Reports of Executive Committee, Editors, and Staff
A. President’s Report
Most of my efforts involved staying in touch with the Society’s Executive Director, Bill Dahl,
and members of the Executive Committee (EC) to help keep the Society focused and moving
forward with plans for the future. Each of BSA’s standing committees also contributed to these
efforts and together substantial progress has been made. Through email, conference calls, and
discussions at the spring annual meeting in St. Louis, the EC has focused attention on several
topics. These topics are discussed in Bill Dahl’s annual report and those of other BSA officers
and committees.
Action plans for the BSA president during Aug. 2005 – July 2006 included
1) Expand capacity of BSA home office
2) Expand student role in annual meeting and BSA governance
3) Ensure successful centennial meeting
4) Increase BSA visibility
5) Establish Strategic Plan
1. Expand capacity of BSA home office
The remarkable transition from a volunteer run organization to one with a professional paid staff
has progressed well over the past few years. Our Executive Director, Bill Dahl, provides energy,
focus, financial acumen, and an infectious ‘can do’ philosophy. He has assembled an excellent
staff, built a cohesive team, and has asserted good managerial skills and direction to the BSA in
all sectors of the organization. We anticipate Bill Dahl will grow in visibility as the Executive
Director, providing the continuous leadership and service voice to the society’s stakeholders.
The enhanced connectivity of the BSA headquarters to both internal and external constituents
has equated to improved communication, facilitation, and services including building the BSA
membership and membership services. Bill has done a tremendous job of keeping members
informed of BSA activities, opportunities, and deadlines via e-mail communications and when
needed personal phone calls or visits. Likewise, under Marsh Sundberg’s leadership, the Plant
Science Bulletin continues to provide an important forum for news and opinion columns.
The survey conducted in 2005 to find out whether members would like to revise our current
sectional structure is piloted this year and we will analyses the outcome soon.
Planning for future meetings has progressed well. BSA is pleased to be able to meet
with the American Society of Plant Biologists in Chicago in 2007. This meeting will provide
great opportunities for a unique and enriched program of professional activities. In 2008 BSA
will meet with the Canadian Botanical Society, and in 2009 BSA will return to Snowbird, UT.
Karen Renzgalia has served her first year as the Chair of the Program Committee, and we are
appreciative of her hard work and numerous efforts that have resulted in a very successful Chico
meeting.
2. Expand students’ role in the annual meeting and BSA Governance
In 2004-5 the EC considered exploring ways to recruit more student members. At the 2005
Austin, TX meeting a special session with undergraduate and graduate students was held to
solicit their ideas about enhancing student involvement and growing student membership in the
Society. As a result we welcome our first student representative, Taylor McKenzie. We look
forward to hosting another student involvement session this year at the Chico meeting.
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3. Ensure successful centennial meeting
Thanks to the hard work of many, including Jack Horner’s Centennial Planning Committee and
the BSA staff an impressive annual meeting has been organized. The Plenary speaker, Betty
Smocovitis, will speak on ‘The Lessons of History; A Historian Reflects on 100 Years of
American Botany”. Several special sessions, banquets, and events have been planned, including
the conferral of 100 Centennial Medallions for excellence and service to botany and to the
Botanical Society.
4. Increase BSA visibility
Thanks to the efforts of many, the BSA has maintained a growing presence at several related
scientific organizations, ensuring increased visibility of our organization. Among the
organizations are AIBS, AAAS, CCSP, (the Council of Scientific Society Presidents in
Washington, D.C.)
The presence of BSA staff, officers, and members help maintain BSA’s reputation as a premier
society working in the areas of plant research and related educational initiatives.
5 Establish Strategic Plan
As a CEO of another non-profit I have realized the importance of a dynamic and well-founded
strategic planning process and plan. At the 2001 BSA meeting in Albuquerque, NM a strategic
planning session facilitated by David Northington was commissioned and measured against that
plan, the Society has made significant progress including, hiring professional staff, growing the
website, educational outreach, expanded ties with other professional societies, and expanded
travel grants for students. It is time to revisit and modernize the strategic plan, a plan that
specifies direction and priorities, that is dynamic, contains measures, and that has linkage to the
budget.
A BSA Strategic Planning Discussion is scheduled for Wednesday @ 12:30 pm.
B. Past President's Report 2006
During 2005-06 I had three main responsibilities: chairing the Elections
Committee, planning the Plenary Symposium for Botany 2006 in Chico, and
chairing the Corresponding Members Committee. In addition, I continued
to serve as a member of the team that annually reviews the BSA office
and Executive Director.
The Elections Committee identified excellent two candidates for President and two for Secretary,
as charged. Pamela Soltis and Stephen Weller were elected.
For the Plenary Symposium, I chose the topic New Directions in Molecular and Organismal
Botany. Speakers were chosen from nominations that I solicited from BSA’s sister societies and
the Executive Committee, representing a range of interests and taxonomic affiliations. The final
slate includes five prominent researchers who will describe how their field has evolved and
where it is headed, in honor of our Centennial celebration.
The Corresponding Members Committee had three openings this year and received three
excellent nominations. All were approved by the Committee. These were Drs. Gabriel
Bernardello, Jean Galtier, and Mostafa Kamal Tolba.
I also participated in Executive Committee discussions throughout the year.
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Respectfully submitted, Allison A. Snow Past-President
C. Council Report, President Elect, 2006 Christopher Haufler
In my capacity as President Elect of the Botanical Society of America, I attended two national
conferences. In early December 2005, I attended the Council of Scientific Society Presidents
(CSSP) meeting in Washington, DC. This meeting brings together the presidents of some 60
different scientific societies and presents a program of specialists from the political, scientific,
and education realm, as well as providing opportunities for the participants to get acquainted and
network. Although much of the meeting had little direct relevance to the BSA, there were
occasional presentations that were particularly informative, provocative, insightful, and/or
encouraging. The one that most impressed me was by Professor George Lakoff, a linguist from
the University of California, Berkeley, who provided insights for understanding how the radical
right had captured the political reins of the country by framing its arguments to appeal to a broad
spectrum of the voting public. Particularly insightful was Dr. Lakoff’s analysis of how the
radical fundamentalists had framed discussion of science and evolution so that the public has
grown suspicious of scientists, opening the door to intelligent design theology to enter the
science classroom. I also appreciated the chance to meet such individuals as Toby Horn,
President of the National Association of Biology Teachers, and Carl Cowen, President of the
Mathematics Association of America.
I found this meeting valuable, but I’m not convinced that the BSA is benefiting long term from
its association with the CSSP. I recommend that we monitor the health of this Council each year
and reassess our commitment to it. I’m not sure what the BSA gains tangibly from membership
in the CSSP.
The second meeting that I attended was the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS) in St. Louis, MO in February 2006. Not only was it valuable
to have the BSA represented at this meeting, but the AAAS organized an excellent opportunity
for local teachers to learn about teaching evolution. Teachers from the Dover, PA school district
that successfully blocked the establishment of intelligent design theology in the science
classroom were there, and provided valuable advice and perspectives to the local St. Louis area
teachers. Teachers also heard from such luminaries as Peter Raven and George Coyne, the
Vatican Astronomer who had harsh words for the radical fundamentalist Christians.
