Engaging Undergraduate Students in Community-Based Extension Field Experiences. Journal of Extension. 46:Article 6TOT1.
• Eames-Sheavly, M., Lekies, K. S., MacDonald, L., & Wong, K. J. (2007). Greener voices: an exploration of adult perceptions of participation of children and youth in gardening planning, design, and implementation. HortTechnology. 17:247-253.
• Eames-Sheavly, M., (2007). The Art of Horticulture: Student-Focused College Course Melds Science, Aesthetics, Plants, and Critical Reflection. Journal of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. 39:7-13.

Instructor's Manuals

• Eames-Sheavly, M., Wilkins, J., Hadekel, C., McGregor Hedstrom, A., Patchen, A., & Stewart, R. (2011). Discovering Our Food System. p. 121 Department of Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca NY USA

Presentations and Activities

• Lessons Learned from Experiential Garden-Based Learning in Belize. December 2012. Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Weill Hall.
• Two Unique Courses Draw Diverse Student Interest. August 2012. American Society of Horticultural Science. Miami, Florida.

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