Sharon and I met in grad school at Indiana, as part of a unique cohort of women starting their research careers together. Despite our many differences in both character and research orientation, I remember that group as a foundation of mutual support that shared an appreciation for the importance of diverse life experience in the pursuit of knowledge. Lofty as that may sound, it is at the heart of how I think about Sharon herself. Yes, she was open, kind, and absolutely committed to the work she set out to do.

We did not meet often, but when we did it was easy to reconnect - and not just to reminisce. In the spring of 2008, Sharon and her partner Steve came to Sweden for an extended visit. I had become Professor of Media Studies at Stockholm University, and Sharon was invited here as Albert Bonnier Jr. Guest Professor at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to renew our friendship, a bond which quickly included our partners. In addition to holding the research seminars and lectures expected of a visiting professor, Sharon taught science writing - a first for a Swedish journalism program - and sought out science editors of local and national media outlets, some of whom knew of her work and were eager to meet her.

Throughout her successful and widely influential career, Sharon remained a person whose genuine warmth and wit created connections with people and with the world around her, wherever she went. Oh, how she will be missed!