Adolph E. Gude, Jr. Award ASPB-Pioneer Hi-Bred International Graduate Student Prize Charles Albert Shull Award Charles F. Kettering Award Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award Corresponding Membership

Dennis R. Hoagland Award Early Career Award Excellence in Teaching Award Fellow of ASPB Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research Martin Gibbs Medal Stephen Hales Prize Undergraduate Research Fellowships

Past and Present Award Winners

NOMINATION PROCEDURE - Nominations are Now Closed!

This monetary award honors the Gude Family, who made possible the establishment of the Gude Plant Science Center. The award, established by the Society and first given in 1983, is made triennially to a scientist or lay person in recognition of outstanding service to the science of plant biology.

Adolph E. Gude, Jr. Award Committee

The 2007 winner is...

Winslow R. Briggs

Carnegie Institution of Washington

Winslow Briggs will receive the 2007 Gude Award for his outstanding service to the plant science community. Winslow was a member of the editorial board of Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology for 33 years, including 21 years as editor; served as president of the American Society of Plant Physiologists, the California Botanical Society, and the American Institute of Biological Sciences; organized several Gordon conferences and international meetings; and, for 20 years, was director of the Plant Biology Department of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Many students have been mentored and many visitors hosted in Winslow’s laboratory. His contributions have helped shape the fields of plant physiology in general, and of photomorphogenesis in particular. Our present understanding of blue light photoreception comes in large measure from his 40-year personal quest. Winslow has shown by example how great science and great humanity can go together, how great science is always a team effort, and how joyful it can be. For his many contributions and years of service, it is most fitting that Winslow Briggs should receive the Gude Award.

Created in 1971 to honor the Society’s founding father and the first editor-in-chief of Plant Physiology, this award is designed to recognize young researchers. It is a monetary award made annually and is given for outstanding investigations in the field of plant biology by a scientist who is under 45 years of age on January 1 of the year of presentation, or who is fewer than 10 years from the granting of the doctoral degree. The recipient is invited to address the Society at the annual meeting the following year.

Charles Albert Shull Award Committee

The 2007 winner is...

Samuel C. Zeeman
ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Sam Zeeman is this year’s recipient of the Charles A. Shull Award for pioneering research leading to the discovery of new proteins and pathways in starch synthesis and degradation in leaves. This is a topic that is of broad interest to plant biologists and also has relevance to food processing and human health and nutrition. As a graduate student in the laboratory of the late Professor Tom ap Rees at Cambridge University, Sam isolated Arabidopsis mutants altered in their ability to mobilize leaf starch. These mutants were then investigated further during postdoctoral research at the John Innes Centre, where Sam worked with Professor Alison Smith. The mutants established an entirely new pathway of starch mobilization from darkened leaves that involves export of maltose from chloroplasts on a novel maltose transporter (MEX1). In the cytosol, maltose is converted to glucose, not by a simple hydrolysis reaction as might be expected, but via a transglucosylation reaction that produces glucose and a glucosylated acceptor. Sam’s discovery that leaves have a different pathway of starch breakdown from that in cereal endosperm and legume seeds has forced a revision of many textbook schemes. Another exciting discovery concerns the essential role for dephosphorylation of either starch itself, or starch-metabolizing enzymes, in
regulation of starch mobilization.

As an independent investigator at the University of Bern, and now the prestigious ETH in Zurich, Sam continues to explore the intricacies of starch metabolism and the signaling and control networks that link this metabolism to plant growth. The European Molecular Biology Organization has recognized his outstanding achievements at a young age by electing him as an EMBO Young Investigator. Sam has also dedicated himself to collaboration in research and has already fostered a worldwide spirit of collaboration among groups working on primary carbohydrate metabolism in Arabidopsis. There is no doubt that Sam will continue as a leader in the area of starch metabolism, and thus is most deserving of the prestigious Shull Award.

This award was established by an endowment from the Kettering Foundation in 1962 to recognize excellence in the field of photosynthesis. It is a monetary award to be given in even-numbered years to an individual for meritorious work in photosynthesis.

Charles F. Kettering Award Committee

The 2006 winner is...

Donald Ort
University of Illinois

The Charles F. Kettering Award for 2006 is given to Donald Ort. This award, established by the Kettering Foundation in 1962, is intended to recognize excellence in the field of photosynthesis. Through 32 years and 140 publications, Dr. Ort has made major contributions to our understanding of photosynthesis, from investigations of the primary energy transducing events of electron and proton transport, to field research on whole plant responses to global atmospheric change. In addition, he has an extraordinary record of service in photosynthesis and plant biology. Both of these factors make him eminently qualified to receive this award.

