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  ASPB gives out several types of awards during the year. ASPB committees are assigned to manage the awards process. Below is a summary on each award, it's committee and this past year's awardees. Congratulations to all winners of ASPB awards.
Past and Present Award Winners NOMINATION PROCEDURE - The 2009 ASPB award nominations will open January 2, 2009. The deadline for submissions is February 27, 2009. Adolph E. Gude, Jr., Award This monetary award honors the Gude Family, who made possible the establishment of the Gude Plant Science Center. The award, established by the Society and first given in 1983, is made triennially to a scientist or lay person in recognition of outstanding service to the science of plant biology. Adolph E. Gude, Jr. Award Committee The 2007 winner is... Carnegie Institution of Washington Many students have been mentored and many visitors hosted in Winslow’s
laboratory. His contributions have helped shape the fields of plant physiology
in general, and of photomorphogenesis in particular. Our present understanding
of blue light photoreception comes in large measure from his 40-year personal
quest. Winslow has shown by example how great science and great humanity can
go together, how great science is always a team effort, and how joyful it can
be. For his many contributions and years of service, it is most fitting that
Winslow Briggs should receive the Gude Award.
Charles Albert Shull Award Created in 1971 to honor the Society’s founding father and the first editor-in-chief of Plant Physiology, this award is designed to recognize young researchers. It is a monetary award made annually and is given for outstanding investigations in the field of plant biology by a scientist who is under 45 years of age on January 1 of the year of presentation, or who is fewer than 10 years from the granting of the doctoral degree. The recipient is invited to address the Society at the annual meeting the following year. Charles Albert Shull Award Committee The 2008 winner is...
Sheng Luan is this year’s recipient of the Charles A. Shull Award for outstanding
investigations in the field of plant biology by a scientist who is under 45 years of
age. Sheng received his BS degree in biology from Laiyang Agricultural College in
1982, his MS degree in 1985 from the Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology, and
his PhD degree in 1991 from Harvard University under the direction of the late
Professor Bogorad. He then continued at Harvard with Professor Schreiber for
postdoctoral research, where he identified immunophilins as abundant chloroplast
proteins and also identified a novel calcineurin-like signaling system in plants.
Sheng then joined the faculty at the University of California at Berkeley and
attained the rank of professor within 10 years. Major discoveries made by Sheng
and his colleagues have opened up new horizons and have stimulated new areas of Charles F. Kettering Award This award was established by an endowment from the Kettering Foundation in 1962 to recognize excellence in the field of photosynthesis. It is a monetary award to be given in even-numbered years to an individual for meritorious work in photosynthesis. Charles F. Kettering Award Committee The 2008 winner is... The Charles F. Kettering Award of the American Society of Plant Biologists for 2008 is awarded to Robert Blankenship. This award, established by the Kettering Foundation in 1962, is intended to recognize excellence in the field of photosynthesis. In Bob’s 30-year career, he has set very high standards in research, teaching, and service. Bob’s impact on the field of photosynthesis has been broad and multidisciplinary, encompassing photosynthetic bacteria, algae, and terrestrial plants. His many publications in highly regarded journals are testimony to his seminal and varied contributions in areas as wide-ranging as primary electron transfer events, antennae structure and function, the origin and evolution of photosynthesis, and even in astrobiology. In his extraordinarily diverse research, he has studied photosystems using fast spectroscopy and many other biophysical approaches. Bob’s research has been key to our understanding of the antenna systems and reaction centers of plant photosystems I and II, cyanobacteria, and the purple and green bacteria, and he has pioneered investigations of unusual photosynthetic organisms such as the heliobacteria and a newly discovered green sulfur photosynthetic bacterium living near deep-sea hydrothermal vents that utilizes light from geothermal radiation. Bob’s interest in the evolution of photosynthesis was kindled during his early experience in teaching as assistant professor at Amherst College. Since then, he has developed a world-class research program producing far-reaching insights through use of molecular and genomic approaches to explore the evolutionary pathway between anoxygenic and oxygenic photosynthesis. The structure-based sequence comparisons of reaction center complexes performed by Bob and his colleagues, across most groups of phototrophs, resulted in a widely accepted proposal of a unified evolutionary tree in which horizontal gene transfer has been a central feature. While chairman of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Arizona State University, Bob was instrumental in attracting federal funding to establish the Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis. Under his leadership over 10 years, the center gained widespread recognition as the leading group of investigators in photosynthesis, all of whom Bob recruited. Bob has provided unparalleled service to the field of photosynthesis, of which
