Botanical Society of America Awards Recipients 2021

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 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. Please note that in 2021 the Travel Awards were Registration Awards for Botany 2021 - Virtual!



Awards for ESTABLISHED SCIENTISTS   Awards for STUDENTS
 
Given by SECTIONS   Given by SECTIONS
Awards for EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS SPECIAL AWARDS  


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.


Dr. Qiuyun (Jenny) Xiang, North Carolina State University

Dr. Xiang is well known globally for her diverse contributions to plant systematics and evolution. She is best known for her extensive work on Cornaceae, for which she is the world’s expert, as well as her numerous important contributions to our understanding of the well-known Eastern Asia–Eastern North America floristic disjunction. Few groups of plants are now as well-studied as dogwoods, thanks to Jenny’s dedication. Her expertise is diverse and spans classical taxonomy, molecular systematics/phylogenetics, genomics, and developmental genetics. Much of her recent work focuses on population-level and phylogeographic problems. She has an extremely rich publication record and has also maintained continuous NSF support throughout her long career.

One of Dr. Xiang’s most important contributions has been fostering close interactions and research connectivity between botanists in China and the US. Since 2008, she and colleagues in China have taught the "East Asia–North America Field Botany and Ecology Course" at Zhejiang University and North Carolina State University, making a great impact on the training of Chinese and American students in this field. This has been a remarkable opportunity for students from both countries and has helped to foster new international research, as well as many friendships. These student exchanges have had significant impact on the number and quality of collaborations between US and Chinese labs in the botanical sciences.

Jenny has been a life-long member of the Botanical Society of America. She is an outstanding mentor to students, post-docs, and young faculty, often bringing them along to annual scientific conferences including Botany conference. Her courses have inspired both plant biology majors and non-majors to think more deeply about plant evolution and diversity. She is well respected
and well loved by her mentees, whether they are from the US or China or elsewhere in the world. In addition, Jenny has been an active reviewer for the American Journal of Botany, served on several BSA committees, is a frequent organizer of workshops, symposia, special journal issues, and more – all in service to her profession.

 

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


Dr. Beronda Montgomery (Michigan State University) is an outstanding scientist and one of the foremost ambassadors of Botany today.
Not only has she made significant and lasting contributions to our understanding of determinants of cyanobacterial cell shape, signaling, and light dependent Physiology but she has also burst onto the scene as a public intellectual and authority on plant science and mentoring. With a huge Twitter following she engages and challenges us through sharing her science and research on pedagogy through social media, podcasts, online seminars, and special lectures both for her scientific colleagues and for the general public. Beronda is also one of the cofounders of #BlackBotanistsWeek.

Her extraordinary and innovative approaches to mentoring and teaching are documented in a number of peer-reviewed articles on pedagogy, mentoring and diversity in STEM. In her work, she links the domains of plant science and mentoring while sharing that mentees, like plants, flourish or struggle based on their environment—not as a result of any inherent deficiency.

Dr. Montgomery has been described as a visionary, an outstanding educator, and an engaging source of inspiration by colleagues and students alike. Her transformative leadership encourages and enables others to become more deeply engaged in teacher-scholar outreach and training. As one of her nominators described, “Prof. Montgomery is a giant walking among us. Her scholarship around equity-engaged mentorship has awakened multiple generations of plant scientists of a pathway to do better. She has brought acclaim and welcome attention to plant science, and has forged a unique melding of her science, her advocacy and her teaching…. I can think of no one who better fits the criteria of the Bessey Award or who is more deserving of public recognition for her work on behalf of all of us.”

 

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:


No Award Given in 2021

 

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. Peter Linder, Switzerland

Prof. Jianquan Liu, China

Dr. Marie-Stéphanie Samain, Mexico

 

Donald R. Kaplan Memorial Lecture


M. Alejandra Gandolfo-Nixon, Cornell University
Understanding the Plant Fossil Record, Plant Morphology, and Plant Anatomy is critical in the genomic era

 

Jeanette Siron Pelton Award
The Jeanette Siron Pelton Award is given for sustained and imaginative productivity in the field of experimental plant morphology.

