Dr. Sean Graham, University of British Columbia

Dr. Sean Graham is widely recognized as one of world’s leading and innovative students of plant systematics and is often on the leading edge in several important areas of plant evolutionary biology. Sean became a full professor at the University of British Columbia in 2012 and since 2016 has served the role as Head of the Department of Botany. He has played a key role in many major initiatives to reconstruct the phylogeny of land plants, using intensive sampling of genes and species to yield a robust reconstruction of the evolutionary tree of this group. Sean's work has three characteristics worthy of highlighting: (1) it is focused on the broad relationships of major groups, and thus serves as a framework for many subsequent studies; (2) it uses dense sampling of many genes and many species, to provide more robust results than in previous studies; and (3) the data are gathered with great care. His penchant for double- and triple-checking his sequence data produces results that serve as a gold standard for the field.

Dr. Graham has also distinguished himself for his record of generous and highly effective service to the botanical community. For example, as BSA’s Director-at-Large for Publications over the past six years, he played a leading role in the decision to move to a commercial publisher, and shepherded the Society through the process of selecting a publishing partner and successfully transitioning the BSA journals to publication by Wiley. Sean has also served as an associate editor for the American Journal of Botany for many years and been a key contributing member on the Publications Ethics Committee. He is a caring and skilled teacher of both undergraduate and graduate students and a responsive colleague to all whom request his advice.

Dr. David W. Lee, Florida International University

Dr. David Lee is a plant functional ecologist especially interested in tropical and subtropical plants. He has done pioneering research on the physical basis and functional significance of plant color and has researched light environments in tropical forests, leaf optical properties, structural color in leaves, anthocyanin function (including autumn leaf color), light quality/quantity effects on seedling and plant development, and plasticity, especially in leaves. In addition to his record in basic plant research, he has an outstanding record of public outreach for the botanical sciences, which has included the publication of 11 popular but also scientifically rigorous books on botanical topics. His 2007 book, Nature’s Palette: The Science of Plant Color, won the Best of Biology and Life Sciences Award from the Association of American Publishers. His other books range from a book presenting the writings of the plant explorer David Fairchild (The World as Garden), through one of photographs and descriptions of the trees of south Florida (Wayside Trees of Tropical Florida), to his recent book on leaves (Nature’s Fabric, Leaves in Science and Culture).

David has been a life-long member of the Botanical Society of America. In addition to his strong record of research and service to the BSA and the public, he has been an excellent teacher and was awarded the BSA Charles Edwin Bessey Teaching Award in 2006 in recognition of his outstanding record in botanical education. He was the first botanist in a fledgling Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University, a brand-new public university in Miami, and he worked to develop a robust program in the plant sciences at this young university, initiating hiring of botanical faculty and developing formal collaborations between FIU and other botanical institutions.

Dr. Ann Sakai, University of California, Irvine

Dr. Stephen Weller, University of California, Irvine

Dr. Ann Sakai and Dr. Steve Weller have significantly advanced our understanding of the evolution of plant breeding systems while promoting Hawaiian plant conservation and serving the botanical community in numerous important capacities. They have made major contributions to our understanding of the evolutionary forces that lead to shifts in heterostyly as well as in floral condition, principally in two study systems: the evolution of heterostyly in Oxalis (Oxalidaceae) and the evolution of dioecy and wind pollination in Schiedea (Caryophyllaceae). The NSF has recognized the value of their work by essentially continually funding it over the last 30 years. As with all great researchers, they have followed research questions wherever they lead, regardless of technique. Very few botanists are as deeply involved with all facets of botany, from systematics to ecology, as are Drs. Sakai and Weller. Their stellar research careers have been rewarded by election as fellows to the AAAS.

Much of their work has also had direct and tangible impacts on conservation of Hawaiian Schiedea, while affording great respect to Hawaiian culture. Their greenhouse collection (which includes 25 of 32 extant species, almost all of which are federally endangered) forms an important reservoir of genetic diversity, and their ongoing research has documented patterns of genetic diversity, demography, and gene flow that are absolutely essential for Schiedea species conservation management programs. Much of their recent research has also focused on ways to increase Schiedea abundance in Hawaii, in collaboration with the National Tropical Botanical Garden and numerous state and federal agencies across Hawaii.

