Botanical Society of America Awards 2014

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014 awards provided by the Botanical Society of America, its sections, and partners. Here we provide recognition for outstanding efforts and contributions to the science of botany. We thank you for your support of these programs.

Awards for Established Scientists

Distinguished Fellow of the Botanical Society of America

The "Distinguished Fellow of the Botanical Society of America" is the highest honor our Society bestows. Each year, the 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 2014 Distinguished Fellows' of the Botanical Society of America are:

Michael Donoghue

Dr. Donoghue is a world-renowned botanist and a tireless champion of phylogenetics, evolution, and biodiversity research. He is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (2005) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2008), and most recently was awarded the prestigious Dahlgren Prize in Botany from the Royal Physiographic Society of Sweden (2011). Donoghue has consistently been ahead of his time—an intellectual leader in the development of new theory and approaches in systematics, species concepts, character evolution, historical biogeography, lineage diversification, and phylogenetic nomenclature. His ideas are always provocative; he has consistently rocked the boat, inspired debate, and moved all of us toward more rigorous thought.

His prodigious research career (he has published hundreds of papers) is matched by his inspired, continual service to our community, including many years in the Directorships of the Harvard University Herbaria and the Yale Peabody Museum. He has also trained and mentored dozens of students and post-doctoral associates, many of whom are now leaders themselves. All of his nomination letters make special note of how naturally Michael inspires his colleagues—and the botanical community at large—with his ideas and creativity, his enthusiasm, and his enormous generosity.

James Doyle

Professor James A. (Jim) Doyle is recognized for his many distinguished contributions to paleobotany, particularly palynology, and to the understanding of angiosperm phylogeny.  Doyle and his associates demonstrated that, worldwide, the Cretaceous fossil record shows the primary adaptive radiation events of early angiosperm evolution.  One of his most valuable insights, derived from both cladistic analysis and stratigraphy, was the observation that angiosperms with tricolpate and tricolpate-derived pollen corresponded to a clade of angiosperms that included the vast majority of living flowering plants.  The existence of such a clade, the eudicots, has subsequently been strongly supported by molecular analyses and the concept has made its way into modern botany and biology textbooks.  Throughout his career and continuing into retirement, Prof. Doyle has shown himself to be an outstanding and inspiring teacher, at both the undergraduate and graduate level.  His lectures are meticulously organized, expertly delivered, and focused on principals yet packed with details.  His quirky sense of humor emerges and students are left amazed by how much they learned. Prof. Doyle trained nine graduate students over his career, and mentored innumerable other graduate students, postdocs, and faculty colleagues. 

Jeff Doyle

Dr. Jeffrey Doyle is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of theoretical and phylogenetic plant molecular systematics and molecular evolution. Over the past several decades he has consistently been at the forefront of the field of molecular plant systematics, contributing not only innovative methods, but also conceptual advances, as well as new empirical findings that have led to an improved understanding of plant diversity.  One letter writer notes that Dr. Doyle has  “an astonishing…record of insightful and sustained scientific achievement and has an immense impact on the direction of our field.” Dr. Doyle has made major contributions to clarifying evolutionary relationships among the legumes, the evolution of nodulation and also on the significance of polyploidy. Importantly, one letter writer notes that Dr. Doyle’s “commitment to undergraduate education is every bit as impressive as his research and scholarship.”  Jeff was not only an effective undergraduate teacher but also held a major administrative position at Cornell, Director of the Office of Undergraduate Biology.

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

Dr. Bruce Kirchoff

The 2014 recipient of the Bessey Award is Professor Bruce K. Kirchoff (University of North Carolina, Greensboro).  Dr. Kirchoff has been on the faculty at Greensboro since 1986 where he has distinguished himself as a plant morphologist and botanical educator. He is a former member of the BSA Education Committee and served as chair in 1993-94.  His botanical education research on image recognition is a direct outgrowth of his morphological studies. 

Dr. Kirchoff is transforming the way that students learn through the creation of active, visual learning programs and mobile applications. He has created, validated, and is in the process of distributing groundbreaking software that helps students more easily master complex subjects.  Furthermore, he has collaborated not only with scientists in the U.S., but also Europe and Australia, to adapt his visual learning software to local problems such as helping Australian veterinary students recognize poisonous plants and providing visual identification keys for tropical African woods. 

