Page 100 SECTIONAL OFFICERS
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BRYOLOGICAL AND LICHENOLOGICAL SECTION *Chairperson (1998)
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ECOLOGY SECTION |
DEVELOPMENTAL AND STRUCTURAL SECTION *Chairperson (1998) |
Vice-Chairperson (1998) |
Program Director (1997) |
Secretary (1998) |
Treasurer (1996) |
ECONOMIC BOTANY SECTION *Chairperson (1998) |
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Secretary-Treasurer (1997) James S. Miller |
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GENETICS SECTION |
MYCOLOGICAL
SECTION |
Vice Chairperson (1997) |
Chairperson (1998) |
Secretary-Treasurer (1997) |
Vice Chair (1998) |
Editor, Newsletter (1999) |
Secretary/Treasurer (1997) |
HISTORICAL SECTION |
PALEOBOTANICAL SECTION Chairperson (1997) |
| Vice-Chairperson unfilled | |
*Secretary-Treasurer (1997) Laurence J. Dort- |
*Secretary-Treasurer (1998) |
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(Paleobotanical section, con't) |
(Phytochemical Section, con't) |
PHYCOLOGICAL SECTION *Chairperson (1998) |
Treasurer-Editor (1997) |
Secretary (1999) |
PTERIDOLOGICAL SECTION |
PHYSIOLOGICAL SECTION *Chairperson (1997) |
*Secretary-Treasurer (1998) |
Program Director (1997) |
SYSTEMATICS SECTION |
PHYTOCHEMICAL SECTION *Chairperson (1997) |
Secretary-Treasurer (1996) |
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TEACHING SECTION |
(Tropical Biology Section, con 't) Secretary/Treasurer (1998) |
Vice-Chairperson |
MIDCONTINENT SECTION *Chairperson (1999) |
*Secretary/Treasurer (199?) |
Vice Chairperson (1999) Randy Allen |
Program Coordinator |
Secretary/Treasurer (1998) |
TROPICAL BIOLOGY SECTION Chairperson (1998) |
Vice Secretary/Treasurer (1998) |
*Program Chair (1997) |
NORTHEASTERN SECTION *Chairperson (1996) |
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(Northeastern Section, con't) Treasurer (1996) |
SOUTHEASTERN
SECTION *Chairperson (1997) |
PACIFIC SECTION |
Activities Committee Chair (1998) |
*Secretary-Treasurer (1996) |
Secretary-Treasurer (1995) David R. Hill |
Reports from the Sections Paleobotanical Section
The Paleobotanical Section currently has 289 members (212 regular members, 18 emeritus regular members, 33 affiliate members, 8 emeritus affiliate members, and 18 honorary members). This represents an increase of 59 members since last year.
During the past year the Section established a Paleobotany News List (PALEOBOT) on the internet and a home page on the World Wide Web. Charles Daghlian, of Dartmouth College, is managing both the list and the home page. To subscribe to the list, interested persons should send an e-mail message to PALEOBOT@ dartmouth.edu containing the following message: sub-scribe PALEOBOT your name. The WWW home page can be visited at: http://www.dartmouth.cd/–emczar/ paleo.html
The Section has a program for the Seattle meeting with 12 contributed papers and is co-sponsoring the symposium on "Use of Global Morphological Characters in Green Plant Phylogeny and Evolution." The annual business meeting is scheduled for 2:15 pm on Monday, August 5; it will be followed by a mixer and dinner later in the day. The Section is also sponsoring a pre-conference field trip, led by Wesley Wehr of The Burke Museum - University of Washington, to The Ginkgo Petrified Forest at Vantage, WA.
The relatively small number of contributed papers at the Seattle meeting this year is due to the fact that over 90 members of the Section attended the Fifth Quadrennial Conference of the International Organization of Paleobotany (IOPC-V), which was held at the University of California-Santa Barbara on June 30 - July 5, 1996. In addition, the Paleobotanical Section was involved in several other aspects of the IOPC-V. The six members of the Organizing Committee are all Section members, and the Section contributed funds specifically to defray the registration costs for 25 students, half of which were international students. The Section also held a business meeting at the IOPC-V.
The Bibliography of American Paleobotany for 1995, edited by Steven R. Manchester of the University of Florida, was distributed to members at the IOPC-V and will also be available for those at the Seattle meeting. Members not attending either conference, as well as 38 institutional subscribers, will receive the Bibliography by mail. Copies will be provided for the BSA Archives and for the editor of the Plant Science Bulletin. Others may purchase copies for $18 each.
—Jeffrey M. Osborn, Secretary-Treasurer
Economic Botany Section
At the 1996 AIBS meetings in Seattle, Washington, the economic botany section of the Botanical Society of America sponsored three events. The Symposium on Economic Botany, Sustainable development and Conservation of Botanical Resources was held Monday afternoon, August 5, and later that same evening Hugh H. Iltis, of the Univeristy of Wisconsin, presented a special lecture entitled "New Wine in an Old Bottle: Homeotic Sexual Translocations in the Origin of Maize (Zea mays)." On Tuesday, August 6, the economy botany section hosted a buisness lunch, and Chi llean Prance, the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, presented a talk entitled "Economic botany: the View from Kew."
