The Genetics Section will be providing 1 $500 travel award to students that submit an abstract to the Genetics Section at the BOTANY 2025 - Botany without Barriers conference in Palm Springs, California, July 26-30. The purpose of these awards is to support students' attendance and their presentations at the conference.
This award is now open.
Submit Your Application - Deadline April 1, 2025 (Noon Central Time)
Current BSA members can access the awards portal by clicking here and logging in with your BotanyID/Password. Once signed in, click on the "BOTANY 2025 - Genetics Section Student Travel Award" link and you should see a blue button that says "+ Create New Nomination" at the bottom if your login was successful.
Please feel free to email bsa-manager@botany.org with any questions about the award and application process.
Award Recipients:
2024
Bibek Adhikari, South Dakota State University, Advisor: Dr. Madhav Nepal, For the Presentation: Chloroplast Phylogenomics Supports Monophyly of Genus Morus. Co-authors: Sanam Parajuli, Madhav Nepal
2023
Samantha Drewry, University of Memphis, Advisor: Jennifer Mandel, For the Presentation: Conservation genetics in the endangered whorled sunflower Helianthus verticillatus (Asteraceae).
Elizabeth Uzezi Okinedo, University of Massachusetts Boston, Advisor: Brook Moyers, For the Presentation: Pleiotropy and adaptation in the silverleaf sunflower, Helianthus argophyllus.
2022
Gracy Buckholtz, University of British Columbia, Advisor: Jeannette Whitton, For the Presentation: "Tracking a Cryptic Invader: The Morphology and Genetics of Fraser River Estuary Cattails."
Talieh Ostovar, San Diego State University, Advisor: Amy Litt, For the Presentation: "Impacts of allopolyploidy on gene expression in Nicotiana section Repandae." Co-authors: Jacob Landis, Elizabeth McCarthy, Jason Stajich, Elizabeth Waters, Amy Litt
Connor L. Purvis, Francis Marion University, Advisor: Jeremy Rentsch, For the Presentation: "Regulation of the Dhurrin Biosynthetic Pathway in Sorghum halepense seedlings." Co-authors: Jeremy Rentsch, Elizabeth Jones
Alyson Van Natto, Queen's University, Advisor: Jannice Friedman, For the Presentation: "Mating system and hybridization combine to effect range-wide genetic structure in a coastal endemic plant." Co-author: Chris Eckert
2021
No Awards Given in 2022
2020
No Awards Given in 2020
2019
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
2018
Yi Huang, University of California-Riverside, Advisor: Dr. Amy Litt, For the Presentation: "Genetic Variation and habitat differentiation in a group of taxonomically difficult plants: Arctostaphylos glandulosa (Ericaceae)" Co-authors: Glen Morrison, Andrew Sanders, Natalie Saavedra, Dylan Burge, Thomas Parker, John Keeley, Amy Litt
Shujun Ou, Michigan State University, Advisor: Dr. Ning Jiang, For the Presentation: "The genomic composition and domestication of Asian rice revealed by 3,400 rice genomes" Co-author: Ning Jiang
Serena Macias, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Advisor: Dr. Christine Edwards, For the Presentation: "Phylogenomics of Passiflora sect. Decaloba reveals strong biographic structuring of clades" Co-authors: Christine Edwards, John MacDougal
Kali Mattingly, The Ohio State University, Advisor: Dr. Steve Hovick, For the Presentation: "Assessing the extent of hybridization between the invasive species Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) and the horticultural species L. virgatum" Co-author: Steve Hovick
2017
Matthew Haynsen, George Washington University, for the Botany 2017 presentation: "Population Genetic Analysis of Invasive Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) throughout Asia and the United States" Co-authors: Mohammad Vatanparast, Liu Luxian, Fu Cheng-Xin, Keith A. Crandall and Ashley N. Egan