The AAAS adopted a resolution on the teaching of Evolution as follows:
AAAS Resolution:Statement on the Teaching of Evolution - Evolution is one of the most robust
and widely accepted principles of modern science. It is the foundation for research in a wide
array of scientific fields and, accordingly, a core element in science education. The AAAS Board
of Directors is deeply concerned, therefore, about legislation and policies recently introduced in
a number of states and localities that would undermine the teaching of evolution and deprive
students of the education they need to be informed and productive citizens in an increasingly
technological, global community. Although their language and strategy differ, all of these
proposals, if passed, would weaken science education. The AAAS Board of Directors strongly
opposes these attacks on the integrity of science and science education. They threaten not just the
teaching of evolution, but students' understanding of the biological, physical, and geological
sciences.
Some bills seek to discredit evolution by emphasizing so-called "flaws" in the theory of
3
evolution or "disagreements" within the scientific community. Others insist that teachers have
absolute freedom within their classrooms and cannot be disciplined for teaching non-scientific
"alternatives"" to evolution. A number of bills require that students be taught to "critically
analyze" evolution or to understand "the controversy." But there is no significant controversy
within the scientifc community about the validity of the theory of evolution. The current
controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution is not a scientific one.
Science is a process of seeking natural explanations for natural phenomena. Scientists ask
questions about the natural world, formulate hypotheses to answer the questions, and collect
evidence or data with which to evaluate the hypotheses. Scientific theories are unified
explanations of these phenomena supported by extensive testing and evidence. The theory of
evolution, supported by extensive scientific findings ranging from the fossil record to the
molecular genetic relationships among species, is a unifying concept of modern science. Of
course, our understanding of how evolution works continues to be refined by new discoveries.
Many of the proposed bills and policies aim explicitly or implicitly at encouraging the teaching
of "Intelligent Design" in science classes as an alternative to evolution. Although advocates of
Intelligent Design usually avoid mentioning a specific creator, the concept is in fact religious, not
scientific. In an October 18, 2002 resolution, the AAAS Board underlined the inappropriateness
of teaching Intelligent Design in the science classroom because of its "significant conceptual
flaws in formulation, a lack of credible scientific evidence, and misrepresentation of scientific
facts." Judge John E. Jones III of the Middle District Court of Pennsylvania firmly reached
similar conclusions in the Dover Area School District case.
The sponsors of many of these state and local proposals seem to believe that evolution and
religion conflict. This is unfortunate. They need not be incompatible. Science and religion ask
fundamentally different questions about the world. Many religious leaders have affirmed that
they seeno conflict between evolution and religion. We and the overwhelming majority of
scientists share this view.
[Statement adopted by the AAAS Board of Directors, 16 February 2006.]
My third role as President Elect was to propose a set of new BSA committee members. I have
done that and my recommendations will be discussed at the upcoming meeting in Chico, CA.
D. Secretary – See 05 Minutes
E. Treasurer, Kent Holsinger
The Botanical Society is in very healthy financial condition. Although institutional print
subscriptions to the American Journal of Botany continue to decline slowly, income associated
with the journal remains sufficient not only to continue its operations but also to expand and
improve them and to allow the Society to expand and improve its operations. The Society also
has substantial financial assets, the income from which could also be used to support new or
expanded program initiatives for the Society.
Assets
As of 30 June 2006, assets in the Society’s investment accounts totaled more than $3.1M (Table
1), an increase of nearly $290K from 30 June 2005. All of that increase was the result of
investment returns (approximate annual rate of return 10.3%).
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Income and expenses
The budget approved for 2004/2005 included budgeted income of $1.10M and budgeted
expenses of $1.07M versus year-to-date totals of $1.23M and $0.70M, respectively (Table 2).
The Society budgeted investment income very conservatively at $39.5K. The actual investment
income of $207K is primarily responsible for the difference between budgeted and actual
income. Lower than expected employment expenses and publication expenses are primarily
responsible for the difference between budgeted and actual income.
Table 1: Investment fund balances for the Botanical Society of America
Investment funds balance 30 June 2005
Dividends, interest, and appreciation
Additions
Investment funds balance 30 June 2006
$2,814,182
289,394
0
$3,103,576
Table 2: Summary of income and expenses for the Botanical Society of America
Budgeted 2005/2006
$1,319,772
1,025,679
39,000
255,093
Actual 2005/2006
$1,321,418
907,606
147,085
266,726*
Income
Operational income
Investment income
Botany Conference
income
Expenses
$1,309,893
$ 681,473
Operational expenses
1,025,679
638,203
Investment expenses
24,000
28,849
Meetings expenses
194,063
14,422*
Balance
9,879
$ 639,945
*Does not include many expenses associated with Botany 2006 because of timing
F. Program Director
Presented at the Botanical Society of America Council Meeting
July 30, 2006 • Chico, California
GENERAL PLANNING FOR BOTANY 2006
I worked closely with the BSA Meeting Manager, Johanne Stogran, and the Executive Director, Bill
Dahl, on an array of planning issues for Botany 2006. Claire Hemingway, BSA Education Coordinator
was instrumental in organizing the Education and Outreach Forum.
PLANNING VISIT FOR BOTANY 2006
In early Fall 2006, Johanne Stogran, Kevin Stogran, Claire Hemingway and I attended a planning visit at
the site of the Botany 2006 conference in Chico, California. The meeting was necessary to plan Society
functions, to visit potential meeting sites, and to meet with BSA Local Representative, Kristina
Schierenbeck, as well as with the program chairs and local representatives from other participating
societies. We toured the buildings and meeting rooms on the Chico Campus, and we examined housing
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options and a variety of local sites. Claire and I met with local teachers and Science Educators at CSU.
The site visit was coordinated by the BSA Meeting Manager, Johanne Stogran.
COORDINATION OF THE SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM FOR BOTANY 2006
COMMUNICATION WITH PROGRAM CHAIRS AND SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZERS. The BSA Program Director
coordinates the scientific program with the help of the sectional/participating society Program Chairs. The
symposium organizers plan the sequence of presentations within their own symposia and then work with
the sponsoring sections for integration into the program. To coordinate these activities, the
sectional/society Program Chairs and the symposium organizers were sent mailings that provided detailed
instructions and a timeline for preparation and submission of their programs.
CALL FOR SYMPOSIA. The “Call for Symposia” for Botany 2006 was distributed in the BSA-wide Fall
2005 mailing and posted on the Botany 2006 web site. The deadlines for submissions were October 15,
2005. Proposals were submitted on-line using the electronic submission form. Symposium proposals
were forwarded to sectional officials for approval of sponsorship.
CALLS FOR PRESENTATIONS. The ‘Calls’ for various presentations for Botany 2006 were
distributed in the BSA-wide Fall 2005 mailing and posted on the Botany 2006 web site. The ‘Calls’ were
also sent to the Program Chairs of participating societies for their use. The deadline for submissions of
abstracts was April 1, 2005, and this was extended until mid-April.
