Botanical Society Award Recipients
We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2003 awards as
presented at the Botanical Society of America Banquet held at the Botany 2003
Conference in Mobile, Alabama. Recognition of and support for the outstanding
efforts and contributions to the science of botany are an important part of
the role the participating societies play. We thank you for your support of
these programs. The awards given this year include:
The Botanical Society of America's MERIT
AWARD
The Merit Award is the highest honor given by the Botanical Society of America.
It is given in recognition of a peers outstanding contributions to the science
of botany. This year we are pleased to honor:
- Dr. Spencer C.H. Barrett, University
of Toronto
- For his myriad contributions to reproductive biology, plant breeding systems
and aquatic ecology. He established heterostyly as a model system in reproduction,
contributed to understanding of the evolutionary modification of floral development,
genetic structure of populations, the role of incompatibility in the breeding
systems of natural populations, the evolution of dioecy and the influence
of gender ratio in determining plant breeding systems. In addition to his
service as Associate Editor and Book Review Editor of the American Journal
of Botany, he mentored a generation of plant biologists, including 2 Master's
students, 9 Ph.D. students and 6 postdoctoral associates who have occupied
faculty positions.
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- Dr. Jack B. Fisher, Fairchild Tropical
Garden
- The 30 years of contributions made to botany by Dr. Fisher have been broad,
deep, original, and patient. He has carefully combined anatomical, developmental,
physiological, and ecological considerations, to show how tropical plants
grow and adapt. He has made critical contributions to our understanding of
water transport in lianas and fundamental discoveries on the developmental
basis of tropical tree geometry. In the same way that he has waited patiently
for tree seedlings to mature and yield their anatomical secrets, he has worked
for 20 years to forge alliances between Fairchild Botanical Garden and institutions
of higher learning to promote education of the next generation of comparative
botanists. Dr. Fisher has benefited botany through his research and his thoughtful
outreach and he richly deserves recognition through a BSA Merit Award for
these admirable accomplishments.
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- Dr. Leslie G. Hickok, University
of Tennessee
- Dr. Hickok has made a career out of defying the odds and generating surprises.
While others were intimidated by the high chromosome numbers of ferns, he
showed that valuable insights into polyploidy and speciation could be obtained
by studying their cytogenetics. While the mainstream focused attention on
Arabidopsis as a plant model system, Hickok promoted the unique properties
of the fern Ceratopteris. His pioneering work on selection and mutation using
this model demonstrated the power of a system that separated gametophytic
and sporophytic life stages. More recently, he has succeeded in marrying his
deep commitment to advancing botanical knowledge and his desire to provide
meaningful, enriching experiences for biology students. Through his insight
and perseverance, he transformed Ceratopteris into C-fern, and now over 60,000
students per year are learning about plant genetics using this inexpensive
but effective teaching system. Dr. Hickok is a distinguished scholar whose
research and teaching efforts at all levels from K-12 to international seminars
can be characterized as groundbreaking, inspirational, dedicated, and unselfish.
For his outstanding contributions and longstanding generosity, the BSA is
pleased to present a Merit Award to Dr. Leslie G. Hickok.
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- Dr. Jeffrey D. Palmer, University
of Indiana
- Dr. Palmer has excelled in his contributions to botanical science. His astonishing
research productivity has resulted in over 200 scientific papers, many of
them published in the most prestigious scientific journals. Dr. Palmer has
fundamentally transformed the scientific landscape we now operate in through
his legendary contributions to phylogenetics and gene and genome evolution.
He has arguably been the most influential person in the development of the
field of molecular systematics of plants and has been directly responsible
for the paradigm shift in our current views of evolutionary relationships
among eukaryotes, including higher plants. Other major contributions from
his laboratory include the characterization and evolution of introns and plant
mitochondrial genomes, the evolution of plastid genes in non-photosynthetic
plants, and the origin and evolution of chloroplasts. The list of the graduate
students and post-docs trained in his laboratory reads like a who's who of
botanical science. His collaborative approach and willingness to share data
has built a sense of community among plant molecular phylogenetics workers
unparalleled in other fields of organismal biology. At the same time, Dr.