three contributions stand out as particularly significant. He was editor-in-chief of
Photosynthesis Research for 11 years, and his hard work was important to the success
the journal enjoys today. Subsequently, he served as president of the
International Society of Photosynthesis Research, 2001–2004. Finally, his 2002
textbook, Molecular Mechanisms of Photosynthesis, was a tremendous undertaking
to cover the molecular basis of the life-essential processes of photosynthesis; it
is recognized as a standard primer in the field. Bob has obviously been interested
in the big picture of how photosynthesis evolved, its diversity among organisms,
and the variations of mechanisms that organisms use to harvest and utilize solar
energy. His exceptional personal and organizational skills, enthusiasm, and interest
in education have also made him a very effective advocate for general scientific and
photosynthetic research. His achievements exemplify the qualities recognized by
the Charles F. Kettering Award, and the Society is pleased to present this year’s
award to Bob Blankenship. Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award This is the oldest award, established in l925 at the first annual meeting of the Society through the generosity of Dr. Charles A. Shull. It honors Dr. Charles Reid Barnes, the first professor of plant physiology at the University of Chicago. It is an annual award for meritorious work in plant biology; it provides a life membership in the Society to an individual who is at least sixty years old. Membership is not a requirement for the award, and, if appropriate, every fifth award should be made to an outstanding plant biologist from outside the United States. Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award Committee The 2008 winner is... Tsuneyoshi Kuroiwa is the recipient of the 2008 Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership
Award. Tsuneyoshi received his SciD from the University of Tokyo in 1971 and
subsequently held a faculty position there until his mandatory retirement in
2003. He currently holds a position at Rikkyo (St. Paul’s) University
in Tokyo. Tsuneyoshi is a pioneer in the cytological analysis of chloroplast and mitochondrial
dynamics in plants and algae. By combining a variety of sophisticated imaging
technologies with the creative use of model systems, he has made outstanding
contributions in two important areas of plant cell biology: 1) Mechanisms of
organelle division. Tsuneyoshi detailed studies of the plastid and mitochondrial
division rings that have been instrumental in establishing the assembly and
disassembly dynamics of the division machineries in these organelles and laying
a foundation for understanding the functional roles of organelle division components
at the molecular level. 2) Mechanisms of maternal inheritance of organellar
genomes. Tsuneyoshi discovered that inheritance of organellar DNA in algae,
plants, and animals involves active digestion of the paternal DNA. In the context
of this work, to better visualize organellar DNA, he developed an improved fluorescence
microscope, later marketed by Olympus. Tsuneyoshi also spearheaded the recent sequencing of the genome of the primitive
unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae, which he has systematically
developed as an evolutionarily important and experimentally tractable model system
for analysis of organelle division and other aspects of organelle biology in photosynthetic
eukaryotes. In all, he has published over 360 papers throughout his
career and continues to publish groundbreaking research on organelle biology and
evolution in the top-ranked scientific journals. Tsuneyoshi has been an influential member of the Japanese scientific community.
He has trained and promoted the success of many young scientists and served the
plant biology community generously in a variety of editorial and other professional
capacities. He is past president of the Botanical Society of Japan and the Japanese
Society of Plant Morphologists and is a member of the Science Council of Japan. Corresponding Membership Award This honor, initially given
in 1932, provides life membership and Society publications to distinguished
plant biologists from outside the United States. The honor is conferred by election
on the annual ballot. The committee selects no more than three (3) candidates,
and these are placed on the ballot for approval of corresponding membership
by majority vote. The president notifies successful candidates of their election.
Election of a corresponding member is to be considered each year, and
held if warranted, provided the election will not increase the number of corresponding
members beyond two (2) percent of the dues-paying membership. Corresponding Membership Committee The 2008 winners are...