In 2007 he was the BSA Education Booth Competition winner for Image Quiz: A new approach to teaching plant identification through visual learningand his work was showcased in the Education Booth at the Botany & Plant Biology 2007 Joint Congress in Chicago.   In 2013 he was the inaugural recipient of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) Innovations in Plant Systematics Education Prize and this year he was recognized with the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors award for Excellence in Teaching.

Henry Alan Gleason Award

The New York Botanical Garden after a hiatus, due to many years of administrative neglect, is reinstating the annual Henry Alan Gleason Award for the best book the preceding year in Plant Taxonomy and Ecology. This year the award goes to Jean Faubert, of the Société québécoise de bryologie for the three volume work, Flore des Bryophytes du Québec-Labrador, the final volume of which was published this year.

Donald R. Kaplan Memorial Lecture

This year’s lecture was given by Dr. Sarah Hake, USDA Gene Expression Laboratory, Albany, CA
“A new angle on the maize leaf"

Given By the Sections

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 Ryan Folk of the Ohio State University
For the talk entitled ““Sky islands” in the eastern US? – Strong phylogeographic structure in the Heuchera parviflora group (Saxifragaceae)". Co-author: John Freudenstein

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 Dr. Jeremy E. Coate, Reed College
For the paper “Polyploidy and transcriptome size: does genome doubling cause transcriptome doubling?" Co-authors: Michael Song and Jeff J Doyle.

Samuel Noel Postlethwait Award (Teaching Section)

The Samuel Noel Postlethwait Award is given for outstanding service to the BSA Teaching Section.

Marshall D. Sundberg, Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas has receive the 2014 Samuel Noel Postlethwait Award for his long term service to the Teaching Section. He has served as section Chair, provided continuity to for the teaching section by consistently presenting scholarly papers at the section’s sessions, arranged for Plant Science Bulletin to provide a venue for publishing peer-reviewed pedagogy papers, provided historical information for the Teaching Section, and organized several Education and Outreach Forums at the society’s annual meetings.

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 Gajendra Shrestha, Brigham Young University
For his paper "Lichen, Man’s new best friend: How simple symbionts might defeat bacterial pathogens ." Co-authors: Andrew Thompson, Steven Leavitt, Richard Robison, and Larry St. Clair

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 awards go to Dr. Joanne M. Sharpe, Sharplex Services
For her paper; "Hindsight is 20/20: Highlights from a 20-year ecological study of 20 fern species in the Luquillo rainforest of Puerto Rico" and

Dr. Fay-Wei Li, Duke University
For his paper; "Massive horizontal gene transfer of a chimeric photoreceptor within ferns" Co-author: Kathleen M Pryer

Awards for EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS:

BSA Emerging Leaders Award

Dr. Stacey Smith

Dr. Stacey Smith has received the very first BSA Emerging Leader Award.

Dr. Smith is an accomplished researcher with a true commitment to education and outreach and a willingness to step into leadership roles. She is currently an assistant professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder.  Smith did her undergraduate work at Virginia Tech, earned a Master’s on a Marshall Fellowship at the Universities of Reading and Birmingham, and then obtained a PhD in Botany from the University of Wisconsin in 2008.  After doing a post-doc at Duke University, and spending 3 years on the faculty at the University of Nebraska, she took her current position in 2013.  Over that time Stacey has proven herself to be a prolific researcher, with more than 25 publications, including co-authorship of the book, Tree thinking: An Introduction to Phylogenetic Biology.  

Stacey is best known for her work on Iochrominae (Solanaceae), a clade that she has turned into a spectacular model system for bridging ecological studies of pollination biology with genetic studies of the biochemical and genetic basis of floral diversity. In addition, she has collaborated on diverse evolutionary studies and has made important contributions in phylogenetic theory.  However, as noted by her nominator, “Stacey is not just a great researcher, but also a committed educator.” She has been active in traditional university courses, diverse outreach activities especially in a K-12 setting, and as a resource instructor for the OTS Tropical Plant Systematics course.  She has also played an important role in identifying the challenge of teaching tree thinking and in providing resources to help teachers overcome those challenges. Finally, it has been noted that Stacey is “a generous and supportive person who leads by example and draws along many other junior (and senior) colleagues in her wake.” Given all these contributions to Botany, Dr. Stacey Smith is a very fitting recipient of the inaugural BSA Emerging Leader Award.

