BSA ANNUAL REPORTS - 2008

Executive Committee Reports: PRESIDENT | PRESIDENT-ELECT | SECRETARY | TREASURER | COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE

Editors Reports: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY | PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN

Staff Reports: BUSINESS OFFICE | WEB STATISTICS

Standing Committee Reports (Administrative): CORRESPONDING MEMBERS | ELECTION | FINANCIAL ADVISORY | MEMBERSHIP | PUBLICATIONS

Standing Committee Reports (Awards & Prizes): DARBAKER PRIZE | ESAU AWARD | KARLING AWARD | MOSELEY AWARD | PELTON AWARD

Ad hoc Committee Reports: DEVELOPMENT | INTERNATIONAL

Section Reports: DEVELOPMENTAL AND STRUCTURAL | ECOLOGICAL | ECONOMIC | GENETICS | HISTORICAL | PALEOBOTANICAL | PHYSIOLOGICAL | SYSTEMATICS | TEACHING | TROPICAL| NORTHEASTERN

Representatives Reports: BIOLOGICAL STAIN COMMISSION

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT - 2008

During the past year, we have continued to promote a “greener future,” as laid out by Past President Chris Haufler in August, 2006.  We have continued to interact with other plant societies to pursue programs of mutual concern and interest (for example, PlantingScience with the ASPB and other societies).  The theme of this year’s meeting is Botany without Borders, and we will again convene a meeting of the Presidents, or other representatives, of all the societies meeting together in Vancouver (plus representatives of other societies that are not meeting with BSA this year).  We have also continued our emphasis on career development for our student members, and the Society has benefited from the contributions of student members to both the Bylaws Revision Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee.  I have also worked with the International Committee, set in place following the 2006 meeting, to expand our contacts and programs worldwide.  Finally, a revision to the Merit Award selection criteria and process has been drafted (discussion begun in summer, 2007).

New themes initiated during the past year emphasize science literacy and expanding participation in science in general and the BSA in particular to include members of underrepresented groups.  Highlights follow:

• The BSA’s PlantingScience educational program has really taken off during the past year, having obtained grant support, new faculty and student mentors, and many new classroom participants.  This program is also drawing participation from other plant scientists outside the BSA, and we have developed partnerships with other societies to support the program.
• A Committee on Underrepresented Groups was established, with the objectives of identifying needs and solutions.  To date, the following have been accomplished:
• A webpage for Women in Science has been established on the BSA website, with profiles of women scientists and resources for women
• Suggestions for making the annual meetings more “family-friendly” have been discussed with the BSA meetings management team
• Plans are underway for a roundtable discussion on Women in Science for Botany 2009

• The Bylaws Revision Committee (Ed Schneider, Scott Russell, Judy Jernstedt, and Andrew Schwendemann) worked with Janice Dahl of Anchor Management to produce a revised set of bylaws and a document of policies and procedures.  The revised bylaws will be discussed further at the meetings, followed by a vote of the membership for approval.  Thanks to all for their dedicated service in this important task.
• The Strategic Planning Committee, composed of members and BSA staff (Brent Mishler, Chris Haufler, Gordon Uno, Greg Anderson, Janice Coons, Karl Niklas, Kent Holsinger, Mackenzie Taylor, Muriel Poston, Pam Soltis, Simon Malcomber, Theresa Culley, Bill Dahl, Amy McPherson, Claire Hemingway, Heather Cacanindin, Johanne Stogran, Wanda Lovan, Rob Brandt, Jennifer Potratz, Richard Hund) met in St. Louis on March 30, 2008, to discuss where the BSA would like to be in 5 or 10 years and how to get there.  Janice Dahl facilitated the discussion and prepared a draft document summarizing the day’s discussion.  Further discussion by the Committee will take place in Vancouver.

In March, I chaired the Spring meeting of the Executive Committee.  The following were among the topics discussed, some of which will be explored further at the Council and various committee meetings in Vancouver.

• Should the EC meetings be conducted remotely?  This approach would save money and be more “green” than having all members travel to St. Louis.  We decided that the rapport that develops in face-to-face meetings is worth the expense of bringing the officers together.  Attention should continue to be paid to the environmental impacts and the expense of multiple face-to-face meetings per year.  (Note that the CSSP is now starting to make recommendations about how to make a Society’s annual meeting as green as possible; this is particularly timely as our staff work to make both our meetings and our administrative offices as green as possible.
• We reviewed the revisions to the bylaws, in preparation for sharing the revisions with the membership at the annual meeting.
• We discussed issues of concern that we wanted to see addressed at the Strategic Planning Committee meeting the following day.
• We discussed the future of the Society and membership issues.  Student memberships are up, and we discussed ways to continue to improve our services for students.  In particular, we discussed opportunities for training and career development at all levels.
• We endorsed the general philosophy of providing administrative services to other societies, as long as these activities are cost-neutral and do not detract from any of the BSA’s projects.
• We rejected a proposal from Springer to take over publication of the AJB.  Although a generous offer financially, it would have stripped the BSA of many of its roles in managing the journal, such as setting prices/membership, etc.
• The latest progress with PlantingScience was presented.  We were all very supportive of this program and the role that it plays, and will play, in improving science literacy.  We discussed how the BSA and PlantingScience could help support Broader Impacts activities of NSF projects.  Additional input and discussion are needed.
• Support was given for initiatives that make our science and our Society more appealing and more accessible to members of underrepresented groups.  Possible future activities include (1) obtaining funds to continue the Undergraduate Mentoring program initiated by Program Director Karen Renzaglia with support from NSF; (2) making the annual meetings more family-friendly (suggested by the Committee on Underrepresented Groups).  Additional suggestions will be forthcoming from the Committee.  

Respectfully submitted, Pamela S. Soltis BSA President

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PAST PRESIDENT - 2008

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT-ELECT - 2008

The BSA bylaws stipulate that the President–Elect chair the Committee on Committees. In this capacity, I am pleased to report that this committee has discharged its duties successfully. All committee vacancies have been filled and all committees are at their full membership capacity. Also, for the first time in the history of the BSA, one or more student members sit as new members on all but one BSA committee. The one exception is Financial Advisory Committee. In addition to chairing the Committee on Committees, all regularly scheduled meetings of the Executive Committee meetings and the Strategic Planning Committee were attended.

Respectfully submitted by Karl J. Niklas

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY - 2008

In my role as secretary, I attended the 2007 BSA meetings in Chicago, where I took notes at the executive committee meeting on Saturday, the council meeting on Sunday, the business meeting, and the second executive committee meeting on Thursday.  I also helped with the organization of the awards presentation at the BSA banquet.  Additionally, I attended and took minutes at the executive committee meeting in March 2008 at St. Louis.

Respectfully Submitted, Steve Weller

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TREASURER - 2008

The Botanical Society is in healthy financial condition. A big impact on the present year’s budget is the receipt of $682,129 in grants to support the Planting Science program (two from NSF, one from Monsanto and one from GEAR-UP St. Louis)!  The budget was revised after last year’s council meeting to accommodate the income and expenses associated with the grants, although net impact of the projects are nearly cost neutral for BSA.  A second substantial impact on BSA’s financial situation over the past year has been weakness in the financial markets that has eroded the gains the endowment has made in the past two years.  Despite this change, the Society has substantial financial assets, the income from which could also be used to support new or expanded program initiatives.  

Assets
As of 15 July 2008, assets in the Society’s investment accounts totaled nearly $3.2M (Table 1), a decrease of approximately $451K from 31 December 2007 (and $437K from last year’s report). The loss of funds in the first half of 2008 has been at approximately a -9.5% annual rate of return. This loss reflects the overall market trend.  The Society’s investments are distributed among domestic equities (55%), international equities (22%), fixed income securities (19%) and cash (4%).  Figure 1 shows a history of endowment growth since 1998.  Total investment growth over that period is $2M, of which $1M represents returns on investment and $1M represents additions from BSA operating surpluses.  The performance goal on the endowment is 9.44%, although recent performance has been off, overall gains exceed this goal.

Table 1: Investment fund balances for the Botanical Society of America

Figure 1: BSA Endowment 1998 - 2008

Income and expenses
The budget approved for 2007/2008 included budgeted income of $2.10M and budgeted expenses of $2.08M versus year-to-date totals of $1.41M and $1.18M, respectively (Table 2). The Society budgeted investment income (dividends plus capital gains) at $66K. As mentioned earlier, the only substantial change in our current finances relative to that budgeted is the loss of investment income.

Budget for 2008/2009
Budgeted income is projected at $2.15M in 2008/2009 versus $2.10M in 2006/2007. The modest increase in income reflects greater funds associated with American Journal of Botany (a 10.6% increase in institutional subscription rates). Budgeted expenses are projected at $2.12M in 2008/2009 versus $2.08M in 2007/2008. The budget reflects both grant associated income and expenditures for the next year.  

Table 2: Summary of income and expenses for the Botanical Society of America

Respectfully submitted, Laura Galloway, Treasurer

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE - 2008

The main duties of the Council Representative are to work in conjunction with the Executive Director to prepare the Young Botanists of the Year nominations. The call for nominations states that the top 25 nominees will be selected based primarily on their accomplishments, described in recommendation letters and any supporting materials. These 25 will receive a Certificate of Special Achievement from the Society and have their names published in the Plant Science Bulletin. It further states that all other nominees with strong records of achievement (at least a 'B' average, and meritorious activity in plant biology) may receive a "Certificate of Recognition," complimentary student membership for the rest of the calendar year, and have their names published in the Plant Science Bulletin.

I reviewed 27 applications for this award. On March 20, 2008. I suggested that all 27 nominees were deserving of the Certificate of Special Achievement" from the Society and to have their names published in the Plant Science Bulletin. These 27 Young Botanists will all receive the Young Botanists Award at the Botany 2008 meeting in Vancouver.