No Award Given in 2021

 

The Grady L. and Barbara D. Webster Structural Botany Publication Award
This award was established in 2006 by Dr. Barbara D. Webster, Grady’s wife, and Dr. Susan V. Webster, his daughter, to honor the life and work of Dr. Grady L. Webster. After Barbara's passing in 2018, the award was renamed to recognize her contributions to this field of study. The American Society of Plant Taxonomists and the Botanical Society of America are pleased to join together in honoring both Grady and Barbara Webster. In odd years, the BSA gives out this award and in even years, the award is provided by the ASPT.
      

Kamil E. Frankiewicz, Alexei Oskolski, Łukasz Banasiak, Francisco Fernandes, Jean‐Pierre Reduron, Jorge‐Alfredo Reyes‐Betancort, Liliana Szczeparska, Mohammed Alsarraf, Jakub Baczyński, Krzysztof Spalik
Parallel evolution of arborescent carrots (Daucus) in Macaronesia
American Journal of Botany, March 2020 107 no. 3 394-412; https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.1444

 

The BSA Developing Nations Travel Grants

Yetunde Bulu, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Nigeria

Paula Burchardt, Londrina State University (UEL), Brazil

Laura Calvillo Canadell, Instituto de Biología, UNAM., Mexico

Ítalo Coutinho, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brazil

Kelsey Glennon, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Thliza Ijai Ayuba, Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State, Nigeria

Yesenia Madrigal, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia

Oluwasanmi Odeyemi, Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Nigeria

Oluwatobi OSO, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Vashist N. Pandey, DDU Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, India

Nantenaina Herizo Rakotomalala, Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Madagascar

 

The BSA Professional Member Travel Grants

No Awards Given in 2021

 

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.

Irene Liao, Duke University, For the presentation: Identifying candidate genes contributing to nectar trait divergence in the selfing syndrome
Co-authors: Gongyuan Cao, Joanna Rifkin, and Mark Rausher

 

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


No Award Given in 2021

 

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.

Ana Gabriela Martinez, National Autonomous University of Mexico, UNAM. Faculty of Higher Studies Zaragoza, For the Presentation: Disentangling the systematics of the Elaphoglossum petiolatum complex (Dryopteridaceae). Co-Author: Alejandra Vasco


Honorable Mention:
Jacob Watts, University of Cambridge, For the Presentation: Microarthropods Increase Sporophyte Formation and Enhance Fitness of Ferns. Co-Authors: Aidan Harrington, James Watkins

David Wickell, Cornell University, For the Presentation: Gene fractionation and differential expression of homoeologues following whole genome duplication in the tree fern, Alsophila spinulosa. Co-Authors: Fay-Wei Li, Li-Yaung Kuo, Xiong Huang, and Quanzi Li 

 

Awards for Early Career Scientists

 

BSA Emerging Leaders Award

Dr. Brian Atkinson, University of Kansas

Dr. Brian Atkinson is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas and curator of the paleobotany collection at the KU Biodiversity Institute. Brian completed his doctoral dissertation at Oregon State University in 2017, after earning among other awards, a NSF Doctoral Fellowship and the BSA Paleobotanical Section Isabel Cookson Award. Dr. Atkinson is one of the leading scientists of his generation in paleobotany and plant evolution. He is making impressive contributions as a field-based scientist who combines morphological and molecular data, extant and extinct plants, as well as biological and geological data. In addition, Dr. Atkinson has become an accomplished teacher, inspiring mentor, and an exceptional role model.

 

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.

No Award Given in 2021

 

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. To learn more about the winning projects click here.


Rocío Deanna
, University of Colorado-Boulder, For the Proposal: ARG Plant Women Network

Karolina Heyduk, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, For the Proposal: Hawaiian Culture and the Herbarium

Carolyn Mills, California Botanic Garden/Claremont Graduate University, For the Proposal: Promoting Indigenous Co-management of Federal Lands in the Nopah Range

 

SPECIAL AWARDS

Outgoing BSA President

Linda Watson

Outgoing BSA Secretary

Rachel Spicer

Outgoing BSA Director-at-Large for Education

Chris Martine

Outgoing BSA Student Representative to the Board

Shelly Gaynor

 

Awards for Students

 

Donald R. Kaplan Award in Comparative Morphology
This award was created to promote research in plant comparative morphology, the Kaplan family has established an endowed fund, administered through the Botanical Society of America, to support the Ph.D. research of graduate students in this area.