In addition to presenting in a disciplinary section, we offered the option of submitting abstracts to
16 contemporary thematic topics. The list of topics was
PROGRAM DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT, 2005-2006
2
generated through e-mailings to and interactions with the Executive Committee, and Society and Section
officers. The numbers in parentheses in the topics presented below are the total number of abstracts
submitted to each theme.
Applied Plant Biology (5)
Biomechanics (0)
Conservation Biology (26)
Ethnobotany (4)
Gene Structure and Function (1)
History of Plants and People (2)
Population Genetics (12)
Pollination Biology (9)
Evolutionary Developmental Biology (11)
Biogeography (17)
Chemical Ecology (0)
Ecophysiology (11)
Evolution of Cultivated Plants (7)
Genomics / Proteomics (4)
Molecular Biology (1)
Molecular Ecology and Evolution (12)
Stress Tolerance (5)
Symbioses: Plant, Animal, and Microbe Interact. (11)
The topics were distributed as follows among the Section Program Organizers to integrate into
their programs.
1. Developmental and Structural Section
 Biomechanics
 Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Evo-Devo)
2. Ecological Section
 Conservation Biology
 Pollination Biology
 Symbioses: Plant, Animal, and Microbe Interactions
3. Economic Botany Section
 Applied Plant Biology
 History of Plants and People
 Evolution of Cultivated Plants
 Ethnobotany
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4. Genetics Section
 Genomics / Proteomics
 Population Genetics
 Molecular Biology
 Molecular Ecology and Evolution
5. Physiology
 Stress Tolerance
 Ecophysiology
6. Systematics
 Biogeography
ONLINE CONFERENCE MODULES. The online abstract submission process was fine-tuned through the help
of Rob Brandt, BSA Technology Manager. The submission process was facilitate by a “live help” feature
that Rob added. Rob proved an on-line , to integrate it with other new elements of the conference webite
and the BSA web site. Bill Dahl, Rob Brandt and I made improvements on the other two modules on the
Web site, the program and registration modules, but these were only minor changes. The registration
module is primarily managed by Johanne Stogran and Wanda Lovan.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT, 2005-2006
3
ABSTRACT VOLUME. The abstracts for Botany 2006 were printed in a separate volume and included with
the registration materials along with the final Program, which will be distributed on-site at the conference.
The design and layout was utilized from the previously meeting and the BSA Office played a major role
in compiling the volume. Substantial editing and proofreading was conducted by Johanne Stogran, the
BSA Meetings Manager and Amy McPherson, AJB Managing Editor. There are 836 abstracts published
in the volume; however, these do not represent all conference presentations (see ‘Summary Information’
below). In the future, abstracts for workshops will be submitted online and integrated into the Abstract
Book.
FINAL PROGRAM. The deadline for submission of sectional/participating society programs was mid-May.
The Program Chairs deserve much credit for organizing and submitting their programs. Sectional/society
programs, as well as all BSA-wide and conference-wide functions were organized into a comprehensive,
conference-wide format, with common coffee breaks at uniform times. Most Sections followed this plan.
Session information was then submitted to the BSA Meeting Manager, Johanne Stogran, for room
assignments. I then assigned session and workshop numbers and Rob Brandt numbered the posters. The
Final Program was organized by Johanne Stogran.
THE PROGRAM FOR BOTANY 2006
This year in Chico, while “Looking to the Future—Conserving the Past,” the Botanical Society of
America recognizes more than 100 years of scientific achievements in the botanical sciences and
strategically plans for future advancements. This “Meeting of the Century” is the largest ever with over
150 more abstracts than in any previous conference. To honor this special occasion, a centennial
medallion will be distributed to each attendee.
All BSA disciplinary Sections have some function(s) scheduled at Botany 2006. Detailed
schedules for the sectional programs are presented in the Program, and summary information for the
number of presentations and sessions for the entire conference is presented below.
Total number of presentations.......................... 870
Education Forum .................................................11
Scientific Meeting .............................................. 859
Workshops…........................................................12
Contributed papers ........................................... 468
Symposia…………………………………………….16
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Colloquia………………………………………...……1
Symposium presentations.................... ………..143
Special lectures and addresses ........................... 5
Posters................................................................236
Recent Topics...................................................... 23
Discussion Sessions.............................................. 7
Field Trips……………………………………………13
SPECIAL CENTENNIAL EVENTS: A special awards ceremony organized by Bill Dahl and hosted by Peter
Raven, President of the Missouri Botanical Garden, and Edward Schneider, President of the BSA and
President/CEO of the Santa Barbara Botanic
PROGRAM DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT, 2005-2006
4
Garden, will honor more than 105 scientists who have contributed significantly to the advancement of our
science and our Society.
Betty Smocovitis will be the Plenary Speaker, during which she will highlight the history of the
BSA. The volume she has been writing on the same subject will go to press soon.
In addition to Sectional support for symposia speakers, the BSA provided special funds in support
of symposia with cross-cutting and historical themes.
NEW AT BOTANY 2006: A new feature that will be incorporated into this year’s meeting is a Graduate
School-Post-Doc-Job Fair. This event will occur on Sunday, July 30, 2006 at 5:00 at Sylvester’s Café-bythe-Creek, just prior to the Plenary Talk. Professional members of the BSA were invited through general
mailings, the Botany 2006 Web Site and the Plant Science Bulletin to represent their department or
research program and to interact with and recruit quality students and professionals. We had 17 responses
to these solicitations. All students have been invited to attend the fair, including the UMEB recipients.
THE FORUM PROGRAM FOR BOTANY 2006
This year’s FORUM, the 5th annual event, begins on Friday evening, August 28, with early
registration and an informal welcoming reception. The main FORUM program occurs on Saturday, August
29, with individual sessions grouped within six topical themes, or ‘threads,’ that span the FORUM
program. A range of topics will be addressed in interactive panel and roundtable discussions, breakout
groups, as well as informational sessions. The day culminates with a Keynote Address by Roger
Hangarter, Plant Biologist at Purdue. He will speak about his efforts to communicate an awareness of the
growth and beauty of plants through art.
On Sunday, July 30th, the FORUM is formally linked to the annual scientific meeting via workshops and
field trips, for which attendees register separately. Twelve free, hands-on workshops are available as twohour, half-day, and full-day events.
Although the principal focus of the FORUM has been undergraduate education and related outreach, K-12
teachers have the opportunity to secure continuing education credit. In addition, teachers from Chicago
were supported to attend the Forum in preparation for the Forum at Botany 2007. Activities during the
Forum included planning sessions for Scientific Inquiry through Plants, the on-line teaching project,
which has been renamed as Planting Science.
FUTURE ANNUAL MEETINGS
2007 – CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. Botany 2007 will be held in Chicago, IL from July 7-11, 2007. In addition to
our usual partner societies, the 2007 conference will be a joint meeting with the American Society of
Plant Biologists. The Calls for Symposia, Field Trips and Workshops have gone out and are posted on the
Botany 2007 web site. Deadlines are October 15th, 2007 for all.