Respectfully Submitted, David Spooner

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EDITOR, AMERICN JOURNAL OF BOTANY - 2008

• The current editorial staff includes Ms. Amy McPherson (Managing Editor), Mr. Richard Hund (Production Editor), Dr. Sophia Balcomb (Assistant Editor/Content Editor), and Dr. Beth Hazen (Manuscript Editor).  Sincere thanks to reviewers, Associate Editors, and the Editorial Staff for their diligent work on behalf of the AJB over the past year.
• The complete switch to Dartmouth Journal Services and Sheridan Press as the compositor and printer of AJB, and EditorialManager as the online manuscript submission and tracking system took place in January, 2008 (Volume 95, Number 1).  Thanks to staff, authors, reviewers and Associate Editors for their hard work and patience during this time.  It wasn't fun, but we survived. 
• All communications (electronic, mail, and telephone) should be directed to the Editorial Office, which is located in St. Louis, at the BSA headquarters at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  The address is American Journal of Botany, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO  63166-0299; tel. 314-577-5112; fax 314-577-9515; email to: ajb@botany.org; www.amjbot.org).  If you return paper copies of reviews or marked manuscripts, please send them to St. Louis, not to Davis. 
• Associate Editors (AEs) are integral to the publication process.  Their responsibilities include suggesting reviewers, reading and evaluating manuscripts and reviews, and making recommendations for the EiC’s final decision. 
• Volume 96 (2009) will include a special issue, " The Abominable Mystery: The Origin and Early Diversification of Angiosperms," several special papers about scientific literacy for the "Year of Science," and special papers about current research in the areas of Charles Darwin's book titles (twining plants, domestication of plants and animals, power of movement in plants, and insectivorous plants). 
• Suggestions for special paper topics and books reviews are encouraged.  Please contact Darleen DeMason (demason@ucr.edu) for special papers and Michael Christianson (mxianson@pacbell.net) for book reviews.
• The impact factor for the American Journal of Botany fell from 2.969 in 2006 to 2.512 in 2007; the Journal’s impact factor ranking dropped from 16 to 26.  This was not unexpected, since the popular 2004 special issue no longer counted in the 2007 ratings.  We continue to work to improve AJB's standing, importance, and value to authors, readers, libraries, and funding bodies. 
• We continue working to bring more AJB papers to the wider notice of scientists, educators and the public. It is to the advantage of the authors and the journal to have explicitly stated in the abstract and elsewhere why they did the research they did, what major question in biology in general or botany in particular their research addressed; why anyone outside the specific discipline of the paper should care about the results; and how knowledge of general principles and mechanisms of biology is expanded by publication of this paper.  The answers to these questions should appear in the abstract, in part because we intend to use the first sentences of the abstract as RSS feeds, and also to attract readers who might not be specialists in the sub-discipline of the research.  
• Authors have two opportunities to submit an acceptable manuscript to AJB:  the original submission and one revision.  If the revised manuscript is deficient in any way other than typos and very minor details, it is declined for publication. 
• There continues to be a moving one-year wall for open access to all AJB content.  BSA members and subscribing institutions have immediate access to all current and all past AJB content. 
• Comments and suggestions are always welcome from readers, authors, reviewers, staff, and Associate Editors.  E-mail to ajb@botany.org.    

AJB Statistics

Manuscript Types and Processing Time

Manuscript Categories Submitted to Journal

Decisions on Manuscripts

Respectfully submitted, Judy Jernstedt, Editor-in-Chief

Amy McPherson, Managing Editor

ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE EDITOR, PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN - 2008

Volume 53

1. Four issues, 180 pages, were published on schedule with press runs of 3800 copies.
2. Feature articles included:
   -Public Gardens and the New Family Visitor –Katherine Johnson, Morton Arboretum
   -Allelopathy or Pseudo-allelopathy in Classroom Experiments – David Hershey
   -The University of Northern Iowa Botanical Center – 70 years of Progress – Jean Gerath, University of Northern Iowa.
   -The Lloyd Library and Museum, Cincinnati, OH – Maggie Heran, Director, Lloyd Library and Museum
   -Linnaeus – Stephen Freer, Cambridge University
   -CITES and the Herbarium Voucher – Pat Duncan Raven, Missouri Botanical Garden
   -Landmarks and Milestones in American Plant Biology: The Cornell Connection – Lee Kass and Edward Cobb, Cornell University
   -The Struggle for Botany Majors – Gordon Uno, University of Oklahoma
   -Coastal Roots: A Pre-college Plant-based Stewardship Program to Connect Students with Coastal Issues – Pam Blanchard, Louisiana State University
   -The Green World: Plants for Now and the Future – Ann Hirsch, University of California, Los Angeles.
3. Summaries of the Annual Meeting in Chicago
   -Forum Plenary Address , “Naturally Right by Design: Bringing Learning and School to Life” Stephanie Pace Marshall, President, Illinois Math and Science Academy.
   - President-elect Address. “Scientific Literacy, Participation, and the BSA” Pamela Soltis
4. 80 books were received for review; 43 reviews were published.

Volume 54

1. Two issues, 84 pages, have been published on schedule with a new printer, Sheridan Press. Fall issue is in preparation.
2. Feature articles included:
   -Science, Success, and Satisfaction: A Look at Planning a Botany Conference – Johanne Stogran, Botanical Society of America
   -Experiences of a Local Arrangement Committee for a Large Scientific Conference – David Spooner, Shelley Jansky, and Alvin Bussan, University of Wisconsin – Madison
   -The Three C’s: Early Botanical Leaders at the University of Chicago – Nels Lersten, Iowa State University.
   -The Students Were Right All Along - - Plants Really Are B.O.R.I.N.G – David Senchina, Drake University
   -Symposia in Plant Neurobiology: A New Venue for Discussion of Plant Behavior and Communitcation. – Mark Staves, Grand Valley State University, Mark Mescher, Pennsylvania State University, Virginia Shepherd, University of New South Wales, Australia, Eric Brenner, New York Botanical Garden, and Elizabeth van Volkenburgh, University of Washington
3. A total of 44 books were received for review, 22 reviews were published.
4. Books received now on-line under Plant Science Bulletin on the Society web page with real-time request for review accessibility. Announcements, Positions Open, and News also are posted on-line in real time. (Each issue is being “built” on-line prior to publication for timely access to information by the membership.)

Individuals interested in submitting feature articles or in suggesting future article topics should contact the editor.

Respectfully Submitted, Marsh Sundberg, Editor, Plant Science Bulletin

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BUSINESS OFFICE - 2008

I. BSA Business Report - Introduction
The following report provides an overview of the activities of the Botanical Society of America’s business office over the past twelve months. Let me begin by thanking and acknowledging the Executive Committee for their support and direction. On behalf of the Executive Committee, the Society, and myself, I also thank and acknowledge the Society’s staff, Rob Brandt, Heather Cacanindin, Claire Hemingway, Richard Hund, Wanda Lovan, Amy McPherson, Jennifer Potratz and Johanne Stogran, for their efforts and dedication to the Botanical Society of America. What an exciting year! Once again, as a team, we were able to improve our ability to support BSA members, meetings and our mission.

II. Thank you!
I extend a special thank you to those members who donated to our endowment and to the BSA sectional/awards funds. Contributions totaled over $73,000 (see FAC report for details). At the meeting you will hear about our efforts to support future generations of botanists through the establishment of the BSA Legacy Society. It is exciting to see this aspect of the Society maturing and planning so positively for our future.

I would like the EC and the Council to consider collaborating with the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Center for Plant Conservation by investing funds to move our offices to a carbon-neutral position. At this point, I see easy fixes in the areas of lighting and hot water. We should also consider solar and wind energy. BSA can provide community leadership by reducing the amount of paper, organizing greener meetings, and office improvements as outlined above.

III. Financial Update
It is pleasing to note that Wanda and Mary Widner (our accountant) have completed the project of separating the BSA accounts into distinct units: operations, conference and investments. The bad news is, the account balance is off by three cents – in our favor.

Our key operational revenue streams for the year to date are budgeted at $1,386,56. Income to date is $1,079,827. Variance is due to grant activity taking place later in the summer than initially anticipated. Expenditures reflect the same situation, with anticipated expenditure of $1,316,422 and actual of $856,382. I anticipate we will end the year slightly below budget on both counts given this is our first year in managing the NSF PlantingScience grants.

The meeting income and expenditure reflect the late billing by ASPB for the Botany 2007 conference. Botany 2008 is showing roughly $233,400 in income and $63,000 in expenditure, leaving a balance of $170,400.

The BSA Smith Barney investment account closed June at $3,329,009. It appears the Smith Barney team is doing a reasonable job of managing our downside risk given a very poor overall market. See the Financial Advisory Committee report for more detailed information.

The DRAFT 2008-9 BSA budget can be found online at
http://www.botany.org/governance/reports/board/2009-BSA_Budget-080612.xls .

IV. Membership
Membership in the Society remains a highlight, with 2,916 members in total for the year to date. We have been able to maintain a strong student presence with 747 members, surpassing the 2007 record of 715. Given we have three months to go before the October renewal season starts there is a good chance we will see a new membership record.

Recommendation 1: It is recommended membership rates for 2008 remain the same.

Recommendation 2: It is recommended we provide students an incentive to renew, with an “early renewal” rate of $15, October 1 – December 31.

Recommendation 3: It is recommended we hold a new student membership drive beginning at the opening of classes in the fall of 2008 at a gift-rate of $10 per student.

Recommendation 4: In conjunction with items 2 & 3 above, and BSA’s desire to increase student involvement, it is requested the sections waive fees to allow student memberships to include sectional memberships.

V. American Journal of Botany
The 2008 American Journal of Botany institutional rates have been set at $625.00. This is an increase of 10.6% ($60.00) over the 2008 rate.

We have registered 1,450 Print, plus Print & Online institutional subscriptions for the year to date (1,473 in 2007). By year’s end we should exceed the budgeted sales volume of 1,463 subscriptions. Sales revenue is $800,867 as compared to a budget of $785,745.

Member subscriptions, at 675 print copies, are slightly below the budget of 700.

I’m pleased to report the move to Sheridan Press has gone smoothly, and that publishing members will see and experience the benefits of doing so. See the American Journal of Botany Editor’s report for more detail.

Recommendation 5: It is recommended member rates for the print version AJB increase by $5 for professional ($90) for the 2008 year, a 5.9% increase.

VI. Botany Conference
Upcoming Botany Conferences:
• 2009 – Joint meeting with the Mycological Society of America, ABLS, AFS, and ASPT in Snowbird, Utah
• 2010 – Joint meeting with the AFS and ASPT in Providence, Rhode Island
• 2011 – Joint meeting with the Society for Economic Botany, AFS, and ASPT in St. Louis, Missouri

VII. Strategic Planning & Bylaws
Strategic Planning - Thank you to all members who took part in the recent membership survey. Results will be available in the Plant Science Bulletin online shortly after Botany 2008. The committee is scheduled to meet for breakfast on Tuesday morning in Vancouver. We’ll update the Society as we move into the next steps in the process.

Bylaws - We will hold a meeting for the membership to ask questions at 7:00 am on Monday, July 28, in Vancouver. The suggested updated bylaws and policies are online at: http://www.botany.org/governance/AMbylaws.php and http://www.botany.org/governance/AMpolicy.php.

VIII. Plant Science Bulletin
The Plant Science Bulletin is now live online. We are working with Marsh to place all items online as they come in. In addition, we have upgraded the “Botany in the News” feature and the “Books for Review” as RSS feeds, allowing us to experiment with this technology. All appear to be receiving positive feedback.

IX. PlantingScience
I’m pleased to report, in conjunction with our NSF grants, we have hired Jennifer Potratz as Education and Outreach Coordinator. Jen is working out of the St. Louis office and will add new depth to the team.

I’m also pleased to report that interactions on the PlantingScience site continue to improve. Close to 500,000 people have visited the program online, with over 32,000 visiting the spring session in April. Our understanding of how the online interactions work best, and Claire’s approach to recruiting, training and supporting online mentors, are beginning to pay off.

We have just completed our first round of project reporting to both NSF and Monsanto. You will find links to each report below.
http://www.botany.org/plantingscience/reports/DRK12_submitted08report.pdf
http://www.botany.org/plantingscience/reports/ITEST_submitted08report.pdf
http://www.botany.org/plantingscience/reports/Monsanto_submitted08report.pdf

Over the past month we held conversations with the American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT), 4-H, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), looking to build the PlantingScience partnerships. I’m pleased to note ASPT and ASA have come on board. We are waiting for further discussion with 4-H National and the BLM.