As a graduate student and postdoc, Dr. Ort's research was on mechanistic aspects of photophosphorylation. Subsequently, it has diversified into many facets of regulation of carbon metabolism, abiotic stress, photoprotection, and, most recently, to implications for global carbon balance. His first achievement as a graduate student was to demonstrate the existence of two separate proton-translocation reactions within the chloroplast electron transfer chain, showing that these reactions were associated with water oxidation and the oxidation of plastoquinol. His investigations continued in this area as he detailed the relationship between the onset of the proton motive force and ATP synthesis and confirmed the existence of the Q-cycle, through his postdoc and following his appointment at the University of Illinois, where he is currently research leader of the USDA/ASRS Photosynthesis Research Unit.

His subsequent development of an interest in the effects of environmental stresses on photosynthesis in crop plants led to several major contributions in the area of chilling sensitivity. For example, contrary to the prevailing hypothesis, his work showed that photosystem II damage is not responsible for inhibition of photosynthesis during chilling in the light, and it elucidated the constraints of chilling on the reductive carbon cycle. His research in this area led to the novel finding that chilling damage can result from disrupting expression of circadian-controlled photosynthetic genes. His pioneering studies on chilling responses have led chilling injury research in many new directions.

More recently, Dr. Ort was a key leader in the development of an open-air, gas concentrating field system, SoyFACE, which is able to fumigate large areas of crop plants with enriched levels of CO2 or ozone. Research with this system has resulted in important discoveries about the interactive effects of CO2 and ozone on photosynthesis in crops under natural conditions, which is significant in light of projected future climate changes. It is clear that he has made important contributions to the field of photosynthesis research throughout his career.

We also note his many merit awards from USDA, his selection as ARS Senior Research Scientist of the Year in 1993, and his receipt of the University of Illinois Distinguished Service Award in 2005. In addition to his research, he has given selflessly of his time and shown insightful and creative leadership in myriad activities that serve photosynthesis and plant science research. He was president of the International Photosynthesis Research Society, and President of the American Society of Plant Biologists and is currently editor-in-chief of Plant Physiology.

His achievements exemplify the qualities recognized by the Charles F. Kettering Award, and the Society is pleased to present this year's award to Don Ort.

This is the oldest award, established in l925 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 not a requirement for the award, and, if appropriate, every fifth award should be made to an outstanding plant biologist from outside the United States.

Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award Committee

The 2007 winner is...

John S. Boyer
University of Delaware

John Boyer is the DuPont Professor of Biochemistry/Biophysics Emeritus at the University of Delaware. He received a B.A. degree in biology from Swarthmore College in 1959. He completed an M.S. in 1961 at the University of Wisconsin and received a Ph.D. in 1964 from Duke University with a major in plant physiology under the advice of Professor Paul J. Kramer. John has had a stellar career at the University of Illinois, Texas A&M University, and the University of Delaware.

He is nationally recognized for his many contributions in the area of plant–water relations and crop adaptation to drought with a focus on the impact of water deficits on growth, photosynthesis, and reproductive development. He trained more than 40 graduate students and postdocs and published more than 160 refereed papers. John is also a gifted educator. Many of his own graduate students have gone on to enjoy influential research careers, which reflects the high quality of training they received in John’s program.

John coauthored with Paul Kramer the standard textbook Water Relations of Plants and Soils in 1995. He served on many national committees and editorial
boards including Plant Physiology (1971–1992). He served as president of the American Society of Plant Physiologists from 1981 to 1982. His accomplishments have brought distinction and outstanding international recognition to his program, with honors including election to the National Academy of Sciences in 1990 and as a Corresponding Fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences in 2005.

Corresponding Membership Award

This honor, initially given in 1932, provides life membership and Society publications to distinguished plant biologists from outside the United States. The honor is conferred by election on the annual ballot. The committee selects no more than three (3) candidates, and these are placed on the ballot for approval of corresponding membership by majority vote. The president notifies successful candidates of their election.  Election of a corresponding member is to be considered each year, and held if warranted, provided the election will not increase the number of corresponding members beyond two (2) percent of the dues-paying membership.

Corresponding Membership Committee

The 2007 winners are...