At the buisness meeting, Dr. David Lentz was elected chairperson for the economic botany section, and he will serve for a two year term that ends in 1998. Dr. Lentz will also serve as the economic botany sections' representative to the council of the BSA.
It was decided that the economic botany section would again sponsor a symposium at the 1997 AIBS meetings to be held in Montreal and that David Lentz and Jim Miller would plan the symposium over the next few months. It was also decided to actively solicit contributed papers in the sectional mailing that will be sent out by Miller early in 1997, in the hopes that the economic botany section could sponsor a section of contributed papers as well. It is hoped that the economic botany section will continue to sponsor interesting programs that are as enthusiastically received as they have been for the last two years.
-James S. Miller, Secretary -Treasurer
Symposium: "WIRED Biology: Using Computers and the Internet to Enhance Teaching and Learning"
This symposium, being organized for the 1997 BSA meetings in Montreal under auspices of the Teaching Section, will feature presentations by our more technically talented colleagues who are already using computers and the Internet to enhance teaching and learning in their classrooms. Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company is sponsoring the symposium for the third year.
Plan now to attend the formal presentations tentatively scheduled all day Monday, August 4. Then stay on into Monday evening when the presenters will be joined by others for a hands-on "electronic poster session" where you can click the mice and try these applications for yourself.
Dr. David W. Kramer, Department of Plant Biology, Ohio State University, is organizing this fourth symposium of its kind. If you are a webmaster, programmer, or an innovative teacher who has learned to use technology effectively as a teaching tool, share your talents with colleagues. Offer to be a presenter in either or both of the sessions by contacting Dr. Kramer at (419) 755-4344 or kramer.8@osu.edu.
WWW Report to the Council
The Executive Committee has endorsed the establishing of a Society WWW home page. At the moment, the page is located at http://falk.ucdavis.edu/ bsa/bsa.htm. This site has information regarding society officers and committees, section officers, organization representatives, interesting botanical links and society publications. At the moment, American Journal of Botany is the only publication with any information. Soon Allen Press will begin making cover images and table of con-tents of pending issues available to us. These will be put on the pages as available. Scott D. Russell at OU has agreed to link his web version of Careers in Botany to the Society page.
Announcements are also listed on the Bot Soc pages. Submissions for announcements should be routed through Joe Leverich, Editor of Plant Science Bulletin.
Sections are urged to set up web pages and link them to the Society page. Contact Rick Falk (rfalk@ucdavis.edu) to have him add a link to your Section pages when they are ready. The Paleobotanical section pages maybe viewed at http://www.dartmouth.edu/ -emczar/paleo.html for examples of links to the BSA pages.
In the future we would like to add membership information to the web site, as well as information regarding future meetings and other information of interest to members.
A start has been made, but much work is needed to make the Bot. Soc. web site as striking and useful as it could be.
—Charles P. Daghlian
Plant Biology Education
The BSA Education Committee is swinging into action with the intention of achieving several goals from the "Botany for the Next Millennium" report. A major objective is to improve plant biology education at all grade levels, kindergarten through the university. Several activities are being launched that need the support of all BSA members including retired and student members:
A New Web Page
The Botanical Society's home page (http:// falk.ucdavis.edu/bsa/bsa.htm) will have a new page added to it, "Educational Resources." One of the features of this page will be links to botany resources on the World Wide Web.
Dr. Scott D. Russell, Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Oklahoma, recently opened a web page of this type which is being supported by the BSA Education Committee and used as a model. "Scott's Botanical Links" (http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ bot-linx/) is updated daily with a link to anew and exciting web page for botany (or biology). This "hot bot" link feature of Dr. Russell's page is an important means of enticing students and teachers to return to the page frequently and reinforces what we know: that plant biology is a very active and exciting field of study.
Dr. Russell and the committee need your help! If you want to invite visitors to your personal botany web site or want to nominate your favorite botany site, send the URL with a descriptive paragraph to Dr. Russell at srussell@ou.edu. Then stand back and watch those budding botanists get caught in your web!
Our Educational Resources page will also have information about books, posters, equipment, supplies, specimens, software, films, videotapes, videodiscs, and other classroom materials. If you know of any of these resources that are especially good, please send the information to Dr. David W. Kramer, Ohio State University, 1680 University Drive, Mansfield, OH 44906 or e-mail to kramer.8@osu.edu.
Teacher Workshops
Those of us who have been involved in designing and offering plant biology workshops for teachers know that these are very effective in promoting and improving science education. Schools in many states recently have adopted new science curriculum guidelines and teachers are designing new hands-on lessons. This is a perfect time for professional botanists to involve our-selves in those efforts to assure that students are well grounded in plant biology.
We are interested in BSA sponsorship of plant biology teacher workshops at national and regional meetings of science teachers such as NABT (National Association of Biology Teachers) and NSTA (National Science Teachers Association). If you would be willing to present a workshop at those meetings, contact Dr. Robert J. Reinsvold, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639 or send e-mail to rjreins@bentley.univnorthco.edu.
