Botanical Society of America Awards 2010

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2010 awards provided by the Botanical Society of America. Here we provide recognition for outstanding efforts and contributions to the science of botany. We thank you for your support of these programs.

Botanical Society of America AWARDS
Botanical Society of America Merit Awards |

Graduate Student Research Awards | Undergraduate Student Research Awards | Young Botanist Awards

Named AWARDS
Charles Edwin Bessey Teaching Award | Vernon I. Cheadle STAs |

Triarch (Conant) "Botanical Images" STAs | Isabel Cookson Award | George R. Cooley Award | Darbaker Prize | Katherine Esau Award | The Henry Allan Gleason Award | John S. Karling Award | Lawrence Memorial Award | Margaret Menzel Award | Maynard Moseley Award |

Emanuel D. Rudolph Award | A. J. Sharp Award |

Edgar T. Wherry Award

Sectional AWARDS
Student Travel Awards - Bryological & Lichenological | Developmental & Structural | Ecological

Pteridological Section & American Fern Society

Student Presentation, Poster and Research Awards - Developmental & Structural Section Best Student Poster Award | Ecological Section Award for the best Student Presentation | Ecological Section Award for the best Student Poster

| Physiological Section Li-Cor Prize |

Southeastern Section

The Botanical Society of America's MERIT AWARD

The Botanical Society of America Merit Award is the highest honor our Society bestows. Each year, the Merit Award Committee solicits nominations, evaluates candidates, and selects those to receive an award. Awardees are chosen based on their outstanding contributions to the mission of our scientific Society. The committee identifies recipients who have demonstrated excellence in basic research, education, public policy, or who have provided exceptional service to the professional botanical community, or who may have made contributions to a combination of these categories.

Based on these stringent criteria, the 2010 BSA Merit Award recipients are:

Dr. Darleen DeMason, University of California, Riverside

Dr. DeMason is recognized for her contributions in plant anatomy, which stress functional and structural aspects of stem thickening in monocotyledons, germination biology of palms, germination problems of the high sugar sweet corn genotypes, and leaf development in pea, elucidating auxin's integrating affect on developmental morphogenesis. A recognized scholar, teacher, academic leader and contributor to the botanical sciences, she has held various BSA posts, including Secretary of BSA and Council Representative and is noted for her volunteer work in improving the botanical environment of Riverside's Victoria Avenue Park.

Dr. Nancy G. Dengler, University of Toronto

Dr. Dengler is recognized for her significant scientific contributions in the areas of the developmental morphology of leaves, the evolution of plant anatomical patterns associated with C₄ photosynthesis, and the role of the cell cycle and programmed cell death in plant developmental processes.Generous as a scientist, colleague and mentor, Nancy is recognized as an excellent plant anatomist with extensive career achievements, including leadership roles as President of the BSA during a time of great transition for the Society. She has encouraged and inspired young botanists on both sides of the border and is among the most prominent of current plant biologists studying leaves.

Dr. Judy Jernstedt, Iniversity of Californaia, Davis

Professor Judy Jernstedt is recognized for her careful scholarship providing new insights into morphogenesis and other aspects of development in myriad vascular plant systems. Examining such diverse systems as rhizophores, to contractile root development, to cotton fiber production, she has developed techniques to integrate the role of the cytoskeleton in biomechanical patterning of cell expansion and microfibril orientation in cell walls. In her service to BSA, her role has been transformational for the Society and for the American Journal of Botany. Her influence on botanists through her research, instruction and service are incalculable.

Drs. Douglas E. and Pamela S. Soltis, University of Florida

Drs. Douglas E. and Pamela S. Soltis are recognized for their far-reaching influence on many different sub-disciplines within the botanical sciences. Deeply involved with the field of molecular systematics since its infancy, they paved the way for such ambitious projects such as the National Science Foundation's Deep Time and Tree of Life projects contributing greatly to the understanding of floral evolutionary development, particularly in the basal angiosperms. Their prodigious research productivity has not limited their service activities, however, as both Doug and Pam have served in leadership positions and as Presidents of BSA. Either would be outstanding in their own right, but together as frequent co-authors and collaborators, they continue to mentor and influence a generation of evolutionary scientists in resolving longstanding questions of angiosperm phylogeny.