Erin Patterson, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, For the Proposal: The development and evolution of awns in the grass subfamily Pooideae

Honorable Mention:
Jacob Suissa
, Harvard University, For the Proposal: Bumps in the node: the effects of vascular architecture on hydraulic integration in fern rhizomes

 

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 J. S. Karling Graduate Student Research Award

Isabela Lima Borges, Michigan State University, For the Proposal: The effects of plant inbreeding on the legume-rhizobia mutualism

The BSA Graduate Student Research Awards

Laymon Ball, Louisiana State University, For the Proposal: Mutualisms, mountains, and machine learning: Disentangling drivers of evolution in a florally diverse Neotropical plant clade, Hillieae (Rubiaceae)

Philip Bentz, University of Georgia, For the Proposal: Origins and evolution of genetic sex-determination and sex chromosomes in the genus Asparagus

Haley Branch, University of British Columbia, For the Proposal: Remembering the hard times: how stress memory evolves in response to environmental pressure

Stephanie Calloway, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, For the Proposal: Saving a rare plant species from extinction on Anacapa Island

Anri Chomentowska, Yale University, For the Proposal: Investigating the evolution of syndromes: life history, mating system, and environmental niche of a desert-alpine lineage in the plant family Montiaceae

Eva Colberg, University of Missouri - St. Louis, For the Proposal: The effects of prescribed fire on ant-mediated seed dispersal of Sanguinaria canadensis

Mari Cookson, Cal State Fullerton, For the Proposal: Investigating systematics and host-parasite coevolutionary dynamics in dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium spp.) using population genomics

Brandon Corder, University of Wisconsin-Madison, For the Proposal: Partial Mycoheterotrophy in North American Orchids: Incorporating Evolutionary Ecological and Molecular Evolutionary Approaches

Sontosh Deb, University of Alabama, For the Proposal: Evolution of flooding tolerance in maize relatives

Caroline Dowling, University College Dublin, For the Proposal: The Genetic Architecture of Flowering Time in Cannabis sativa

Samar El-Abdallah, Humboldt State University, For the Proposal: Constructing whole plant concepts for two Early Devonian fossil plants in the assemblages of the Beartooth Butte Formation (Wyoming)

Paige Fabre, The Ohio State University, For the Proposal: Patterns of Staminode Evolution in Penstemon (Plantaginaceae)

Laura Fehling, Miami University, For the Proposal: Context-dependency of reward complementarity in a multispecies mutualism

Emma Frawley, Washington University in St. Louis, For the Proposal: Little Barley: Variation, Domestication, and Adaptation in a North American Lost Crop

Elsa Godtfredsen, Northwestern University, For the Proposal: Early Snowmelt, Changing Phenology and Increased Drought Exposure: Consequences for Plant Survival and Reproduction of Four Subalpine Plant Species

Nikolai Hay, Duke University, For the Proposal: Locating a “missing link” using microsatellite data from herbarium specimens

Zhe He, Harvard University, For the Proposal: Pit Membranes and Plant Resistance to Cavitation

Samuel Lockhart, Ohio University, For the Proposal: Population genetic structure and breeding system characterization of four mixed-breeding violets and one exclusively chasmogamous violet

Diana Macias, University of New Mexico, For the Proposal: Adaptability of piñon pine (Pinus edulis) populations to future hot droughts

Janet Mansaray, Louisiana State University, For the Proposal: Plants, Ants, and Curvy Bills: the Evolution of Mutualisms in Neotropical Bellflowers

Skylar McDaniel, Utah State University, For the Proposal: Floral microbiome assembly and function in the face of phenological change

Michael McKibben, University of Arizona, For the Proposal: The Contribution of Paleopolyploidy to Adaptation in Diploid Descendants

Elise Miller, University of Minnesota Duluth, For the Proposal: How do sources, sinks, and physical constraints impact phloem hydraulic conductivity?

Carina Motta, Universidade Estadual Paulista – Rio Claro, For the Proposal: Contribution of a Naturalized Tropical Tree to Bird Diet in Secondary Forest Fragments

Taryn Mueller, University of Minnesota, For the Proposal: Ecological genetic drivers of foliar fungal endophyte community assembly in Clarkia xantiana

Olivia Murrell, Northwestern University, For the Proposal: Influence of metapopulation dynamics on genetic structure: Case study of the endangered and exceptional species Amorphophallus titanum

Deannah Neupert, Miami University, For the Proposal: The Evolution and Development of the Aerial Bulbil: A study of novelty in Mimulus

Megan Nibbelink, Humboldt State University, For the Proposal: Anatomically-preserved zosterophylls of the Battery Point Formation (Québec, Canada) and a new analysis of zosterophyll relationships

Kasey Pham, University of Florida, For the Proposal: What got swapped? Investigating the genomic consequences of hybridization in two species of Eucalyptus

Alyssa Phillips, UC Davis, For the Proposal: Origins of polyploidy and their impact on adaptation in Andropogon gerardi

Neill Prohaska, University of Arizona, For the Proposal: How does leaf microclimate affect population density and diversity of microbes living on leaves in tropical forest canopies?