Many botanists are willing to offer teacher workshops but might not know what "works" and what doesn't. If you have conducted a teacher workshop, please send the Education Committee an outline of your design, budget information (income and expense), recruiting plans.... all the information you are willing to share. Don't hesitate to tell us what does NOT work as well as what does work! Send this information to Dr. Reinsvold.
The Education Committee plans to publish your ideas in a kind of "Teacher Workshop Organizer's Kit" that will help your colleagues get started. Watch, too, for a "Workshop on Workshops" as part of the 1997 meeting in Montreal.
Botanical Images
The Botanical Society, thanks to the efforts of the Teaching Section over several years, owns a wonderful collection of 35mm slides useful for teaching. Subjects include whole organisms, morphological details, anatomy, photomicrographs, electronmicrographs, habitats, etc. Copies of these slides can be ordered through the Business Office. For slide lists, prices, and ordering information contact Kim Hiser, Business Manager, Botanical Society of America, 1735 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1293; Phone: 614/292-3519; E-mail: khiser@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu.
The Education Committee is looking for ways of making these valuable images more widely available. For example., the slides could be digitized for distribution on the Internet and/or on CD-ROM. If you are interested in helping with this project, please contact Dr. David W. Kramer, Ohio State University, 1680 University Drive, Mansfield, OH 44906 or send e-mail to kramer.8 @osu.edu. This would be a wonderful project for our retired members... a way for you to continue to support teaching and learning.
The committee is seeking possible sources of funding for this project and if we don't get volunteers from BSA to head the project, we might look to commercial publishers.
Ask A Botanist
As students at all levels increasingly use the Internet as an information resource, their inquiries soon move beyond the boundaries of their own classrooms and perhaps beyond the expertise of their own teacher or professor. Occasionally they need the advice of a professional botanist. While we would discourage members from supplying lazy students with ready answers, there are exciting opportunities to assist intelligent, energetic, curious, and creative students. The Education Committee wants to develop a means of facilitating this consulting role without it becoming intrusive. If you have ideas for organizing this BSA activity, contact Dr. Kramer.
—David W. Kramer
Draft Guidelines for Professional Ethics for Botanical Society of America
During the past two years a guideline for ethics of the BSA has been developing. This thrust has been related to the fact that many other professional scientific societies have developed such guidelines for their memberships. This thrust has been further promoted by such organizations as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Council for Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP), both of whom BSA is affiliated with.
In keeping with the intention that societies should have a code of ethics, the present draft is being submitted for consideration of adoption by the BSA membership. The draft includes all of the area cited in other ethics guidelines. Before a vote is take on these guidelines, the members of BSA are being asked for comments, suggestions, and additions to this printed document. Please send your input to: Harry T. Homer, Department of Botany, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1020 by January 15, 1997.
Draft Guidelines for Professional Ethics Botanical Society of America
In conducting their research, teaching, and service, botanists often must confront difficult ethical issues related both to their field of specialty, data collection needs and methods, and to the dissemination and use of their findings both in research and teaching. Since botanists are a diverse group with varying scientific backgrounds and professional affiliations, their ethical problems are both diverse and complex. This document presents guidelines for professional behavior for members of the BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA.
1. MEMBERS OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PUBLIC.
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They will strive to use and disseminate their knowledge, skills, and training to enhance the well-being of humankind through teaching, research, and service. They will specifically refuse to work professionally on any research or teach concepts that in their judgment will result in misinformation or harm being done to anyone.
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They will strive to maintain professional competence and will not offer advice on subjects on which they are uninformed.
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They will not engage in nor allow the dissemination of information about botany that is false, misleading, or will lead to the destruction of rare and endangered species.
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They will expose any misconduct and/or unethical behavior to the appropriate authorities.
2. MEMBERS OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE RE-SEARCH COMMUNITY.
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They will communicate clearly and honestly to all with whom they work, the objectives and possible consequences of their research by oral and/or printed means. They will support the peer review process. If the research has a commercial objective, researchers will make that explicit, and will disclose what the commercial results might reasonably expected to be.
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They will comply with all rules and limitations that local people, their communities, or their institutions place on the research. They will not "trick" people into revealing "secret" information. They will offer to supply any reports or materials resulting form research.
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They will respect any request for confidence made by those providing date or materials, provided that the maintenance of such confidence does not compromise other ethical considerations.
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They will respect individuals rights to anonymity and the rights of privacy of those they work with when it is requested.
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When materials or information obtained from those people can reasonably be expected to have commercial payoff, they will arrange with employers for equitable economic compensation for those who have provided the information and/or plants and will do all in their power to ensure that compensation is paid.
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They will refrain form any activity where there seems to be a conflict of interest.
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They will ensure humane treatment of animals when they are used for plant experimentation.
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They will adhere to the authorship and publication practices of the profession and the American Journal of Botany.
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3. MEMBERS OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TO HOST GOVERNMENTS AND OTHER HOST INSTITUTIONS.
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They will comply honestly and completely with all regulations requesting disclosure of project objectives, sponsorship and methods, as well as supply reports and specimens to perform specified services (e.g., seminars and training).