J. Derek Bewley
University of Guelph, Canada

J. Derek Bewley is University Professor Emeritus at the University of Guelph, where he has been a faculty member since 1985. He began his scientific careerin the United Kingdom, obtaining both a B.Sc. (1965) and Ph.D. (1968) fromQueen Elizabeth College, University of London. The topic of his Ph.D. dissertation, under the supervision of Dr. M. Black, was on the role of gibberellins in germination of light-sensitive lettuce. A postdoctoral training opportunity brought him to North America and the lab of Abe Marcus at the Institute for Cancer Research in Philadelphia, where he studied the role of initiation factors in protein synthesis of wheat embryos. He was hired as an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Calgary in 1970 and quickly advanced through the academic ranks, becoming a full professor in 1977. In 1985, he moved to the University of Guelph to become chair of the Department of Botany, where he reorganized the department, hired many new faculty, and increased graduate student enrollment. During his long career, Derek has shared his broad knowledge of plant biology with colleagues at universities throughout the world by holding appointments as visiting scientist, visiting professor, or distinguished fellow at the University of London, McGill University, The John Innes Centre, the
University of Adelaide, and the University of California, Davis, among others.

Derek is one of the foremost international experts on seed biology. His original research has made fundamental advances in the areas of seed storage protein synthesis and degradation, seed development, water relations, somatic embryogenesis, germination, and dormancy. His seminal work on the role of endosperm identified this tissue as a key for regulation of radical emergence in seeds. He and his colleagues showed that endosperm weakening was a prerequisite for germination and that cell wall polymers contributed to endosperm rigidity, and they identified the principal enzymes responsible for wall loosening and seed germination. Derek’s group also linked ABA with seed development, showing that ABA levels correlated with storage protein accumulation. This paved the way for consideration that ABA was not just an inhibitor of germination, but rather had multiple and profound effects on seed development. To date, Derek has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, review articles, and books on these topics and is on the ISI Highly Cited Author list with over 5,000 citations accumulated. Today’s plant scientists have undoubtedly been educated about seed biology from the definitive texts that Derek wrote with Michael Black: Physiology and Biochemistry of Seeds (1978, 1982) and Seeds: Physiology of Development and Germination (1985, 1994). Their most recent effort, an edited volume of over 500 articles titled Encyclopedia of Seeds: Science, Technology and Uses, will certainly continue to inform and educate the next generation of plant biologists.

Derek has been a lifelong supporter of both ASPB and our sister society, the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists, and has been a leader in promoting cooperation between these societies. He is a past president of CSPP and organized a joint conference of the two societies in Toronto (1989). He was a monitoring editor of Plant Physiology from 1992 to 1995. He is also an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC, 1982). Among a list of awards too numerous to include in their entirety, several are quite noteworthy, including a Gold Medal Award from the CSPP for professional achievements (1992), The Career Excellence in Research Award from Sigma Xi (1993), and the Distinguished Biologist Award from the Canadian Council of University Biology Chairs (1994).

Wilhelm Gruissem
ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Wilhelm (Willi) Gruissem is one of the pioneers in the field of plant molecular biology. Willi and his collaborators can include many “firsts” among the work they have published, including establishment of an efficient in vitro transcription system; uncovering the many fundamental aspects of isoprenoid biosynthesis, protein prenylation, and IP3 signaling; and the first identification and functional analysis of plant retinoblastoma proteins. When Willi first established a research group at the University of California at Berkeley in the 1980s, the main focus was on plastid development, regulation of plastid gene expression, isoprenoid synthesis, and communication between plastids and the nucleus. Today his work encompasses both basic plant biology research as well applied research, aimed toward improving food quality. Current projects in his group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich range from the development of tools for proteome analysis and bioinformatics to understanding the complex machinery of cell cycle regulation and differentiation; to functional genomics of plant isoprenoid synthesis; to biotechnology of cassava, rice, and wheat. His research productivity and quality are documented by over 150 peer-reviewed articles that appear in the best journals in the field.