We are in the process of recruiting a large number of BSA members who indicated they wanted to actively participate in Society programs. We hope to have over 400 BSA members participating as scientist mentors in the 2008 fall session.

X. Website
The overall growth trend for people accessing the BSA website at www.botany.org shot up in April, May and June. It is pleasing to see the line move back up: over 9,000,000 people have now visited the BSA web site since we began recording statistics in February of 2000.

Respectfully Submitted, Bill Dahl July 18, 2008

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WEBMASTER - 2008

Introduction
Two million, two hundred and forty-five thousand, three hundred and thirty-three (2,245,333) visitors came to the Botanical Society of America's main websites from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008. This is up 0.3% on the previous year (2,237,446), and reflects website statistics across the board. We have logged over 9,000,000 visitors to www.botany.org since February, 2000.

We have completed or made substantial progress on all of the projects listed in last year's report. Our accounting systems are now all online. As those attending the Botany 2008 conference can attest, we have made major changes to the web-based conference support systems, this component will continue to evolve. Our educational outreach is gathering momentum and will be a big part of what we accomplish over the coming year. The PlantingScience project remains our single largest effort.

Statistics – BSA site
The trend for people accessing the BSA website has begun to move up after a brief period of decline. Over the past few months we have had roughly 8,000 people per day visiting the site. For the same period last year the number was about 6,700, 7,000 in 2006 and 4,000 people per day in 2005. Our highest monthly average for visitors per day was achieved in May 2008 with 8,648. May 2008 was also our busiest month to date with 268,096 visitors (previous high was March 2006 with 235,991).

Over the past year our main web sites experienced over 29,783,722 hits. For the month of June 2008 the Botanical Society of America's main websites experienced 2,415,105 successful hits (2,149,304 in 2007 and 2,872,508 in 2006). Our record high was achieved in April of 2008 with 2,959,318 hits (previous was May of 2006 with 2,952,683 hits).

Over the past year, the BSA main web sites transferred over 1,007 gigabytes of information to visitors' computers. In June of 2008 we transferred 84.86 gigabytes of data to visitors (67.78 in 2007 and 59.34 in 2006). Our highest month for data transfer was April of 2008 with 112.26 gigabytes transferred (previous was May of 2007, at 84.404 gigabytes).

In each of my previous webmaster reports I point out that the website is a tool with two main purposes. It acts as: 1.) a means of storing and communicating information to the BSA membership; and 2.) a medium for the dissemination of information that supports our wider mission. Our potential to reach people, including potential future botanists, is nearly unlimited, but very much related to the effort we put into the content used on the site.

On behalf of the Society I'd like to thank the following members for thinking part in the development of the online version of Careers in Botany, through the submission of a member profile to the site: David Spooner, Marsh Sundberg, Joseph Armstrong, Jack Horner, Scott Mori, Jenny Xiang and Mudassir Asar Zaidi. I would also like to thank the students involved in the growing LIVING BOTANY – science from a students' perspective: Tatiana Arias, Janelle Burke, Laura Burkle, Jill Duarte, Uromi Goodale, Nathan Jud, Kyra Krakos, Sarah Kyker, Cassie Majetic, Tracy Misiewicz, Olofron Plume, Julia Nowak, Roxanne Steele,  and Cheng-Chiang Wu.

Over the past year, we have strengthened the foundations of the BSA website. We have continued creating tools that provides impact on our mission (and the promotion of the science of botany). We look forward to continued developments in the year ahead.

Website statistics can be viewed online in the reports section of the website at: http://www.botany.org/newsite/reporting/webstats.php.

Statistics - American Journal of Botany
The trend for use of the American Journal of Botany online remains extremely positive. The AJB website has have over 29,127,000 visitors over the past nine years. In 2008 the number of visitors coming to the site on a monthly basis has grown dramatically, increasing by 53%. Thus far in 2008 the site has sees over 4,700,000 visitors.

We currently have 1,639 members (1,616 in 2007, 1,634 in 2006, 1,404 in 2005, 1,476 in 2004 and 1,505 in 2003) and 1,482 institutions  (1,259 in 2007, 1,366 in 2006, 1,038 in 2005, 764 in 2004 and 182 in 2003) activated for online access to the American Journal of Botany. We are working with subscription agents to ensure as many institutions as possible activate and use the online component of their subscriptions.

PlantingScience
In 2006 the PlantingScience web statistics were included in the main BSA web stats. In 2007 we moved to tracking this site as a separate entity. Stats will be reported alongside the main site at http://www.botany.org/newsite/reporting/webstats.php. As you will see, we are growing! Four hundred fifty-one thousand, five hundred and fifty nine people visited the site since opening in 2005. From July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008, 273,187 people visited the site with 111,827 visits for the same period in 2007.

Functional Developments
Over the past year we have continued to develop the BSA websites as centers for our educational outreach, business, and conference operations. We have streamlined our processes in an effort to improve accuracy, reduce manual input, and improve timeliness of and accessibility to information.

Summary
In 2008 the BSA staff continued to develop the BSA's 3M concept, with the three Ms being: Mission, Member Services & Support, and Member Recognition. We trust you'll find the concepts carrying forward to the BSA websites in that we are: #1 moving forward and delivering on the BSA's mission; #2 making things easier for you in all aspects of member support and services; and #3 if you are producing work for the Society, be it in the AJB, PSB, images, educational resources… we'll make sure people find your work if they are looking.

I look forward to your contributions and, wherever possible, your involvement over the coming year. Your feedback is most appreciated.

Thank you for your time. Respectfully Submitted, Bill Dahl July 17, 2008

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CORRESPONDING MEMBERS COMMITTEE - 2008

Christopher Haufler, (Chair); Edward Schneider; and Allison Snow

Prof. Dr. SUN Ge

Professor of Paleobotany, Director of Paleontological Museum of Liaoning, China, Director of Paleontological Institute, Shenyang Normal University; Director of the Research Center of Paleontology, Jilin University

Professor Sun is recommended unanimously as a Corresponding Member of the Botanical Society of America. He has published about 100 refereed papers, authored or co-authored 3 books, and edited or co-edited 7 collected papers volumes. His publications span his major interests in Mesozoic floras. His work includes detailed presentations of ferns, cycads, conifers, ginkgos, and angiosperms. Professor Sun is one of the founding fathers of modern Chinese paleobotany and he has strongly supported multinational collaboration on a number of significant topics. He has been a leader in the discovery and description of some of the earliest angiosperms and has also played a significant role in understanding the botanical response to the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary impact event. Professor Sun has made significant and varied contributions to international palaeobotany through research, collaboration, direction, support, and facilitation. He is richly deserving of appointment to the BSA as Corresponding Member.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ELECTION COMMITTEE - 2008

Christopher Haufler, Past President, Chair, ex officio, Jun Wen, Bob Jansen, Jeff Doyle, Stephen G. Weller, Secretary, ex officio

The election committee solicited nominations from the membership of the Botanical Society of America for President Elect and for Program Director. In addition to these, Committee members provided additional nominations.

The Chair of the Committee contacted the top nominees and from among those who agreed to run, two were selected as candidates, Kent Holsinger and Richard Olmstead.

For the position of Program Director, only one nominee was received, and David Spooner was chosen to run unopposed.

The election was held and the results were:

Kent Holsinger 216, Richard Olmstead 169

David Spooner 384, Write In 1

Thus, Kent Holsinger will become President Elect and David Spooner will become Program Director.

ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE - 2008

From: BSA Financial Advisory Committee (FAC), Joe Armstrong (Member), Russell Chapman (Member), Jack Horner (Member and Chair), Pam Soltis (ex officio, BSA President), Laura Galloway (ex officio, BSA Treasurer), Bill Dahl (ex officio, BSA Executive Director)

To: Executive Committee and Council of the Botanical Society of America

Since the previous 2007-2008 Annual Report, the FAC:

• has monthly monitored the BSA Endowment Fund (EF) invested with Smith Barney (SB);
• had one conference call on July 10, 2008 with the SB staff in Des Moines, IA;
• voted to restructure the endowment fund portfolio, per Smith Barney recommendations, to meet the challenges of the changing global markets and the Endowment Fund Investment Performance Goal of 9.44%, based on the BSA statement of investment policy objectives & guidelines
• recommends $35,000 of the EF for 2008-2009 to the EC/Council for initiatives, pending further discussion and vote in Vancouver prior to Council meeting

As of June 30, 2008 the EF value was $3,326,358, a decrease of -14.7% for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. For comparison, as of a year ago, June 10, 2007, the EF value was $3,633,455 (an increase of 17.3% for 2006-2007). The Endowment Fund total management fee for this last calendar year was $28,110 (0.0076%).

Presently, the EF is divided into four categories:

    » Stocks + Money Funds = $1,927,653
    » Stocks + Money Funds = $ 517,580
    » Stocks + Money Funds = $ 169,923
    » Fixed Income + Money Funds = $ 711,202
    » Total = $3,326,358 (as of end of June 30, 2008)

The FAC collected information from several investment firms to compare their general strategies for investment as a comparison to the presently used Smith Barney Management.. The FAC has not evaluated these firms and their proposals yet, and plans to make this a goal for 2008-2009.

The FAC believes the EF will hold its own during 2008-2009 with the restructuring of the EF portfolio by SB to keep it in line with the 9.44% growth goal. In expectation of the fluctuating markets the FAC continues to encourage the membership to consider gifts to the Unrestricted EF, to reach the 5 million mark it established three years ago.

There is no recommendation at this time to provide the EC/Council with an amount of money from the Endowment Fund for BSA initiatives for fiscal 2008-2009. A recommendation of $35,000 will be considered at the FAC forthcoming meeting on July 27, in Vancouver, before the Council meeting.

The FAC meeting in Vancouver will be at 8:30 am, Sunday morning, July 27 (see meeting schedule for room and building). Any BSA member interested in attending the meeting is welcome.

The chair or any member of the FAC will be willing to answer questions about the EF.

Respectfully submitted, Harry T. (Jack) Horner, FAC Chair

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

This is the first year (2007-2008) that the entire list of donors to BSA Awards, Endowments & Funds Gifts has been included in the Annual Financial Advisory Committee’s Report. All of these gifts are deposited into the Endowment Fund, and the records and intended use of these gifts are maintained in the BSA Business Office. All gifts are tax deductible. The Society sincerely thanks all donors for their continuing financial commitment.