BSA Public Policy Award

The Public Policy Award was established in 2012 to support the development of of tomorrow's leaders and a better understanding of this critical area. The 2014 recipients are:

Megan Philpott, University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Steven Callen, Saint Louis University

Awards for STUDENTS:

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 2014 award recipients are:

J. S. Karling Graduate Student Research Award

Catherine Rushworth, Duke University - Advisor, Dr. Thomas Mitchell-Olds, INSIGHTS INTO THE ORIGIN AND PERSISTENCE OF APOMIXIS IN THE BOECHERA HOLBOELLII SPECIES COMPLEX

BSA Graduate Student Research Awards

Jason Berg, University of Maryland - Advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Zimmer, A molecular assessment of the potentially invasive plant species, Mimulus guttatus DC: Estimating genetic divergence, migration rates, and selfing rates for naturalized and invasive populations in North America and Europe

Andrew A. Crowl, University of Florida and the Folrida Museum of Natural History - Advisor, Dr. Nico Cellinese, Integrating Morphology, Cytology, Niche Modeling, and Phylogenetics to Understand the Evolutionary History of Endemic Campanula Species in the Mediterranean

Jessamine Finch, Northwestern University and Chicago Botanic Garden - Advisor, Dr. Kayri Havens-Young, The Effects of Climate Change on Plant Regeneration: Linking Neighborhood Size, Tolerance Range, and Species Responses

Elliot Gardner, Northwestern University and Chicago Botanic Garden - Advisor, Dr. Nyree Zerega, POLLINATION BIOLOGY OF DOMESTICATED ARTOCARPUS J.R. FORST. & G. FORST. (MORACEAE)

Alannie-Grace Grant, University of Pittsburgh - Advisor, Dr. Susan Kalisz, Testing the preemptive selfing hypothesis— Does self-pollination limit hybridization in co-flowering related species?

Kimberly Hansen, Northern Arizona University - Advisor, Dr. Tina J Ayers, Reconstructing the Evolutionary History of Campanulaceae with NextGen Sequencing

Carla J. Harper, University of Kansas - Advisor, Dr. Thomas N. Taylor, Fungal diversity during the Permian and Triassic of Antarctica

Karolina Heyduk, University of Georgia - Advisor, Dr. Jim Leebens-Mack, Physiology and evolutionary genomics of CAM photosynthesis in Yucca (Asparagaceae)

Brian Hoven, Miami University - Advisor, Dr. David L. Gorchov, The effect of emerald ash borer-caused canopy gaps on understory invasive shrubs and forest regeneration

Kelly Ksiazek, Northwestern University and Chicago Botanic Garden - Advisor, Dr. Krissa Skogen, POLLEN MOVEMENT ON URBAN GREEN ROOFS

Emily Lewis, Northwestern University and Chicago Botanic Garden - Advisor, Dr. Krissa Skogen, Using pollinator foraging distance to predict genetic differentiation in hawkmoth- and bee-pollinated Oenothera species

Shih-Hui Liu, Saint Louis University and the Missouri Botanical Garden - Advisor, Dr. Jan Barber, Phylogeny of Ludwigia and polyploid evolution in section Macrocarpon (Onagraceae)

Blaine Marchant, University of Florida and the Folrida Museum of Natural History - Advisor, Drs. Douglas and Pamela Soltis, Investigations into the Fern Genome: Filling the Missing Link in Land Plant Genome Evolution

Renee Petipas, Cornell University - Advisor, Dr. Monica Geber, The Contribution of Root-Associated Microbes to Plant Local Adaptation

Clayton Visger, University of Florida and the Folrida Museum of Natural History - Advisor, Drs. Douglas and Pamela Soltis, Genomic consequences of autopolyploidy: Gene expression in diploid and autopolyploid Tolmiea (Saxifragaceae)

Emily Warschefsky, Florida International University and the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden - Advisor, Dr. Eric J. B. von Wettberg, Next-Generation Domestication Genetics of the Mango (M. indica L.)

