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Amy Padolf, director of education at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, has been honored with the prestigious 2025 Jane L. Taylor Award from the American Horticultural Society. The award recognizes individuals who inspire and nurture future horticulturists through children’s and youth gardening initiatives.
In an era where disconnection from nature threatens both environmental consciousness and scientific literacy, Padolf has pioneered groundbreaking programs that are reshaping science education across Miami-Dade County and beyond.
“This recognition isn’t just about me — it’s about a fundamental shift in how we connect young people with the natural world,” Padolf said. “When a student grows an endangered orchid or tests technology that could grow food in space, they’re not just learning science — they’re becoming active participants in solving our planet’s most urgent challenges.”
Transforming Miami-Dade Education
The impact of Padolf’s programs reaches deep into the Miami-Dade and national educational ecosystem:
• 76,000 students participated in Fairchild programs during the 2023-24 school year alone;
• Engaged more than a million South Florida Students during her tenure;
• 272 schools across the county are now actively participating;
• Students planted 1,800 native endangered plants in schoolyards last year;
• More than $500,000 in prizes, equipment, scholarships, and garden grants were awarded to schools, and
• Started the worlds-first botany magnet high school – BioTECH @ Richmond.
“What makes these numbers meaningful isn’t just their scale,” Padolf explained. “It’s that these students aren’t passive observers — they’re conducting authentic scientific research, restoring endangered species, and designing solutions to real-world challenges.”
From Miami classrooms to space exploration
Among Padolf’s most innovative initiatives is Growing Beyond Earth (GBE), a classroom-based citizen science program developed in partnership with NASA. What began in a handful of Miami classrooms has expanded to 500 schools across 48 states and 10 countries.
Students work with Fairchild-designed plant habitats that mimic the Vegetable Production System (Veggie) on the International Space Station. Their experiments provide critical Crop Readiness Level-1 and -2 data directly to NASA scientists working on sustainable food production for long-duration space missions.
“When students realize their classroom research is helping NASA determine what astronauts will eat on missions to the Moon and Mars, it completely transforms how they see themselves and their potential impact,” Padolf said.
The program exemplifies Padolf’s approach to education: connecting classroom learning with meaningful contribution to real scientific challenges — from space exploration to environmental conservation.
Creating environmental stewards
During her 15-year tenure at Fairchild, Padolf has been instrumental in The Million Orchid Project, the nation’s largest orchid conservation education initiative, and established the world’s first botany magnet high school – BioTECH at Richmond.
“Plants are the foundation of all life on Earth, but they often go unnoticed,” Padolf explained. “By giving students meaningful roles in conservation and research, we’re cultivating not just knowledge, but a generation of environmental champions who understand that our future depends on plants.”
For complete garden details and to purchase tickets, visit www.fairchildgarden.org.
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