Chu-Yung (CY) Lin has successfully motivated several generations of prominent scientists
to study plant biology, many of whom are currently training the future generation(s) of plant biologists in the United States and abroad. A few notable examples
of former students and current ASPB members include Renee Sung, David Ho,
Heven Sze, and Tony Huang. After a stellar academic career that spans five
decades, CY is currently professor emeritus at the Botany Institute, National Taiwan
University (NTU). He has also been an active ASPB member since the 1960s and
continues to regularly attend the annual Society meetings. CY's undergraduate education was in Taiwan, and he obtained a PhD degree from
the University of Oklahoma in 1963. His thesis was on plant hormones, a Awards
Citations topic that he continued to study as a postdoctoral fellow with Joe
Key at Purdue University. This collaboration continued after Joe moved to the
University of Georgia, and a number of classic papers emanated from this long-term
association. CY returned to Taiwan and NTU in 1966 and quickly rose through
the ranks to become professor of plant biology in 1975. During his tenure at
NTU he served as chair of the Institute of Plant Biology and dean of the College
of Science. His substantial research achievements have been duly noted by the
Taiwanese funding agency, the National Science Council, with the award of six
Research Distinguished Awards and three Distinguished Awards. In 1998 CY was
elected academician in the Academia Sinica, Taiwan. The distinguished scientific achievements of Chu-Yung Lin mainly center on the response of plants to abiotic stress, namely anaerobiosis and heat stress. He was the first to show that under anaerobic conditions, polyribosomes rapidly dissociated and a subpopulation of polyribosomes reassembled to direct the synthesis of new proteins including ADH. Following return to aerobic conditions, the full complement of polyribosomes was regenerated and the synthesis of normal proteins restored, in the absence of new mRNA synthesis. This exceptional body of work was published in numerous publications in top-tier journals like PNAS, Journal of Molecular Biology, and Plant Physiology. CY has also been a pioneer in understanding the function of small heat shock proteins (HSP) during plant stress responses. Notably, he showed the accumulation of HSP correlated with the acquisition of thermotolerance. And, similar to the anaerobic response, loss of polyribosomes following heat stress was restored upon return to normal growth temperatures. CY was the first to suggest involvement of the small HSPs in thermotolerance by protecting cellular proteins from thermal inactivation. Again, this seminal work was published in several publications appearing in PNAS.
Federico Sánchez is a full professor (Investigator Titular C) at the Institute of
Biotechnology (IBT), Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (UNAM) at
Cuernavaca. UNAM is arguably the premier research university in Mexico, and
Federico is considered by many to be Mexico’s leading plant biologist. He was born
in Mexico City and received a BS in chemistry and an M.Sc. in biomedical research
from UNAM. His graduate work and PhD in the area of microbial genetics was
supervised by Francisco Bolivar and Raphael Palacios at UNAM. During the late
1970s, he came to the USA and the lab of Brian McCarthy at the University of
California, San Francisco. It was during this period that Federico developed an
interest in molecular and cellular studies of the cytoskeleton, through work on the
tubulin and actin gene families of Drosophila. He returned to Mexico and was
appointed investigator at the Institute of Nitrogen Fixation, UNAM-Cuernavaca,
and rose through the ranks to associate professor before switching departments to
the IBT. He also twice served as chair of the Department of Plant Molecular
Biology, UNAM, was the director of the Centro Internacional de Ciencas, A.C., and
is past president of the Sociedad Mexicana de Bioquímica. Federico’s research focuses on nitrogen metabolism in nitrogen-fixing nodules of
legumes and on the role of the cytoskeleton during nodule formation. His early
work uncovered roles for the enzymes glutamine synthase and uricase using a combination
of molecular biology and biochemistry as nodulin genes in the common
bean, Phaseolus vulgaris. A decade after leaving UCSF, he rekindled his interest in
the cytoskeleton and developed a continuing collaboration with Peter Hepler to
study roles for actin and profilin during the signaling response of root cells to rhizobial
bacteria. This has led to an active exchange of many students between the
USA and Mexico, many of whom continue to bridge the fields of plant cell biology
and molecular biology/biochemistry while establishing their own independent
careers. The choice of common bean as a research organism is important for the
Mexican agricultural industry but has not been without limitations. However, a
major one—the ability to reliably transform this crop plant—was overcome in Federico Sánchez’s impact on the plant biology community extends well beyond
Mexico and the United States. He has been an editor and/or served on the editorial
board for numerous international journals, including Molecular Plant–Microbe
Interactions, Planta, and the Asia-Pacific Journal of Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology. He has organized major symposium sessions at past ASPB meetings,
with Carmen Quinto co-organized and hosted the 5th Mexico–USA
Symposium on Plant Molecular Biology (2003), and is chair of the XII International
Congress on Molecular Plant–Microbe Interactions. Importantly, he is actively participating
in the organization of the upcoming joint meeting of ASPB and the
Sociedad Mexicana de Bioquímica in Mérida, Mexico.