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They will, when the situation requires, make clear that they will not compromise their professional ethics as a condition of their receiving clearance to do research. Specifically, they will provide no secret information or reports that might jeopardize people they have worked with or other individuals.
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They will assist their collaborators in enhancing the physical and human resources of their institutions and nations.
4. MEMBERS OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PROFESSION.
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They will maintain a level of integrity and professional behavior in the field so as not to jeopardize future research by others.
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They will not present as their own the work of others.
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They will not allow, to the limits of their abilities, their materials to be used for fraudulent or harmful purposes.
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They will not allow nor condone discrimination and/or harassment in any form.
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They will serve as mentors, where appropriate, and maintain a professional image both within and outside the profession toward botany.
5. MEMBERS OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TO THOSE WHO SUPPORT THEIR RESEARCH, TEACHING, AND SERVICE THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE ETHICAL GUIDELINES OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA.
Other News
Plant-ed: an Electronic Newsgroup for Plant Biology Educators
A BIOSCI newsgroup called "Plant-ed" exists for plant biologists involved in teaching courses on plants. The newsgroup allows instructors, lab preparators, and graduate assistants to exchange information pertaining to their undergraduate and graduate-level plant courses. Like other BIOSCI newsgroups, Plant-ed can be used through e-mail by subscribing, or through USENET news software. In addition, all past messages are stored in a searchable archive at the URL: http://www.bio.net:80/ hypermail/PLANT-EDUCATION/. Currently there arc about 350 subscribers from over 20 countries. Discussions are wide ranging and informative. Answers to specific questions are usually only minutes away!
The charter describing the purpose of Plant-ed is located at the URL: http://net.bio.net/bioarchives/ PLANT-EDUCATION/CHARTER. The newsgroup is intended to be
I . a resource for the exchange of laboratory methodologies and classroom activities,
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a source of quick help for last-minute troubleshooting, conditions for plant growth, sources of materials, and practical advice,
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a forum for discussing open-ended investigative laboratory projects,
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a forum for discussing textbooks, and
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an archive of searchable information for future use by instructors of plant courses.
To subscribe to Plant-ed by e-mail, send the message:
subscribe
plant-ed
end
to one of the following addresses: "biosciserver@net.bio.net" (if you are in the Americas or the Pacific Rim), or "biosci@daresbury.ac.uk" (if you are in Europe, Africa or Central Asia). Once you have sub-scribed you may send messages to all subscribers using the address: "plant-ed@net.bio.net". Replies will automatically go the sender unless forwarded to the entire group. 13eing unmoderated, the newsgroup is subject to occasional advertisements. BIOSCI urges subscribers to ignore these messages rather than reply to them.
General information about the BIOSCI newsgroups, subscribing, unsubscribing, searching BIOSCI archives, and FAQs can be obtained at the URL: http://net.bio.neii. For more information please contact either of the discussion leaders:
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Jonathan D. Monroe |
Susan R. Singer |
Refocus of Research at Fairchild Tropical Garden
During the winter and spring of 1996, Fairchild Tropical Garden carried out a peer review of the science programs at FTG by scientists of international reputation. This review made a number of recommendations from which we developed a strategic plan for plat research and conservation. It is own aim to maximize our strengths of geographical location and superb living collections, re-duce the possibility of duplicating work done at other institutions, and make the most effective use of our funding. Beginning in November 1996, the Garden will pursue four primary areas of research and conservation with a mixture of external and core funding: South Florida Plants and Environments, Caribbean Biodiversity, Palm Biology, and Tropical Fruit Crops. Other areas that are appropriate to the Garden's mission will be pursued with external funding. It is also our intention to expand our partnerships with research associates and to attract more graduate students to enhance our research efforts.
Since Hurricane Andrew blew through in 1992 (see the cover of American Journal of Botany issue of December 1994), Fairchild has made a remarkable recovery. New green houses and a conservatory, numerous international expeditions for new wild-collected material, and new plantings have enhanced the beauty, taxonomic breath, and scientific value of the collections. In addition to the projects carried out by staff and research associates, the Garden is the site of school science trips, university classes, professional workshops, active conservation projects with local agencies, and an important source of material for botanical and medical research.
For further information, contact: Jack B. Fisher, Director of Research, Fairchild Tropical Garden, 11935 Old Cutler Rd., Miami FL 33156
HHMI Issues Beyond Bio 101 in both Printed and WWW Formats
One of the first books ever released simultaneously in print and on the World Wide Web has been published by the nation' s largest philanthropy. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute published Beyond Bio 101: The Transformation of Undergraduate Biology Education to describe how science education is changing at college campuses nationwide.
An 88-page printed version, available free, is filled with original reporting and color photographs from many of the 220 colleges and universities that have received more than $335 million in grants from the Institute since 1988 to enhance undergraduate biology education. The electronic version on the Institute's World Wide Web site enables readers to jump quickly between chapters to follow a topic of interest or click to related Web sites. The address is http://www.hhmi.org/ BeyondBiol01.
The Institute is a medical research organization whose scientists conduct medical research in HHMI laboratories at 62 outstanding academic medical centers and universities nationwide. Through its complementary grants program, HHMI also supports science education in the United States and a select group of researchers abroad. Its headquarters are in Chevy Chase, Md.