BSA AWARDS, ENDOWMENTS & FUNDS GIFT GIVING
for 2007-2008
***$73,928***

MAJOR AWARDS, ENDOWMENTS & FUNDS GIFTS - $60,000

Anonymous - $50,000, James M and Esther N Schopf Fund, http://www.botany.org/awards_grants/special_funds/James_and_Esther_Schopf.php

Anitra Thorhaug - $10,000, Award in development - Best paper in the AJB

AWARDS, ENDOWMENTS & FUNDS GIFTS - $13,928

AJ Sharp Award – $110
Walter Bien, Raymond Holton, Mark Mayfield, Matthew Nelson, Steve Rice

Botanical Friends - $236
Michelle Barthet, Andrew Bowling, W. Hardy Eshbaugh, Greayer Mansfield-Jones, Neil Sawyer

BSA Endowment Unrestricted - $6,174
Luke Albert, Edith Allen, Joseph Armstrong, Mary Barkworth, Andrew Bowling, Kenton & Henrietta Chambers, Russell Chapman, Lynn Clark, Martha Cook, S. H. Costanza, Nancy Cowden, James Crants, Belen Estebanez Perez, Katherine Gregg, Richard Greyson, Jocelyn Hall, H. David Hammond, Leo Hickey, Harry & Cecilia Horner, David Inouye, Judy Jernstedt, Kathleen Keeler, Terri Koontz, Jean Kreizinger, Nels Lersten, Wesley Leverich, Greayer Mansfield-Jones, Mark Mayfield, Ailsie McEnteggart, David McLaughlin, Beth Middleton, Brent Mishler, Jeffrey Osborn, Robert Price, Alison Roberts, Thomas Rost, Neil Sawyer, James Seago, Allison Snow, Tamora Spiller, David Spooner, Alice Stanford, Todd Vision, Linda Watson, Andrea Weeks, Anne Worley, Richard Wurdack, Jun Yokoyama

BSA Graduate Student Research/J. S. Karling Awards - $155
Darleen DeMason, Benjamin Hall, Gary Maier, Todd Vision

Charles Edwin Bessey Award - $30
Carol Caha, Alice Stanford

Darbaker Prize - $1460.91
Mellon Trust of New England

Edgar T. Wherry Award - $90
Thomas Gavnish, Christopher Haufler, Thomas Ranker

Education and Outreach - $261
Kobinah Abdul-Salim, Amy Berkov, Andrew Bowling, Steven Carrol, Russell Chapman, Lynn Clark, Wilson Crone, Margaret Conover, S. H. Costanza, Daniel Gladish, Terri Koontz, Olga Kopp, Katherine Preston, Neil Sawyer, Alice Stanford, Irene Terry, Anne Worley

Planting Science - $551
Andrew Bowling, Margaret Conover, Linda Graham, Rosemarie Haberle, Donna Hazelwood, Krause Family, Mary Leck, Gary Maier, Muriel Poston, Katherine Preston, Steve Rice, Neil Sawyer, Tamora Spiller, Alice Stanford, Rahmona Thompson,

Emanuel D Rudolph Award - $25
Victor Riemenschneider

Grady L. Webster Fund - $425
Bruce Baldwin, David Bates, Russell Chapman, Heidi Dobson, H. David Hammond, Noel & Patricia Holmgren, Mark Mayfield, Genevieve Walden

Isabel Cookson Award - $225
William Crepet, Leo Hickey, Bonnie Jacobs, Gar Rothwell, , James M and Esther N Schopf Fund - $80, Aureal Cross, Charles Miller, Jr., Thomas Taylor

Katherine Esau Fund - $378
Russell Chapman, Nancy Coutant, Wilson Crone, Andrew Doust, Susan Eichhorn, R. Geeta, Daniel Gladish, Donna Hazelwood, William McCarey, Christopher Meloche, Brenda Molano-Flores, Eisho Nishino, Hirokazu Tsukaya, Carol Wilson, , Margaret Menzel Fund - $85, Katrina Dlugosch, Clare Hasenkampf, Richard Whitkus, , Maynard Moseley Award - $125, William McCarey, Edward Schneider

Michael Cichan Fund - $185
Susan Eichhorn, Charles Miller, Jr., Stephen Scheckler, Thomas Taylor, M. F. Wojciechowski

Paleobotanical Endowment - $482
Anne-Laure Decombeix, Ted Delevoryas, Diane Erwin, Jason Hilton, Richard Lis, Gene Mapes, Charles Miller, Jr., Hermann Pfefferkorn, James Stichka, Bruce Tiffney, Andrea Wakefield, Peter Wilf, Andrea Wakefield

Vernon I. Cheadle Award – $2,195
William Cheadle, John Choinski, Margaret Conover, Donna Hazelwood, William McCarey, Neil Sawyer, Alice Stanford, Bruce Tiffney

Winfried and Renata Remy Fund - $78.83
Pat Gensel, Thomas Taylor

SECTIONAL FUNDS AND STUDENT AWARDS

Developmental & Structural Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $504
Joseph Armstrong, Brendon Boudinot, Wilson Crone, Pamela Diggle, Andrew Doust, Frank Ewers, R. Geeta, Daniel Gladish, Martin Goffinet, Clare Hasenkampf, Cynthia Jones, Brigitte Marazzi, Christopher Meloche, Eisho Nishino, Cyrille Prestianni, John Romberger, Thomas Rost, Edward Schneider, Joseph Williams, Wenying Wu

Ecological Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $641
Ann Antlfinger, Jonathan Bauer, Amy Berkov, Brendon Boudinot, Andrea Case, Brenda Casper, Gregory Cheplick, Joseph Colosi, Nancy Coutant, Mitchell Cruzan, Stephen Davis, Heidi Dobson, Thorsten Englisch, Thomas Gavnish, Lars Goetzenberger, David Gorchov, H. David Hammond, Jeffrey Karron, Kathleen Keeler, Stephanie Klein, Mary Leck, Gary Maier, Irving Mendelssohn, Beth Middleton, Brenda Molano-Flores, Nancy Nicholson, Janet Onnen, Virgil Parker, Rosemary Pendleton, Alison Snow, Anne Worley, Jun Yokoyama, David Zaya

Economic Botany Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $50
Andrea Case, Genetics , Jean Labonne, Mari Marutani, Flor Rodriguez, Kristina Schierenbeck, Randall Small, David Zaya

Mycological Section Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $60
Brenda Casper, Richard Hanlin, Zheng Wang

Paleobotanical Fund - $601
Brendon Boudinot, S. H. Costanza, Nestor Cuneo, Jason Hilton, Bonnie Jacobs, Stephanie Klein, Charles Miller, Jr., James Stichka, Ralph Taggart, Bruce Tiffney, Wenying Wu, Atsushi Yabe

Phycological Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $135
Russell Chapman, Linda Graham, Raymond Holton, Richard McCourt, Nancy Nicholson

Physiological Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $120
Stephen Davis, Henri Maurice, Nancy Nicholson, Peter Straub, Lee Tarpley

Phytochemical Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $22
Amy Berkov, Flor Rodriguez

Pteridological Section Fund and Student Travel Awards - $270
Brendon Boudinot, Thomas Gavnish, Jennifer Geiger, Christopher Haufler, Blanca Leon, Joan Nester-Hudson, Thomas Ranker, Joanne Sharpe, Randall Small

Systematics Section Fund - $80
Brendon Boudinot, Lars Goetzenberger, Jocelyn Hall, Donald Les, Flor Rodriguez, Randall Small, Linda Watson, Wenying Wu

Teaching Section Fund - $25
Stokes Baker, James Crants, Donna Hazelwood

Respectfully submitted, Harry T. (Jack) Horner, FAC Chair

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE - 2008

Membership in the Society remains a highlight, with 2,916 members in total for the year to date. One of our initiatives, to increase student members, has been quite successful. We have been able to maintain a strong student presence with 747 members, surpassing the 2007 record of 715. The current composition of our membership is as follows:
71% Professional members (includes Life, Corresponding, Emeritus/Emeriti, Retired)
26% Student members
3% Other

Given we have three months to go before the October renewal season starts there is a good chance we will see a new membership record.

Some highlights of the past year include:
• Hiring a Director of Membership and Subscriptions
• Membership Renewal Drive (you may remember receiving some reminder notes)
• Reaching out to Lapsed Members of the past few years
• Launch of our first electronic Membership Survey

Despite the positive news regarding membership numbers, it will be quite a challenge to maintain the levels of continuous growth that we would like to see. With many libraries providing electronic access for their clientele to journals, and many modern scientists eschewing print versions of scientific publications, some of the benefits of society membership are no longer the driver for joining/maintaining BSA membership as they once were. Thus, the need for a detailed membership survey like the one that was launched in early July. To date we have had a 20% response to the survey which is well above the average response rate for these types of questionnaires.

The good news from the survey is that 89% of those responding to the survey say they are either highly satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their BSA membership. 10% were neutral on the matter. This is a phenomenal number compared to many other societies and associations. We hope that the survey will provide insights for us into new avenues for reaching new members and retaining current ones. BSA as a “community of networking peers” is a concept that keeps coming to the forefront of the survey. In the coming year, we plan to:

1) Utilize a few small surveys to test out new ideas (coming from the membership survey) that will extend our reach and influence, build community, and hopefully, increase our membership and journal subscriptions.

2) We need to actively solicit colleagues in other American (North and South) countries to join us, and nominate accomplished Americans for Corresponding Memberships. This will inspire their students and colleagues to get more involved with the society, for the benefit of all.

3) Continue to increase student membership, fostering an alliance that continues with professional memberships after the terminal degree. To this end, our Executive Director suggests a discount for early renewal for students ($15) and post-Docs ($20), to encourage renewals as well as first-time memberships.

Our recommendations are:
Recommendation 1: It is recommended membership rates for 2008 remain the same.

Recommendation 2: It is recommended we create two new membership categories. Post-Doc at a rate of $40 and Community College Professional at a rate of $30

Recommendation 3: It is recommended we provide students and Post-Docs an incentive to renew, with an "early renewal" rate of $15 for Students and $20 for Post-Docs.

Recommendation 4: It is recommended we hold a new student membership drive beginning at the opening of classes in the fall of 2008 at a gift-rate of $10 per student.

Recommendation 5: In conjunction with this drive, it is requested the sections waive fees to allow student memberships to include sectional memberships.

Respectfully Submitted, Suzanne Koptur, July 18, 2008

ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE- 2008

It has been a very quiet year for the Publications Committee, but there are several issues on the horizon that need to be addressed. American Journal of Botany and Plant Science Bulletin moved the printing contract from Allen Press to Sheridan Press this year. The new bulletin and journal as produced by Sheridan Press look great, although E-i-C Judy Jernstedt reports that they are still working with Sheridan to get them “up to our standards” for illustrations.

Judy also notes that AJB declined in journal rankings this year and she is focused on getting the journal included in PubMed, which she believed will help with citation numbers. Encouraging submissions of manuscripts of broad interest and encouraging authors to put their work into a broader context are ongoing efforts that should result in increases to the citation statistics. Another need is to hire a science writer to produce front matter for the journal, which should enhance the value and demand for the journal. The topic of open access remains as an issue that needs to be thought through very carefully to determine the appropriate strategy for the journal and BSA.

Perhaps the most significant thing on the horizon is the end of Judy’s term as Editor in Chief in December 2009. The Publications Committee needs to begin discussions on conducting a search for a new E-i-C.

Respectfully submitted, Patrick S. Herendeen

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DARBAKER PRIZE COMMITTEE - 2008

Members: Linda E. Graham Chair, Wayne Fagerberg, Chuck Delwiche

The Darbaker Prize in Phycology is presented to a resident of North America for meritorious work in the study of microscopic algae based on papers published in English by the nominee during the last two full calendar years. Upon conferring with Bill Dahl, the committee learned that there were sufficient funds to make two awards in 2008. The two Darbaker prize winners for 2008 are Debabish Bhattacharya and Virginia (Ginger) Armbrust.