Willi’s devotion to the enhancement of crops through genetic engineering is well known throughout Europe, and his leadership skills in this arena are valued
internationally. He is currently serving as president of the European Society of Plant Sciences and has consulted with numerous granting agencies, foreign governments, companies, and institutions around the world. His scientific expertise is also routinely sought by top-tier journals, including those published by ASPB (Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell), where he has held co-editor and associate editor positions in recent years. He has been editor-in-chief of Plant Molecular Biology since 2001. Willi has also had a major influence on plant biology through the publication of the ASPB-sponsored textbook Biochemistry & Molecular Biology of Plants, which he developed and edited with his Berkeley colleagues Russell Jones and Bob Buchanan. This book has been used in countless courses in the United States and abroad; has been translated into Chinese, Japanese, and Italian; and has received several accolades and awards. Willi is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was recognized as a UC Chancellor’s Professor, and won the 2003 Anniversary Prize of the Eiselen Foundation Ulm, Germany.

His distinguished scientific career began in Germany, where he obtained both his M.Sc. (1977) and Ph.D. (1979) from the University of Bonn. Subsequently,
he held postdoctoral research associate positions at the University of Marburg, Germany (1979–1980) and the University of Colorado, Boulder (1981–1983). He was hired as assistant professor in what was then the Department of Botany at the University of California at Berkeley during 1984. He was promoted with remarkable speed, becoming full professor in 1990, and served as chair of the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology from 1993 to 1998. During his time at Berkeley, he was also a leader of the university–industry alliance and served as director of the PMB–Novartis Collaborative Research Program for several years. Willi returned to Europe in 2000 as professor of plant biotechnology at the ETH. His leadership skills continue to serve the scientific community through his positions as co-director of the Functional Genomics Center Zurich (2001– ) and chair of the Institute of Plant Sciences ETH Zurich (2004–2005) and the Zurich–Basel Plant Science Center (2004–2006).

Patricia M. Léon
Instituto de Biotecnologia, UNAM

Patricia Léon was born in Mexico and obtained a broad and extensive education both in Mexico and the United States. After undergraduate studies in biology at the Universidad Nacional de México (UNAM; B.Sc., 1982), she obtained two master’s degrees, the first in biomedical research at the Instituto de Investigationes Biomedicas, UNAM (1985), and the second earned during time spent at Stanford University (M.Sc. 1987) in the lab of Virginia Walbot. Her work on the regulation of gene expression in maize mitochondria from a male sterile line revealed the presence of a linear plasmid that had apparently captured tRNA genes. Patricia returned to Mexico for Ph.D. studies at the Biomedical Research Centro de Fijación del Nitrógeno in Cuernavaca. Her thesis (1991) was on the use of a
transient assay system to study gene regulation in Phaseolus vulgaris. As a Pew Scholar, Patricia returned to the United States for postdoctoral work with Jen Sheen at Massachusetts General Hospital. During that period she isolated several Arabidopsis glucose-insensitive (gin) mutants, providing the first evidence for an important connection between sugar and hormone signaling pathways and establishing the basis for further work in Sheen’s and her own laboratories. Since 1991 she has been on the faculty of the Instituto de Biotecnología, UNAM in Cuernavaca Morelos, and was promoted to professor in 1997.

Current research in Patricia’s laboratory focuses on two main areas: molecular events involved in chloroplast differentiation and the complex intersection
between sugar sensing and hormone signaling. The lab studies both of these problems with a powerful combination of molecular genetics, biochemistry, and
physiology. Major contributions to understanding of isoprenoid biosynthesis came from her work on the dissection of the MEP (methylerythritol phosphate)
pathway in chloroplasts and identification of CLA1, whose gene product catalyzes the first enzymatic step of this pathway. The pathway is necessary for the
synthesis of plant hormones (GA and ABA) and for generation of plastid carotenoids. Future work in her group will continue to exploit a large collection
of plastid development mutants to uncover additional secrets of chloroplast biogenesis. Her second set of projects deals with how glucose acts as a hormonelike molecule to mediate metabolic and developmental responses in plants. The work of Léon, Sheen, and colleagues has already led to the widespread acceptance that both ABA biosynthesis and signaling are integrated with sugar signaling networks. Moreover, identification of the transcription factor ABI4 gives a starting point for further understanding of a complex gene regulation network that underlies these interconnected systems. These and other works have been published in many highly cited articles in top-tier journals.

Patricia’s research excellence has been recognized by the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and she was awarded one of a handful of
Latin American HHMI International Fellow positions in 2002. Her expertise also serves the community through scientific review for many top-tier journals and funding agencies. Notably, she has diligently served as a co-editor for The Plant Cell since 2003, where her opinion is highly valued by the editor-in-chief and her fellow co-editors.