Alessandro (Sandro) Vitale is the leading plant cell biologist in Italy, but his impact
on plant biology is truly international. Sandro is currently research director at the
Institute of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology (IBBA) of the CNR in
Milano. He obtained a PhD from the University of Milano in biochemistry and has
been on the scientific staff of IBBA since 1982. He also conducted postdoctoral
research in the lab of Maarten Chrispeels at UCSD, where he worked on the
biosynthesis and intracellular transport/processing of bean phytohemagglutinin. Sandro is an internationally recognized expert on protein trafficking and plant cell
biology. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of protein folding
and quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum, the site of protein import for the
endomembrane system. He has also pioneered work on the biosynthesis and targeting
of vacuolar proteins in plants, the ultimate destination for many storage proteins
and major site of protein degradation. These findings are routinely published in the
very best plant biology journals, including Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell.
Exploiting this knowledge of protein targeting, Sandro has recently extended his
research into biopharma. His group created an artificial storage protein, zeolin, which
shows great potential for adding an essential high methionine trait to protein of low
sulfur content crops. Emphasizing the promise of this research for third world countries,
the Gates Foundation cassava improvement project has chosen this topic to
increase the nutritional value of cassava and promote its use as a staple in Africa. This monetary award, established by the Society in 1985 with funds provided by the Monsanto Agricultural Products Company, honors Dr. Dennis R. Hoagland, recipient of the first Hales award, for his outstanding contributions and leadership in plant mineral nutrition. The award, to be made not more frequently than triennially, is for outstanding plant research in support of agriculture. Dennis R. Hoagland Award Committee The 2006 winner is... Dennis Gonsalves has distinguished himself among academic scientists in many areas, including research, teaching, and technology transfer. Most well known to the scientific community is Dr. Gonsalves's involvement in the development and commercialization of the first genetically engineered fruit crop, papaya. This endeavor involved leadership not only in distinguished plant science research directed toward solving an important crop production problem, but also in assuring that these accomplishments passed regulatory scrutiny and were accepted by and transferred to the farming community. A theme common to all his activities over the years has been the improvement of the situation of small farmers, especially those from underdeveloped countries. The early work of Dr. Gonsalves focused on plant viruses-attempting to identify solutions to control viral diseases in crop species. In the early 1990s he expanded his research to include controlling disease caused by papaya ringspot virus, which threatened the papaya industry in Hawaii. At a time when transformation efforts were in their infancy, Dr. Gonsalves successfully led an inter-institutional research team that was able to obtain engineered papaya lines with durable viral resistance. After this technical success, a number of other hurdles had to be resolved before commercial success could be achieved. Dr. Gonsalves orchestrated the deregulation of the engineered papaya varieties for commercial use, which involved demonstrating consumer (FDA) and environmental (EPA) safety, as well as field evaluations (USDA). He negotiated freedom-to-operate agreements from several corporate, university, and government patent holders so that the varieties could be commercialized-no small feat as anyone involved in these activities will recognize. The culmination of this work was the commercialization of the world's first genetically engineered fruit crop and the end of the dramatic decline in papaya yield that occurred between the outbreak of the disease in 1992 and availability of the transgenic varieties in 1998. During the period from 1998 to 2001, after the new varieties were introduced, papaya yields increased by 50 percent over the lowest yields experienced in 1998. Dr. Gonsalves's efforts did not stop with helping Hawaiian farmers. With the support of USAID, he began to develop locally adapted papaya varieties for Africa and Bangladesh-efforts aimed at alleviating