The primary audience for Beyond Bio 101 is biology faculty and other science educators at colleges and universities, a group that uses the Internet regularly. By creating a special Web version of Beyond Bio 101, the Institute hopes to reach many people who might not see the printed version, and make it easier for them to pursue other sources of information about biology education.
The editorial team that prepared Beyond Bio 101 modified the printed version substantially for the Web. It encountered many interesting questions that other publishers also may face in the future:
•Creating a layout to accommodate readers with varying Web browsers and connection speeds.
•Modifying chapters with several thousand words to become a series of shorter computer screens.
•Reformatting photos and graphics to reduce the download time for readers with slower connections.
•Reorganizing sidebars so they are connected to the text by computer links rather than by the eye.
•Identifying and establishing links with other Web sites of interest to readers.
The Web version of Beyond Bio 101 is richly illustrated with color photographs and navigational icons, and filled with useful links. A reader interested in efforts to encourage women to pursue biology, for instance, might click from a story about a program at Wellesley College to a list of resources for women science students. A story on curriculum reform links to profiles of student research projects.
The publication says big changes in science education are taking hold at diverse colleges and universities nationwide. Large numbers of undergraduates, for example, are now helping to carry out original research with modern biological equipment and techniques in-stead of just memorizing facts. Technological innovations such as computerized animations and "virtual" experiments are helping to bring complex biological concepts to life. Campuses have developed programs to attract more women and underrepresented minorities to careers in the biological sciences. They also have begun working with science teachers at nearby schools to improve science education for millions of younger Americans.
Beyond Bio 101 says the impact of these trends extends beyond college campuses. "It is a story whose outcome affects not only scientists and educators, but also a larger society that is facing difficult choices about health care, the environment, the economy, and many other issues involving biology," writes Purnell W. Choppin, president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, in his foreword.
The printed version is available free upon re-quest from: Office of Communications, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 4000 Jones Bridge Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-6789. The Institute's Web site, http:// www.hhmi.org, contains extensive material on biomedical research and science education.
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Announcements
Personalia
Engler Medal Awarded to Grady Webster
Dr. Grady Webster, Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology and Director (Emeritus) of the Herbaria at the University of California at Davis has been awarded the Adolph Engler Medal of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy. This was presented to him at the International Congress for Systematic and Evolutionary Biology in Budapest on August 24, 1996. The Engler Medal is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of plant taxonomy, and it is given periodically to the author of the single most outstanding work published in botanical systematics. Dr. Webster's award is for his synopsis of the genera and suprageneric taxa of Euphorbiaceae, published in the Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden in 1994.
Webster has served as President of the Botanical Society of America and President of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. He has also been a Smithsonian Senior Fellow, Regional Coordinator and Taxon Editor of the Flora North America project, President, California Botanical Society, Fellow of the California Academy of Science, Fellow, Royal Society of Lon-don, John Simon Guggenheim Fellow, and Program Director for Systematic Botany, National Science Foundation
Grady has been described as one of the band of intrepid plant explorers. His research has taken him to Ecuador, Australia, Brazil, Kenya, Tobago, Trinidad, Surname, Venezuela, Peru, Costa Rica, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Hawaii, Fiji, Dominica, Puerto Rico, Karakoram Range in Pakistan and, in the olden days, to Cuba. He has organized half a dozen or more symposia and has published more than 100 papers, mainly focusing on the family Euphorbiaceae.
1996 Lawrence Memorial Award
Amy J. Litt at the New York Botanical Garden is the recipient of the 1996 Lawrence Memorial Award. A student of Dr. Scott Mori, Ms. Litt has undertaken a study on the phylogeny of the Vochysiaceae. She will use the proceeds of the Award for travel in Cameroon for field research. Commemorating Dr. George H. M. Lawrence, founding Director of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University, the biennial Award of $1,000 is made to an outstanding doctoral candidate for travel in support of dissertation researchin systematic botany or horticulture, or the history of the plant sciences, including literature and exploration.
OSU's Stone Laboratory Receives Endowment Gift for Aquatic Plants Course
Ronald L. Stuckey, Professor Emeritus of Botany at The Ohio State University, announced his gift of $15,000 to the Franz Theodore Stone Laboratory, on the occasion of the Laboratory's 100th Anniversary Celebration on Gibraltar Island, Put-in-Bay, Ohio, on August 24, 1996. The donation establishes an endowment whose income will provide annual financial support to staff a course in vascular aquatic plants. The aquatic plants course was Stuckey's chief instructional responsibility at the Laboratory during the majority of the summers he taught there, from 1966 to 1991. Stuckey's association with Stone Laboratory spans five decades, dating from his student days at Heidelberg College in 1959. He is currently writing the 100-year history of the Laboratory.
In Memoriam
The Botanical Society has been notified that the following members have passed away:
Elizabeth (Lee) Greene Boardman of Davis, California, a former member of the Botanical Society.
E. J. H. Corner of Cambridge, England, a Corresponding Member of the Botanical Society. Professor Corner was a member of the BSA since 1985.