Dr. Sakai and Dr. Weller have also been deeply involved in service to the BSA and greater botanical community. Throughout their careers they have made education, outreach, and inclusion central parts of their work. For example, Dr. Sakai is a co-founder and leader of BSA’s highly successful PLANTS (Preparing Leaders and Nurturing Tomorrow's Scientists) program, which is now in its second 5-year NSF grant period. The PLANTS program is designed to increase representation from undergraduate communities who have historically not been represented in botany by bringing 10-15 such students to the Botany conference each year. More broadly, Dr. Sakai has been deeply involved in numerous initiatives at UC Irvine to improve diversity, including initiatives to foster collaboration with historically black colleges and universities, and between Mexican and Californian institutions. Dr. Weller was BSA president from 2010-2013, where he helped establish the Emerging Leader Award and secured the agreement with the Missouri Botanical Garden that led to the continuation of the current headquarters for BSA. He has also served as BSA Secretary and as a board member. Dr. Sakai and Dr. Weller have also been deeply involved in AJB as editors, authors, and reviewers, and were co-editors for a special issue on Global Biological Change in 2013. They have also distinguished themselves as outstanding and sensitive mentors to generations of students, leading to numerous awards for teaching and mentorship at UC Irvine. They are central figures in the ongoing success of the BSA as an institution that supports research, education, and inclusion.

Dr. Suzanne Koptur, Florida International University

Dr. Suzanne Koptur has been an active member of the BSA since graduate school. She has presented over 40 papers at BSA conferences over the years, both ecological and educational, and is a member of the Teaching, Ecology, and Tropical Biology sections.

Suzanne is a clear fit with the qualities recognized by the Charles Edwin Bessey Teaching Award. During her career she has mentored an exceptional number of graduate and undergraduate students, including many from groups under-represented in the sciences. She actively seeks funding to provide early opportunities for her students, providing opportunities for undergraduate researchers to join her and her graduate students in the lab and field, supporting and encouraging them to attend and present at botanical meetings, and to be involved in the PLANTS mentoring program and other career-building opportunities. In 2017 she was awarded the FIU University Graduate Student Provost Award for Mentorship of Graduate Students recognizing her mentoring efforts. One of her former students writes: “Through her vocation to training the next generation of botanists, she has left a lasting legacy. Every one of us that has had the great fortune in having Suzanne as a teacher will go forth as emissaries for science, creating a ripple effect that will spread her passion for plants far and wide throughout the world.” 

Suzanne is an active and engaged teacher who embraces new teaching techniques like active learning, flipped courses, and online teaching. She was active in creating a new FIU initiative, Quantifying Biology in the Classroom (QBIC), to help biology students develop quantitative skills to help them succeed. She served as the QBIC director from 2012-2016, and continues to serve this program as co-director. She contributes to the research on teaching and has made great impact in developing and supporting a culture of teaching innovation within her department.

In addition to her work at FIU, she is active in community outreach. She has been a supporter and proponent of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s Connect to Protect program encouraging citizens and schools to help create habitat corridors between the endangered South Florida Pine Rocklands. She has worked with local schools to build butterfly gardens, organizes several conferences that bring researchers and natural resource management professionals together, and serves on county committees to develop conservation initiatives.

Dr. Louise Lewis, University of Connecticut

BSA Corresponding Members Award
Corresponding members are distinguished senior scientists who have made outstanding contributions to plant science and who live and work outside of the United States of America. Corresponding members are nominated by the Council, which reviews recommendations and credentials submitted by members, and elected by the membership at the annual BSA business meeting. Corresponding members have all the privileges of life-time members.

Dr. Richard Abbott, University of St Andrews, London, United Kingdom

Dr. Lucia Lohmann, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, Brazil

Dr. Jefferson Prado, Instituto de Botânica, Herbário, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Dr. Victor Rico-Gray, Universidad Veracruzana, Veracruz Mexico

Dr. Fernando Zuloaga, Instituto de Botánica Darwinion, San Isidro, Argentina

Dr. John Z. Kiss, Univeristy of North Carolina, Greensboro

John's interest in space biology has led to past spaceflight projects which used microgravity as a tool to understand the mechanisms of tropistic responses. Currently, his team has been approved by NASA for several new experiments on the International Space Station to investigate plant tropisms. His long-term goal is to understand how plants integrate sensory input from multiple light and gravity perception systems.