We met with the ASPB staff and Nick Carpita, President-Elect of ASPB, in Chicago in March. In
spite of different presentation formats, the two programs integrated nicely. ASPB will begin their
meeting on Thursday, as they usually do. We will run our Forum and they will participate in the events
8
of the weekend. During the week, we will essentially run our own meetings with one social event for the
whole group, a dessert
PROGRAM DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT, 2005-2006
5
party, on Tuesday. We will have a joint symposium on Monday (evo-devo theme?). ASPB is handling
registration and finances and BSA is going to do the abstract and program books.
2008 – CANADA. Botany 2008 will be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada. In addition to our usual partner
societies, the 2008 conference will be a joint meeting with the Canadian Botanical Association.
2009 – SNOWBIRD, UTAH. Botany 2009 will be held in Snowbird, Utah in late July 2009. In addition to
our usual partner societies, the 2009 conference will be a joint meeting with the Mycological Society of
America.
LONG-TERM CONFERENCE PLANNING
Among the society’s goals are to involve our partner societies in planning to expand programmatic
opportunities for members, to be responsive to members and attendees in site selection, and to keep
conference costs as economical as possible. The BSA and partner Societies have endeavored to expand
activities and support for students. The future of our Societies lies in our ability to attract and be
responsive to the needs and ideas of young scholars. I will champion all of these efforts with new and
exciting initiatives that we will collectively plan for the future.
Respectfully submitted, Karen Sue Renzaglia BSA Program Director
G. Council Rep
I helped to organize a discussion session for the 2005 annual meeting on student participation in
the BSA; I submitted the abstract and composed a letter that was sent to all student members
soliciting their participation in the discussion. The discussion was well attended and a number of
recommendations were made. One concrete result is that there is now a student member of the
executive committee. At the 2005 meeting, I also participated in the discussion of sectional
structure and attended both the council and executive committee meetings.
I was unable to attend the April 2006 executive committee meeting in St. Louis.
I was responsible for the “Young Botanists Award” program and we will give out 16 awards in
2006. We might consider an email reminder prior to the deadline, we didn’t get very many
submissions this year.
Respectfully submitted,Pamela Diggle
H. American Journal of Botany Council Report - 2006
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The current editorial staff includes Ms. Amy McPherson (Managing Editor), Dr. Beth
Hazen (Production Editor and lead copy editor) and several freelance copy editors.
Sincere thanks are extended to reviewers and Associate Editors for their diligent work on
behalf of the AJB over the past year.
The operation and performance of AllenTrack, the online manuscript submission and
handling system, is much smoother this year compared to last, and fewer complaints and
calls for assistance have been received. Nonetheless, authors and Associate Editors are
encouraged to contact the AJB Editorial Office if they encounter any problems that they
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cannot resolve themselves in a few minutes. Please do not struggle away and become
frustrated. Help is only an e-mail message or telephone call away (see next item).
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) have become more involved in the publication process. Their
responsibilities now include suggesting reviewers, reading and evaluating reviews, and
making recommendations for the EiC’s final decision. There are now 43 Associate
Editors.
Suggestions for special paper topics and books and reviewers 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 rose from 2.438 in 2004 to 2.572
in 2005; however, the Journal’s impact factor ranking fell from 21 to 22. AJB is holding
steady, but other journals are gaining.
The Journal aims to be consistently available at the first of a month, rather than midmonth. The production schedule is based on this target, and those occasions (July, 2006!)
when the journal has been late, there have been problems at Allen Press. .
Prices for color illustrations have been drastically restructured, with discounts available
according to length of BSA membership. Color plates are free for members of more than
10 years, $100 per plate (maximum charge of $250) for members of 5-9 years, and $150
per plate (maximum charge of $300) for members of 1-4 years.
Authors are strongly encouraged to ask themselves what in their papers is important
enough that all plant biologists need to know; why they did the research they did, what
major question in biology in general or botany in particular is the research addressing;
what explicit significant question has been addressed or what hypothesis tested; why
should someone outside the specific discipline of the paper care about the results; and
how will knowledge of general principles and mechanisms of biology be expanded by
publication of this paper? The answers to these questions should appear explicitly in the
abstract, or the manuscript may be returned for revision without review.
The cover of AJB has been redesigned as of July 2006, and the front matter is under
revision for January 2007.
There is a moving one-year wall for open access to all AJB content. BSA members and
subscribing institutions have immediate access to all current and past AJB content.
Comments and suggestions are always welcome from readers, authors, reviewers, and
Associate Editors. E-mail to ajb@botany.org.
AJB Statistics
Manuscript Types and Processing Time
Journal Summary Report
For Period: 1 Jan. – 31 Dec. 05
Manuscript Types
Days
Total # of
Total # of Total # of
from
Submitted Accept Accepted Rejected Total # of Receipt
Manuscrip Rate Manuscrip Manuscrip Pending
to First
ts
(%)
ts
ts
Manuscripts Decision
Days from
Receipt to
Final
Decision
10
Research Article
Brief
Communications
Special Paper
Total
397
42
157
217
23
70.89
122
18
3
418
11
0
40
2
0
159
16
1
234
0
2
25
54.17
19.67
69.8
76.67
59
119.77
Total # of
Total # of Total # of
SubmittedAccept Accepted Rejected Total # of
ManuscriptRate Manuscrip Manuscrip Pending
s
(%)
ts
ts
Manuscripts
376
45
166
204
6
22
86
18
3
1
Days
from
Receipt
to First
Decision
54.84
60.73
Days from
Receipt to
Final
Decision
101.29
72.1
18
1
417
29.72
0
53.94
78.76
93
98.84
For Period: 1 Jan.-31 Dec. 04
Manuscript Types
Research Article
Special Paper
Brief
Communications
Book Review
Total
35
100
47
6
1
191
11
0
218
1
0
8
Manuscript Categories Submitted to Journal
Manuscript Category
Ecology
Reproductive Biology
Systematics and Phytogeography
Systematics
Population Biology
Anatomy and Morphology
Paleobotany
Developmental Biology and Developmental Genetics
Genetics and Molecular Biology
Physiology and Biochemistry
Structure and Development
Tropical Biology
Cell Biology
Mycology and Plant Pathology
Phycology
Physiology and Development
Pteridology
Bryology and Lichenology
Total 05
112
87
74
22
48
47
23
21
13
13
10
7
4
4
4
4
3
2
Total 04
98
86
28
60
35
18
12
19
39
5
13
15
*
2
1
8
3
3
*Not a heading in 2004
Decisions on Manuscripts
Total
Total
11
Original Manuscripts Submitted
Revised Manuscripts
Resubmitted
Manuscripts Accepted Without
Revisions
Return with Revisions
Manuscripts Rejected
Rejected With Review
Rejected
Without
Review
Rejected After Revisions
Requires Another Revision
Accepted after Revisions
Manuscripts Withdrawn
Original Manuscripts Not
Withdrawn
Total Manuscripts Submitted
(originals + revisions)
2005
2004
482
504
438
185
3
216
196
97
119
151
198
77
99
24
216
231
68
121
19
114
152
59
414
445
920
689
Respectfully submitted, Judy Jernstedt Editor-in-Chief
Amy McPherson Managing Editor
I. 2006 Editor’s Report, Plant Science Bulletin
Volume 51
1.