Dr. Dennis Stevenson, New York Botanical Garden

Dr. Stevenson is recognized for distinguished contributions in the organization and phylogenetic relationships of cycads and cycad-like plants and is recognized for his breadth of publication which has included lycopods and ferns, bryophytes and gymnosperms, and monocots and dicots. Guiding the work of doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers, In the evolution of his own career, he has continued to set standards for studies of land plant anatomy and morphology, while increasingly serving as a strong public advocate for our discipline to the public. His long and productive affiliation with the New York Botanical Garden has communicated the importance of fundamental studies of plants to the community at large.

Charles Edwin Bessey Award (BSA in association with the Teaching Section and Education Committee)

Dr. Geoff Burrows, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga NSW, Australia. Dr. Burrows, Senior Lecturer in Plant Sciences, has been award the Charles Bessey Awards for his contribution to botanical education.  Dr. Burrows has developed web-based resources for teaching leaf morphology, gynoecium morphology, floral symmetry, and floral formula.  Additionally, he has been involved with extensive community outreach, including the creating of the popular Supermarket Botany web site.  He has an extensive publication record, including four papers on botany education.  Finally, Dr. Burrows integrates research with education by using his research findings to illustrate concepts in taxonomy, morphology, anatomy and ecology. The web-based resources are available at: http://www.csu.edu.au/herbarium/.

Dr. Chris Martine, State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Dr. Martine fostered the creation of the first student chapter of the Botanical Society of America. He is an active member of the Education Committee.  He has successfully integrated undergraduate research into his department.  His impact on SUNY – Plattsburgh can be summed up by the statement of his department Chairperson. “Dr. Martine has utterly transformed the teaching of botany at our school and vastly increased research and learning opportunities in botany for our students."  Finally, Dr. Martine is extensively involved with community outreach.  He has developed inspirational YouTube videos, including his "Chlorofilm" botanical education series, which teach children botanical principles in fun ways—check them out - http://botany.org/botany-without-borders.php!

Darbaker Prize

The Darbaker Prize in Phycology is given each year in memory of Dr. Leasure K. Darbaker. It is presented to a resident of North America for meritorious work in the study of microscopic algae based on papers published in English by the nominee during the last two full calendar years. This year The Darbaker Award for meritorious work on microscopic algae is presented to:

Dr. Brian Palenik, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, CA. Dr. Palenik is a leader in the field of oceanographic phytoplankton genomics. He has focused mostly on cyanobacterial organisms, but he was also first author on a seminal paper on Ostreococcus, the smallest eukaryotic phytoplankter whose genome was sequenced in its entirety. Palenik was the lead scientist in that effort, published in PNAS. In addition to his research, Dr. Palenik is active in communicating the science of genomics and oceanography to the general public. He was also instrumental in designing and implementing an exhibit in a public aquarium on DNA sequencing and genomics of marine organisms.

Lawrence Memorial Award

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 recipient of the Award is selected from candidates nominated by their major professors. Nominees may be from any country and the Award is made strictly on the basis of merit - the recipient's general scholarly promise and significance of the research proposed. The Award Committee includes representatives from the Hunt Institute, The Hunt Foundation, the Lawrence family, and the botanical community.

The Lawrence Memorial Award for 2010 goes to Ms. Christine D. Bacon, a student of Professor Mark P. Simmons at Colorado State University. The proceeds of the award will help support her travel for field and collections-based work in an integrative research study of the genus Pritchardia.

Vernon I. Cheadle Student Travel Awards (BSA in association with the Developmental and Structural Section)

This award was named in honor of the memory and work of Dr. Vernon I. Cheadle.

Chunmiao Feng, North Carolina State University - Advisor Jenny Xiang - Botany 2010 presentation: "Evolutionary developmental study of inflorescence in Cornus."

Christine Whitelock, Californai State University, Bakersfield - Advisor: Brandon Pratt - Botany 2010 presentation: "Are xylem traits in chaparral species phylogenetically conserved?"

Kerri Mocko, University of Connecticut - Advisor: Cynthia Jones - Botany 2010 presentation: "A phylogenetic analysis of stomatal evolution and leaf shape in Pelargonium."

Geraldine Boyden,  St. John's University - Advisor Dianella Howarth - Botany 2010 presentation: "Virus-induced gene silencing of Cycloidea-like genes in Fedia cornucopiae" and "Duplications in the floral symmetry gene RADIALIS in Dipsacales and Pentapetalae are similar to those of other floral transcription factors."

Courtney Traugh,  Californai State University, Bakersfield - Advisor: Brandon Pratt - Botany 2010 presentation: "Storage of non-structural carbohydrates in the xylem among chaparral shrub species may come at the cost of reduced stem mechanical strength."