No Award in 2019

William Sanders and Asunción de los Ríos
Parenchymatous cell division characterizes the fungal cortex of some common foliose lichens
American Journal of Botany, February 2017 104 no. 2 207-217; doi:10.3732/ajb.1600403

Honorable Mention:

Rachel Spicer, Dan Johnson, Phoebe Eckart, Noah Alsamadisi, Hilary Noble and Celia Martin
Polar auxin transport is implicated in vessel differentiation and spatial patterning during secondary growth in Populus
American Journal of Botany, February 2018 105 no. 2 186-196; doi:10.1002/ajb2.1035

The BSA Developing Nations Travel Grants

Oyedapo Ololade Adesomi, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Nigeria

Sekinat Okikiola Azeez, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Nigeria

John Chau, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Eliezer Cocoletzi, Universidad Veracruzana in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

Ana Andruchow Colombo, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Museo Paelontológico Egidio Feruglio, Argentina

Facundo De Benedetti, Egidio Feruglio Paleontological Museum, Trelew, Argentina

Ethiéne Guerra, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Alison Gonçalves Nazareno, IFederal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Nora Oleas, Universidad Tecnologica Indoamerica in Machala y Sabanilla, Quito, Ecuador

Shabir Ahmad Rather, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India

The BSA Professional Member Travel Grants

Laura Frost, Louisiana State University

Jordan Metzgar, Virginia Tech

Carlos J. Pasiche-Lisboa, University of Manitoba, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

Ayobola Sakpere, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria

Carolina Moriani Siniscalchi, University of Memphis

Kevin Weitemier, Oregon State University

Dustin Wolkis, National Tropical Botanical Garden

Cheng-Chiang Wu, Harvard University

Awards for Established Scientists - Given by the Sections

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.

Erika Frangione, University of Toronto Mississauga, For her presentation: Comparative transcriptomics of repeated reticulate evolution in the genus Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae) Co-author: Saša Stefanović

No Award in 2019

Hannah Ranft, Johns Hopkins University, For the Proposal: Sometimes it only takes one to tango: using natural history collections to assess the impact of asexuality in the fern genus Pteris. Co-authors: Kathryn Picard, Amanda Grusz, Michael Windham, Eric Schuettpelz

Dr. Emily Sessa, University of Florida

Dr. Emiy Sessa serves as Assistant Professor at the University of Florida where she has developed a well-funded and strong research program. Dr. Sessa’s research is focused on understanding the evolutionary processes that shape plant diversity with a major focus on fern systematics and phylogenetics. To this end, she has published more than 40 peer-reviewed publications on these topics with significant contributions to our understanding of Dryopteris phylogenetics and systematics as well as plant biogeography. Emily also studies plant physiology and is among the few researchers to genuinely combine physiology, genomics, and phylogenetics in her analyses of drought tolerance in fern gametophytes and sporophytes. At the heart of her research is the question, “what ecological and evolutionary processes have generated, and help to maintain, fern diversity on Earth?”

Dr. Sessa has been described as one of the brightest botanical stars of her generation by her colleagues and is already an active leader in the botanical research community. She has served as an editor or associate editor for the American Fern Journal and the American Journal of Botany, as Communications Coordinator for the American Society of Plant Taxonomists and was recently elected as the next Director at Large for Publications on the BSA Board. Over the past 24 months, Emily has delivered 13 invited seminars and lectures. She has also mentored more than 12 undergraduate students, four graduate students, and two postdoctoral researchers.

Her latest teaching endeavor is a study abroad course on the Biodiversity of Southern Africa. Dr. Sessa will be leading a four-week field course in South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia that immerses students in field research and hands-on learning in one of the most botanically and biologically exciting areas on Earth.

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.

Audrey Haynes, Ph.D. Candidate, University of California Berkeley

Adam Schneider, Assistant Professor and Herbarium Curator, Hendrix College

Botany Advocacy Leadership Grant
This award organized by the Environmental and Public Policy Committees of BSA and ASPT aims to support local efforts that contribute to shaping public policy on issues relevant to plant sciences.