Four issues, 156 pages, were published on schedule with press runs of 3800
copies.
2. Feature articles included:
-The Native Plant Conservation Campaign – The National Advocacy Network for
Native Plant Science and Conservation.
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
-The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT)
-Reinventing Plant Biology
-Plants Are Indeed Intelligent
-What Are We Teaching In Our Introductory Courses?
100th Anniversary Series
-Katherine Esau: A Personal Perspective
-Harriet B. Creighton: Proud Botanist
3. Summaries of the Forum Plenary Address , “Is It Cool To Know And Do Science? Can We
Create A Scientific Temper? Linking Scientists, College Faculty, K-12 Teachers and Their
Students in Collaborative Research” by Barbara Schulz, The National Academies Teacher
Advisory Council. And the Plenary Address, “Returning Biodiversity Knowledge and
Information to Society: The Case of Mexico” by José Sarukhán, National Autonomous
University of Mexico were published along with the President Elect’s address: “The Power of
12
Plants: Building Collaborations among Educational Institutions, Botanical Gardens and
Communities” by Ed Schneider, Santa Barbara Botanical Garden.
4. 74 books were received for review; 54 reviews were published.
Volume 52
1.Two issues, 76 pages, have been published on schedule. Fall issue is in preparation.
2. Feature articles included:
- Truman State University’s Solar Clock Garden
100th Anniversary Series
-C.J.A. – The Last Mycologist Who Was BSA President.
-Adriance Sherwood Foster: An Academic Grandchild Remembers
3. A total of 35 books were received for review, 18 reviews were published.
Individuals interested in submitting feature articles or in suggesting future article topics
should contact the editor.
Respectfully Submitted, Marsh Sundberg, Editor,
Plant Science Bulletin
J. Webmaster
Webmaster & Web statistics, Botanical Society of America
To be presented to the Botanical Society of America Council Meeting and the Business
Meeting, Sunday, July 30th & Tuesday, August 1st, 2006, Chico, California
1. Introduction
Two million, seventy-four thousand, one hundred and fourteen (2,074,114) visitors came to the
Botanical Society of America’s main websites from July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006. This is up
74% on the previous year, and reflects website statistics across the board.
The BSA website is continuing to develop as a major support tool for the Society in impacting its
mission.
Rob and Claire Hemingway will drive our educational outreach presence on the web in 2006.
This will also take member participation. The potential for reaching people interested in botany
and/or plants, in line with our mission, is almost unlimited. The key is having content that keeps
people coming back and telling others
to visit.
Average Visitor Sessions per Day
Feb 00 - Jun 06
9,000
Botany
Sip
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
Feb
13
May
Nov
Aug
Feb
May
Nov
Aug
Feb
May
Nov
Aug
Feb
May
Nov
Aug
Feb
May
Nov
Aug
Feb
May
Nov
Aug
Feb
-
May
Again this year I ask for your assistance
in adding web content. The Education
Committee and Teaching Section are
setting up structures for the review of
images and educational resources. If
you have some spare time, they could
use your help. And what of those old
educational resources and images you
developed that are just sitting on a hard
drive somewhere - we can help people find, and use, these items.
20
Botany
June
Oct
Feb
Oct
Feb
June
Oct
Feb
Jun
Oct
Feb
Jun
Oct
Feb
Jun
Oct
Monthly Successful Hits Feb 00 - Jun 06
Feb
3,500,000
Jun
Feb
-
June
10
Sip
3,000,000
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
May
Feb
Nov
Aug
May
Feb
Nov
Aug
May
Feb
Nov
Aug
May
Feb
Nov
Aug
Feb
May
Nov
Aug
Feb
May
Nov
Aug
Feb
0
May
As the “Average Visitor Session per
Day” diagram indicates, the trend for
people accessing the BSA website
continues to grow. Over the past few
months we have had roughly 7,000
people per day visiting the site. For the
same period last year the number was
about 4,000 and 2,000 people per day
in 2004. Our highest rate of visitors per
day was achieved in March with an
average of 7,945 (4,571 in 2005).
March 2005 was also our busiest month
to date with over 246,000 visitors
(137,000 in 2005).
Successful Hits
2. Statistics – BSA site
Gigabytes Transfered
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 2005 conference can
attest, we have made major changes to
Gigabytes Transfered per Month Feb 00 - Jun 06
Botany
Sip
the conference support systems on the
80
web, and this component will continue
70
to evolve. Our educational outreach is
gathering momentum and will be a big
60
part of what we accomplish over the
50
coming year. The Scientific Inquiry
40
through Plants project remains our
single largest effort.
30
Over the past year our main web sites
experienced over 29,000,000 hits. For
the month of June 2006 the Botanical Society of America’s main websites experienced
2,872,508 successful hits (1,558,729 in 2005, 848,544 in 2004 and 423,993 in 2003). The
“successful hits” trend for the period February 2000 through June 2005 is highlighted in the
diagram to the right. Our record high was achieved in May of 2006 with 3,300373 hits.
Over the past year out main web sites transferred over 488 gigabytes of information to visitors’
computers. In June of 2006 we transferred 59.34 gigabytes of data to visitors (20.39 in 2005,
9.73 in 2004 and 3.51 in 2003). Our highest month for data transfer was May of 2006 at 68.64
gigabytes. With increased content it is important to note that people are also spending longer at
our site.
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. I also asked that you consider the fact that the vast majority of people visiting our
website are not botanists. They are coming to research, explore, or find out something about
botany. The website’s job, if it is aimed at our mission, is to promote botany by getting people to
the website and having them stay and explore what we/it has to offer. Over time our goal is to
14
ensure: more people are coming to the site; people who visit are exploring more pages; and they
are staying longer.
Developments over the past year have focused on the mission and appear to be producing the
desired outcomes. Trends indicate more people are coming, they are visiting more pages, and
they are staying longer. To continue this we must develop meaningful, challenging, and changing
content. Again I’d like to stress the fact that our potential to reach people, including potential
future botanists, is nearly unlimited but very much related to the effort we put into the content we
place for use on the site. We could reach thousands more teachers and young people by simply
dropping an advertisement in the NABT or NSTA monthly magazines, but we need the content
to engage them and bring them back.
Over the past year we have added significantly to the foundations of the BSA website. We have
continued the task of creating a tool 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
AJB Visitors Per Week 1999 - 2006
160,000
140,000
120,000
Visitors
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
06
20
05
20
04
20
03
20
02
20
01
20
00
20
19
99
0
3. Statistics - American Journal of
Botany
The overall trend for use of the American
Journal of Botany online remains positive.
Access after the introduction of paid online
subscriptions continues to grow. We will
monitor this closely over the coming
months as we continue to add links from
the main site directly to AJB articles. We
hope to dramatically increase traffic over
the next twelve months.
We currently have 1,634 members (1,404 in 2005, 1,476 in 2004 and 1,505 in 2003) and 1366
institutions (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.