Austin Rosen, Colorado State University, For the Proposal: Uncovering taxonomic boundaries in a group of seep-loving desert thistles (Asteraceae: Cirsium)

Malia Santos, University of Idaho, For the Proposal: Investigating species relationships and evolutionary patterns of defense strategies in Tricalysia (Rubiaceae)

Amber Stanley, University of Pittsburgh, For the Proposal: Have floral traits of Impatiens capensis responded to pollinator mismatches caused by climate change and urbanization? A retrospective study using herbarium specimens.

Christina Steinecke, Queen's University, For the Proposal: Investigating correlated evolution of sexual and asexual reproduction in Mimulus guttatus

Andrea Turcu, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, For the Proposal: The Evolution of Divergent Mating Systems Across Temporally and Spatially Heterogeneous Environments

Emma Vtipilthorpe, North Carolina State University, For the Proposal: Relationships between Niche Breadth and Geographic Range Size in Liatris

Sophie Young, Lancaster University, For the Proposal: Phloem loading in the context of C4 photosynthesis in tree-form Hawaiian Euphorbia

Joseph Zailaa, Yale University, For the Proposal: Investigating drought impacts on native-California shrubland vegetation from cells to communities

 

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.

No Awards Given in 2021

 

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.

No Awards Given in 2021

 

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.

Anais Barnes, Bucknell University, For the Proposal: Assessing the geographic distribution and conservation status of Heuchera alba and Heuchera pubescens using field surveys, morphology and genomics methods

Jeffrey Heim, Bucknell University, For the Proposal: A population genomics approach to understanding the role of Indigenous foragers in the distribution and genetic diversity of an Australian wild bush tomato (Solanum diversiflorum)

Matthew Hilz, Saint Louis University, For the Proposal: Testing the effect of plant Age on phenotypic traits in the field

Hsin Kuo, National Taiwan University, For the Proposal: Evolution of the AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR Gene Family in Land Plants

Claire Marino, Bucknell University, For the Proposal: Solanum sp. ‘Deaf Adder,’ a New Bush Tomato Species from the Australian Monsoon Tropics

Theodore Matel, Cornell University, For the Proposal: Cunoniaceae fossil from the early Eocene (~58 m. y.) Laguna del Hunco, Huitrera Formation, Patagonia, Argentina

Ryan McGinnis, Drake University, For the Proposal: Battle of the sexes: Intra- and Interindividual floral variation in a native fruit tree, American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana, Ebenaceae)

Nola Rettenmaier, Cornell University, For the Proposal: Assessing NAM/CUC3 Expression in Costus spicatus

Nicholas Rocha, Cornell University, For the Proposal: The Role of Pollinators in the Phenotypic Diversity of calochortus venustus

Aryaman Saksena, Cornell University, For the Proposal: Evolution of Floral Fusion in the Banana Families

Emily Smith, Drake University, For the Proposal: The function of staminodes in the reproductive success and pollination ecology of American Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana (Ebenaceae)

Ethan Stolen, University of Florida, For the Proposal: The Impact of Genome Doubling on Gene Expression Noise in Arabidopsis thaliana

 

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.

Andrea Appleton, Georgia Southern University, Advisor: Dr. John Schenk

Olyvia Foster, University of Guelph, Advisor: Dr. Christina Caruso

Renée Geyer, Oberlin College, Advisor: Dr. Michael J. Moore

Jonathan Hayes, Bucknell University, Advisor: Dr. Christopher T. Martine

Jeff HeimBucknell University, Advisor: Dr. Christopher T. Martine

Emily Humphreys, Oberlin College, Advisor: Dr. Michael J. Moore

Kiana Lee, University of Guelph, Advisor: Dr. Christina Caruso

Michelle LiuOberlin College, Advisor: Dr. Michael J. Moore

Tallia Maglione, Connecticut College, Advisor: Dr. Rachel Spicer

Jordan Manchego, University of Alabama-Huntsville, Advisor: Dr. Alex Harkess

Livia Martinez, Barnard College - Columbia University, Advisor: Dr. Hilary Callahan