vitamin A deficiency in those countries. Perhaps most pertinent to this award is not Dr. Gonsalves's personal accomplishments in plant research, although these are clearly exceptional, but what he has accomplished indirectly by setting an example that demonstrates the role academic scientists can play in the production and adoption of genetically engineered crops to improve agriculture and human health. Dr. Gonsalves's contributions to agriculture are direct, obvious, and profound. Not only has he provided critical leadership that led to a product of importance in agriculture and human health, but his efforts did not stop there. He made sure the product he developed passed appropriate regulatory hurdles to ensure that it would have a positive impact on the papaya industry, not only in Hawaii but elsewhere in the world. Excellence in Teaching Award This award was initiated in 1988 to recognize outstanding teaching in plant biology. It is an award to be made not more than triennially in recognition of excellence in teaching, leadership in curricular development, or authorship of effective teaching materials in the science of plant biology. Excellence in Teaching Award Committee The 2007 winner is... Martin Gibbs Medal The Martin Gibbs Medal was instituted by the Society's executive committee in 1993 to honor Martin Gibbs, editor of Plant Physiology from 1963 to 1992. The Gibbs Medal is presented biennially to an individual who has pioneered advances that have served to establish new directions of investigation in the plant sciences. The winner will receive the medal and will be invited to convene a Martin Gibbs Medal Symposium at the annual meeting the following year. The 2007 winner is...
Stephen Hales Prize This award honors the Reverend Stephen Hales for his pioneering work in plant biology published in his 1727 book Vegetable Staticks. It is a monetary award established in 1927 for a scientist, whether or not a member of the Society, who has served the science of plant biology in some noteworthy manner. The award is made annually. The recipient of the award is invited to address the Society on a subject in plant biology at the next annual meeting. The 2008 winner is...
Peter Quail has made seminal contributions to elucidating the molecular mechanisms
of phytochrome action and red-light phototransduction. These studies were
initiated during his postdoctoral studies in the Biologisches Institut at the
Universität Frieburg and continue to this day in his current positions as research
director of the Plant Gene Expression Center and professor in the Department of
Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California at Berkeley. Peter has also
mentored numerous scientists, served on national scientific panels and the editorial
boards of plant journals, and worked with the Rockefeller Foundation to advance
plant biotechnology in underdeveloped countries. Peter initially employed biochemical and physiological approaches in the study
of phytochrome, which culminated in purification of the intact protein and for the
first time allowed an accurate assessment of the protein’s spectral properties. Peter
and co-workers then launched the modern era for molecular genetic analysis of
phytochromes by cloning and sequencing the first PHY gene. It was not long before
he showed that phytochromes exist as a family of photoreceptors and began to
unravel their varying regulatory roles in plant growth and development by employing
an increasingly wide-ranging set of biochemical, molecular, genetic, and genomic
approaches. In recent decades Peter has expanded his studies beyond the photoreceptors
to elucidate key components in the phototransduction pathway. These studies For these achievements, ASPB recognizes Peter with the 2008 Stephen Hales Award. Early Career Ping He is an exceptionally talented and creative young scientist who has already
demonstrated his productivity in diverse areas of plant biology. Ping started his scientific
career under the guidance of Professor Lihuang Zhu in the Institute of
Genetics in the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His work on pollen culture and QTL
mapping in rice not only resulted in an impressive number of first authored papers
but also contributed significantly to the rice genome project as a whole. As a PhD
student in Professor Jian-Ming Zhou’s laboratory at Kansas State University, Ping
completed three research projects using wheat, tomato, and Arabidopsis on topics
that ranged from allopolyploidy alteration of gene expression to innate immunity.