Else Schils, For the Proposal: Bringing Biocultural Diversity to the forefront of the Political Agenda in Guam

SPECIAL AWARDS

Out-going BSA President

Dr. Loren Rieseberg

Out-going Director-at-large for Publication

Dr. Sean Graham

BSA Student Representative to the Board

Chelsea Pretz

The J. S. Karling Graduate Student Research Award

Jennifer Ackerfield, Colorado State University, For the Proposal: Unraveling the link between hanging garden and alpine thistles (Compositae: Cirsium): A phylogeographic study of Cirsium rydbergii and C. ownbeyi of the Colorado Plateau

The BSA Graduate Student Research Awards

Steven Augustine, University of Wisconsin - Madison, For the Proposal: Quantifying Environmental Tolerances of Wisconsin’s Southern Hardwoods for Effective Oak Savanna Restoration

Dylan Cohen, Claremont Graduate University, For the Proposal: Illuminating Loasa (Loasaceae) diversity in Chile using next generation sequencing

Michelle D'Aguillo, Duke University, For the Proposal: Habitat tracking through germination phenology in two southern Appalachian Phacelia (Boraginaceae) species

Michael D'Antonio, Stanford University, For the Proposal: Ontogeny and structure of Late Paleozoic arborescent lycopsids

Maria Beatriz de Souza Cortez, University of Florida, For the Proposal: Elucidating the floristic history of Brazil’s campos rupestresto help preserve its future

Sonal Gupta, University of Michigan, For the Proposal: Deconstructing the sweetpotato: How influential is leaf shape on fitness and what is the role of environmental variation?

Adriana Hernandez, Cornell University, For the Proposal: Revealing the Evolutionary History and Ecological Niches of a Highly Polymorphic Lily, Calochortus venustus: An Integrative Approach to Conservation

Cody Coyotee Howard, Florida Museum of Natural History, For the Proposal: The progression of aridity in Africa and its effects on plant evolution

Rachel Lyman, Washington University in St. Louis, For the Proposal: The Biogeography of the Central Tennessee Basin Glade Endemics

Yesenia Madrigal Bedoya, University of Antioquia (Colombia), For the Proposal: Gene evolution and characterization of genes that promote flowering in Neotropical orchids

Cheyenne Moore, Bucknell University, For the Proposal: The conservation challenge of linear populations: Using field surveys and herbarium collections to inform the populations genetics of a Pennsylvania rare plant, Baptisia australis var. australis

OJO Funmilola Mabel, Obafemi Awolowo University, For the Proposal: Genetic and Cytogenetic studies of the Andropogon gayanus –Andropogon tectorum complex in South Western Nigeria

Maria Pimienta, Florida International University, For the Proposal: Diurnal and nocturnal pollination of Guettarda scabra (Rubiaceae), an advantage to surviving in South Florida's disappearing pine rocklands

Sébastien Rivest, University of Ottawa, For the Proposal: Evolutionary and ecological causes and consequences of pollen defense

Amanda Salvi, University of Wisconsin - Madison, For the Proposal: Determining the roll of nitrogen loss on non-stomatal photosynthetic limitations to water stress in greenhouse and common garden experiments

Karla Sosa, Duke University, For the Proposal: Escaping Australia: The role of ploidy and reproductive mode in the dispersal of Australasian Cheilanthes (Pteridaceae)

Jordon Tourville, SUNY-ESF, For the Proposal: The Potential Influence of Mycorrhizal Mutualists on Tree Elevational Range Expansions Under Future Climate Change

Daniel Turck, University of Idaho, For the Proposal: Identifying cryptic diversity and modeling future distributions of North American temperate rainforest plants, using comparative phylogeography and machine learning

Cecilia Zumajo, The New York Botanical Garden, For the Proposal: Origin and evolution of the seed coat in gymnosperms

 
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.

Alexander Bippus, Oregon State University, Advisor: Ruth A. Stockley, For the Presentation: Uncovering Mesozoic polar bryophyte diversity: A permineralized haplolepideous moss gametophyte from the Late Cretaceous of the north slope of Alaska
Co-authors: Ruth Stockey, Ger Rothwell

Megan Nibbelink, Humboldt State University, Advisor: Mihai Tomescu, For the Presentation: Exploring zosterophyll diversity in the Emsian (Early Devonian) permineralized assemblages of the Battery Point Formation (Québec, Canada)
Co-author: Alexandru Tomescu

Annika Smith, University of Florida, Advisors: Drs. Pamela and Douglas Soltis, For the Presentation: How many ways are there to make a nectar spur? Studies in the nasturtiums (Tropaeolum).
Co-authors: Lena Struwe, Kurt Stenn, Douglas Soltis, Pamela Soltis

Zebadiah Yoko, North Dakota State University, Advisor: Dr. Jill Hamilton, For the Presentation: Teasing apart the scale of quantitative trait differences for restoration across heterogeneous landscapes
Co-authors: Kate Volk, Jill Hamilton

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.