Colleen Mills, Weber State University, Advisor: Dr. Sue Harley

Abigail Moore, Ohio University, Advisor: Dr. John Schenk

Claire Pellegrini, Connecticut College, Advisor: Dr. Rachel Spicer

Eva Popp, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Advisor: Dr. Steven Handel

Riki Ross, University of Akron, Advisor: Dr. Randall Mitchell

Megan Soehnlen, Walsh University, Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Clevinger

Heather Wetreich, Bucknell University, Advisor: Dr. Christopher T. Martine

Shefka Williams, Connecticut College, Advisor: Dr. Rachel Spicer

 

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.

Anais Barnes, Bucknell University, Advisor: Chris Martine

Serena Blais, California State University, Sacramento, Advisor: Clayton Visger

Jonathan Carcache, Florida International University, Advisor: Daniela Hernandez

Josh Felton, Colorado College, Advisor: Rachel Jabaily

Aaliyah Holliday, Cornell University, Advisor: Chelsea D. Specht

Caitlyn Hughes, University of Georgia, Advisor: Jim Leebens-Mack

Emily Hughes, Rutgers University, Advisor: Suzanne Sukhdeo

Al Lichamer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Advisor: Ingrid Jordon-Thaden

Annie Nelson, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Advisor: Katarzyna Glowacka

Matthew Norman, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Advisor: Lauren Eserman

Deirdre O'Malley, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Advisor: Shannon Straub

Ryan Schmidt, Rutgers University, Advisor: Lena Struwe

Madilyn Vetter, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Advisor: Nora Mitchel

Jayla Wade, Howard University, Advisor: Dr. Janelle Burke

Audrey Widmier, Mercer University, Advisor: Dr. John Stanga

 

The BSA Student and PostDoc Travel Awards
Winners were selected by lottery

Diana Castillo Diaz

Paige Ellestad

Chuangwei Fang

Matias Köhler

Jessica LaBella

Francesco Martini

Funmilola Mabel Ojo

Namrata Pradhan

Laura Super

Yingtong Wu

Mei Yang

 

Awards for Students - 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.

No Awards Given in 2021

 

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

Michael D’Antonio, Stanford University, For the Presentation: “Sigillaria from the Wuda Tuff: the implications of new species and internal anatomy for lepidodendrid life history reconstruction.” Co-Authors Kevin C. Boyce, Wei-Ming Zhou, and Jun Wang 

 

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.

Molly B. Edwards, Harvard University, For the Presentation: A developmental a transcriptional framework for pollinator-driven evolutionary transitions in petal spur morphology in Aquilegia (columbine). Co-Authors: Evangeline S. Ballerini, and Elena M. Kramer

 

Physiological Section Li-COR Prizes


Best Student Oral Presentation
Haley Branch, University of British Columbia, For the Presentation: Historical differences in climate between populations alter responses to severe stress. Co-Authors: Dylan R. Moxley, and Amy L. Angert

Best Student Poster
Myriam “Mimi" Serrano, San Francisco State University, For the Presentation: Tracking Leaf Trait Differentiation of Newly Diverging Subspecies of Chenopodium oahuense on the Hawaiian Islands. Co-Authors: Jason Cantley, and Kevin A. Simonin

 

Physiological Section Student Presentation and Poster Awards

Best Student Oral Presentation
Jianfei Shao, University of Guelph, For the Presentation: Root trait plasticity in response to contrasting phosphorus environments and its consequences for plant performance. Co-Author: Hafiz Maherali

Best Student Poster
Gillian Gomer, University of Central Florida, For the Presentation: Consequences of Stress-Induced Trait Plasticity in Cultivated Helianthus. Co-Authors: Chase Mason, and Eric Goolsby

 

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.