4. BSA Educational Outreach
In early 2006 the BSA’s main website began to support a range of educational activities. Stop for
a moment and consider the potential. For example, a topic in the “Scientific Inquiry through
Plants” project may include in its resource list images for the main site, links to articles in the
AJB, links to articles in the PSB, links to specific members works or links to the new
“Classroom PLANT talking points”. Our goal is to link our resources together wherever and
whenever appropriate. Member contributions and support have, and will continue to play a
critical part of site development.
Thank you to members who donated images to the site. Over the past year we were able to add
over 400 new images.
15
5. 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.
6. Summary
In 2006 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. Sincerely, Bill Dahl
K. Executive Director, Botanical Society of America
1. 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, Beth Hazen,
Claire Hemingway, Wanda Lovan, Amy McPherson and Johanne Stogran for their effort 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.
2. 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 $14,000. Over the coming year we will be
working to establish a series of opportunities for members to provide legacy contributions.
3. Financial Report
BSA Financial Summary - July 17, 2006
Operations
2005/6
Income
$ 907,606.27 $
Expenditure
$ 638,202.56 $
Balance
$ 269,403.71 $
2004/5
901,264.94
596,247.36
305,017.58
$
$
$
2003/4
858,510.60
484,506.69
374,003.91
$
$
$
2003/3
783,628.47
460,811.79
322,816.68
Meeting
Income
Expenditure
Balance
$
$
$
266,726.39
14,421.53
252,304.86
$
$
$
124,028.28
28,963.00
95,065.28
$
$
$
182,689.43
31,855.77
150,833.66
$
$
$
130,967.59
13,956.20
117,011.39
Investments
Income
Expenditure
Balance
$
$
$
147,085.33
28,849.35
118,235.98
$
$
$
174,361.11
25,139.63
149,221.48
$
$
$
251,912.22
20,805.95
231,106.27
$
$
$
290,697.55
290,697.55
Overall Position
Income
Expenditure
Balance
$ 1,321,417.99
$ 681,473.44
$ 639,944.55
Current Account Balances
St. Louis Cash
$
88,001.53
St. Louis MM
$ 563,067.47
Meeting
$
37,407.69
Smith Barney
$ 3,004,330.94
Balance
$ 3,692,807.63
$ 1,199,654.33
$ 650,349.99
$ 549,304.34
$ 1,293,112.25
$ 537,168.41
$ 755,943.84
$
$
$
14775.56
439316.34
67815.36
2384899.07
$ 2,906,806.33
73,262.30
431,810.64
36,101.08
2,901,661.04
$ 3,442,835.06
$ 1,205,293.61
$ 474,767.99
$ 730,525.62
As of 7-17-06, the Botanical Society of
America’s total cash position in the St. Louis
and Columbus accounts are $688,476.69
($541,174.02 in 2005). This was comprised of
$88,001.53 in St. Louis checking, $563,067.47
in the Money Market Account and $37,407.69
in the Columbus conference account.
Income from operations for the YTD is
$907,606.27 ($901,264.94 in 2005, up 0.7%)
with expenditure of $638,202.56 ($596,247.36
in 2005, up 7.0%). Based on anticipated
expenditure and income projections, we will
16
produce a surplus for the 2006 financial-year of approximately $30,000. For further information,
please see the Treasurer’s report.
4. Membership & Institutional Subscription Activity
Membership & Institutional Subscription Activitiy
Print Subscriptions
USA
Member Subscriptions
Jun-02
612
Jul-03
597
Jun-04
537
Jul-05
543
Jul-06
473
Other
Institutional Subscriptions
Jun-02
1,309
Jul-03
1,217
Jun-04
1,212
Jul-05
1,178
Jul-06
1,108
Online Only
Total
USA
Total Overall Relationship
Other
Total
Total
US
Other
Total
329
344
320
264
293
941
941
857
807
766
987
1,096
940
1,080
1,009
314
348
327
315
368
1,301
1,444
1,267
1,395
1,377
2,242
2,385
2,124
2,202
2,143
1,599
1,693
1,477
1,623
1,482
643
692
647
579
661
2,242
2,385
2,124
2,202
2,143
380
344
342
299
274
1,689
1,561
1,554
1,477
1,382
9
23
34
44
61
3
14
17
44
61
12
37
51
88
122
1,701
1,598
1,605
1,565
1,504
1,318
1,240
1,246
1,222
1,169
383
358
359
343
335
1,701
1,598
1,605
1,565
1,504
709
688
662
563
567
2,630
2,502
2,411
2,284
2,148
996
1,119
974
1,124
1,070
317
362
344
359
429
1,313
1,481
1,318
1,483
1,499
3,943
3,983
3,729
3,767
3,647
2,917
2,933
2,723
2,845
2,651
1,026
1,050
1,006
922
996
3,943
3,983
3,729
3,767
3,647
Total
Jul-02
Jul-03
Jul-04
Jul-05
Jul-06
1,921
1,814
1,749
1,721
1,581
Membership numbers are down 2.7%
on 2005 levels. Members ordering print
subscription to the American Journal of
Botany are down 5.1%. Institutional
subscriptions are down by 3.9%, with
print-only subscriptions showing a
6.4% drop.
Membership Types
Corresponding
Life
Emeritus
E Family
Professional
P Family
Student
S Family
K-12 Teachers
Affiliate
Associate
Amateur
2006
50 2%
50 2%
113 5%
14 1%
1324 62%
184 9%
353 16%
9 0%
12 1%
7 0%
13 1%
14 1%
2143
2005
51 2%
48 2%
132 6%
16 1%
1511 65%
181 8%
377 16%
7 0%
5 0%
0 0%
0 0%
0 0%
2328
2004
50 2%
46 2%
92 4%
5 0%
1521 68%
145 7%
354 16%
5 0%
4 0%
0 0%
0 0%
0 0%
2222
2003
49 2%
46 2%
149 6%
7 0%
1667 68%
161 7%
347 14%
4 0%
8 0%
0 0%
0 0%
0 0%
2438
As a Society, we have begun building incentives into our membership classes designed to
encourage a life-long relationship. In 2006 we increased the free page quota and lowered color
image costs for the AJB. The most effective way of communicating these benefits, and to grow
our membership, remains “word of mouth” and a “direct invitation to join the BSA” extended
from an existing member. If you have benefited from your experience as a member, please share
this with others. The position of static student numbers, at less than 17%, coupled with a
declining professional class, needs to be addressed. It is important that we continue to bring in
young members and develop the leaders of the future. Member benefits for students have never
been better.
It is suggested, as a Society, we build in a means to retain our emeritus members for life. That we
treat long-term membership as a proven commitment to the Society and ensure the connection
and relationship with our community remains strong. My feeling is that the passion for botany
remains with one for life. And that we could better serve our mission by retaining senior
members and developing avenues for continued interaction and service to the plant sciences (if
desired).
17
It is also suggested we create a new membership class designed to encourage students from
around the world to join the BSA --- that over the next year we focus on building relationships
throughout the Americas, and reinvigorating our relationships with China, Russia and India.