Dennis R. Hoagland Award

This monetary award, established by the Society in 1985 with funds provided by the Monsanto Agricultural Products Company, honors Dr. Dennis R. Hoagland, recipient of the first Hales award, for his outstanding contributions and leadership in plant mineral nutrition. The award, to be made not more frequently than triennially, is for outstanding plant research in support of agriculture.

Dennis R. Hoagland Award Committee

The 2006 winner is...

Dennis Gonsalves
USDA-ARS-PWA

Dennis Gonsalves has distinguished himself among academic scientists in many areas, including research, teaching, and technology transfer. Most well known to the scientific community is Dr. Gonsalves's involvement in the development and commercialization of the first genetically engineered fruit crop, papaya. This endeavor involved leadership not only in distinguished plant science research directed toward solving an important crop production problem, but also in assuring that these accomplishments passed regulatory scrutiny and were accepted by and transferred to the farming community. A theme common to all his activities over the years has been the improvement of the situation of small farmers, especially those from underdeveloped countries.

The early work of Dr. Gonsalves focused on plant viruses-attempting to identify solutions to control viral diseases in crop species. In the early 1990s he expanded his research to include controlling disease caused by papaya ringspot virus, which threatened the papaya industry in Hawaii. At a time when transformation efforts were in their infancy, Dr. Gonsalves successfully led an inter-institutional research team that was able to obtain engineered papaya lines with durable viral resistance.

After this technical success, a number of other hurdles had to be resolved before commercial success could be achieved. Dr. Gonsalves orchestrated the deregulation of the engineered papaya varieties for commercial use, which involved demonstrating consumer (FDA) and environmental (EPA) safety, as well as field evaluations (USDA). He negotiated freedom-to-operate agreements from several corporate, university, and government patent holders so that the varieties could be commercialized-no small feat as anyone involved in these activities will recognize.

The culmination of this work was the commercialization of the world's first genetically engineered fruit crop and the end of the dramatic decline in papaya yield that occurred between the outbreak of the disease in 1992 and availability of the transgenic varieties in 1998. During the period from 1998 to 2001, after the new varieties were introduced, papaya yields increased by 50 percent over the lowest yields experienced in 1998. Dr. Gonsalves's efforts did not stop with helping Hawaiian farmers. With the support of USAID, he began to develop locally adapted papaya varieties for Africa and Bangladesh-efforts aimed at alleviating vitamin A deficiency in those countries.

Perhaps most pertinent to this award is not Dr. Gonsalves's personal accomplishments in plant research, although these are clearly exceptional, but what he has accomplished indirectly by setting an example that demonstrates the role academic scientists can play in the production and adoption of genetically engineered crops to improve agriculture and human health.

Dr. Gonsalves's contributions to agriculture are direct, obvious, and profound. Not only has he provided critical leadership that led to a product of importance in agriculture and human health, but his efforts did not stop there. He made sure the product he developed passed appropriate regulatory hurdles to ensure that it would have a positive impact on the papaya industry, not only in Hawaii but elsewhere in the world.

This award was initiated in 1988 to recognize outstanding teaching in plant biology. It is an award to be made not more than triennially in recognition of excellence in teaching, leadership in curricular development, or authorship of effective teaching materials in the science of plant biology.

Excellence in Teaching Award Committee

The 2007 winner is...

Roger Hangarter
Indiana University

Roger Hangarter is the 2007 ASPB Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. Roger has been selected to receive this award because of his strong commitment to undergraduate and graduate education and his remarkable contribution to engaging students of all ages in the biology of plants. He not only maintains an active, internationally recognized research program, but also serves as an excellent teacher and inspiring mentor. He has developed the “Plants in Motion” website, which has allowed numerous educators to show their students the fascinating growth and topic movements of plants. This website has been cited in numerous articles and journals, including Science. In addition, Roger developed, together with Dennis DeHart, sLowlife, an art installation including video pieces, live plants, prints, and pieces created from plants and fungi. This exhibit has been presented at Indiana University and the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, DC, serving as a broad educational outreach tool. Roger also developed “Plant Dance,” an interactive exhibit about plants for children. Plant Dance has been on display in St. Paul, Minn., Durham, N.C., and Berkeley, Calif., and
continues to travel throughout the country. Roger created Return of the 17-Year Cicadas, a short film documenting the 17-year cicada emergence in 2004. The
film won the Science and Engineering Visualization Award from NSF and the journal Science. Lastly, Roger has contributed plant time-lapse movies to educational agencies and exhibits in various nations.