Robert M. Kosanke of Lakewood, Colorado, formerly of the Paleontology and Stratigraphy Branch, U.S. Geological Survey, a member of the Botanical Society since 1943. An article on Dr. Kosanke appears in the June, 1996 issue of Palynos, the newletter of the International Federation of Palynological Societies.
Anton Lang of Oxford, Ohio, formerly of the DOE Plant Research Lab, Michigan State University, a member of the Botanical Society since 1949.
Milton A. Petty of San Diego, California, a member of theBotanical Society since 1965.
Clarence Sterling of Davis, California, Professor Emeritus of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis.
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Educational Opportunities
Systematics of Tropical Plant Families
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Cycads & Monocots 19-23 May 1997
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Dicots 25-30 May 1997
As part of the NSF Chautauqua Short Courses for college faculty, these workshops are designed to facilitate instructors in incorporating tropical plant materials in their courses. They will be conducted at Fairchild Tropical Garden and the Montgomery Foundation, Miami, Florida, where participants are encouraged to photograph and collect specimens. Short lectures will pro-vide orientation to field and technical characters, systematic placement and subdivision, and uses of the major tropical families. Costs include only travel, lodging, incidentals, and a $40 registration fee. Applications available from the Science Education Center, Univ. Texas (512) 471-7354. For questions about content, contact the instructor, Roger Sanders, Botanical Research Inst. Texas, Fort Worth (8I7) 332-4441; rsanders@brit.org.
Biodiversity of Tropical Plants, 23 June - 19 July 1997
Harvard University Summer School in collaboration with Fairchild Tropical Garden will offer the following course, as in previous years: Biology S-105. Biodiversity of Tropical plants at Fairchild Tropical Gar-den (4 units). Limited enrollment. June 23 - July 19, 1997. Instructor: Professor P. Barry Tomlinson, E.C. Jeffrey Professor of Biology, Harvard University.
Instruction is carried out within the educational facilities of Fairchild Tropical Garden, Miami, Florida, whose living collections, the largest collection of tropical plants in the continental United States, provides the main focus of teaching activity. Field instruction will further involve the diversity of natural ecosystems in South Florida. Emphasis will be on reproductive biology, morphology, and anatomy within a strong systematic frame-work. Groups (both systematic and biological) of special interest include cycads, palms, tropical monocotyledons, epiphytes, lianes, mangroves, and sea grasses, as well as breeding mechanisms and architecture of tropical trees. The objective of the course is to provide advanced students of botany with a guided introduction to the diversity of plant form and function in the lowland tropics.
Prerequisites: Reasonably extensive training in the botanical sciences and familiarity with the major plant groups.
Admission is based on the Summer School application and a supplementary statement that includes the following information: course work in biology and related fields, relevant experience, travel experience in the tropics, and reasons for wanting to take the course. All application materials must be received at the Harvard Summer School by March 31, 1997. Preference will be given to graduate students.
Partial tuition and partial travel support are available for qualified students. Students will be housed collectively in comfortable and reasonably inexpensive accommodations close to Fairchild Tropical Garden.
Estimated expenses: Tuition: $1,470; Application fee: $40.00; Food and Accommodation: $30 per day.
For further information and supplementary application forms: Professor P.B. Tomlinson, Harvard Forest, Harvard University, P.O. Box 68, Petersham, MA 01366 or Christine Santos, Division of Continuing Education, Harvard University 51 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Tropical Dendrology Course, Costa Rica 23 June - 11 July 1997
The Tropical Science Center will offer the Fifth Tropical Dendrology course (in English) 23 June to 1 1 July 1997 at several biogeographic regions in Costa Rica. The course is for professionals and lay persons in biology, forestry, biodiversity, ornithology, ecology, and other areas in the natural resource field. The objective is the field identification of neotropical trees and shrubs down to the family, to the genus, and, in some cases to the species level. Instructors will be Dr. William A. Haber, Missouri Botanical Garden, Dr. Humberto Jimenez Saa, Tropical Science Center, Lic. Luis Poveda, Universidad Nacional, and M.Sc. Pablo Sanchez. Cost is US$2,500 or its equivalent in Costa Rica colones for fees, materials, lodging, meals, insurance, course-related local transport, farewell dinner, and diploma (airfare not included). For additional information, contact Dr. Humberto Jimenez Saa, Tropical Science Center, P.O. Box 8-3870-1000, San Jose, Costa Rica, fax: (506) 253 4963, telephone: (506) 225 2649, (506) 253 3267, e-mail: cecitrop@sol.racsa.co.cr
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Funding Opportunities
A.H.S. Student Research Fellowship
The American Hemerocallis Society solicits applications for an A.H.S. Fellowship from graduate or undergraduate students using daylilies as experimental organisms in original thesis research projects. A grant award will be made to successful candidate(s) for a maximum amount of $2000 for the Calendar year. Two renewals of the grant may be made for a total of three years of support, based on submission of a satisfactory annual report in October of each year. A final report will he required, and A.H.S. financial support must be cited in any publications resulting from the grant.