Keir Wefferling, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee - Advisor, Dr. Sara Hoot, Speciation and hybridization in Caltha leptosepala s.l. (Ranunculaceae): Disentangling the subalpine marsh-marigold species complex

Kevin Weitemier, Oregon State University - Advisor, Dr. Aaron Liston, Genome-enabled phylogeography of a Great Basin milkweed, Asclepias cryptoceras

Brett Younginger, Portland State University - Advisor, Dr. Daniel Ballhorn, The diversity and functional role of foliar endophytes in stress-tolerant plants

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.

Carla Harper, University of Kansas - Advisor, Dr. Thomas N. Taylor - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Foliar fossil fungi: Leaf–fungal interactions from the Permian and Triassic of Antarctica" Co-authors: Thomas N Taylor, Michael Krings and Edith L. Taylor

Rebecca Koll, University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History - Advisor, Dr. Steven Manchester - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Taxonomic Relationships of Early and Middle Permian Gigantopterid Seed Plants in Western Pangea" Co-author: Steven Manchester

Meghan McKeown, University of Vermont - Advisor, Dr. Jill Preston - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "The Evolution of Vernalization Responsiveness in Temperate Pooideae" Co-author: Jill Preston

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.

Daniel McNair, University of Southern Mississippi - 1^st Place, Graceful aging, $500 Botany 2014 Student Travel Award

Daniel McNair, University of Southern Mississippi - 2^nd Place, Last of the longleaf

Abby Glauser, University of Kansas - 3^rd Place, Resilience, $250 Botany 2014 Student Travel Award

Carla Harper, University of Kansas - 3^rd Place, 260 million year old (Permian) mycorrhizal fungi from Antarctica, $250 Botany 2014 Student Travel Award

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 2014 award recipients are:

Meredith R. Breeden, Fort Lewis College - Advisor, Dr. Ross A. McCauley, Pollination biology of the narrow endemic Ipomopsis ramosa, in Roaring Fork Canyon, CO

Alice Butler, Bucknell University - Advisors, Drs. Chris Martine and Ingrid Jordon-Thaden, Floral Development in Solanum sejunctum and Solanum asymmetriphyllum

Matthew Galliart, Kansas State University - Advisor, Dr. Loretta Johnson, Long-term field selection of big bluestem ecotypes in reciprocal gardens planted across the Great Plains precipitation gradient

Ian Gilman, Bucknell University - Advisors, Drs. Chris Martine and Ingrid Jordon-Thaden, Field botany and population genetics of Draba L. (Brassicaceae) in the Rocky Mountains

Morgan Roche, Bucknell University - Advisors, Drs. Chris Martine and Ingrid Jordon-Thaden, Genetic Diversity Within and Among Species of Dioecious Australian Solanum

Dylan D. Sedmak, Ohio State University - Advisor, Dr. John Freudenstein, Fungal Variability and Habitat Correspondence in the North American Orchid Cypripedium acaule Ait.

Kayla Ventura, University of Florida - Advisor, Dr. Pamela Soltis, Identifying the Cellular Component of Flower Size Differences in Gilia (Polemoniaceae) Associated with Changes in Pollinators

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 2014 "Certificate of Special Achievement" award recipients are:

Theresa Barosh, Willamette University, Advisor: Dr. Susan Kephart

Allison Bronson, Humbolt State University, Advisor: Dr. Alexandru M. Tomescu

Jamie Burnett, Humbolt State University, Advisor: Dr. Alexandru M. Tomescu

Katherine Chapel, Miami University, Advisor: Dr. Michael A. Vincent

Nels Christensen, Connecticut College, Advisor: Dr. T. Page Owen, Jr.

Gemma Dugan, Bucknell University, Advisor: Dr. Chris Martine

Vince Fasanello, Bucknell University, Advisor: Drs. Warren Abrahamson and Chris Martine

Leila Fletcher, Barnard College, Columbia University, Advisor: Dr. Hilary Callahan

Anna Freundlich, Bucknell University, Advisor: Dr. Chris Martine

Maria Friedman, Humbolt State University, Advisor: Dr. Alexandru M. Tomescu

Blake Geraci, University of Florida, Advisor: Dr. Pamela S. Soltis

Grace Glynn, Connecticut College, Advisor: Dr. T. Page Owen, Jr.