We in the plant community owe a debt of gratitude to Roger for providing all of us with the tools to excite our students and for showing the public the dynamic life of plants. He is a tireless advocate for plant biology and plant biologists.

The Martin Gibbs Medal was instituted by the Society's executive committee in 1993 to honor Martin Gibbs, editor of Plant Physiology from 1963 to 1993. The Gibbs Medal is presented biennially to an individual who has pioneered advances that have served to establish new directions of investigation in the plant sciences. The winner will receive the medal and will be invited to convene a Martin Gibbs Medal Symposium at the annual meeting the following year.

Martin Gibbs Medal Committee

The 2007 winner is...

Richard A. Jorgensen
University of Arizona

Richard A. Jorgensen has been awarded the 2007 Martin Gibbs Medal for his pioneering work leading to the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi). The work on cosuppression and epigenetic gene silencing, conducted in plants by Rich and his coworkers, significantly contributed to the present understanding of the scientific and practical importance of RNAi. For several years following the initial publication on cosuppression by Napoli, Lemieux, and Jorgensen (Plant Cell 2: 279–289 [1990]), Rich was the leading spokesperson for the diversity of RNAbased regulatory mechanisms in plants. Subsequent mechanistic studies in diverse plant, animal, protist, and fungal species established the universality of these mechanisms. The seminal contributions to this field made by the Jorgensen laboratory over the past 17 years make him particularly deserving of the high level of recognition bestowed by the Martin Gibbs Medal.

Cosuppression, as first described and defined by Napoli et al. (1990), is the reduction of endogenous host gene expression resulting from attempts to overexpress the homologous transgene. This seminal work demonstrated that cosuppression required homology between coding sequences and that the epigenetic state was not heritable in the absence of the inducing transgene. Over the years, the term cosuppression was first replaced by mechanistic terms such as posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) and now RNAi. Rich developed petunia as the model system for his cosuppression experiments because it offered convenient, elegant flower pigmentation pattern phenotypes, which were useful for distinguishing the sometimes infrequent epigenetic events. One very important observation was that silencing of chalcone synthase occurred at strikingly different efficiencies and produced a variety of flower color patterns depending on the nature of the transgene construct. Rich and his coworkers made the critical observation that constructs not engineered for overexpression were only competent to induce RNAi if the transgene was integrated in the genome as an inverted repeat, leading directly to our current understanding of the importance of double-stranded RNA in RNAi.

Rich was quick to recognize the potential significance of systemically transmitted RNA in an information “superhighway.” He proposed that the capacity of
plants to traffic RNA via the phloem and plasmodesmata, taken together with the ability of RNA to imprint homologous DNA in a cell-, tissue-, or organ-specific manner, might store information in chromatin about the developmental and physiological history of the plant. This stored memory could conceivably be modified, reprogrammed, or reset by new information.

The impact on biology, agriculture, and medicine of these new concepts will surely continue to expand over the coming decades. Rich’s pioneering contributions in this area are clearly reflected in the literature and underlie the diverse array of biological roles played by RNAi. He has influenced the field far beyond his key publications and review articles. The medical implications of RNAi are only just beginning to be exploited, including potential therapies for viral infections (e.g., hepatitis-C, HIV), degenerative diseases (e.g., macular degeneration, ALS, and type II diabetes), and cancer (e.g., HIV-related lymphoma). These potential benefits to mankind began with Rich and his colleagues’ careful and insightful observations of fundamental genetic mechanisms in petunia.

This award honors the Reverend Stephen Hales for his pioneering work in plant biology published in his 1727 book Vegetable Staticks. It is a monetary award established in 1927 for a scientist, whether or not a member of the Society, who has served the science of plant biology in some noteworthy manner. The award is made annually. The recipient of the award is invited to address the Society on a subject in plant biology at the next annual meeting.

Stephen Hales Prize Committee

The 2007 winner is...

Sarah Hake
Plant Gene Expression Center

Sarah Hake has made pioneering contributions to our fundamental understanding of plant developmental biology that span the scientific disciplines of evolution, genetics, cell biology, and plant molecular biology. She has been a vigorous advocate of plant biology at the national level and to the general public. She has served the plant biology community diligently through her distinguished work on the advisory boards for TIGR and MaizeGDB. She has served ASPB as a member of the Publications and Charles Albert Shull Award Committees and through her service on the editorial board of The Plant Cell.