Rosemary Glos, Cornell University - 1^st Place, Losana nana, $500 Botany 2019 Student Travel Award

Ana Andruchow Colombo, University of Buenos Aires - 2^nd Place, Vascular bundle and resin canal of Saxegothaea leaf under epifluorescence light microscopy, $300 Botany 2019 Student Travel Award

Annika Smith, University of Florida - 3^rd Place, The Egg-Beater Hairs of the Water Ferns, $200 Botany 2019 Student Travel Award

The BSA Undergraduate Student Research Awards
The BSA Undergraduate Student Research Awards support undergraduate student research and are made on the basis of research proposals and letters of recommendation.

Blake Fauskee, The University of Minnesota-Duluth, For the Proposal: Could RNA editing explain phylogenetic rate heterogeneity in seed-free vascular plants?

Brianna Reynolds, The University of Tennesse-Knoxville, For the Proposal: Identifying Fungal Endophytes in a Myrmecochore, Chelidonium majus

Susana Vega, University of Antioquia, Colombia, For the Proposal: Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Selaginella P. Beauv. (Selaginellaceae) in the Department of Antioquia, Columbia.

Paige Wiebe, Kansas State University, For the Proposal: Niche divergence in big bluestem grass ecotypes in response to experimental drought: Mechanisms of local adaptation

Noah Yawn, Auburn University, For the Proposal: Reassessment of the Endangered Alabama Canebrake Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia Alabamensis, Populations and Occurrences in Collaboration with the Atlanta Botanical Garden

The BSA Young Botanist Awards
The purpose of these awards is to offer individual recognition to outstanding graduating seniors in the plant sciences and to encourage their participation in the Botanical Society of America.

Emma Baker, Creighton University, Advisor: Dr. Mackenzie Taylor

Susan Eiben, Ohio University, Advisor: Dr. Harvey Ballard

Sophie Everbach, Oberlin College, Advisor: Dr. Michael J. Moore

Chlöe Fackler, McGill University, Advisor: Dr. Frieda Beauregard

Blake Fauskee, Duke University, Advisor: Dr. Kathleen Pryer

Linnea Fraser, Oberlin College, Advisor: Dr. Michael J. Moore

Evan Gallagher, University of Missouri–Columbia, Advisor: Dr. J. Pires

Ava Heller, Ohio University, Advisor: Dr. Harvey Ballard

Claire Jorgensen, Willamette University, Advisor: Dr. Susan Kephart

Melissa Kosty, UCLA, Advisor: Dr. Ann M. Hirsch

Elizabeth Ladyzhets, Barnard College - Columbia University, Advisor: Dr. Hilary S. Callahan

Hailee McOmber, Fort Lewis College, Advisor: Dr. Ross A. McCauley

Jocelyn Navarro, Connecticut College, Advisor: Dr. Chad Jones

Sofia Ocampo, Florida International University, Advisor: Dr. Suzanne Koptur

Simone Oliphant, Florida International University, Advisor: Dr. Suzanne Koptur

Asa Peters, Connecticut College, Advisor: Dr. Chad Jones

Emily Swindell, Fort Lewis College, Advisor: Dr. Ross A. McCauley

Helene Tiley, Oberlin College, Advisor: Dr. Michael J. Moore

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 grant.