Triarch "Botanical Images" Student Travel Awards

This award provides acknowledgement and travel support to BSA meetings for outstanding student work coupling digital images (botanical) with scientific explanations/descriptions designed for the general public.

Lachezar Nikolov, Jabberwacky, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA - Advisor, Dr. Charles C. Davis - First Place - $500 Botany 2010 Student Travel Award

Margaret Sporck, Disjunct Veins of Euphorbia rockii, University of Hawai'i, Manoa, HI - Advisor, Dr. Lawren Sack - Second Place - $250 Botany 2010 Student Travel Award

Wenchi Jin, Heater in the snow, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI - Advisor, Dr. Paul Berry - Third Place - $150 Botany 2010 Student Travel Award

Isabel Cookson Award (Paleobotanical Section)

Established in 1976, the Isabel Cookson Award recognizes the best student paper presented in the Paleobotanical Section

Andrew Leslie of the University of Chicago, is the 2010 award recipient for the paper entitled, “Exploring the Role of Pollen Flotation in the Reproductive Biology of Ancient Gymnosperms.

George R. Cooley Award (Systematics Section and the American Society of Plant Taxonomists)

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 Craig F. Barrett of Ohio State University for the talk entitled “Species delimitation, phylogeography, and identification of evolutionarily significant units in a rare but widespread North American mycoheterotrophic orchid, Corallorhiza striata (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae)". Co-author: John Freudenstein

Katherine Esau Award (Developmental and Structural Section)

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 Jessica Budke, from University of Connecticut, for the paper “Beneath the Calyptra’s Veil: Exploring Cuticle Anatomy during Moss Sporophyte Development.” Co-authors were Bernard Goffinet and Cynthia S. Jones.

Honorable Mention - Chunmiao Feng, North Carolina State University, for the paper "Evolutionary developmental study of inflorescence in Cornus." Co-authors were Robert G. Franks and Qiu-Yun (Jenny) Xiang.

Margaret Menzel Award (Genetics Section)

The Margaret Menzel Award is presented by the Genetics Section for the outstanding paper presented in the contributed papers sessions of the annual meetings.

This year’s award goes to James Clarkson, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for the paper “The dynamic Nicotiana genome: diploid hybrids, tetraploid hybrids and inter-allelic recombination." Co-authors: Laura Kelly, Andrew R. Leitch, Sandra Knapp and Mark W. Chase.

Maynard Moseley Award (Paleobotanical and Developmental and Structural Sections)

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 Jan. 16, 2003 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.

Natalie Pabon Mora, from the Graduate Center CUNY/ New York Botanical Garden, is the 2010 Moseley Award recipient, for his paper "The role of APETALA1/FRUITFULL genes in non-core eudicots." Her co-author was Amy Litt.

Emanuel D. Rudolph Award (Historical Section)

The Emanuel D. Rudolph Award is given by the Historical Section of the BSA for the best student presentation/poster of a historical nature at the annual meetings. 

This year’s award goes to Philip Marshall, Yale University, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, for his presentation: “Pinus strobus L. and the historical utilization and management of southern New England forests, 1600-1938.”

A. J. Sharp Award (Bryological and Lichenological Section)

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 Juan Carlos Villarreal, University of Connecticut, for his paper "Thousands of years without sex: The case of the Southern Appalachian Nothoceros aenigmaticus."

Edgar T. Wherry Award (Pteridological Section and the American Fern Society)

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 Susan Sprunt, Miami University of Ohio, for her paper; "Of genes, scales and venation: Detecting patterns of variation in the Pleopeltis polypodioides species complex (Polypodiaceae)"

The BSA Graduate Student Research Award including the J. S. Karling Award

The BSA Graduate Student Research Awards support graduate student research and are made on the basis of research proposals and letters of recommendations. Withing the award group is the Karling Graduate Student Research Award. This award was instituted by the Society in 1997 with funds derived through a generous gift from the estate of the eminent mycologist, John Sidney Karling (1897-1994), and supports and promotes graduate student research in the botanical sciences. The 2008 award recipients are:

J. S. Karling Graduate Student Research Award

Michael Gruenstaeudl, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX - Advisor, Dr. Robert K. Jansen, CORRELATED DIVERSIFICATION OF VASCULAR PLANTS AND ASSOCIATED ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI – A CASE STUDY