RECOMMENDATION 4-a: It is recommended the membership committee discusses and
provide recommendations in revising our membership categories to better fit the needs of the
BSA and to provide opportunities to better serve our mission
RECOMMENDATION 4-b: It is recommended we move membership fees up $5 across the
board.
RECOMMENDATION 4-c: It is recommended we move membership fees up $5 across the
board.
5. American Journal of Botany
The AJB continues to thrive in a challenging and ever-changing environment. As noted above,
the journal continues to face a declining institutional print-subscription base, down 18.2% over
the past five years (6.9% last year). Please note, the overall rate, combining print and online, is
decreasing at a slower rate, 11.6% and 4.1% respectively. We are also watching an evolving
debate around “open access” and various economic models designed to provide free access to
printed materials.
At present, the AJB is the major asset and income earner for the Society. Our future is very much
pinned to its strength and the quality of scientific papers it attracts. The need for libraries to carry
an institutional subscription is critical to the Society as a whole in our present form.
Our best response to changing conditions is a strong and well-supported publication. We need
members to support and publish their best science in the AJB. Beyond this we need to consider
the economic model we use and how it might be altered in the future to better serve our mission.
It is suggested that we enter a campaign to build our endowment to the point where the AJB is
self-supporting. Once we have achieved this, market forces and/or changes in the nature of the
industry play a much smaller part in our decision-making process. We can focus on how the AJB
best serves our mission. For example: we may find that a model in which we continue to sell
print & online subscriptions plus the joining of programs such as the BioOne online consortium
reaches a wider reader base. It is important to note that the BSA is looking at online placement
options for the AJB in line with our mission.
We are keeping trends in mind when making pricing and print run decisions for the journal. In
2007 we will increase the base institutional subscription prices for the AJB from $470 to $515. It
is felt that we should also increase our print rate to members by $5 for students/emeritus and $10
for professionals. Our “member’s only” prices remain well below 50% of cost.
See the Editors Report for further detail:
http://www.botany.org/bsa/membership/council2006/ajb.pdf
RECOMMENDATION 5-a: It is recommended we increase AJB member subscriptions by $5
for students/emeritus and $10 for professional members. This will reflect consistency in our
policy for subscriptions to members and institutions alike.
18
Membership in the BSA has long been a requirement for publishing in the AJB. This appears to
give us a distorted view of our membership and may lose us the opportunity to bring in good
papers from non-members. It is suggested, beginning January 1, 2006, we establish a new policy
that provides non-members the ability to publish in the AJB.
RECOMMENDATION 5-b: It is recommended we remove the requirement of BSA
membership as criteria for publishing in the American Journal of Botany. That we establish a
“cost per page charge”, plus a “color plate charge” for non-member published articles. Charges
will be reviewed annually. In 2007 these costs will be $225 per page and $500 per color
signature.
6. BSA Conference Planning
I’m pleased to report use and development of the BSA Conference abstract submission and
registration software continues. In 2006 we were able to use the software to support “Solanaceae
2006” (http://www.horticulture.wisc.edu/PAA-Solanaceae/). Working with another group gave
us the opportunity to improve the system dramatically.
Upcoming Botany Conferences:



2007 Joint meeting with AFS, ASPB, ASPT and NAPCA in Chicago
2008 Joint meeting with the Canadian Botanical Association-L'Association Botanique
du Canada, ABLS, AFS, and ASPT in Vancouver
2009 Joint meeting with the Mycological Association of America, ABLS, AFS, and
ASPT in Snowbird
See the Program Directors report for further detail:
http://www.botany.org/bsa/membership/council2006/program.pdf.
7. BSA Awards
We have had a fantastic response from the sections to promote and support student involvement
in the Chico conference. In total, sections and named student travel awards (STA) provided over
$8,000 in support to students for attending the conference. We also thank and acknowledge the
Cheadle family for ensuring sustainability for the Vernon I. Cheadle STA, and Dr. Paul Conant
for support of the Conant “Botanical Images” STA.
2006 Awardees YTD http://www.botany.org/newsite/awards/2006awardrecipients.php.
Over the past year we have worked to standardize the means of applying for, and assessing, preconference student travel awards and the J. S. Karling/BSA Graduate Student Research awards.
We hope to continue and complete this project shortly after the conference in Chico.
Pre-meeting awards
http://www.botany.org/awards/ConantSTA.asp
http://www.botany.org/awards/DandSSTA.asp
http://www.botany.org/awards/EcologicalSTA.asp
http://www.botany.org/awards/MycologicalSTA.asp
http://www.botany.org/awards/PhycologicalSTA.asp
http://www.botany.org/awards/PhytochemicalSTA.asp
http://www.botany.org/awards/PteridologicalSTA.asp
http://www.botany.org/awards/VICheadleSTA.asp
19
J. S. Karling and BSA Graduate Student Research Awards
http://www.botany.org/supportdocuments/gsra/
8. BSA Office Developments & Functions
We continue to develop our capabilities and capacity to better serve our members and, in turn,
the mission of the Society. Over the coming year we will seek members support in several
project areas, including the Scientific Inquiry through Plants (Planting Science) project,
educational resource acquisition and development and a project to preserve botanical slide
collections of retired members.
Visitor Sessions per Month
Feb 00 - Jun 06
RECOMMENDATION 8-a: It is recommended
money be budgeted and allocated to BSA projects in
an effort to accomplish specific mission-related tasks.
A staff member will operate as an ex-officio member
of each committee/project that is allocated funds to
support project development and completion.
Botany
Sip
280,000
240,000
200,000
160,000
120,000
80,000
9. Web Developments
In short, the BSA websites have had another good year
in terms of access and development. The number of
visitors to the main BSA website is up 74% over last
year. 2,074,114 visitors came to the Botanical Society of America’s main websites from July 1,
2005, to June 30, 2006. More importantly, we are developing tools such as “Scientific Inquiry
through Plants” that will drive expansion in a mission-related way.
40,000
Fe
b
Ju
ne
O
ct
Fe
b
Ju
ne
O
ct
Fe
b
Ju
ne
Ju
n
O
ct
Fe
b
Ju
n
O
ct
Fe
b
Ju
n
O
ct
Fe
b
Ju
n
O
ct
Fe
b
0
See the Webmasters report for further detail:
http://www.botany.org/bsa/membership/council2006/webstats.pdf.
10. Education & Outreach
Last year was a good year for the Society in the area of education and outreach. We completed
the first full year of development in the Scientific Inquiry through Plants project and closed off
the pilot program in late May. Over the life of the pilot we worked with over 700 students,
comprising roughly 200 teams, from twelve different schools all around the country. Over 50
scientists were involved in the program.
It will again be one of the programs featured at the BSA Educational Forum in 2006. It will also
play an important role in the forum in 2007 as Claire is already working with Chicago School
District in preparation for the event.
Later this year we will change the name of the program to “Planting Science” to better reflect the
nature of the program as well as presenting it with a more marketable image overall.
RECOMMENDATION 10-a: It is recommended we continue to develop and expand the
"Scientific Inquiry through Plants" project.
