Genetics Section Student Travel Awards

For BOTANY 2024, the Genetics Section will be providing 1 $500 travel awards to students that submit an abstract to the Genetics Section. The purpose of these awards is to support students' attendance and their presentations at BOTANY 2024 which will take place June 15-19, 2024.

This award is now open.

Submit Your Application - Deadline March 15, 2024 (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 2024 - 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:

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 SequencesCo-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 genomesCo-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 cladesCo-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."