Sarah’s groundbreaking research with the Knotted mutant of maize, using the then-novel method of transposon tagging, led to the isolation of the first plant homeobox gene, knotted1. That plants contained homeodomain proteins provided an important link to their animal counterparts and critical data for evolutionary theory. Her subsequent work verified that kn1 functioned as a master regulatory gene in the maintenance of apical meristems and hence plant architecture. Her work has demonstrated the importance of homeodomain-type proteins in the regulation of genetic pathways controlling plant shoot architecture, inflorescence architecture, and embryonic and reproductive development and will have a major agronomic impact through improvement strategies for grain production.

Sarah and her coworkers also discovered the importance of transcription factor movement between cells in a highly specific manner, moving across a single cell layer in the apical meristem via plasmodesmata. This pioneering work provided evidence that plants use plasmodesmata to transport critical regulatory proteins to adjacent cells where they function during morphogenesis and development. This established the new paradigm that plant development is dependent not only on where and when transcription factors are expressed, but also where and when these factors move.

For all these achievements, ASPB recognizes Sarah Hake with the Stephen Hales Prize.

Early Career

The Early Career was instituted by the Society's executive committee in 2005 to recognize outstanding research by scientists at the beginning of their careers. This award is a monetary award made annually for exceptionally creative, independent contributions by a member of the Society who is not more than five years post-Ph.D. on January 1st of the year of the presentation.

Early Career Award Committee

The 2007 winner is...

Elena Shpak
University of Tennessee

Elena Shpak was selected for the Early Career Award because of her outstanding accomplishments in two different areas of research in plant cell and molecular biology and her potential for continued creative contribution. She is recognized for achievements in both plant biochemistry and plant development. Elena earned a doctorate in biochemistry in only 4 years at Ohio University under the supervision of Professor Marcia J. Kieliszewski. She avoided the “safe” projects in her advisor’s laboratory and instead took on and solved the challenging question of what might be the determinants of hydroxyproline-O-glycosylation, resulting in a seminal paper dealing with hydroxyproline-O-glycosylation codes. In addition to the high-profile peer-reviewed publications that resulted from her doctoral research project, she also contributed to numerous U.S. International patents and patent applications and a license agreement. Elena subsequently completed postdoctoral studies in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington with Professor Keiko Torii. There, she is credited with making three major contributions to our understanding of the ERECTA receptor tyrosine kinase.

After spending a year as a biology instructor at California State University in Fullerton, Elena joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee in 2006, where she has established a research program to study ERECTA-mediated signaling and to understand how plant organ primordia develop. Both her Ph.D. and postdoctoral mentors indicate that Elena had an enormous impact on the direction of research in their own groups and, despite her youth, she is already attributed with excellent mentoring skills. Elena is described as “impressive,” a “high flier with a creative flair for research,” a “whiz at the bench,” and a “terrific scientific companion” with the potential to contribute “fundamental textbooklevel insights into plant growth and development.”

Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research

The ASPB Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research was approved by the Society’s executive committee in 2005 to honor Dr. Bogorad’s many contributions to plant biology, including his influential efforts to bring the techniques of molecular biology to bear on problems in plant biology; his groundbreaking research on chloroplast genetics, biogenesis, structure, and function;and his inspired teaching and mentoring. The ASPB Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research is a monetary award made biennially to a plant scientist whose work both illuminates the present and suggests paths to enlighten the future. This award is being awarded for the first time in 2006.

Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research Committee

The 2006 winner is...

Maureen Hanson
Cornell University

In awarding the Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology to Dr. Maureen Hanson, we recognize a pioneering researcher in organelle biology. After her undergraduate studies in botany at Duke University, Dr. Hanson received her Ph.D. degree studying with Dr. Lawrence Bogorad at Harvard University. Her early studies elucidated a genetic contribution from the plastid genome to the biology of this vital organelle. In her subsequent research as a postdoctoral fellow in Fred Ausubel's laboratory at Harvard University, and in her first faculty position at the University of Virginia, she made significant contributions to understanding the role of mitochondrial genes in cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). After moving to Cornell University in 1985, Dr. Hanson continued her studies in different aspects of organelle biology. In 1995, she was appointed the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Plant Molecular Biology at Cornell University in recognition of her scientific achievements and leadership role in guiding the development of plant molecular biology at Cornell.