Austin Betancourt, San Jose State University, Advisor: Benjamin Carter

Charles Bush, Oglala Lakota College, Advisor: Madhav Nepal

Talbrett Caramillo, Fort Lewis College, Advisor: Ross McCauley

Jovan Coleman, Mesa Community College, Advisor: Sean Whitcomb

C.J. Copper, College of the Redwoods, Advisor: Maria Friedman

Lisa Danback, Webster University, Advisor: Nicole Miller-Struttman

Marco Donoso, University of Central Oklahoma, Advisor: Chad King

Candy DuBray, Oglala Lakota College, Advisor: Madhav Nepal

Ana Flores, Florida International University, Advisor: Jennifer Richards

Mari Irving, University of Central Florida, Advisor: Chase Mason

Chazz Jordan, Georgia State University, Advisor: Lauren Eserman

Matthew McCarthy, Citris College, Advisor: Marianne Smith

Cristina Raya, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Advisor: Rupesh Kariyat

Marcus Reid, Phoenix College, Advisor: Matt Haberkom

Rachael Snodgrass, Gonzaga University, Advisor: Stephen Hayes

Tatyana Soto, Mills College, Advisor: Sarah Swope

Emily Swindell, Fort Lewis College, Advisor: Ross McCauley

Dannielle Waugh, University of Central Florida, Advisor: Chase Mason

Danielle Weaver, CSU-Fullerton, Advisor: Joshua Der

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.

Adriana I. Hernandez, Cornell University, Advisor: Chelsea D. Specht, For the Proposal: Revealing the Evolutionary History and Ecological Niches of a Highly Polymorphic Lily, Calochortus venustus: An Integrative Approach to Conservation

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

Facundo De Beneditti, Egidio Feruglio Paleontological Museum, Trelew, Argentina: For the Presentation: Late Cretaceous heterosporous water ferns from Patagonia: assessing monomegaspory. Co-authors: Maria Del Carmen Zamaloa, Maria Gandolfo, Nestor Cuneo

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.

Joyce Chery, University of California-Berkeley, for the presentation: Evolution of strange wood development in a large group of neotropical lianas, Paullinia (Sapindaceae) Co-authors: Marcelo Pace, Pedro Acevedo-Rodriguez, Carl Rothfels, Chelsea Specht

Lauren Tucker and Amanda Salvi tied for the LI-COR Prize for an Oral Paper

Laurent Tucker, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, for the presentation: Recovery of California black walnut trees following drought induced dieback. Co-authors: Frank Ewers, Stephen Davis, Edward Bobich

Amanda Salvi, University Of Wisconsin-Madison, for the presentation: Mesophyll photosynthetic sensitivity to leaf water potential increases in Eucalyptus species native to moister Australian climates: a new dimension of plant adaptation to drought. Co-authors: Duncan D. Smith, Kate McCulloh, Thomas Givnish

Steven Augustine and Katie Krogmeier tied for the LI-COR Prize for Best Poster

Steven Augustine, University of Wisconsin - Madison, for the poster: Going for broke: carbon and water relations of germinant conifer seedlings exposed to drought. Co-author: Kate McCulloh

Katie Krogmeier, Appalachian State University, for the Poster: Investigating potential impacts of polyploidy on the ecophysiological responses of Solidago altissma to climate change.  Co-authors: Howard Neufeld, Erica Pauer

Physiological Section Student Presentation Award

Helen Holmlund, University of CA, Santa Cruz, for the Best Oral Presentation: High-resolution computed tomography reveals dynamics of desiccation and rehydration in a desiccation-tolerant fern. Co-authors: Brandon Pratt, Anna Jacobsen, Stephen Davis, Jarmila Pittermann

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.

Katie Nolan, Eastern Michigan University, For the presentation: Comparative morphology of the dimorphic leaf glands in carnivorous butterworts (Pinguicula L.) Co-authors: Kylie Bocklund, Tianying Lan, Crystal Tomlin, Todd Michael, Victor Albert, Tanya Renne

Ecological Section Student Presentation Award

Sophie Duncan  Intraspecific life history variation in the invasive range of Cynoglossum officinale, Boraginaceae. Co-author: Jennifer Williams

Ecological Section Poster Awards

Jeremy Collings (Undergraduate), Assessing invasive plant management using understory vegetation surveys. Co-author: Andrea Devalos

Victoria Luizzi (Graduate), Is floral scent production energetically costly? Co-authors: Hampus Petren, Magne Friberg

Tanisha Williams (Graduate), Using species distribution models to assess the impacts contemporary and forecasted climate change has on the distribution patterns of Pelargonium species throughout South Africa. Co-authors: Carl Schlichting, Kent Holsinger

Genetics Section Student Presentation Award

Richard Field, University of Georgia for his poster:  In search of the regulatory basis of crassulaceaen acid metabolism (CAM): a comparative genomics approach in three species of Yucca L. Co-authors: Karolina Heyduck, Jim Leebens-Mack