BSA Graduate Student Research Awards

Tanya Cheeke, Portland State University, Portland, OR - Advisor, Dr. Mitchell B. Cruzan, Effects of genetically modified Bt maize on symbiotic fungi in the soil ecosystem

Megan DeMarche, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO - Advisor, Dr. Amy L. Angert, The Evolution of Reproductive Isolation through Divergent Adaptation

Jessica Forrest, University of Toronto, Toronto, OT, Canada - Advisor, Dr. James D. Thomson, Testing adaptive explanations for floral variation in Mertensia fusiformis (Boraginaceae)

Caitlin E. Lee, Portland State University, Portland, OR, - Advisor, Dr. Mitchell B. Cruzan, Effects of Invasive Plants on Native Symbiotic Soil Fungi in Oregon Forests

Lucas C. Majure, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL - Advisors. Dr. Douglas E. Soltis, Dr. Pamela S. Soltis and Dr. Walter Judd, The systematics and evolution of the Opuntia humifusa complex (Opuntioideae: Cactaceae)

George A. Meindl, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA - Advisor, Dr. Tia-Lynn Ashman, Assessing the potential for cascading effects of soil heavy metals: plants and pollinators

Kristin I. Powell, Washington University, St. Louis, MO - Advisors, Dr. Tiffany M. Knight, Understanding scale-dependent effects of plant invaders on native biodiversity through differential effects on common and rare species

Emily B. Sessa, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI - Advisor, Dr. Thomas J. Givnish, Phylogeny, Reticulate Evolution, and Recurrent Polyploid Speciation in North American Dryopteris (Dryopteridaceae)

Seema N. Sheth, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, - Advisor, Dr. Amy L. Angert, Role of evolutionary potential in limiting species’ distributions

The BSA Undergraduate Student Research Awards

The BSA Undergraduate Student Research Awards support undergarduate student research and are made on the basis of research proposals and letters of recommendation. The 2010 award recipients are:

Amanda Bieber, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, - Advisor, Dr. Lytton Musselman, Molecular identification of potentially invasive Cuscuta in Brunei Darussalam

Sasha Dow-Kitson, SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY, - Advisor, Dr. Chris Martine, Reproductive biology of Hydrocharis morsus-ranae in Lake Champlain, a likely source population for the next region-wide aquatic plant invasion

Elizabeth Lavoie, SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY, - Advisor, Dr. Chris Martine, A new species of wild eggplant, with implications for the evolution of a rare breeding system

Heather Meyer, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY - Advisor, Dr. Kenneth Karol, A phylogenetic and morphological analysis on the current taxonomic scheme of Nitella flexilis L.

Alexander R. Scharf, SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY, - Advisor, Dr. Chris Martine, Chromosome number in Solanum sejunctum: The potential role of polyploidy in the origin of an Australian dioecious species

Paige Swanson, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, - Advisor, Dr. Pam Diggle, The Role of Branching Control Genes in Mimulus guttatus

Wes Testo, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, - Advisor, Dr. James E. Watkins, Jr., Desiccation tolerance and calcium requirements of gametophytes of American Hart’s-Tongue Fern, Phyllitis scolopendrium var. americana

Bryological & Lichenological Section Student Travel Awards

Olusesan Ayodele Ariyo, University of Lagos - Botany 2010 presentation: "Antimicrobial Activity of Indigenous liverwort, Riccia nigerica Jones from Southwestern Nigeria." Co-authors: Olusola.O Shonubi and Olubukunola.O Oyesiku

Jillian Bainard, University of Guelph - Botany 2010 presentation: "New genome size estimates for liverworts." Co-author: Steve Newmaster

Ying Chang, University of British Columbia - Botany 2010 presentation: "Phylogenetics of costate Andreaeaceae." Co-authors: : Barbara M. Murray and Sean W. Graham

Tamrya D'artenay

Brendan Hodkinson, Duke University - Botany 2010 presentation: "Do lichens harbor their own 'rhizobia'? A large-scale phylogenetic survey of lichen-associated bacteria from the order Rhizobiales." Co-author: Francois Lutzoni

Ekaphan Kraichak, University of California, Berkeley - Botany 2010 presentation: "Revisiting Adaptive Traits and Epiphylly in Tropical Leafy Liverworts (Family Lejeuneaceae)."