D. Bhattacharya was nominated on the basis of his contributions to an international tree of life project and phylogeny papers published on a wide range of algal groups during the years of 2006 and 2007, particularly Li, S., T. Nosenko, J.D. Hackett, and D. Bhattacharya. 2006. Phylogenomic analysis provides evidence for the endosymbiotic transfer of red algal genes in chromalveolates. Mol. Biol. Evol. 23:663-674.

V. Armbrust was cited for several notable research contributions on the biology of diatoms in 2006 and 2007, including the following: Oudot-Le Secq, M.-P., J. Grimwood, H. Shapiro, C. Bowler, E. V. Armbrust and B R. Green. 2007. Chloroplast genomes of the diatoms Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Thalassiosira pseudonana: comparison with other plastid genomes of the red lineage. Molecular Genetics and Genomics 277:427-429.

Respectfully submitted, Linda Graham, Chair

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ESAU AWARD COMMITTEE - 2008

The Katherine Esau Award was established in 1985 with a gift from Dr. Esau and is augmented by ongoing contributions. It is given to the graduate student who presents the outstanding paper in developmental and structural botany at the annual meeting.

Last year’s Esau Award was presented at the Botany 2007 conference in Chicago, IL to Mackenzie Taylor, University of Tennessee, for her paper “Fertilization timing and the pollen tube pathway in Cabombaceae (Nymphaeales).” Her co-author was Joseph H. Williams.

The paper’s abstract was as follows:
Fertilization in seed plants is the result of concurrent development of four distinct entities, the male and female sporophytes and the male and female gametophytes. In angiosperms, these ontogenies are especially intertwined during the period between pollination and fertilization, the progamic phase. Relatively little is known about the progamic phase in recently defined basal angiosperms. A range of studies indicates that the Nymphaeales, or water lilies, comprise one of these earliest lineages of angiosperms. In this presentation, the pollen tube pathway in the two genera that comprise the water lily family Cabombaceae, Brasenia and Cabomba, will be characterized and the relative timing of developmental events that occur during the progamic phase will be described. These events include the duration of stigma receptivity, female gametophyte receptivity, pollen germination, ovule entry, and fertilization. Maximum pollen germination occurs within 15 min in Cabomba and 60 min in Brasenia. Pollen tubes grow at the same rate in both genera, but ovule entry was first observed after 2 hrs in Cabomba and 6 hrs in Brasenia. Stigmata are receptive the entire time the flower is open in Cabomba, while in Brasenia, the duration of receptivity is less than 4 hrs. Brasenia and Cabomba are sister genera that flower in a similar environment; however, Brasenia is wind-pollinated, while Cabomba is insect-pollinated. Divergence of pollination syndromes in Cabombaceae can explain disparity in floral structure, and has had direct and indirect effects on reproductive timing.

For 2008 at least seven papers will be judged in Vancouver for the award. These student talks will be presented back to back during Session 48 on Tuesday July 29th from 1:00-3:30pm. This year’s judges will be Kenneth Cameron (Chair), Joe Williams, and Michael Christianson who is standing in for Jennifer Richards. Jennifer is unable to attend the meeting.

Respectfully Submitted, Ken Cameron July 17, 2008

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE J. S KARLING AWARD COMMITTEE - 2008

The BSA Graduate Student Research Award including the J. S. Karling Award

The BSA Graduate Student Research Awards support graduate student research and are made on the basis of research proposals and letters of recommendations. Within the award group is the Karling Graduate Student Research Award. This award was instituted by the Society in 1997 with funds derived through a generous gift from the estate of the eminent mycologist, John Sidney Karling (1897-1994), and supports and promotes graduate student research in the botanical sciences.

The Committee asks that the Council gives approval to submit a proposal to restructure the BSA Graduate Student Research Awards. We suggest three to five of the awards be focused earlier in the student’s development path.

The 2008 award recipients are:

J. S. Karling Graduate Student Research Award

    Samuel Brockington, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL - Advisors, Drs. Pamela & Douglas Soltis, Evolution and Development of Petals within Aizoaceae (Caryophyllales)

BSA Graduate Student Research Awards

    Tatiana Arias, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO - Advisor, Dr. M. Alejandra Jaramillo, Did adaptation to different light environments facilitate the diversification of neotropical Piper (Piperaceae)? Phylogeny and evolution of plant architecture of Piper clade Radula

    Mauricio Diazgranados, Saint Louis University and Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO - Advisor, Dr. Janet C. Barber, Phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships between the frailejones (subtribe Espeletiinae, family Asteraceae) of the South American páramos

    Patrick Edger, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO - Advisor, Dr. J. Chris Pires, Resolving the Phylogeny of the Mustard Family (Brassicaceae) and its application to date two ancestral whole genome duplication events and to reconstruct the ancestral karyotype for phylogenomics

    Kyra Krakos, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, - Advisor, Dr. Peter H. Raven, Shifts in Reproductive Biology Drive Diversification in Oenothera

    Patrick McIntyre, University of California, Davis, CA - Advisor. Dr. Sharon Y Strauss, Polyploidy, niche variation, and local adaptation in the Claytonia perfoliata (Portulacaceae) complex

    Amy Parachnowitsch, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY - Advisor, Dr. Andre Kessler, Natural Selection on Floral Traits by Mutualists and Antagonists

    Olofron Plume, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY - Advisor, Dr. Jeff Doyle, Molecular Systematics of Genus Calendula (Asteraceae): Species phylogeny, origins of hybrid and polyploid taxa, and the evolution of terpene diversity across the genus

    Stein Servick, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL - Advisors, Drs. Pamela & Douglas Soltis, Genetic Consequences of Autopolyploidy in Galax urceolata (Diapensiaceae)

    Mackenzie Taylor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN - Advisor, Dr. Joseph Williams, Comparative Mating Systems in Cabombaceae (Nymphaeales)

Respectfully submitted, Bill Dahl

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MOSELEY COMMITTEE - 2008

The 2007 Maynard Moseley Award committee was chaired last year (2007) in Chicago by Dr. Patricia Gensel of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Also serving on the committee were Dr. Brian Axsmith of the University of South Alabama and Dr. Bonnie F. Jacobs of Southern Methodist University. The winning paper, “Differing patterns of MADS-box gene expression associated with shifts in petaloidy with Aizoaceae (Caryophyllales)”, was presented by Samuel F. Brockington, University of Florida. Co-authors were Mike Frohlich, Paula J. Rudall, Douglas E. Soltis and Pamela S. Soltis.

This year Brian Axsmith is serving as chairman. Bonnie Jacobs will not be present due to fieldwork commitments in Africa. Dr. Gene Mapes of Ohio University has agreed to replace her. The new committee member chosen last year is Dr. Roger D. Meichenheimer of Miami University of Ohio. Gar Rothwell of Ohio University will be the new member at next year’s meeting.

This year, twenty student papers are in contention for the award in the combined Paleobotanical and Developmental and Structural sections. Discussions between Axsmith and the web master revealed problems in terms of reporting which students are actually edible for the award. This was due to the lack of a specific button on the registration site in which students could indicate their desire to be included in the competition. Since the award is open to all students in both sections whose paper satisfies the criteria of the award, this did not present a serious problem. However, being provided with a simple list as can be done for the other awards would be convenient. According to the web master, this should be taken care of for next year’s meeting.

Sincerely, Dr. Brian J. Axsmith, Moseley Committee Chairman

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PELTON AWARD COMMITTEE - 2008

We had one nominee for the award. The committee thought that the application did not look strong enough. No award given this year. Next year's committee should try to solicit more applicants and perhaps an outline of what is needed on an application/nomination should be provided on-line. e.g., full c.v. ==nomination letter, several support letters and any other info. Thanks. Ruth Stockey

Respectfully submitted, Ruth Stockey Chair

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BSA DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE - 2008

As you may know, the Botanical Society of America, following our very successful Centennial meeting on the campus of California State University, Chico and in conjunction with the fulfillment of many of the items in our 2001 strategic plan, has undertaken the formation of a Development Committee. This new committee met at BSA headquarters in St. Louis earlier in the year. Members of the Committee include Greg Anderson, Hardy Eshbaugh, Phil Lintilhac, Peter Raven, Jim Seago, Bill Stern, Dennis Stevenson, Bill Dahl, and Ed Scneider (Chair). Ann Hirsch and Janice Coons have since joined the committee.

During our first meeting, we looked over the 100+ year history of the Society and the impact it has had on members and our botanical profession. Of particular note, were the many students who have gone on to careers in the plant sciences. We identified the need to step forward and build the financial foundation for the next 100 years of botany and the Botanical Society of America. It was clear the BSA needed to formalize a planned giving program. Termed the BSA Legacy Society, future gifts from bequests, trusts, or other planned gift instruments, will provide for the future of the Society, including the AJB and all the elements that have established BSA as a leadership organization (scholarships, expanded educational outreach programs, support for student research and attendance at meetings, etc). I am pleased to inform you that all Development Committee members are all Members of the BSA Legacy Society.

Prior to the 2008 meeting in Vancouver we set out a call to all members of 15 years or more to remember the BSA and become a part of the future as a Legacy Society member. I am asking that you, as BSA Council Members, to please consider becoming members of the BSA Legacy Society.

The BSA Legacy Society form can be found at http://www.botany.org/bsa-legacy/BSALegacyForm.pdf.

Remember, it is not necessary at this time to identify a particular financial amount; rather we seek a simple note committing you to remembering BSA in your will or bequest. If you feel that BSA has played an important role in your professional career and that of your students, please complete the form and return to Bill Dahl, his address is at the bottom of the Legacy Form or on the BSA website - http://www.botany.org/bsa-legacy/legacy_members.php.

Bill is planning a Legacy Society social at the Vancouver meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

Since inception, the BSA Legacy Society has grown to over 70 members. I am asking you, as BSA Council Members, to join with us in adding to the future of the BSA. Your participation in the BSA Legacy Society will have a multiplier effect within our organization. If you have questions, please contact Bill Dahl or me.