Cody Groen, College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University, Advisor: Dr. Stephen G. Saupe, Ph.D.

Anna Herzberger, Eastern Illinois University, Advisor: Dr. Scott J. Meiners, Ph.D

Julia Hull, Weber State University, Advisor: Dr. Ron Deckert Ph.D.

Emily Keil, Ohio University, Advisor: Dr. Sarah E. Wyatt

Michael LeDuc, Connecticut College, Advisor: Dr. T. Page Owen, Jr.

Jessica Mikenas, Oberlin College, Advisor: Dr. Michael J. Moore

Luis Mourino, University of Florida, Advisor: Dr. Pamela S. Soltis

Taylor J. Nelson, Weber State University, Advisor: Dr. Sue Harley

Chelsea Obrebski, Miami University, Advisor: Dr. Michael A. Vincent

Rhys Ormond, Willamette University, Advisor: Dr. Susan Kephart

Kelsey Phipps, Eastern Illinois University, Advisor: Dr. Scott J. Meiners, Ph.D

Molly Sutton, Weber State University, Advisor: Dr. Barb Wachocki

Amanda Thornton, Campbell University, Advisor: Dr. Chris Havran

Drew Walters, Fort Lewis College, Advisor: Dr. Ross A McCauley, Ph.D.

The BSA PLANTs Grant Recipients

The PLANTS (Preparing Leaders and Nurturing Tomorrow’s Scientists): Increasing the diversity of plant scientists) program recognizes outstanding undergraduates from diverse backgrounds and provides travel grants and mentoring for these students.

Marilyn Creer, Alabama A&M University, Advisor: Dr. Tatiana Kukhtareva

Gemma Dugan, Bucknell University, Advisor: : Dr. Chris Martine

Shawna Faulkner, Humboldt University, Advisor: : Dr. Alexandru Tomescu

Michelle Garcia, University of Texas-El Paso, Advisor: Dr. Michael Moody

Aidee Guzman, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Advisor: Dr. Eve Emshwiller

Timothy Hieger, University of Kansas, Advisor: Dr. Thomas N. Taylor

Shayla Hobbs, University of Illinois, Advisor: Dr. Tina M. Knox

Michelle Jackson, Smith College, Advisor: Dr. Jesse Bellemare

Claudia Christine Marin, University of Califormia Riverside, Advisor: Dr. Milton McGiffen

Sean Pena, Florida International University, Advisor: Dr. Suzanne Koptur

David Pozo Garces, Central Michigan State University, Advisor: Dr. Anna Monfils

Yisu Santamarina, Florida International University, Advisor: Dr. Bradley Bennett

Samuel Torpey, University of Idaho, Advisor: Dr. David Tank

Given By the Sections

Genetics Section Student Research Awards

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

Kevin Weitemier, Oregon State University - Graduate Student Award - Advisors: Dr. Aaron Liston, for the proposal titled "Genome-enabled phylogeography of a Great Basin milkweed, Asclepias cryptoceras"

Kimberly Hansen, Northern Arizona University - Masters Student Award - Advisor: Dr.Tina Ayers, for the proposal titled "Reconstructing the Evolutionary History of Campanulaceae with NextGen Sequencing"

Isabel Cookson Award (Paleobotanical Section)

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

Kelly K.S. Matsunaga from Humboldt State University, for the paper entitled, “A whole-plant concept for an Early Devonian (Lochkovian-Pragian) lycophyte from the Beartooth Butte Formation (Wyoming), Co-author: Alexandru M.F. Tomescu.

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 Rebecca Povilus, from Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, for the paper “Pre-fertilization reproductive development and floral biology in the remarkable water lily, Nymphaea thermarum.” Co-authors: Juan M Losada and William E Friedman.

Li-Cor Prize (Physiological Section)

Christina Hilt, Fort Hays State University - Advisor, Dr. Brian Maricle, for the poster “Physiological responses of grasses to drought and flooding treatments” Co-author: Brian Maricle

Maynard Moseley Award (Developmental & Structural and Paleobotanical 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.