Interested candidates should submit an outline of the research project, describing background, goals and techniques. Letters of recommendation should be sent by the candidate's departmental chairperson and his/her thesis advisor/supervisor. Receipt of proposals is open and continuing, however, it is hoped that an award can be made by June 1997.
All aspects of scientific research on Hemerocallis will be considered. Fundamental areas of investigation are encouraged, such as, banded chromosome preparations, gene mapping, fine structural studies of vegetative or reproductive parts, microscopic analysis of the ontogeny of flower scapes in the crown, effect of various hormones on plant growth and formation of proliferations on scapes, floral pigment (anthocyanins and carotenoids) analysis, etc. Likewise, practical areas of study are encouraged, such as, hardiness of various cultivars in differentclimatic zones, the use of microtubule degradants (i.e., trifluralin, oryzalin, amiprophosmethyl) to produce polyploids, seed dormancy factors, and pests and diseases (i.e., crown rot, spring sickness, bulb mites).
Applications should be sent to James Brennan, Chairman, Scientific Studies Committee, 37 Maple Avenue, Bridgewater MA 02324
International Water Lily Society Research Grants
The International Water Lily Society (IWLS) will award a small number of research grants, normally ranging from $500 - 1,000, for 1997 to support scholarly activity in the area of aquatic plant research. This pro-gram provides support to graduate students, faculty and other professionals pursuing scholarly activity leading to recognition in their discipline. Grants may be used to purchase needed equipment, conduct travel or supplement salaries. Proposals focused on the ecology, taxonomy, systematics, conservation, propagation, or horticultural aspects of water lily taxa (Nymphaeaceae, Cabombaceae, and Nelumbonaceae) will be given preference. Deadline for applications is March 1, 1997. For applications write to: Ed Schneider, S anta B arbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 USA. Applicants who wish to request and/or submit electronic applications may do so by contacting: schneid@lifesci.lscf.ucsb.edu
National Research Council Associateship Programs
The National Research Council announces the 1997 Resident, Cooperative, and Postdoctoral Research Associateship Programs to be conducted on behalf over 100 research laboratories throughout the United States representing nearly all U.S. Government agencies with research facilities. The programs provide opportunities for Ph.D. scientists and engineers of unusual promise and ability to perform research on problems largely of their own choosing yet compatible with the research interests of the sponsoring laboratory. Initiated in 1954, the Associateship Programs have contributed to the career development of over 7500 scientists ranging from recent Ph.D. recipients to distinguished senior scientists.
Approximately 350 new full-time Associateships will be awarded on a competitive basis in 1997 for research in: chemistry; earth and atmospheric sciences; engineering, applied sciences and computer science; life, medical, and behavioral sciences; mathematics; space and planetary sciences; and physics. Most of the programs are open to both U.S. and non-U.S. nationals, and to both recent doctoral recipients and senior investigators.
Awards are made for one or two years, renew-able for a maximum of three years; senior applicants who have held the doctorate at least five years may request shorter periods. Annual stipends for recent Ph.D.' s for the 1997 program year range from $30,000 to $45,500 de-pending upon the sponsoring laboratory, and will be appropriately higher for senior Associates.
Financial support is provided for allowable relocation expenses and for limited professional travel during duration of the award. The host laboratory pro-
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vides the Associate with programmatic assistance including facilities, support services, necessary equipment, and travel necessary for the conduct of the approved research program.
Applications submitted directly to the National Research Council are accepted on a continuous basis throughout the year. Those postmarked no later than January 15 will be reviewed in February, by April 15 in June, and by August 15 in October. Initial awards will be announced in March and April — July and November for the two later competitions — followed by awards to alternate candidates later.
Information on specific research opportunities and participating federal laboratories, as well as application materials, may be obtained from the: National Re-search Council, Associateship Programs (TJ 2114/D3), 2101 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington DC 20418 Fax: (202) 334-2759, E-mail: rap@nas.esu, Internet: http:/ /www.nas.edu/rap/welcome.html
Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships for Minorities
The National Research Council plans to award approximately 20 ford foundation Postdoctoral Fellow-ships for Minorities in a program designed to provide a year of continued study an research for Native American Indians, Alaska Natives (Eskimo or Aleut), Black/African Americans, Mexican Americans/Chicanos, Native Pacific Islanders (Micronesians or Polynesians), and Puerto Ricans. In a national competition, Fellows will be selected from among recent doctoral recipients who show greatest promise of future achievement in academic re-search and scholarship in higher education.
This fellowship program, sponsored by the Ford Foundation, is open to citizens of the United States who are members of the designated minority groups, who are engaged in a teaching and research career or planning such a career, and who have held the PhD or ScD degree for not more than seven years.
Awards in the Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships for Minorities Program will be made in the behavioral and social sciences, humanities, engineering, mathematical, physical sciences, and life sciences, or for interdisciplinary programs composed of two or more eligible disciplines. Awards will not be made in professions such as medicine, law, public health, nursing, social work, library science, and in areas related to business, administration, management, fine arts, performing arts, health sciences, home economics, speech pathology, audiology, personnel, guidance, and education.
Each Fellow selects an appropriate not-forprofit institution of higher education or research to serve as host for the year of postdoctoral research. Appropriate institutions include universities, museums, libraries, government or national laboratories, privately sponsored not- for-profit institutes, government chartered not-for-profit research organizations, and centers for advanced study.
