Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award
This is the oldest award, established in 1925 at the first annual meeting of the Society through the generosity of Dr. Charles A. Shull. It honors Dr. Charles Reid Barnes, the first professor of plant physiology at the University of Chicago. It is an annual award for meritorious work in plant biology; it provides a life membership in the Society to an individual who is at least sixty years old. Membership is a requirement for the award, and, if appropriate, every fifth award should be made to an outstanding plant biologist from outside the United States. In 2023, ASPB recognized two individuals as recipients of the Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award, John Browse and Natasha Raikhel.
2025 Winner: Sarah (Sally) Assmann
Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Sarah “Sally” Assmann is a world leader in stomatal biology, uncovering guard cell regulatory mechanisms through pioneering new approaches to electrophysiology, ion transport, signal transduction, and structural studies of RNA. The significance of Sally’s work lies in her identification of pivotal roles for each of these processes in regulating plant responses to environmental stresses including drought, salinity, and heat. Her quest for these insights advanced the application of electrophysiology to plant science, particularly the in vivo recording of ion fluxes across cell membranes. Sally also focused emerging genetic and omics approaches on the discovery of previously unknown heterotrimeric G protein signaling- and ion-channel controls. In addition, she led the development of new techniques for probing RNA structure in vivo, where changes in mRNA configuration alter regulatory control, with implications for abiotic stress tolerance. To this work is added Sally’s deep commitment to the broader scientific community, evident in her many years on journal editorial boards, her extensive service on funding panels, and her terms as ASPB President and on the society’s board of directors. Beyond her visionary leadership and dedication to the highest level of scholarship Sally is considered “a joy to work with” by collaborators, colleagues, and mentees alike.
2025 Winner: Mary Lou Guerinot
Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
Mary Lou Guerinot is the leading expert on the biology of iron uptake and homeostasis in plants. Her studies have revealed the genes and mechanisms of iron solubilization at the root-soil interface, uptake into cells, long distance transport, and storage. Mary Lou identified and engineered the key iron transporter and altered its substrate specificity to increase the uptake of iron and limit transport of other metal cations. Her use of X-ray florescent microtomography to map the distribution of iron and other metals within seeds resolved the importance of element location in seed viability. Mary Lou’s discoveries, from enzymes to transcription factors, have led to crops with higher iron content. Mary Lou has also initiated mentoring programs for women in science and held many advisory and leadership roles, including as President and Chair of the Board of Trustees of ASPB. Her many honors include the ASPB Stephen Hales Prize, and she is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Over her career she has had a profound impact well beyond the field of plant biology.
Karen Koch, Chair (2024-2027)
Julia Bailey-Serres, Past Winner (2024-2025)
Tuan-hua David Ho, Past Winner (2024-2025)
Surinder Chopra (2024-2027)
Magdalena Julkowska (2023-2026)
Sylvia Lee, Staff Liaison