The Applause of Science

The Applause of Science is a poetry collection that explores nature in diverse environments through the lens of science. The poems pay homage to Walt Whitman, whose sage appreciation of the amity between poetry and science made him the first American poet to tackle boldly the problem of reconciling these two seemingly disparate fields. As a poet of the natural world, Whitman tried to understand nature as accurately and thoroughly as possible.

Leaves of Grass is Whitman's central work and one of the most important books in U.S. literary history. He envisioned this magnum opus in 1855 as a living, growing, organic being of its own, and Whitman himself oversaw six significantly different editions of the book during his lifetime. Each edition until 1892 had many similarities to its predecessor but contained substantial textual variations, from poems that were added or edited out to revisions of old poems, the shifting and recombination of existing ones, and differing layouts. However, Whitman's 1855 applause of science--his exclamations, Hurrah for positive science! Long live exact demonstrations! and Smile O voluptuous cool-breathed earth!-resonate throughout all six editions.

The Applause of Science consists of seven parts. The first is REDUCTIONISM, a set of poems on the molecular biology of nature and several scientific hypotheses on the topic. RAIN, the second part, analyzes water-the substance of all life- in its myriad forms and appearances. In FLORIDA RIVER, the role of water as habitat for Florida's plants and animals is examined. MAINE TIDES lyrically transports the reader to the coastal summer haunts of Maine, where creatures and habitats stand in sharp contrast to those described in part five, FLORIDA GULF COAST. Part six, BARTRAM'S TRAVEL, is inspired by the Floridian places and creatures which stimulated William Bartram's great nature work, Travels, and the many people who followed in Bartram's footsteps seeking out the plants and animals he described. Written from my current residence in Maryland, ENVOI, the final part, includes poems based on the changing seasons. This collection reflects my belief that the arts and sciences inform our experience and appreciation in our unending exploration of nature.

-Thomas Peter Bennett, 2021

Thomas Peter Bennett is a Florida native on perpetual sabbatical as an independent scholar and poet. A former professor and natural history museum executive, he is the author of scientific articles and books, as well as poems and collections on topics featured in The Applause of Science. After graduating from Florida State University (FSU) with a bachelor's degree in chemistry, Bennett earned his PhD in biochemistry from Rockefeller University and became an assistant professor at Harvard University. He returned to FSU as a professor and chair of biological sciences and later served as special assistant to the president and as acting executive vice president. He began his museum work as the president of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, now of Drexel University. He then became a dean, professor, and the director of the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. He became the executive director of the South Florida Museum and retired as emeritus director. Bennett's poetry pursuits in his youth were linked to the exploration of Florida's woods, swamps, springs, lakes, rivers, beaches, and familiarity with nature. His biophilia was scientifically reinforced through Scouting, high school biology and chemistry studies, and his work as a laboratory assistant at the Southern Bio-Research Laboratory. His scientific interests in nature were reflected in his poetry. As an undergraduate student at FSU, Bennett assisted chemistry professor Earl Frieden, with whom he published a review article and, later, Modern Topics in Biochemistry (1966). His two summers in the undergraduate student program at Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor led to Hike On: Poems from Mount Desert Island, Maine (2008). Bennett's graduate school mentor, Fritz Lipmann, had encouraged him to "do things not strictly biochemistry." Poetry led him to workshops and studies with the poet Mary Oliver at Bennington College. His poems have appeared in many publications (see Acknowledgements). The most recent collection is Florida Sketches: William Baldwin Follows Bartram's Tracks (2019). Bennett is a member of The Explorers Club and the Cosmos Club.