Award Recipients:

2025

Best Presentation:
Melanie Madrigal, Louisiana State University, For the Presentation: A Breath of Fresh Control: Dissecting the Resistance Pathways of Botrytis cinera to Linalool. Co-Author: Jordan Dowell

Honorable Mention:
Chase Hearn, Purdue University, For the Presentation: Root-derived phenylpropanoids are necessary for normal growth of Arabidopsis. Co-authors: Fabiola Muro-Villanueva, Clint Chapple, Josh Widhalm

Best Poster:
Karen Campos Secenas, University of California-Irvine, For the Presentation: Anthocyanins in Viola sororia identified by LC-MS-MS. Co-authors: Devin L. Hemmans, Aakrish Mittal, Zane G. Long, Rachel W. Martin

Honorable Mention:
Abbigale Baum, Utah Valley University, For the Presentation: Concentration of Phenolic Compounds in Populus (Salicaceae). Co-author: Michael Rotter

2024

Best Presentation:
Jaynee Hart, Michigan State University, For the Presentation: Making plant specialized metabolism enzymes more efficient: a BAHD test case. Co-authors: Rhiannon Stevens, Rachel E. Kerwin, and Robert L. Last

Amanda Agosto Ramos, University of California, Davis, For the Presentation: Convergence and constraint in glucosinolate evolution across the Brassicaceae.

Best Poster:
Sarah Barr, University of North Carolina Wilmington, For the Poster: Evaluation of Fasted and Fed Gastrointestinal Transformation of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) Plant Extracts and Bioactive Compounds via UPLC-MS and Untargeted Metabolomicsidal activity. Co-authors: Melissa Bollen, Amala Soumyanath, Robert Thomas Williamson, and Wendy Strangman

2023

Best Presentation:
Evin Magner, University of Minnesota, For the Presentation: Post-secretory synthesis of a natural analog of iron-gall ink in the black nectar of Melianthus spp.

Best Poster:
Jayani Wathukarage, Rice Research and Development Institute, Sri Lanka, For the Poster: Phytochemical compounds from Eucalyptus with herbicidal activity

2022

Best Presentation: 
Gordon Younkin, Cornell University - For the Presentation: "Comparative transcriptomics of 48 Erysimum species guides discovery of cardiac glycoside biosynthetic genes." Co-authors: Martin Alani, Mahdieh Mirzaei, Georg Jander

Best Presentation Honorable Mention: 
Luis Santiago-Rosario, Louisiana State Univeristy - For the Presentation: "Contrasts among cationic phytochemical landscapes in the southern United States." Co-author: Kyle Harms 


Best Poster:
Gemma Takahashi, University of California, Irvine - For the Poster: "Differential expression, genome annotation, and enzyme discovery in Drosera capensis." Co-authors: Omar Akbari, Ulysses Castelan, Mark Hadadian, Jonathan Le, Jessica Kelz, Elizabeth Diessner, Elliott Einstein, Megha Unhelkar, Ashley Kwok, Marc Sprague-Piercy, Sofiya Woodcock, Allison Pineda, Pauniz Shabakesaz, David Einstein, Alexandra Garabedian, Aden Alemayhu, Jose Uribe, Rachel Martin, Carter Butts

Best Poster Honorable Mention:
Anna Ferraro, High Point University - For the Poster: "Characterizing plant biochemical responses to pathogenic stress: a spotlight on red leaf spots." Co-authors: Maggie Salley, Bailey McCormick, Andrew Wommacck, Nicole Michelle Hughes

2021

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

No awards given between 2013 and 2020

2012 - Rachel Meyer, City University of New York - Advisor, Dr. Amy Litt - Botany 2012 presentation: “Molecular and chemical differences among Asian eggplants analyzed in a framework of their history of utilization” Co-authors, Bruce Whitaker, and Amy Litt

2008 - Cary Pirone, Florida International University, FL - Advisor, Dr. David Lee - Botany 2008 presentation: “A Mammalian Pigment in the Plant Kingdom.”

2007 - Cassie Majetic, University of Pittsburgh
For the poster “Geographic patterns of floral scent-floral color association in Hesperis matronalis (Brassicaceae) and their implications on female fitness” Her co-authors Robert A. Raguso and Tia-Lynn Ashman.