Fabiany Herrera, from the University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, for the paper "Revealing the Floristic and Biogeographic Composition of Paleocene to Miocene Neotropical Forests " Co-authors: Steven Manchester and Carlos Jaramillo

Developmental & Structural Section Best Student Presentation Awards

Kelsey Galimba, University of Washington,for the poster “Gene duplication and neo-functionalization in the APETALA3 lineage of floral organ identity genes in a non-core eudicot” Co-author: Jesus Martinez-Gomez and Veronica S Di Stilio 

Ecology Section Graduate Student Presentation Awards

Rachel M. Germain (Graduate Student), University of Toronto, for the paper “Hidden responses to environmental variation: maternal effects reveal species niche dimensions” Co-author: Benjamin Gilbert

Clayton J. Visger (Graduate Student), University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, for the paper “Niche Divergence in Tolmiea (Saxifragaceae): using Ecological Niche Modeling to develop a testable hypothesis for a diploid-autotetraploid species pair” Co-authors: Charlotte Germain-Aubrey, PAMELA S. SOLTIS, and Douglas E. Soltis

Takashi Yamamoto, Chiba University, for the best Graduate Student poster “Refugia might affect the genetic structure of a sea-dispersal plants: Vigna marina” Co-authors: Koji Takayama, Reiko Nagashima, Yoichi Tateishi, and Tadashi Kajita

Ignacio Vera, for the best Undergraduate Student poster “Comparing Seed Viability and Harvest Consistency Across Sites and Years for the Federally Endangered Plant Eriastrum densifolium spp. sanctorum”

Davis Blasini, Chicago Botanic Garden, for the best Undergraduate Student poster “Introduction of Echinacea pallida in the Prairies of Western Minnesota and its Possible Effects on Native Echinacea angustifolia” Co-author: Stuart Wagenius

Genetics Section Student Poster Award

Morgan Roche, Bucknell University, for the poster “When dioecy doesn’t pay: Population genetic comparisons across three breeding systems and five species in Australia Solanum” Co-authors: Ingrid Jordon-Thaden and Chris Martine

Physiological Section Student Presentation Awards

Eli Echt-Wilson and Albert Zuo, La Cueva High School - Advisor, Jason DeWitte, for the paper “A Detailed Computational Model of Tree Growth” Co-authors: Sean Hammond, David Hanson and Jason DeWitte

Keri Caudle, Fort Hays State University - Advisor, Dr. Brian Maricle, for the poster “Pigment variation among ecotypes of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) across a precipitation gradient” Co-authors: Christina Hilt, Cera Smart, Diedre Kramer, Sana Cheema, Loretta Johnson, Sara Baer and Brian Maricle

Southeastern Section (Association of Southeastern Biologists, Poster/Paper Awards)

Titian Ghandforoush, Wake Forest University - for the ASB 2014 presentation:
"Phylogenetic reconstruction of relationships I the paleotropical Vaccinieae (Ericaceae) based on DNA sequence data" Co-author Kathleen Kron

Kristin Emery, University of North Carolina at Asheville - for the ASB 2014 poster:
"Effects of open pollination, selfing, inbreeding and outbreeding treatments on seed set and viability in Spiraea virginiana, an endangered rose" Co-authors Jennifer Rhode Ward and H. David Clarke

Developmental & Structural Section Student Travel Awards

Italo Antonio Cotta Coutinho, Universidade Federal de Vicosa - Advisor, Renata Maria Strozi Alves Meira - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Diversity of secretory structures in Urena lobata L.: ontogenesis, anatomy and biology of the secretion" Co-authors: Sara Akemi Ponce Otuki, Valéria Ferreira Fernandes, Renata Maria Strozi Alves Meira

Roux Florian, INRA - Advisor, Jana Dlouhá - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Flexible juveniles or why trees produce ‘low quality’ wood?" Co-authors: Jana Dlouhá, Tancrède Almeras, Meriem Fournier

Rebecca Povilus, Harvard University - Advisor, William Friedman - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Pre-fertilization reproductive development and floral biology in the remarkable water lily, Nymphaea thermarum" Co-authors: Juan M Losada, William E Friedman