James Lendemer, New York Botanical Garden - Botany 2010 presentation: "Connecting the dots: progress and problems in assessing lichen biodiversity and biogeography in the coastal plain of southeastern North America." Co-authors: Richard C. Harris and Brendan P. Hodkinson

Katayoun Mansouri, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale - Botany 2010 presentation: "Immunocytological analysis of callose in cell walls across generative apices and tissues of liverworts and mosses."

Amelia Merced-Alejandro, Southern Illinois, University Carbondale - Botany 2010 presentation: "Ultrastructure of pseudostomata in Sphagnum angustifolium." Co-author: Karen S. Renzaglia

Michael Tessler, Rutgers University - Botany 2010 presentation: "Hymenodon (Orthodontiaceae): exploring evolution and disjunction in a tropical moss genus."

Heather Rooth, Oregon State University - Botany 2010 presentation: "Lichen habitat may be enhanced by thinning treatments in young Tsuga heterophylla-Pseudotsuga menziesii forests." Co-authors: Bruce McCune and Peter Neitlich

Scott Schuette, Southern Illinois, University Carbondale - Botany 2010 presentation: "Evolution of Endospory in Bryophytes." Co-author: Karen Renzaglia

Gajendra Shrestha, Brigham Young University - Botany 2010 presentation: "Predicting the Distribution of Air Pollution Sensitive Lichen Usnea hirta Using Habitat Niche Modeling." Co-authors: Steven D. Leavitt and Larry L. St. Clair

Developmental & Structural Section Student Travel Awards

Jessica Budke, University of Connecticut - Botany 2010 presentation: "Beneath the Calyptra’s Veil: Exploring Cuticle Anatomy during Moss Sporophyte Development." Co-authors: Bernard Goffinet and Cynthia S. Jones

Natalia Pabon Mora, Graduate Center CUNY/ New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY - Botany 2010 presentation: "The role of APETALA1/FRUITFULL genes in non-core eudicots." Co-author: Amy Litt

RoseMary Puhr, California State University - Long Beach - Botany 2010 presentation: "Evolution of the YUCCA-like flavin monooxygenase SPARSE INFLORESCENCE1 lineage within flowering plants." Co-author: Simon Malcomber

Dustin Ray, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona - Botany 2010 presentation: "Seasonal Changes in Non-Structural Carbohydrates in Stems and Lignotubers of Burned and Unburned Southern California Black Walnut (Juglans californica)." Co-authors: Edward Bobich and Frank W. Ewers

Hans Waldenmaier, Miami University - Botany 2010 presentation: "Gene Expression Patterns of Programmed Cell Death During Vascular Aerenchyma Formation in Seedling Roots of Glycine max cv.'Yukihomare'." Co-author: Daniel, K. Gladish

Chi-Chih Wu, University of Colorado Boulder - Botany 2010 presentation: "Development of the female gametophyte and young fruit of Balsas teosinte, Zea mays subsp. parviglumis." Co-authors: Pamela K. Diggle and William E. Friedman

Developmental & Structural Section Best Student Poster Award

Hugo Martinez Cabrera, University of Connecticut, for the poster, “Integration of wood traits and height in trees and shrubs: Many ways to be a shrub, but only one way to be a tree?” Co-authors: H. Jochen Schenk and Cynthia S. Jones

Ecology Section Award, Best Student Presentation

Amy Davidson, from the Kansas State University, for the paper “Invasive species demonstrate higher phenotypic plasticity but native species have greater resilience to worsening conditions.” Co-author, Adrienne B. Nicotra.

Ecology Section Award, Best Student Poster

Amy Campbell, of Ohio State University, for her poster, “Fitness-Related Traits of Cultivated vs. Wild Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum): Implications for Widespread Planting of Biofuel Cultivars.” Co-author, Allison Snow.

Ecology Section Student Travel Awards

Tanya Cheeke, Portland State University, Portland, OR - Advisor, Dr. Mitchell B. Cruzan - Botany 2010 presentation: "Transgenic Bt maize: An evaluation of nine different Bt maize isolines on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi."

Keith Bowman, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY - Advisor, Dr. Dr. Robin Kimmerer - Botany 2010 presentation: "The influence of the diaspore (propagule) bank and diaspore rain on bryophyte (moss) community composition in northern white cedar swamps" and "Bringing mosses into the K-12 classroom."

Genetics Section Graduate Student Research Awards

Genetics Section Student Research Awards provide $500 for research funding and an additional $500 for attendance at a future BSA meeting.

Nicholas Miles, Florida State University - Graduate Student Award, for his proposal titled "Developmental Genetics of a Carnivorous Pitcher Plant."