Respectfully submitted, Ed Schneider, Past –President & Development Committee Chair

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH COMMITTEE - 2008

The International Committee met had a large and enthusiastic meeting and has decided to do a series of activities for direct outreach:

1. We made contact with nations around the world and are working on a series of articles nation-by nation which outline major Universities, Botanical societies and researchers in these nations, for the information of BSA members, to be put on the web.
2. We have a site on the web page under meetings " International Meetings" Our members and bill's staff are updating this regularly. We hope that BSA members when traveling and when looking for meetings in various nations, will access this.
3. We are deciding on nations to give complete sets of the Amer. Journal of botany to. Many developing nations do not have a complete set inside the whole country. We will also give an on line subscription to a key botanist who can share the information with students and researchers. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Peru, and Bulgaria, Thailand and being considered now. There have been needs from nations and offers from BSA members for equipment to be sent to these " special " nations such as microscopes, etc. We have a subcommittee looking into this.
4. After discussion at our meeting, the first nation with whom we will have a formal exchange will be Peru. We plan to have exchanges each 2-3 years on various continents ( South Africa or Tanzania, Thailand, Papua New Guinea,and east Europe were runners up and are being explored for 2010 and beyond with distribution throughout regions being key). We have made contact with the Peruvian Botanical society and nine outstanding botanists (from biodiversity to forestry to agriculture to ecology). We have submitted a planning grant and have an invitation to plan a workshop to learn about one another's research. (Peru has more species than USA and Canada combined, has the largest number of endangered species in South America, has 28 ecosystems, has excellent paleo-botanic resources, has 85000 km sq marine and coastal waters almost unexplored botanically, has agriculture 11000 yr old with hundreds of cultivated species we do not presently eat in USA, has 50% of the nation covered with forests, the large part of which is intact and some virgin). This is a botanical treasure , it is safe for researchers, and funded by US government agencies. We hope this BSA -Peru alliance will yield many years of joint research for our BSA members in all disciplines. We plan a workshop in Peru for BSA members either 2009 or 2010. We have a committee composed of 9 distinguished Peruvian scientists and 9 BSA . We have a draft program. We will produce a book " Botany in Peru " on the web after the meeting . The Peruvians are very anxious to learn about our web site, software for organization of meetings, all our new technologies including distance learning. They specialize in systematics, biodiversity, seed physiology, ecosystem description . They are very receptive to an Alliance with the BSA. We are seeking further funding including airline reduced fares, and grants.
5. I was in India in December and have an offer to put our web site link on an India Universities web site. We have good contacts there. This nation is ripe for an exchange workshop with BSA. There are thousands of Botanists in India.
6. I have been asked to speak about riverine and marine pollution at a meeting of Academy of Sciences and Club of Rome in Romania in May followed by Bulgarian Academy the next week. I am making links with botanists there for the BSA future. These two nations have mountains, riverine, coastal, marine ecosystems and great unexplored botanical resources. These nations are anxious to work with us at the BSA.
7. Our committee members have written excellent articles about Botany in their nations “ Botany in Bulgaria: and “Botany in Pakistan “ and range from Europe to Australia & New Zealand, and Peru which have been prepared for the web site and for Plant Science Bulletin to educate members about universities, research, environment, forests, journals, and societies and meetings in these nations.
8. Two of our women members, volunteered their biographies to Women in Science. One from Pakistan and one from Sri Lanka, making our Women profiles international.
9. At the Vancouver meeting , have organized the first in what we hope are a series of BSA symposia " How to work Internationally" with international funding information, access of International internet resources of Plant science information, and how to chose international journals and publish international work , how to import or export living or specimen material internationally other important facts for working abroad. HOpefully these will be articles for Plant Science bulletin.
10. We have nominated a series of persons for Corresponding members from developing nations around the world.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL AND STRUCTURAL SECTION - 2008

At the sectional business meeting held in at BOTANT 2007, Chicago, Ill. We discussed the following items:

1. Students who received the travel awards were introduced.
2. Cynthia Jones was elected the new Chair of the section.
3. General discussion of symposium funding priorities.

Seven symposia were ponsored in part by the Developmental and Structural section:

1. The functional significance of leaf shape variation—toward a consensus from gene to community
2. Emerging Model Species
3. A symposium in honor of Sherwin Carlquist
4. A historical perspective on Chicago area botany
5. Plant fungal interactions
6. Evolution of flower development: from phenotype to genes
7. Ranunculales – a basal eudicot perspective of angiosperm evolution

At Botany 2007, the 2007 Easu Award for the most out standing paper in structure and development was presented to Mackenzie Taylor, University of Tennessee, for her paper “Fertilization timing and the pollen tube pathway in Cabombaceae (Nymphaeales).” Her co-author was Joseph H. Williams. Chair of the Esau Award selection committee was Uwe Hacke.

The 2007 Moseley award was presented to Samuel F. Brockington, University of Florida, for his paper “Differing patterns of MADS-box gene expression associated with shifts in petaloidy within Aizoaceae (Caryophyllales)” Co-authors were Mike Frohlich, Paula J. Rudall, Douglas E. Soltis and Pamela S. Soltis.

During the spring of 2008, the executive committee of the Developmental and Structural section evaluated seven applications to the D&S travel fund. Four awards were presented:

• Julien Bachelier, Institute of Systematic Botany, Zurich, Switzerland
• Songhita Das, University of Texas, Austin, TX
• Chunmiao Feng, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
• Alana Oldham, Humboldt State University, Humboldt, CA

• James Cohen - Cornell University, Ithaca, NY - Advisor, Dr. Jerrold Davis - Botany 2008 presentation: "The World of Walled Marriages: Comparative Floral Development in Lithospermum."
• Nathan Jud - Ohio University, Athens, OH - Advisor, Dr. Gar W. Rothwell - Botany 2008 presentation: "Anatomy of an Upper Cretaceous bennettitalean stem."
• Natalia Pabon Mora - New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY - Advisor, Dr. Amy Litt - Botany 2008 presentation: "Functional evolution of the AP1/FUL gene lineage in non-core eudicot plants."
• Renate Wuersig - Purdue University, West Lafayette. IN - Advisor, Dr. Michael Zanis - Botany 2008 presentation: "The Natural History of C-class Genes: Independent Duplication Events in Diverse Angiosperm Lineages."
Respectfully submitted, Cynthia Jones, Chair, 15 July 2008

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ECOLOGICAL SECTION - 2008

A Summary of the Ecological Section’s Activities in 2007-2008

1. Business meeting conducted in Chicago, IL at Botany 2007. Topics at this meeting included:
   a. Introduction and recognitionof the students receiving travel and presentation awards
   b. Symposium sponsorships and ideas for the 2008 Botany meeting
   c. Increasing dues for nonstudent members of the section to $4 from $2.
   d. Nominated candidates for Ecological Section Chair with the election held electronically in the fall of 2007.
2. Students receiving travel awards for the 2007 meeting in Chicago were:
   John Geiger, Florida International University, Advisor: Dr. Suzanne Koptur for his presentation entitled: "Experimental seed and seedling performance of the endangered vine Ipomoea microdactyla Griseb. (Convolvulaceae).".($400)
   Daniel Hewins, Rider University, Advisor: Dr. Laura A. Hyatt for his presentation entitled: "Jack of All Trades: Biological Invasion Facilitated By Use of Multiple forms of Nitrogen".($300)
   Cassandra Boadway, Grand Valley State University, Advisor: Dr. Gary Greer for her Botany 2007 presentation entitled: "Growth and Nodulation in Trifolium repens and Glycine max in Response to Ailanthus altissima Extracts". ($300)
3. Students receiving awards for their presentation at the Botany 2007 meeting were:
   Best Student Oral Presentation
   Teresa M. Woods, from the Kansas State University, for the paper “Multiple reproductive modes contribute to fitness homeostasis of the invasive Lespedeza cuneata (Fabaceae)” Co-authors were David C. Hartnett and Carolyn J. Ferguson. ($150)
   
   Best Student Poster
   Mauricio Diazgranados, of Saint Louis University for the poster “Testing the conservatism of the ecological niche of the Espeletia complex” ($150)
4. Our section sponsored or co-sponsored 4 symposia at Botany 2007
   a. The Evolution and Maintenance of Mixed Mating Systems; Organizers: Diane Byers and Johanne Brunet; $600 support
   b. Conservation Biology of Eastern Tallgrass Prairie: Integrating Issues of Management and Restoration for the 21st Century: Organizers: Timothy Bell and; Marlin Bowles; $600 support
   c. Evolution in a Glaciated Landscape: Contribution of Endemism to Great Lakes Biodiversity; Organizers: J. A. Peirson and Anton A. Reznicek
   d. Symposium: The functional significance of leaf shape variation - towards a consensus from gene to community. Organizer: Adrienne B. Nicotra. (Name only support)
5. Our section co-sponsored a workshop at Botany 2007
   Measuring Eco-physiology of Plants from Cells to Ecosystems with Nondestructive Techniques ($400 support)
6. At Botany 2007 we had 8 Sessions including 34 posters and 38 papers
7. At the Botany 2008 meeting, the Ecological Section will be sponsoring or co-sponsoring 3 symposia.
   a. Pollination to Population Structure - How Understanding Reproductive Biology Can Inform Conservation of Rare Plants. Organizers: Vivian Negrón-Ortiz and Amy Faivre ($400 support)
   b. Polyploidy: Genetics, Evolution, Systematics and Ecology. Organizers: Keith Adams and Jeannette Whitton ($400 support)
   c. Bryophytes and Lichens of North America: Diversity, Function and Importance. Organizers Katherine Frego, and Arthur L. Fredeen, ($400)
8. Our section has 80 presentations that will be given in multiple paper and poster sessions.
9. We will be giving 4 student travel awards for Botany 2008. The awardees are:
   Katie Becklin, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO - Advisor, Dr. Candace Galen "The good, the bad, and the costly: Effects of shading and drought on the costs and benefits of mycorrhizae." ($50)
   Jocelyn Campbell, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC - Advisor, Dr. Cindy Prescott "Expanding the realized niche for cyanolichens in wet-temperate forests of interior British Columbia." ($150)
   Andrew Simpson, California State University, Chico, CA - Advisor, Dr. Kristina A. Schierenbeck - Botany 2008 presentation: "Multiple causal factors influence propagule size gradients in Arctostaphylos (Ericaceae)." ($300)
   Meghan Skaer, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA - Advisor, Dr. Hall Cushman - Botany 2008 presentation: "Evaluating the Effects of Cattle Grazing on a Coastal Prairie in Central California." ($300).
Respectfully Submitted, Diane Byers July 17, 2008

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ECONOMIC BOTANY SECTION - 2008

Attached please find this year’s Economic Botany Program for the Botany 2008 Annual Meeting in Vancouver, consisting of 15 posters, 21 contributed talks, a luncheon, and annual business meeting. This program is a compilation of four files that combine the regular Economic Botany Section talks and three topical sessions under our section’s sponsorship: Applied Plant Biology, Evolution of Cultivated Plants, and Ethnobotany. There will be conference-wide poster sessions on Monday for even numbered posters and Tuesday for odd numbered posters from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. All other components of our sessions will be held on Wednesday, as listed in the attached file.

In addition to our posters and talks, we will have an Economic Botany Luncheon on Wednesday from 12:00 – 1:30 PM. This year’s speaker is Dr. Rainer Bussman, the new Director of the William L. Brown Center for Plant Genetic Resources at the Missouri Botanical Garden (http://www.wlbcenter.org/).

Our section also is partially sponsoring a workshop (yet to be scheduled but likely the Sunday of the meeting) entitled: Applying Modern Genomic Tools to the Management and Characterization of Plant Genetic Resources (http://www.botanyconference.org/Workshops/2008WKS.php#ws1).

I have completed two three-year terms as chair and its time to give someone else a chance to lead our section. This is a wonderful leadership opportunity, and you are free to use your initiative to take the section in any direction you wish. We will elect a new chair from participants attending our annual business meeting, on Wednesday evening soon after our talks, from 5:00-6:00 PM. I encourage all interested parties to attend for nominations (self-nominations are welcome) and an election at the meeting. This is an exciting position, and with the administrative assistance provided at the BSA Business Office, and help I will be happy to provide, it will be an easy (and fun) transition.