Building upon his graduate studies on type III effectors in the bacterial pathogen
Pseudomonas syringae, Ping joined Professor Jen Sheen’s laboratory at
Massachusetts General Hospital. A combination of using a protoplast-based assay
system and Ping’s talent, vision, and pioneering spirit resulted in the discovery that Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research The ASPB Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research was approved by the Society’s executive committee in 2005 to honor Dr. Bogorad’s many contributions to plant biology, including his influential efforts to bring the techniques of molecular biology to bear on problems in plant biology; his groundbreaking research on chloroplast genetics, biogenesis, structure, and function;and his inspired teaching and mentoring. The ASPB Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research is a monetary award made biennially to a plant scientist whose work both illuminates the present and suggests paths to enlighten the future. This award is being awarded for the first time in 2006. Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research Committee The 2008 winner is...
In awarding the Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research
to Steve Huber, we recognize a pioneering researcher in photosynthesis and plant
metabolism. Over his 30-year career, Steve has to his credit a remarkable series
of novel discoveries and breakthrough contributions that have led the way in
shaping our current understanding of the intersection of leaf nitrogen metabolism
and photosynthetic carbon metabolism. In particular, Steve is a world authority
on the mechanisms of protein modification in plant enzyme regulation and signal
transduction. While his various projects connect through the mechanisms of protein
modification, they are diverse in the sense of investigating a wide range of
important agricultural issues ranging from the control of seed composition,
to stressassociated signaling, to the mechanisms of hormone action. A key to
the exceptional long-term success and prominence of Steve’s science is
that as his research projects mature and the underlying mechanisms are revealed,
he moves fearlessly on to the next system and the next question that will drive
the next step in understanding the control and mechanism of leaf CN metabolism. Steve brings the type of focus and adventurous spirit to his science as was
exemplified in the extraordinary career of this award’s namesake. Steve has never
been afraid to tackle a difficult problem, and he always makes significant progress.
Indeed, the breadth of his success can be measured in several tangible ways,
including his recognition as an ISI Highly Cited author, designating him as one of“the world’s most influential researchers.” Further demonstration of research
impact is whether the work has led to textbooks being rewritten, and Steve’s
research has done just that. His seminal work elucidating the regulatory mechanisms for sucrose synthesis and nitrogen metabolism changed our basic understanding
of both carbon and nitrogen metabolism in plants. These concepts are
now an integral part of undergraduate and graduate plant physiology and biochemistry
textbooks. For example, Professor Hans Heldt notes that his 2005
Academic Press Plant Biochemistry text highlights “the findings of Steve Huber on
the regulation of sucrose phosphate synthase and nitrate reductase.” Steve is in the midst of a truly exceptional scientific career in plant biology. In addition to his scientific achievements, he is a dedicated mentor of students and postdocs, a valued colleague and adviser, and an unselfish promoter of the discipline. For these many contributions and achievements, Steve Huber is a very deserving recipient of the 2008 Lawrence Bogorad Award. ASPB-Pioneer Hi-Bred International Graduate Student Prize This award, made possible by the generosity of Pioneer Hi-Bred International (http://www.pioneer.com), recognizes and encourages innovative graduate research and innovation in areas of plant biology that relate to important commodity crops. Three $5,000 prizes will be given annually from 2006 through 2009, with an additional $1,000 awarded for prize recipients attending the ASPB annual meeting in the year of their award. Each nominee must attend a U.S.-accredited college or university and must demonstrate interest in the study of plant biology or a related discipline. Each nominee must be a Ph.D. candidate—i.e., have successfully passed their preliminary examinations, must demonstrate an excellent academic record, and must be a member of ASPB. An individual may receive this prize only once. ASPB-Pioneer Hi-Bred International Graduate Student Prize Committee The 2008 winners are:
Colleen is a PhD student at Michigan State University in the laboratory of Mike
Thomashow. Colleen’s dissertation research focuses on understanding how plants
respond to cold stress. Her work focuses on characterizing the regulation of CBF2,
an important cold-responsive transcription factor. Colleen is also interested in identifying
and characterizing novel cold-response pathways that are independent of
the CBF genes. Her studies of transcriptome changes during cold stress have incorporated
computational approaches to model a cold-responsive transcriptional network.