A. J. Sharp Award - ABLS/Bryological and Lichenological Section

Carly Anderson Stuart, University of Colorado at Boulder, For the Presentation: Using restriction site associated sequencing (RADseq) data for phylogenetic analysis of Cladonia lichens. Co-author: Erin A. Tripp

Honorable Mentions:
Jenna Ekwealor, Rachel Keuler, Patrick Lauriault

Developmental & Structural Section Student Travel Awards

Ana Andruchow Colombo, Museo Paleontológico Egidio Ferugio, Advisor: Ignacio Escapa, For the Presentation: Anatomical studies of two Chilean Podocarpaceae species: insights to the seed cone and leaf morphological evolution of the family Co-authors: Lone Aagesen, Raul Pozner

Molly Edwards, Harvard University, Advisor: Elena Kramer, For the Presentation: Exploring the developmental and genetic basis of complex petal morphologies in bee- and hummingbird-pollinated Aquilegia (columbine) Co-authors: Evangeline S. Ballerini, Gary Choi, L. Mahadevan, Scott Hodges, Elena Kramer

Asia Hightower, Wayne State University, Advisor: Edward Golenberg, For the Presentation: Sculpting an imperfect flower: The study of KNUCKLES in primordia regulation Co-author: Edward Golenberg

Ecological Section Student Travel Awards

Natalie Love, University of California, Santa Barbara, Advisor: Dr. Susan Mazer, For the Presentation: A new phenological metric for use in pheno-climatic models: a case study using herbarium specimens of Streptanthus tortuosus Co-authors: Isaac Park, Susan Mazer

Kristin Peach, University of California, Santa Barbara, Advisor: Dr. Susan Mazer, for the Presentation: Rethinking floral attraction: sexual dimorphism in Clarkia unguiculata Co-author: Susan Mazer

Meera Lee Sethi, University of Washington, Seattle, Advisor: Janneke Hille Ris Lambers, For the Presentation: Higher, Faster, Hungrier: Complex Dynamics of a Subalpine Plant-Insect Herbivore Interaction Co-author: Janneke HilleRisLambers

Tanisha Williams, University of Connecticut, Advisor: Dr. Kent Holsinger, For the Presentaion: Using species distribution models to assess the impacts contemporary and forecasted climate change has on the distribution patterns of Pelargonium species throughout South Africa Co-authors: Carl Schlichting, kent Holsinger

Economic Botany Section Student Travel Awards

Emma Frawley, St. Louis University, Advisor: Allison Miller, For the Presentation: Traditional Knowledge for Modern Agriculture: The Ethnobotany of Elymus Co-authors: Brooke Micke, Ciotir Claudia, Allison Miller

Ksenia Pereverzeva, Virgnia Tech, Advisor: Jordan Metzgar, For the Presenation: Comparing plant uses among coastal plain cultures in colonial Virginia. Co-author: Jordan Metzgar

Genetics Section Student Travel Awards

Alan Yocca, Michigan State University, Advisor: Patrick Edger, For the Presentation: Species level variation in Conserved Non-coding Sequences Co-authors: Zefu Lu, Bob Schmitz, Patrick Edger

Pteridological Section & American Fern Society Student Travel Awards

Helen Holmlund, University of California, Santa Cruz, Advisor: Jarmila Pittermann, For the Presentation: High-resolution computed tomography reveals dynamics of desiccation and rehydration in a desiccation-tolerant fern. Co-authors: Brandon Pratt, Anna Jacobsen, Stephen Davis, Jarmila Pittermann

Alaina Petlewski, Cornell University, Advisor: Fay-Wei Li, For the Presentation: Using sequencing technologies to investigate evolutionary questions in Lycopodiaceae Co-Author: Fay-Wei Li

Lindsey Riibe, University of Florida, Advisor: Dr. Emily Sessa, For the Presentation: Morphology and sequence data resolve the Diplazium praestans mystery Co-authors: Weston Testo, Michael S. Sundue, Emily Sessa

David Wickell, Cornell University, Advisor: Fay-Wei Li, For the Presentation: CAM photosynthesis in the aquatic lycophyte Isoetes taiwanensis Co-authors: Li-Yaung, Fay-Wei Li