Respectfully Submitted, David Spooner

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE GENETICS SECTION - 2008

Activities of the BSA Genetics section during the 2007-2008 year include:

1. Business meeting conducted in Chicago, IL (July 9, 2007) at Botany 2007.
2. Genetics section co-sponsored six (6) symposia at Botany 2007.
   a. Phylogenomics; Organizers: Chris Pires and Jim Leebens-Mack; funds committed - $500
   b. Evolution of diversity in Sapindales; Organizers: Susan Pell and Allison Miller; funds committed - $250
   c. The functional significance of leaf shape variation – towards a consensus from gene to community; Organizer: Adrienne Nicotra; funds committed - $250
   d. Comparative Genomics, Development, Physiology and Systematics of the Brassicaceae and Cleomaceae; Organizers: Jocelyn Hall and Eric Schranz; nominal support only
   e. The evolution and maintenance of mixed mating systems; Organizers: Diane Byers and Johanne Brunet; nominal support only
   f. Frontiers in Plant Biology: Emerging Model Species; Organizers: Pamela Diggle and Elena Kramer; nominal support only
3. Genetics section had 5 contributed paper sessions with 58 papers over three days at the Botany
   2007 meeting (these included both Genetics section and related thematic sections that fall under the general heading of Genetics).
4. The 2007 Margaret Menzel Award ($200) for the best contributed paper was given to Dr. Keith Adams (Univ. of British Columbia) for his paper “Subfunctionalization of genes duplicated by polyploidy in response to environmental stress”.
5. The Genetics section had four (4) posters presented at Botany 2007 (a total of 35 posters in related thematic sections).
6. The 2007 Genetics section Poster Award ($100) was given to Richard Stokes (Univ. Cincinnati) for his poster "A Novel Approach to Study Gene Flow Between Color Forms of the Tetraploid Species Erythronium americanum".
7. The 2008 Graduate Student Research Award(s), based on our evaluation of the seven proposals submitted, was awarded to Ms. Renate Wuersig (Purdue University), in the PhD category, and Ms. Sunni Taylor (Texas State University-San Marcos) in the MS category. Each award includes $500 for research and an additional $500 to cover travel costs to attend a subsequent BSA meeting. Dr. R. Whitkus will contact the winners, and arrange for an announcement to be made at the ’08 banquet.
8. The Genetics Section gave a Student Travel Award ($200 courtesy of Dr. Keith Adams) to Mr. Aaron Duffy (Utah State University) to present the paper titled: “Conservation of selection on matK in ferns following an ancient loss of the trnK intron by genome inversion” (with co-authors Scot Kelchner and Paul Wolf)
9. The Genetics section will have four (4) paper sessions at the Botany 2008 meeting in Vancouver, BC (including both Genetics section and four related thematic sections that fall under the general heading of Genetics).
   Genetics: 15 papers, 10 posters (organized by Sec./Treas.)
   Genomics/Proteomics: 4 papers, 2 posters
   Molecular Biology: 2 papers, 3 posters
   Molecular Ecology and Evolution: 6 papers, 10 posters
   Population Genetics: 11 papers, 8 posters
10. The Genetics section will co-sponsor the following symposia at the Botany 2008 meeting:
    a. Polyploidy: Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology (organized by Keith Adams, UBC; 7 presentations); funds committed - at least $500

Genetics Section Officers:
Chair: Vance Baird (Clemson U.), will step down at end of Botany 2009
Vice-Chair: Theresa Culley (U. of Cincinnati), will become Chair at end of Botany 2009
Sec./Treasurer: Kristina Schierenbeck (Calif. State Univ., Chico)

Respectfully submitted, Vance Baird, Chair

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HISTORICAL SECTION - 2008

Lee Kass continued as Chair of the section and presided at the Historical Section Annual meeting on July 10, 2007, at Botany 2007, Chicago Illinois. The group invited Marissa Jernegan, graduate student at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, ILL to be Vice-chairman and she graciously accepted.

At Botany 2007, the section sponsored two posters, one Discussion Session of Informal presentations, chaired by Marsh Sundberg, Emporia State University, and a Symposium on "A Historical Perspective on Chicago Area Botany," organized by Lee B. Kass and chaired by L. Kass (with assistance from Ed Cobb), Cornell Univeristy..

Marshall Sundberg, editor of Plant Science Bulletin, suggested asking our symposium speakers to submit their talks to put on the BSA website. He also invited speakers to submit an article based on their talk to be featured in the PSB. Nels Lersten submitted an article, which was published in the PSB 2008, Volume 54, No 1: 12-13. ("The three C's: Early botanical leaders at the University of Chicago"). Lee Kass' and Ed Cobb's historical Section talk given at the Botany 2006 Centennial Celebration in Chico, CA was featured in the Fall 2007, PSB volume 53, No. 3: 90-101 ("Landmarks and Milestones in American Plant Biology, the Cornell Connection").

The first Emanuel Rudolph Award was given to two students who organized the Carlquist Symposium. The Emanuel Rudolph Award was established in 2006, at the Historical Section annual meeting in Chico CA, for the best student paper on a historical subject in botany. The qualifications were revised at this year's annual meeting 2007) to reflect and highlight excellence in the area of historical presentations at the Botanical Society of America meetings. It was decided to award it to a student or students presenting historical papers in any section or symposium. The first award was given to Witt Taylor of Arizona State University and S. Y. Smith of the Royal Holloway University of London for organizing "A Symposium in Honor of Sherwin Carlquist."

The participants discussed organizing a symposium in Vancouver, British Columbia, for Botany 2008. Marsh Sundberg volunteered to contact Prof. Iain Taylor. There was some communications between Taylor and the section; however, a symposium was not arranged for Botany 2008.

The section decided not to do a Discussion Session for Botany 2008 due to lack of participation at Botany 2007. We may try again at a future time. The BSA website [as of May 2003!] lists 87 members of the Historical Section.

In March 2008, the section chair organized a committee to review eligible submissions for the Botany 2008 Emanuel Rudolph Award. The committee consists of Carol Kelloff, Smithsonian Institution; Marshal Sundberg, Emporia State University; William Dahl, Botanical Society of America. At present three poster submissions are eligible for the award.

The section chair thanks Bill Dahl, Marsh Sundberg, Carol Kelloff and Marissa Jernegan for their continued support.

Respectfully submitted, Lee B. Kass, Chair Historical Section, BSA

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PALEOBOTANICAL SECTION - 2008

presented at The Botanical Society of America Council Meeting 27 July 2008, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The Paleobotanical Section currently has 294 members (245 regular members, 34 associate members, and 15 honorary members). This represents an increase of 57 members since last year.

The Section has a program for the Vancouver meeting with 37 contributed papers, 3 posters, an informal presentation session, and an open forum Paleobotanical Collections discussion session. Of the contributed papers, 13 are student papers which will all be in competition for the Isabel Cookson Award, and many of those will be in competition for the Maynard Moseley Award. The Section will hold its annual mixer and banquet on Monday evening, 28 July, 2008 followed by the Paleobotanical Auction. Items to be auctioned will be those donated by members and friends of the Section and will include materials such as books, reprints, photographs, slides, humorous items, etc. The proceeds go to fund complimentary tickets to the Paleobotanical Banquet for Student Presenters. The annual business meeting is scheduled for 4:00 pm on Wednesday, 30 July 2008. The Section also sponsored a two-day pre-meeting field trip to Eocene fossil localities near Princeton and Cache Creek, British Columbia. This years Paleobotany button “Paleobotanists do it with Hard Data” are available for $2.00 each.

During the past year the Paleobotanical Section was the recipient of an anonymous gift of $50,000 to support a fund is named in honor of Dr. James Morton Schopf and Mrs. Esther Nissen Schopf. This fund is to be used to enhance the collegiality and effectiveness of the annual meeting of the Paleobotanical Section. This could include, but is not limited to, funding refreshments or other aspects of the Section's annual dinner, Section field trips (such as bus rental, preparation of field guides, etc.), attendance at the annual meeting of specially invited guests, and/or any other costs involved in the Section's annual meeting. These funds are to be distributed by, and at the discretion of, the Secretary-Treasurer of the Paleobotanical Section, Botanical Society of America. This fund is an endowment account, such that the monies to be spent come from the dividends/interest accrued on the account, rather than on the principal in the account.

In addition the Section received a gift of $8937.56 from the estate of Marcia Winslow that will be used to endow an additional award for the section. A Committee has been formed to formalize the details of the award.

The Bibliography of American Paleobotany for 2006 was mailed to members and institutional subscribers. Copies will be provided for the BSA Archives and for the editor of the Plant Science Bulletin. Others may purchase copies for $18 each.

Respectfully submitted, Michael T. Dunn, Secretary/Treasurer Paleobotanical Section, Botanical Society of America

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL SECTION - 2008

In 2007 the physiological section held a highly successful symposium on “Blue Light” at the Chicago joint ASPB, AFS, ASPT and BSA meetings. This was co-chaired by Professors Winslow Briggs and Anitra Thorhaug. There was a workshop “Non-Intrusive and non-Invasive instruments for eco-physiology”, co-sponsored by the ecological section held on the weekend which reached maximum attendance capacity within the first two weeks of registration. The Section sponsored three contributed sessions and also a co-sponsored session with the ecologists on eco-physiology. The business meeting held elections for program chair which was Prof Frank Ewers from Pomona State College, with Uromi Goodale as co-program chair, in keeping with allowing students to become part of the leadership and Nancy Nicholson Web Master. The awards for three student contributions were presented after intensive judging :two presentations by Uromi Manage Goodale, Yale University, for her talk “Use of Non-destructive landscape ecophysiology tools in Sri Lanka" and by Mohammed Abdul, Texas A&M, for his talk “Impact of high nighttime temperature on rice growth, development, and physiology" and one poster the 2007 Li-COR prize was won by Jason Kilgore, of Michigan State University, for his poster “Influence of cold tolerance on upper elevation range limits in isolated mountain islands Ponderosae"

The 2008 contributions to the Botany 2008 program include a symposium cosponsored with both the Canadian Botanical Society and the International Outreach Committee “The Future of International Botanical Research: possibilities and strategies for your International collaborations and research, especially in developing nations “ as well as a workshop “Now that I have my data what do I do with it“ and 6 contributed sessions. A sectional business meeting will be held. The society finally has funding for the “Best Physiological Paper” in AJB with a named prize. This prize and committee will be named at a later date. The committee is presently working on criteria and data for the prize.

Physiological Sections Chair, Dr. Anitra Thorhaug

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SYSTEMATICS SECTION - 2008

At the Botany 2006 meeting in Chico, California, Kathleen A. Kron was elected as chair (two year term) of the section and Patrick S. Herendeen was elected as secretary-treasurer (three year term) at the Systematics Section business meeting, which is held jointly with the business meeting for the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. Kathy will appoint a nominating committee to identify a candidate to stand for election as the next chair of the section.

At the annual section business meeting in Chicago during the Botany 2007 conference the section membership voted on a bylaws change that establishes a $5 annual dues fee that will be used to support the activities of the section, with particular emphasis on supporting student participation in conference activities. The year the dues payments raised $3,650. Next year we will begin using these funds to support student participation through such things as subsidizing field trip registration fees.

During fiscal year 2008 the BSA Systematics Section supported two symposia and one colloquium with funds and sponsored one symposium and one workshop without funds for the Botany 2008 conference.