Dr. Hanson's many research achievements include the discovery of mitochondrial DNA rearrangements that are associated with cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) and the identification of a chimeric mitochondrial gene linked to this condition. She was among the first to clone nuclear restorer genes in CMS. In addition to her work on CMS, she was one of the early leaders in defining the role of RNA editing in plants. She helped elucidate the role of editing in splicing, translation and cis elements. Finally, she has played a key role in recent years describing stromules, dynamic membrane protrusions from chloroplasts, and exploring their role in plastid functions and interactions with other cellular compartments.

Dr. Hanson's work is viewed by her peers as consistently in the forefront of plant biology and spurring interest in each of her areas of work. Thus, she truly "illuminates the present and suggests paths to enlighten the future." In addition to her substantial scholarly contributions, she has been a tireless advocate for plant science. She has been the PI of several training grants in plant biology at Cornell and has been a strong proponent of plant research on a local and national scale. She is valued by her colleagues as an innovative and high-profile scientist who is a role model for excellence with modesty.

Dr. Hanson's contributions to advancing knowledge, training new generations of scientists, and promoting plant science, and her graceful combination of excellence with modesty, most exemplify characteristics that marked Dr. Bogorad's career. It is therefore especially fitting that the first Lawrence Bogorad awardee is a former student of his whose distinguished career was inspired by Dr. Bogorad himself.

ASPB-Pioneer Hi-Bred International Graduate Student Prize

This award, made possible by the generosity of Pioneer Hi-Bred International (http://www.pioneer.com), recognizes and encourages innovative graduate research and innovation in areas of plant biology that relate to important commodity crops. Three $5,000 prizes will be given annually from 2006 through 2009, with an additional $1,000 awarded for prize recipients attending the ASPB annual meeting in the year of their award. Each nominee must attend a U.S.-accredited college or university and must demonstrate interest in the study of plant biology or a related discipline. Each nominee must be a Ph.D. candidate—i.e., have successfully passed their preliminary examinations, must demonstrate an excellent academic record, and must be a member of ASPB. An individual may receive this prize only once.

ASPB-Pioneer Hi-Bred International Graduate Student Prize Committee

The 2007 winner is:

Nicola Harrison-Lowe
University of Michigan

The winner of the 2007 ASPB–Pioneer Hi-Bred International Graduate Student Prize is Nicola Harrison-Lowe, a graduate student at the University of Michigan in the laboratory of Laura Olsen. Nicola graduated with honors from Eastern Michigan University with a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology. Her dissertation research began with a specific focus on the role of plant autophagy during plant development and stress responses. Her current research involves using a variety of innovative approaches to understand the role of Autophagy Protein 6 (ATG6). To her surprise, she found that ATG6 is of particular importance during postmicrosporogenesis pollen development. Funded in part by a fellowship from a cellular biotechnology training program, Nicola’s research is uncovering new insights into the biochemical and molecular mechanisms by which ATG6 functions. The results of her research will shed new light on the role of autophagy during various stages of plant development, as well as during stress responses. In addition to her commitment to basic plant biology research, Nicola also is developing excellent teaching and leadership skills. She has a long-term interest in whole plant physiology, including bioremediation and biofuels. She eventually plans to use her talents in the academic setting and for educational outreach activities, though industry still holds some appeal as well.

Fellow of ASPB Award

Established in 2007, the Fellow of ASPB award may be granted in recognition of distinguished and long-term contributions to plant biology and service to the Society by current members in areas that include research, education, mentoring, outreach, and professional and public service. Current members of ASPB who have contributed to the Society for at least 10 years are eligible for nomination. Recipients of the Fellow of ASPB honor, which may be granted to no more than 0.2% of the current membership each year, receive a certificate of distinction and a lapel pin.

Fellow of ASPB Award Committee

The 2007 inaugural class of ASPB Fellows are:

The goal of this program is to provide opportunities for students to pursue meaningful research in plant biology at their home institutions early in their college years.The program targets students who have just completed their sophomore year of their undergraduate studies. But exceptionally well-prepared students who have just completed their first year are also considered, as are students who have completed their junior years and provide evidence of a strong commitment to plant biology.Recipients are expected to present their results at the ASPB national meeting the following summer (with funding provided by ASPB Travel Grants).With such an opportunity, ASPB hopes to encourage students to pursue careers and advanced degrees in plant biology.

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