Beck Powers, University of Vermont - Advisor, Jill Preston - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Evolution of asterid HANABA TARANU-like genes and their role in petal fusion" Co-author: Jill Preston

Ecology Section Student Travel Awards

Rachel Germain, University of Toronto - Advisor, Dr. Benjamin Gilbert - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Hidden responses to environmental variation: maternal effects reveal species niche dimensions" Co-author: Benjamin Gilbert

Jessica Peebles Spencer, Miami University - Advisor, Dr. David L. Gorchov - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Effects of the Invasive Shrub, Lonicera maackii, and a Generalist Herbivore, White-tailed Deer, on Forest Floor Plant Community Composition" Co-author: David L. Gorchov

Economic Botany Section Student Travel Awards

Lauren J. Frazee, Rutgers University - Advisor, Lena Struwe - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Urban Environmental Education and Outreach using Edible, Wild, and Weedy Plants" Co-authors: Sara Morris-Marano and Lena Struwe

Jacob Wasburn, University of Missouri - Advisor, J. Chris Pires - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Photosynthetic evolution in the grass tribe Paniceae" Co-authors: James Schnable, Gavin Conant and J. Chris Pires

Genetics Section Student Travel Awards

Heather Dame, University of Ottawa - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Phylogeny of the paraphyletic Fuireneae (Cyperaceae)" Co-authors: Anna K. Monfils, Derek R. Shiels, Julian Starr, David Pozo, Adriane L. Shorkey and Elizabeth R. Schick

Robert Massatti, University of Michigan - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Microhabitat differences impact phylogeographic concordance of co-distributed species: genomic evidence in montane sedges (Carex L.) from the Rocky Mountains" Co-author: Lacey Knowles

Rosa Rodriguez, Florida International University - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Genetic structure, diversity, and differentiation of Pseudophoenix (Arecaceae) in Hispaniola" Co-authors: Brett Jestrow, Teodoro Clase, Francisco Jimenez, Alan Meerow, Eugenio Valentin Santiago, Jose Sustache, Patrick Griffith and Javier Francisco-Ortega

Pteridological Section & American Fern Society Student Travel Awards

Alyssa Cochran, University of North Carolina, Wilmington - Advisor, Dr. Eric Schuettpelz - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Tryonia, a new taenitidoid fern genus segregated from Jamesonia and Eriosorus (Pteridaceae)" Co-authors: Jefferson Prado and Eric Schuettpelz

Jordan Metzgar , University of Alaska, Fairbanks - Advisor, Dr. Stefanie Ickert-Bond - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "From eastern Asia to North America: historical biogeography of the parsley ferns (Cryptogramma)" Co-author: Stefanie Ickert-Bond

Jerald Pinson, University of North Carolina, Wilmington - Advisor, Dr. Eric Schuettpelz - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Origin of Vittaria appalachiana, the "Appalachian gametophyte"" Co-author: Eric Schuettpelz

Sally Stevens, Purdue University  - Advisor, Dr. Nancy C. Emery - for the Botany 2014 presentation: "Home is Where the Heat Is? Temperature and Humidity Responses in a Fern Gametophytex" Co-author: Nancy C. Emery

SPECIAL AWARDS:

Dr. Elizabeth Kellogg
Out-going BSA Past-President, Danforth Center

The Botanical Society of America presents a special award to Dr. Kellogg expressing gratitude and appreciation for outstanding contributions and support for the Society. Toby has provided exemplary contributions to the Society in terms of leadership, time, and effort.

Dr. David Spooner
Out-going Program Director, University of Wisconson

The Botanical Society of America presents a special award to Dr. Spooner expressing gratitude and appreciation for outstanding contributions and support for the Society. David has provided exemplary contributions to the Society in terms of leadership, time, and effort.

Dr. Linda Graham
Out-going Director-at-large for Development, University of Wisconson

The Botanical Society of America presents a special award to Dr. Graham expressing gratitude and appreciation for outstanding contributions and support for the Society. Linda has provided exemplary contributions to the Society in terms of leadership, time, and effort.

Morgan Gostel
BSA Student Representative to the Board, George Mason University

The Botanical Society of America presents a special award to Morgan expressing gratitude and appreciation for outstanding contributions and support for the Society.