Her research findings are providing a detailed understanding of the transcriptional
changes that plants undergo in response to cold stress. Colleen hopes to
improve her computational skills and has a long-term goal of modeling plant
responses to multiple environmental stresses. In addition to exceptional research
Tracie is a PhD student at Iowa State University in the laboratory of Alan Myers.
Tracie’s dissertation research uses a biochemical approach to identify and characterize
protein complexes involved in starch metabolism. Multiple isoforms of starch
biosynthetic enzymes are found in plants, and these have been previously postulated
to function in multi-subunit enzyme complexes. Tracie’s research provides the
first direct evidence for the existence of these enzyme complexes. She has successfully
reconstituted some complexes from recombinant proteins, and she is making
use of mutant maize lines to determine the function of specific isoforms in enzyme
complex assembly. Tracie is the first author on a paper in Plant Physiology that
describes some of this work. She also has a passion for teaching: She served as an
organizer for an introductory lab course for new graduate students at Iowa State
and has mentored undergraduates and high school teachers. Finally, her talents
extend beyond plant biology; for several years she has served as an instructor in
Chip is a PhD student at the University of Florida in the laboratory of Karen
Koch. His dissertation research revolves around characterization of cell wall Michael is a PhD student at Michigan State University in the laboratory of Tao
Sang. His research focuses on understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying
adaptation, using wild rice as a model. He has used QTL mapping to identify and
map QTLs that control a number of important adaptive traits. He is now focused
on identifying the genes responsible for flowering time QTLs. Mike is collaborating
with scientists at the Central Rice Research Institute in India (CRRI) to develop field
sites that will allow him to examine how individual traits in wild rice species have
contributed to local adaptation to specific environments. Mike also has a passion
for teaching and outreach. He has served as a teaching assistant in several classes,
and while he was an undergraduate he served as the director of the MSU organization
Science Theater, which presented entertaining science demonstrations to the
Ajay is a PhD student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the laboratory of Sally Mackenzie. His dissertation research focuses on mitochondrial biology. To examine the effect of destabilizing the mitochondrial genome, Ajay used RNAi to down-regulate the expression of MSH1, a nuclear gene that functions to maintain mitochondrial genome stability. Remarkably, down-regulation of MSH1 resulted in an array of phenotypes that was conserved in several different plant species. Ajay found male sterility, leaf variegation, and plant stunting, each associated with a specific mitochondrial genome rearrangement. He also identified a mitochondrial genome rearrangement associated with heat tolerance. This research resulted in a first-author publication in PNAS last year. Ajay’s research may lead to the development of new approaches for inducing cytoplasmic male sterility, an important and poorly understood agronomic trait. Ajay hopes to ultimately conduct research in an agricultural industry. Established in 2007, the Fellow of ASPB award may be granted in recognition
of distinguished and long-term contributions to plant biology and service to
the Society by current members in areas that include research, education, mentoring,
outreach, and professional and public service. Current members of ASPB who have
contributed to the Society for at least 10 years are eligible for nomination.
Recipients of the Fellow of ASPB honor, which may be granted to no more than
0.2% of the current membership each year, receive a certificate of distinction
and a lapel pin. The 2007 inaugural class of ASPB Fellows are: ASPB Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships The goal of this program is to provide opportunities for students to pursue meaningful research in plant biology at their home institutions early in their college years.The program targets students who have just completed their sophomore year of their undergraduate studies. But exceptionally well-prepared students who have just completed their first year are also considered, as are students who have completed their junior years and provide evidence of a strong commitment to plant biology.Recipients are expected to present their results at the ASPB national meeting the following summer (with funding provided by ASPB Travel Grants).With such an opportunity, ASPB hopes to encourage students to pursue careers and advanced degrees in plant biology. |
Winslow
R. Briggs
Sheng
Luan
Robert
E. Blankenship
Tsuneyoshi
Kuroiwa
Chu-Yung Lin
Federico Sánchez
Alessandro Vitale
Dennis
Gonsalves
Roger
Hangarter 
Richard
A. Jorgensen
Peter
Quail
Ping He
Steven
Huber
Colleen Doherty
Tracie Hennen-Bierwagen
Charles "Chip" Hunter III 
Michael A. Grillo
Ajay Sandhu