Palmer has generously served as department chair at Indiana University as
well as on review panels and editorial boards and has promoted outreach through
his many public presentations. For his innovative and productive scientific
contributions, Dr. Palmer has received many awards, among them the Wilhelmine
Key Award from the American Genetic Association, election to the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and
an ISI Highly Cited Award for the top 15 most cited plant and animal scientists.
In honor of his extraordinary accomplishments, the BSA is proud to present
him with a Merit Award.
- The Henry Allan Gleason Award -
Dr.
Stephen J. Botti and Dr. Walter Sydoriak
- Each year The New York Botanical Garden presents the Henry Allan Gleason
Award for an outstanding publication in the field of plant taxonomy, plant
ecology, or plant geography. The Gleason award for 2003 is presented to Dr.
Stephen J. Botti and Dr. Walter Sydoriak for their
book, An Illustrated Flora of Yosemite National Park published by the Yosemite
Association, Yosemite National Park, CA. This publication combines excellence
in both plant taxonomy and plant ecology, successfully bringing these two
areas together in its focus on the conservation and use by the public at large.
- Charles Edwin Bessey Award
(Teaching Section) -
Joseph Novak,
University of West Florida, Pensacola
- This award recognizes outstanding contributions to botanical instruction.
The award was presented to Joseph Novak, University of West
Florida, Pensacola, during the Education and Outreach Forum this past weekend.
- George R. Cooley Award
(Systematics Section and the American Society of Plant Taxonomists) -
Lucia Lohmann, University of Missouri-St.
Louis
- George R. Cooley award for best contributed paper in plant systematics.
The ASPT's Cooley Award is given for the best paper in systematics given at
the annual meeting by a botanist in the early stages of his/her career. Awards
are made to members of ASPT who are graduate students or within 5 years of
their post-doctoral careers. The Cooley Award is given for work judged to
be substantially complete, synthetic and original. First authorship required;
graduate students or those within 5 years of finishing their Ph.D. are eligible;
must be a member of ASPT at time of abstract submission; only one paper judged
per candidate. This year's award was given to Lucia Lohmann,
University of Missouri-St. Louis, for her talk entitled "A new generic classification
for Bignonieae (Bignoniaceae)".
- Isabel Cookson Award (Paleobotanical
Section) -
Michael Dunn, Ohio University,
Athens
- The 2003 Isabel Cookson Award, recognizing the best student paper presented
in the Paleobotanical Section, is awarded to Michael Dunn
of Ohio University, Athens, for his paper entitled “The Fayetteville
Flora of Arkansas, USA: An Upper Mississippian … plant fossil assemblage
with permineralized and compression remains.”
- Darbaker Prize -
Dr. John C. “Jack” Meeks,
UC-Davis
- This prize is given for meritorious work in the study of microscopic algae.
This year’s award is given to Dr. John C. “Jack”
Meeks, UC-Davis. The award recognizes his excellent work sequencing
the genome of the important cyanobacterium, Nostoc, and his extensive studies
on the Nostoc/Anthoceros symbiosis.
- Ecology Section Award -
Jenise
Snyde, Florida International University
- The Ecological Section Award for the best student presentation in the Ecological
Section sessions goes to Jenise Snyder from Florida International
University, for her paper “Spikelet phenology and floral compatibility
of sawgrass, Cladium jamaicense (Cyperaceae) in the south Florida Everglades”.
Her co-author was Jennifer Richards.
- Ecology Section Award
-
Christina Coleman, Auburn University
- The Ecological Section Award for the best student poster goes to Christina
Coleman, Auburn University for her poster “Herbivore defense
as an explanation for hyperaccumulation: Relative heavy metal toxicity to
diamond back moth (Plutella xylostella). Her co-author was Robert
Boyd.
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- Genetics Section Poster Award
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Liu Xianan, University of Illinois
- The Genetics Section Poster Award is given for the best student poster
at the annual meetings.
This year’s award is given to Liu Xianan, University of Illinois,
for the poster “Differential expression of genes regulated in response
to abiotic-stress in sunflower.” Co-authors were Ginger Swire-Clark
and Vance Baird.
- Katherine Esau Award (Developmental
and Structural Section) -
Wanda Kelly, University
of Maryland, College Park
- This award was established in 1985 with a gift from Dr. Esau and is augmented
by ongoing contributions from Section members. It is given to the graduate
student who presents the outstanding paper in developmental and structural
botany at the annual meeting. This year’s award goes to Wanda
Kelly from the University of Maryland, College Park, for her paper
“Geometrical relationships specifying the phyllotactic pattern of aquatic
plants.” Her co-author was Todd Cooke.