Harold Suarez Baron
, University of Antioquia, For the Presentation: Developmental and genetic mechanisms underlying trichome formation in the Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae: Piperales) perianth. Co-Authors: Favio González, Soraya Pelaz, Juan Fernando Alzate, Barbara Ambrose, and Natalia Pabon Mora

 

Ecological Section Student Presentation Award

Graduate Presentation Award
Angela Walczyk, Michigan Technological University, For the Presentation: Investigating phenotypic plasticity within the cytotype complex of Solidago gigantea Aiton (Giant Goldenrod, Asteraceae). Co-Authors: Erika Hersch-Green


Undergraduate Presentation Awards
Jonathan Hayes, Bucknell University, For the Presentation: Genetic diversity & connectivity of Chasmanthium latifolium (Poaceae) in Pennsylvania & the effect on conservation status of a rare species. Co-Authors: Tanisha Williams, Rachel Goad, Scott Schuette, Angela McDonnell,  and Christopher Martine

Kallol Mozumdar, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, For the Presentation: Resource-dependent sex allocation in Andromonoecy. Co-Authors: Vinita Gowda, and Priya Iyer 

 

Ecological Section Poster Awards

Undergraduate Poster Award
Clara Lopez-Marmolejo, Instituto de Biologia-UNAM, For the Presentation: Hummingbirds as drivers of floral morphology in the Caribbean spurge Euphorbia tithymaloides. Co-Authors: Patrick McIntyre, N. Ivalu Cacho 

 

Genetics Section Student Presentation Award

No Awards Given in 2021

 

Southeastern Section Student Presentation Awards
The following winners were selected from the Association of Southeastern Biologists meeting that took place at the end of March, 2021.

Southeastern Section Paper Presentation Award
Emily Oppmann, Middle Tennessee State University


Southeastern Section Poster Presentation Award
Regina Javier, Appalachian State Univeristy

 

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

No Awards Given in 2021

 

Developmental & Structural Section Student Travel Awards

Due to the virtual nature of the 2021 botany conference, the section provided registration awards to every student presenting in Developmental and Structural related presentation sections.

 

Ecological Section Student Travel Awards

Mimi Serrano, San Francisco State University, Advisor: Dr. Kevin Simonin, For the Presentation: Tracking Leaf Trait Differentiation of Newly Diverging Subspecies of Chenopodium oahuense on the Hawaiian Islands

Laura Super, University of British Columbia, Advisor: Dr. Robert Guy, For the Presentation: The impact of simulated climate change and nitrogen deposition on conifer phytobiomes and associated vegetation Co-author: Dr. Robert Guy

Yingtong Wu, University of Missouri - St. Louis, Advisor: Dr. Robert E. Ricklefs, For the Presentation: What Limits Species Ranges? Investigating the Effects of Biotic and Abiotic Factors on Oaks (Quercus spp.) through Experiments and Field Survey Co-author: Dr. Robert E. Ricklefs

 

Economic Botany Section Student Travel Awards

Best Student Ethnobotany Poster
Kaylan Reddy, Stellenbosch University, For the Poster: Sceletium Secrets - Exploring the phytochemical and metabolomic diversity in the Sceletium genus. Co-Authors: Gary Ivan Stafford, and Nokwanda Makunga

Best Student Crops and Wild Relatives Poster
Juan Diego Rojas-Gutierrez, Purdue University, For the Poster: Genome-wide association analysis of freezing tolerance in soft red winter wheat. Co-Authors: Gwonjin Lee, and Christopher Oakley

 

Genetics Section Student Travel Awards

No Awards Given in 2021

 

Phytochemical Section Presentation Awards

Liz Mahood, Cornell University, For the Presentation: Leveraging Integrative Omics Analyses for Stress-Responsive Metabolic Pathway Elucidation in Brachypodium. Co-Authors: Lars Kruse, Alexandra Bennett, Armando Bravo, Maryam Ishka, Chinmaey Kelkar, Yulin Jiang, Maria Harrison, Olean Vatamaniuk, and Gaurav Moghe

Honorable Mention
Thiti Suttiyut
, Purdue University, For the Presentation: Investigating the biochemical evolution of the shikonin pathway in red gromwell (Lithospermum erythrorhizon). Co-Authors: Robert Auber, Manoj Ghaste, Jennifer Wisecaver, and Joshua Widhalm

 

Pteridological Section & American Fern Society Student Travel Awards

Ana Gabriela Martinez Becerril, National Autonomous University of Mexico, UNAM. Faculty of Higher Studies Zaragoza, Advisor: Alejandra Vasco, For the Proposal: Disentangling the systematics of the Elaphoglossum petiolatum complex (Dryopteridaceae) Co-author: Alejandra Vasco