Financial Support. The BSA Systematics Section and ASPT supported two symposia:

1. $600 for “Phylogeography of northern North America with insights from paleontological, geological, and molecular data” Organizer: Anne Bruneau
2. $600 for “Polyploidy: Genetics, Evolution and Ecology” Organizers: Keith Adams and Jeannette Whitton
3. $500 for “Colloquium: The Utility of Pollen in Systematic and Morphological Studies: A Celebration of the Life of John J. Skvarla” Organizers: Vicki Funk and Melanie DeVore

Sponsorship in name only (without financial support). The BSA Systematics Section sponsored one symposium and one workshop in name only:

1. Workshop- “Encyclopedia of Life and the Botanical Community” Organizer: Chuck Miller
2. “Understanding plant evolution: morphology to molecules” Organizer Amy Litt

Kathleen A. Kron, chair; Patrick S. Herendeen, Secretary-Treasurer, 8 July 2008

Respectfully submitted, Patrick S. Herendeen

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TEACHING SECTION - 2008

Chairperson James Wandersee called the meeting to order at 12:05 pm.

Minutes from the Monday 31 July 2006 meeting in Chico, CA were read by incoming Secretary Donna Hazelwood. With the addition of last names, minutes were approved as read.

Donna Hazelwood presented the treasurer’s report which was accepted as read.

Jim Wandersee thanked Program Chair Rosemary Ford for the arrangement and set up of the program for the Teaching Section. A total of 11 papers were presented

Jim Wandersee and Marsh Sundberg co-present a workshop on Innovations in Teaching. This workshop represented the first attempt at outreach for the ASPB and the BSA and was the first offering of a continuing education credit. Attendees at the workshop ranged from research I universities to high school teachers, and each will receive a certificate of attendance. The goal for the workshop is for interactions among participants continue via the online discussion forum.

An election was held for a three year position as Vice Chair and Program Chair. Nominees were Stokes Baker and Phil Graham. We congratulate Stokes on his new position.

Beverly Brown and Donna Hazelwood presented an update on the Education Committee meeting. Chair Gordon Uno praised the interaction among the members of the Education Committees of the BSA and ASPB, and the success of the joint workshops and symposium. He noted that the Coalition on Public understanding of Science (COPUS) project is aimed at 2009, Year of Science. Toward that end, three major areas for joint collaboration were identified as follows: 1) NPR radio short features; 2) funding of a mini-symposium at NABT; and 3) sending representatives to NABT and co-hosting an ASPB and BSA booth. Claire Hemmingway elaborated on the last item and suggested that the exhibit space would also include Wisconsin Fast Plants and other areas of plant biology such as plant pathology. Marsh suggested that the teaching section focus efforts on 2009 year of science.

The business meeting closed at meeting adjourned a12:40 pm.

Respectfully submitted, Donna Hazelwood, Secretary Treasurer

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TROPICAL SECTION - 2008

During the 2007 meeting in Chicago the session Tropical Biology section had four oral presentations and seven posters.  The section also cosponsored a symposium in honor of Sherwin Carlquist work on island biology.

Add the end of the session a business meeting was convened and 13 members of the section, in addition to the President and Treasurer were present.  A motion from the floor on whether or not to institute 5$ dues to members of the section was discussed.  The objective of this was to have more funds available to organize symposia and/or support the participation of students, and it followed similar motions that were discussed at other sections business meetings.  In the end there was consensus to postpone the discussion until the next year and see the impact that adding dues would have on other sections.
For the meetings in Vancouver the section had decided to sponsor a symposium on rain forest ecology, but due to unforeseen logistical problems this symposium was cancelled.
During the 2008 meetings in Vancouver four oral papers and four posters will be presented.  A business meeting will follow the oral session.

Submitted by Fabián A. Michelangeli

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NORTHEASTERN SECTION - 2008

Topic: Summary of the Annual Joint Field Meeting of the Northeastern Section of the Botanical Society of America, the Philadelphia Botanical Club, and the Torrey Botanical Society (June 1 – 5, 2008)

The Joint Field Meeting of the Northeastern Section of the Botanical Society of America, the Philadelphia Botanical Club, and the Torrey Botanical Society took place in the Pinelands National Reserve, New Jersey, on 1-5 June, 2008. Participants were housed at the Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education on Barnegat Bay in Waretown, Ocean County. Five experts on the regional flora served as trip leaders: Joseph Arsenault of Arsenault Consulting; Dr. Walter Bien of Drexel University; Ted Gordon, Director of Pine Barrens Inventories; Dr. Gerry Moore, Director of Science, Brooklyn Botanic Garden; and William Olson of Maser Consulting. Travel to sites in Ocean and Burlington Counties was in 4 vans and 4 private vehicles.

In preparation for Monday’s excursions, Walter Bien’s Sunday evening powerpoint program, “Fire Effects on the Pitch Pine Plains,” provided a comprehensive overview of the globally imperiled dwarf pitch pine (Pinus rigida) communities created and maintained by frequent intense fires. On Monday, following in the footsteps of botanists of the 19th and 20th centuries (J.H. Redfield, Constantine Rafinesque, John Torrey, Witmer Stone) in search of Corema conradii (broom crowberry) at its southernmost limit of range, we paused briefly at historic Cedar Bridge Tavern that welcomed these travelers who then went on to seek the crowberry on the West Plains. Our next stop at a nearby towering white pine plantation set out as seedlings in 1960 by forester Silas Little convinced us that soil impoverishment is not the cause of stunting in the plains. At the Le Clare homestead on the Little Plains near Warren Grove we again saw planted, non native trees that were protected from wildfire towering over the endemic stunted pines and scrub oaks in adjacent fire ravaged areas. Also observed were many members of the heath family, including large areas of Leiophyllum buxifolium (sand myrtle), some still in bloom. Extensive carpets of broom crowberry and patches of Pyxidanthera barbulata (pyxie) were also seen. After lunch we viewed the Lower Plains from an observation tower at the Warren Grove Air National Guard Gunnery Range. Here we visited anthropogenically disturbed sites harboring many rare pioneer species recently documented by Bien and Gordon. Of special note were Rhynchospora knieskernii, (Knieskern’s beaked rush), a large population of Gentiana autumnalis (pine barren gentian), and Muhlenbergia torreyana (Torrey’s muhly). Bien also discussed regeneration plots on severely disturbed sites maintained by his graduate students.

The evening slide-illustrated program, “Cedar Swamps, Savannahs, and Quaking Bogs of the New Jersey Pine Barrens,” was presented by Ted Gordon.

On Tuesday morning near Wells Mills County Park we walked through an Upland Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)-Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica) Forest with some Q. ilicifolia (bear oak), Q. stellata (post oak), and Sassafras albidum (sassafras). The understory was dominated by Gaylussacia frondosa (dangleberry), G. baccata (black huckleberry), and Vaccinium pallidum (lowbush blueberry). No additional tree species can tolerate the severe fires that shape this community. We also visited a fire-scorched Pitch Pine Lowland dominated by Calamovilfa brevipilis (pine barren reedgrass) and Gaylussacia dumosa (dwarf huckleberry). Both of these communities produced large populations of Xerophyllum asphodeloides (turkeybeard) whose flowers were severely browsed by deer. Next we entered an adjacent cedar swamp along Cold Brook to see Schizaea pusilla (curly grass fern) and, in anthesis, Arethusa bulbosa (dragon mouth).

At the Oswego Cranberry/Blueberry Experimental Station near Jenkins, Dr. Amy Howell presented a powerpoint program titled “The Health Benefits of Cranberries and Blueberries.” In a canal at the station we noted the rare Utricularia inflata (swollen bladderwort), the rare U. purpurea (purple bladderwort), and the common U. striata (striped bladderwort). After lunch we focused on the riverine savannahs, quaking bogs, and cedar swamps along the Oswego River above Martha Furnace. Highlights here were colorful sphagnum carpets, an abundance of flowering Sarracenia purpurea (pitcher plant), Utricularia cornuta (horned bladderwort), Narthecium americanum (bog asphodel), and Eriocaulon compressum (early pipewort). At the furnace site Liparis loeselii (Loesel’s twayblade) and a small glade harboring a dozen fern species, including Ophioglossum pussilum (northern adder’s tongue), attracted attention.

The evening powerpoint program by Gerry Moore was titled “Rare and Endangered Species of the New Jersey Pine Barrens.”
On Wednesday at Webbs Mills, the group traversed a boardwalk over a bog created by turf removal. Prolonged flooding by beaver had delayed flowering of many species. Carex exilis (coastal sedge) and a few dragon mouth were in bloom; bog asphodel and Lophiola aurea (gold crest) were in bud. The four leaders made a strong effort to teach the group to identify bog plants in their non-flowering state.

At Whitesbog, birthplace of the cultivated blueberry, we saw several banners of Calopogon tuberosus (grasspink), Polygala lutea (orange milkwort), Minuartia caroliniana (pine barrens sandwort), Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush), Nymphaea odorata (inc.forma rosea; fragrant white water lily), Itea virginica (Virginia willow), and two highlights, Uvularia puberula var. nitida (pine barren bellwort), and New Jersey’s only native occurrence of Schwalbea americana (chaffseed).

After botanizing the edge of Pakim Pond in Brendan Byrne (Lebanon) State Forest, we examined an advanced growth Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic white cedar) swamp along Shinn Branch. Here we noted Ilex laevigata (smooth winter holly), Triantalis borealis (star flower), Smilax walteri (coral greenbrier), Thelypteris simulata (bog fern), and Woodwardia areolata (netted chainfern).
In the evening a fine banquet was held at the nearby Captain’s Inn in Forked River. Potential sites for next year’s meeting were discussed leading to the possibility of the Pocono Mountains. Mark Demitroff, University of Delaware Permafrost Group, presented a powerpoint program titled “Pine Barrens Wetlands: Geographic Reflections of South Jersey’s Glacial Past.” Mark made a convincing case that permafrost played an important role in shaping regional wetlands in southern New Jersey.

Thanks go to the treasurer Karl Anderson, the assistant chair Walter Bien, the Wells Mills County Park staff and associates, and Patricia Gordon for assistance with all phases of this event. There were 58 participants. Trip report by Ted Gordon, fieldtrip chair.

ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE BIOLOGICAL STAIN COMMISION - 2008

The Biological Stain Commission held its annual meeting June 6, 2008 in San Diego, California.

The principal function of the Biological Stain Commission is the certification of dyes and stains for biological structures and cellular processes.  Most diagnostic histopathology laboratories now used premixed stains.  Many plant scientists are also moving in this direction, but future advances plant cell biology can be facilitated if new plant scientists become familiar with the technical aspects of specimen preparation and staining.  The horror stories I hear at the meetings about the inappropriate use of staining techniques in medical practice suggest that technical knowledge of stains and techniques is very important.

The Biological Stain Commission publishes the well respected journal, Biotechnic and Histochemistry (formerly Stain Technology).  The journal has a long and proud history.  The name change is indicative of the fact that the journal publishes on topics other than those concerning dyes and stains.  Plant scientists are encouraged to publish in this journal that is increasing in impact.  I have served on the editorial board of the journal and review many of the papers that concern plants.  The Biological Stain Commission also publishes books on various microtechnical topics.  A principle example is the 10th edition of Conn's Biological Stains edited by R.W. Horobin and J.A. Kiernan that was published in 2002.  Several other books and manuals are under preparation and/or discussion.

Respectfully submitted, Graeme Berlyn, Representative of the BSA to the BSC