- John S. Karling Graduate Student
Research Awards
- The Karling Awards support graduate student research and are made on the
basis of research proposals and letters of recommendations. This year we gave
out 11 awards. Recipients are:
- Mario Blanco,
Kuo-Fang Chung,
Laurie Cosaul,
Laurelin Evanhoe,
Susan Grose,
Shawn Krosnick,
Jeffrey Morawetz,
Julieta Rosell,
Jackeline Salazar,
Tyler Smith,
Jay Walker
- Lawrence Memorial Award -
Ms.
Sarah Edwards, University of London
- The Lawrence Memorial Fund was established at the Hunt Institute for Botanical
Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, to commemorate the life and achievements
of its founding director, Dr. George H. M. Lawrence. Proceeds from the Fund
are used to make an annual Award in the amount of $2000 to a doctoral candidate
to support travel for dissertation research in systematic botany or horticulture,
or the history of the plant sciences. The Lawrence Memorial Award for 2002
goes to Ms. Sarah Edwards, a student of Dr. Michael Heinrich
at the University of London. For her dissertation research, Ms. Edwards has
undertaken a study of the medical ethnobotany, from plant systematics to indigenous
taxonomy, of the Wic and Kugu peoples of the Cape York Peninsula. The proceeds
of the Award will support her travel in Australia for field work.
- Margaret Menzel Award (Genetics
Section) -
Linda Jennings, University
of British Columbia
- The Margaret Menzel Award is present by the Genetics Section for the outstanding
paper presented in the contributed papers sessions of the annual meetings.
This year’s award goes to Linda Jennings, University
of British Columbia, for her paper “Genetic, morphological and ecological
variation within and between two Southern Utah endemics, Townsendia aprica
and T. jonesii var. lutea (Asteraceae). Her co-author was Jeanette
Whitton.
- Maynard Moseley Award (Paleobotanical
and Developmental and Structural Sections) -
Stefan
Little, University of Alberta, Edmonton
- The Maynard F. Moseley Award was established in 1995 to honor a career of
dedicated teaching, scholarship, and service to the furtherance of the botanical
sciences. Dr. Moseley, known to his students as “Dr. Mo”, died
this Jan. 16 in Santa Barbara, CA, where he had been a professor since 1949.
He was widely recognized for his enthusiasm for and dedication to teaching
and his students, as well as for his research using floral and wood anatomy
to understand the systematics and evolution of angiosperm taxa, especially
waterlilies. (PSB, Spring, 2003). The award is given to the best student paper,
presented in either the Paleobotanical or Developmental and Structural sessions,
that advances our understanding of plant structure in an evolutionary context.
This year’s award goes to Stefan Little from University
of Alberta, Edmonton, for his paper “Permineralized fruits of Lauraceae
from the Middle Eocene Princeton chert, British Columbia.” Stefan’s
co-author is Ruth Stockey.
- A.J. Sharp Award (Bryological and
Lichenological Section) -
Dorothybelle Poli,
University of Maryland
- The A.J. Sharp Award is presented each year by the American Bryological
and Lichenological Society and the Bryological and Lichenological Section
for the best student presentation. The award, named in honor of the late Jack
Sharp, encourages student research on bryophytes and lichens. This year’s
A.J. Sharp Award goes to Dorothybelle Poli, University of
Maryland, for her paper “Auxin regulation of axial growth in bryophyte
sporophytes: Its potential significance for the evolution of early land plants.”
Her co-authors were Mark Jacobs and Todd Cooke.
- Edgar T. Wherry Award (Pteridological
Section and the American Fern Society) -
Michael Barker,
Miami University, Oxford
- The Edgar T. Wherry Award is given for the best paper presented during the
contributed papers session of the Pteridological Section. This award is in
honor of Dr. Wherry’s many contributions to the floristics and patterns
of evolution in ferns. This year’s award goes to Michael Barker
from Miami University, Oxford, for his paper “Microlepidopteran soral
mimics in the Caribbean.” The paper was co-authored by Shane
Shaw, James Hickey, and John Rawlins.
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