Aniket Sengupta, Kansas University, for the Botany 2017 presentation: "Searching for more: Antirrhinum corolla symmetry genetic network in carpel development" Co-author: Lena Hileman
2016
Adam Ramsay, University of Memphis - Advisor, Dr. Jennifer R Mandel - for the Botany 2016 presentation: "Patterns of cyto-nuclear disequilibrium and the influence of heteroplasmy in wild carrot, Daucus carota (Apiaceae)" Co-author: Jennifer R Mandel
Charles Foster, University of Sydney - Advisor, Dr. Simon Ho - for the Botany 2016 presentation: "Evaluating the impact of genomic data and priors on Bayesian estimates of the angiosperm evolutionary timescale" Co-authors: Herve Sauquet, Marlien van der Merwe, Hannah McPherson, Maurizio Rossetto and Simon Ho
Monica Warner, California State University, California State University, Dominguez Hills - Advisor, Dr. Kathryn E. Theiss - for the Botany 2016 presentation: "Evaluating species differentiation in endangered rush lillies using population genetics" Co-authors: Kathryn Theiss and Susan Kephart
2015
Hanna Dorman, Mississippi State University - Advisor, Dr. Lisa Wallace - for the Botany 2015 presentation: "Genetic Structure of Rhizobia Associated with Chamaecrista fasciculata" Co-author: Lisa Wallace<
Jacob Landis, University of Florida - Advisor, Dr. Pamela Soltis - for the Botany 2015 presentation: "Investigating the genetic underpinnings of corolla cell size and shape differences in Saltugilia (Polemoniaceae)" Co-author: Rebecca O'Toole, Kayla Ventura, Douglas Soltis and Pamela Soltis
Brandon Sinn, Ohio State University - Advisor, Dr. John V. Freudenstein - for the Botany 2015 presentation: "Structural and Syntenic Variability in Asaraceae Plastomes: A phylogenetic perspective" Co-authors: Dylan Sedmak, Kelly Lawrence and John Freudenstein
2014
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
2013
Daniel Gates, University of Nebraska - Advisor, Dr. Stacey Smith, for the paper “Anthocyanin regulating MYB transcription factor evolution in four Solanaceous species” Co-author: Stacey Smith
Christine McAllister, Saint Louis University - Advisor, Dr. Allison Miller, for the paper “Environmental Correlates of Cytotype Diversity in Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)” Co-authors: Russell Blaine, Paul Kron, Brent Bennett, Anna Glotzbach, Jennifer Kidson, Heidi Garrett, Blanda Matzenbacher and Allison Miller
2012
Michael McKain, University of Georgia - Advisor, Dr. Jim Leebens-Mack, for the paper “The effect of paleopolyploidy on genome evolution in Agavoideae” Co-authors: Norman Wickett, Yeting Zhang, Saravanaraj Ayyampalayam, Richard McCombie, Mark Chase, Joseph Pires, Claude dePamphilis and Jim Leebens-Mack
Travis Lawrence, CSU Sacramento - Advisor, Dr. Shannon Datwyler, for the paper “Testing the hypothesis of allopolyploidy in the origin of Penstemon azureus (Plantaginaceae)” Co-author: Shannon Datwyler
2011
Ari Novy, Rutgers University - Advisor, Dr. Jean Marie Hartman - Botany 2011 presentation: "Genetic Variation of Spartina alterniflora Loisel. in the New York Metropolitan Area and Its Relevance for Marsh Restoration." Co-authors, Peter E. Smouse, Jean Marie Hartman, Lena Struwe, Joshua Honig, Chris Miller, and Stacy Bonos
Sean Ryan, San Diego State University - Advisor, Dr. Michael G. Simpson - Botany 2011 presentation: "Molecular Phylogenetic Relationships and Character Evolution of Fritillaria subgenus Liliorhiza." Co-author, Michael G. Simpson
2009
Susann Wicke, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria - Advisor, Dr. Dietmar Quandt & Dr. Gerald Schneeweiss - Botany & Mycology 2009 presentation: "From the exception to the rule: the re-arrangement(s) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA in land plants.."
2008
Aaron Duffy, Utah State University, Logan, UT - Advisor, Dr. Paul G. Wolf - Botany 2008 presentation: "Conservation of selection on matK in ferns following an ancient loss of the trnK intron by genome inversion."