RoseMary Puhr, Cal State Long Beach - Masters Student Award, for her proposal titled: "Evolution of SPARSE INFLORESCENCE1 within Graminoid Poales."

Physiological Section Li-Cor Prize - Best Paper

Mark E. De Guzman, California State University, Bakersfield, for the talk “Leaf and canopy level carbon assimilation rates of post-fire resprouting chaparral shrub species that display different life history types." Co-authors: M.F. Tobin, A. L. Jacobsen, H. P. O'Mara and R. B. Pratt

Physiological Section Poster Award

Mary Dobson, Texas State University-San Marcos, for the poster entitled, “Genetic patterns of tolerance to herbivory in a hybrid swarm of Louisiana Iris.” Her co-authors are Christianna Morely and William Smith.

Pteridological Section & American Fern Society Student Travel Awards

Christine Creese, University of California Los Angeles – Botany 2009 presentation: The coordination of structure and function in 15 fern species from Southern California. Co-author, Lawren Sack.

Emily Sessa, University of Wisconsin-Madison – Botany 2010 presentation: Relationships of New World Dryopteris (Dryopteridaceae). Co-authors, Thomas J. Givnish and Elizabeth Zimmer.

Susan Sprunt, Miami University of Ohio – Botany 2010 presentation: Of genes, scales and venation: Detecting patterns of variation in the Pleopeltis polypodioides species complex (Polypodiaceae). Co-authors, John A. Bailer, Linda E. Watson, Harald Schneider, and R. James Hickey.

Southeastern Section - Association of Southeastern Biologists, Asheville, North Carolina, April 9, 2010 Poster/Paper Awards

Best Paper Award $300 - Chris Stoehrel, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC - presentation:
"Phylogeny of the Trillium erectum complex."

Best Poster Award $300 - Mae Kile, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, TN - presentation:
"Scutellaria Montana (Lamiaceae) 2009 Monitoring at the Volunteer Training Site, Tennessee Army National Guard, Catoosa Co., Georgia."

The BSA Young Botanist Awards

The purpose of these awards are to offer individual recognition to outstanding graduating seniors in the plant sciences and to encourage their participation in the Botanical Society of America. The 2010 "Certificate of Special Achievement" award recipients are:

Elizabeth Archer, Connecticut College, New London, CT - Advisor, Dr. T. Page Owen , Jr.

Asha Bertsch, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL - Advisor, Dr. Pam Soltis

Paul CaraDonna, Humboldt College, Arcata, CA - Advisor, Dr. Erik S. Jules

Bradley Daugherty, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL - Advisor, Dr. Nancy Coutant

William Davis, University of Akron, Akron, OH - Advisor, Dr. Jean Pan

Ryan Folk, University of Akron, Akron, OH - Advisor, Dr. Randall Mitchell

Benjamin Gahagen, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA - Advisor, Dr. Conley K. McMullen

Paul Galewski, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI - Advisor, Dr. Sara Hoot

Liahna Gonda-King, St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's City, MD - Advisor, Dr. Chris Tanner

Sam Isham, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO - Advisor, Dr. Tass Kelso

Daniel Koenemann, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT - Advisor, Dr. David S. Barrington

Elizabeth Lavoie, SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY - Advisor, Dr. Christopher T. Martine

Natalie Ma, University of California, Los Angeles, CA - Advisor, Dr. Ann M. Hirsch

Lindsey McLemore, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL - Advisor, Dr. Pam Soltis

Lydia Meador, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK - Advisor, Dr. Janette Sheets

Jacqueline Nguyen, University of California, Los Angeles, CA - Advisor, Dr. Ann M. Hirsch

Anthony Porreca, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL - Advisor, Dr. Janice M. Coons

Jillian Post, SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY - Advisor, Dr. Christopher T. Martine

Zak Ratajczak, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY - Advisor, Dr. David P. Gillikin

Sadie Todd, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL - Advisor, Dr. Krissa Skogen

Dragana Trninic, Miami University, Oxford, OH - Advisor, Dr. Nicholas Money

Alexia Vandeventer, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL - Advisor, Dr. Pam Soltis

Hannah Vietmeier, Willamette University , Salem, OR - Advisor, Dr. Susan R. Kephart

Margaret Vincent, Miami University, Oxford, OH - Advisor, Dr. Nancy Smith-Huerta

Rebecca Williams, Miami University, Oxford, OH - Advisor, Dr. Quinn Li