The deadline for submission of applications is January 3, 1997. Address all inquiries concerning application materials and program administration to the Fellowship Office, TJ 2039, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20418.
Positions Available
Cell Biology/Biochemistry, Eastern Connecticut State University
Assistant Professor Cell Biology/Biochemistry. Applications are invited for a tenure-track position in the Biology Department, Eastern Connecticut State University. Ph.D. required, postdoctoral training and expertise in plant, fungal or insect systems an advantage. Demonstrated interest in undergraduate teaching essential. Duties include teaching introductory and advanced courses to majors and non-majors, academic advising, professional development, and working with the Physical Sciences Department to establish a Biochemistry pro-gram. Information about the department can be found at http://biology. ecsu.ctstateu.edu. Please send a curriculum vitae and the names of three references by December 1st to: Dr. Charles Booth, Cell Biology/Biochemistry Biology Search Chair, Biology Department, ECSU, Willimantic, CT 06226. ECSU is an affirmative action/ equal opportunity employer.
Plant Systematist, Hope College
Hope College seeks a broadly trained botanist for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level. The successful candidate will develop a vigorous re-search program with active participation by undergraduate students. While the particular research area is open, we seek someone who uses modern systematics techniques to address evolutionary or ecological questions of fundamental significance. S/he will teach a course in vascular plant systematics, an introductory course at the organismal or population level, and an additional course in his/her area of expertise.
Hope College is a distinguished liberal arts college with an enrollment of 2,800 and a faculty of more than 180. The college maintains a strong tradition of "teaching through research" in the sciences. The Department of Biology has 13 full-time and 3 part-time faculty, and is well-equipped to maintain its commitment to a broad program in biology. Hope College is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America.
Qualified applicants should arrange to have a curriculum vitae, transcripts, statements of research interests and teaching philosophy/competencies, and three
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letters of recommendation sent to: Dr. ChristopherBamey, Chair, Department of Biology, Hope College, 35 East 12th Street, Holland, MI 49422-9000. Applications received by 8 November will be assured full consideration. Additional information about Hope College is available through the college's home page, http://www.hope.edu. Hope College complies with all legal requirements prohibiting discrimination in employment. Women and persons of color are strongly encouraged to apply.
Plant Systematic Biologist, North Carolina State University
The Department of Botany, North Carolina State University, invites applications for a 12-month tenure-track position as Assistant Professor, available 1 July 1997. We are seeking an individual to establish an innovative, competitively-funded research program in vascular plant systematics, with complementary teaching activities. Responsibilities will include supervision of graduate students and academic advising of undergraduates. The incumbent will also be responsible for curating the NCSU Herbarium. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to participate in interdisciplinary research are required. Postdoctoral experience is preferred. Send resume, statements of teaching and research interests, and three letters of recommendation to: W.F. Thompson and T.R. Wentworth, Co-Chairs, Plant Systematist Search Committee, Department of Botany, Box 7612, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7612. Applications received prior to 1 January 1997 will be assured of full consideration. North Carolina State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
Botany, Conservation Biology and Cellular/Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha
The Department of Biology of the University of Nebraska at Omaha invites applications for three tenure-track positions at the Assistant Professor level, for the 1997/98 academic year. We seek individuals who are committed to excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching, as well as research. All positions require applicants with a Ph.D. and research areas are open. The Botany position requires teaching an introductory course for majors which includes units on plant form and function, and a survey of protist, fungal and plant kingdoms. Depending on his/her specialty, the candidate will also contribute to existing, upper-level and graduate courses. Post-doctoral experience is preferred. The Conservation Biology position requires teaching in an introductory environmental biology course that enrolls both majors and non-majors, an upper-level conservation biology course and appropriate graduate-level teaching. Experience with private or government agencies is preferred.
The eukaryotic Cellular/Molecular Biology position re-quires post-doctoral experience and will involve teaching in introductory and upper-level courses in the area of cellular/molecular biology. In addition to baccalaureate and master's degrees in Biology, The department of Biology offers undergraduate degree programs in Biotechnology and Environmental Studies. For more information visit the biology home page at http:// www.unomaha.edu/biology. Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching and research interests, and the names, addresses phone and FAX numbers of three references. Please specify the position and forward applications to Dr. William D. O'Dell, Chair-man, Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182-0040. Review of applications will begin December 15 and continue until the positions are filled.
Plant Molecular Biologist and Evolutionary/Ecological Statistician San Francisco State University
The Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, invites applications for two tenure-track positions at the Assistant/Associate Professor level for Fall 1997. Ph.D. is required and postdoctoral experience is preferable. Successful candidates must have an established research record, the potential for extramural funding of a research program that includes supervision of M.A. students, and a commitment to excellence in teaching that includes general courses as well as area of specialty. We seek:
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A Plant Molecular Biologist with research interests in molecular genetic mechanisms underlying plant processes and extensive training in plant biology. Responsibilities will include teaching upper division and graduate courses in molecular and plant molecular biology, and participation in lower division introductory biology.