11. Relationships & Collaboration
20
Over the past year the BSA has continued to develop its role in the wider community. As such,
we have moved on several projects that fit well with our mission and take serious botany to the
wider world. Several of the efforts are listed below.
a. American Society of Plant Biologists
We have continued to develop relations with ASPB. In addition to the 2007 joint
meeting in Chicago, we are re-opening discussions regarding joint educational
outreach possibilities.
b. Mycological Society of America
Joint meeting in 2009 – Snowbird, Utah.
c. Ecological Society of America
We are continuing talks regarding a joint meeting (2010, 2011).
d. Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP)
Ed Schneider, Chris Haufler and I attended the CSSP meeting in Washington DC
in November of 2005.
On behalf of the BSA staff, we wish you a great Botany 2006 and a rewarding 2007. Bill Dahl,
Executive Director
Reports of Committees, Sections, and Representatives
A. Standing Committees (Administrative)
1.Annual Meetings Committee
See Program Directors Report
2. ARCHIVES AND HISTORY COMMITTEE 2006
The Archives continue to be stored at the Business Office of the Society in St. Louis, Missouri.
They are available for research, stored in file cabinets, and sorted in files by year. Betty
Smocovitis has completed her study utilizing the archives for her history of the Society to be
presented this centennial anniversary year. Other visitors have consulted the files for information
to be used in talks and for study of activities of members dating to the 1930’s. A number of the
books that make up part of the archives were in disrepair. Amy McPherson, Managing Editor of
the American Journal of Botany, together with volunteer help worked during the year on
restoration of the holdings.
Respectfully submitted, Shirley Graham, Chair Archives and History Committee June, 2006
2. BSA Committees & Committee Officers for 2005 – 2006
Standing Committees (Administrative):
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Christopher H. Haufler (2008), President
Pamela S. Soltis (2009), President Elect
Edward Schneider (2007), Past President
Karen S. Renzaglia (2008), Program Director
Steve Weller (2009), Secretary
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Kent Holsinger (2007), Treasurer
Pamela K. Diggle (2007), Council Representative
COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES (6 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Pamela S. Soltis (2007), President Elect, Chair, ex officio
Scott Russell (2007)
Darlene Southworth (2007)
Andrea Wolfe (2007)
Ned Friedman (2009)
Nancy Morin (2009)
Gar Rothwell (2009)
Steve Weller (2009), Secretary, ex officio
FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (3 members; 3 year terms)
Harry T. Horner (2008), (Chair)
Joseph Armstrong (2008)
Russell Chapman (2009)
Christopher Haufler (2007), President, ex officio
Kent Holsinger (2007), Treasurer, ex officio
Bill Dahl, Executive Director, ex officio
ANNUAL MEETING PROGRAM COMMITTEE
Karen S. Renzaglia (2008), Program Director (Chair)
Program Organizer of each Section
Chair, Local Organizing Committee
Representatives of Other Societies meeting with BSA
ARCHIVES AND HISTORY COMMITTEE (2 appointed members; 5 year terms)
Shirley Graham (2009) (Chair)
Kent Holsinger (2008)
David Spooner (2009), Immediate Past Secretary, ex officio
CONSERVATION COMMITTEE (6 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Consider grad student rep – Consider best paper award for meeting, named for a senior
individual. Consider white paper on botanical conservation, lack of emphasis on plants
Kathryn Kennedy (2008) (Chair), Missouri botanical garden
Theresa Culley (2007)
Lawrence Janeway (2007)
Paula Williamson (2008)
Kristina Schierenbeck (2009)
Randy Small (2009)
EDUCATION COMMITTEE (6 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Gordon E. Uno (2006) (Chair) (need to contact him)
Tim Gerber (2007)
Karen Renzaglia (2007)
Rob Wallace (2009)
Beverly Brown (2009)
Susan Singer (2009)
Appoint Claire Hemmenway as ex officio
22
Christopher Haufler (2007), President, ex officio
Steve Weller (2009), Secretary, ex officio
Donna Hazelwood (2006), Secretary of the Teaching Section, ex officio (still serving?)
Marshal Sundberg (2009), Editor of the Plant Science Bulletin, ex officio
ELECTION COMMITTEE (3 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Ed Schneider (2007), Past President, Chair, ex officio
Steve Weller (2007)
Jun Wen (2009) – changed to 2008
Bob Jansen (2009)
Steve Weller (2009), Secretary, ex officio
MEMBERSHIP AND APPRAISAL COMMITTEE (5 appointed members; 5 year terms)
Need student appointee!
Javier Francisco-Ortega, Chair (2007)
Kathleen Pigg (2008)
Suzanne Koptur (2009)
Wayne Elisens (2009)
Carol Baskin (2009)
Kent Holsinger (2007), Treasurer, ex officio
Bill Dahl, Executive Director, ex officio
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE (5 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Associate editors likely members.
Pat Herendeen (2007), Chair
Lisa Campbell (2007)
Aaron Liston (2008)
Don Les (2008)
Richard Olmstead (2009)
Judy Jernstedt, Editor, AJB, ex officio
Marshall Sundberg, Editor, PSB, ex officio
Bill Dahl, Executive Director, ex officio
Standing Committees (Awards):
CORRESPONDING MEMBERS COMMITTEE (Past Presidents)
Ed Schneider (2009), Past President ex officio, Chair
Allison A. Snow (2008)
Linda E. Graham (2007)
MERIT AWARDS COMMITTEE (3 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Dick Olmstead (2007), Chair
Dennis Stevenson (2008)
Daniel Crawford (2009)
Christopher Haufler (2007), President, ex officio
Amy McPherson, coordinator from BSA office, ex officio (still need to contact her)
BSA GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD COMMITTEE (INCLUDING THE
J.S. KARLING AWARD) (6 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Actually run by Wanda.
Darlene DeMason (2007)
Chuck Delwiche (2007)
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Ranessa Cooper (2008)
Janet Barber (2009)
Chris Pires (2009)
Teresa Culley (2009)
Wanda Lovan, BSA Administrations Coordinator, ex officio
CHEADLE AWARD COMMITTEE (3 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Larry Hufford Chair as Chair of D&S Section
Frank Ewers (2007)
Bruce Kirchoff (2008)
DARBAKER PRIZE COMMITTEE (3 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Martha Cook (2007), Chair
Linda Graham (2008)
Wayne Fagerberg (2009)
Bill Dahl ex officio
ESAU AWARD COMMITTEE (3 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Uwe Hacke (2007), Chair
Kenneth Cameron (2008)
Jennifer Richards (2009)
MOSELEY AWARD COMMITTEE (3 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Pat Gensel (2007), Chair
Brian Axsmith (2008)
Bonnie Jacobs (2009)
PELTON AWARD COMMITTEE (3 appointed members; 3 year terms)
Ann Hirsch (2007), Chair
Ruth Stockey (2008)
Nancy Dengler (2009)
Ad Hoc Committees:
Publications of the Society:
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
Judy Jernstedt, Editor-in-Chief (2009)
Book Review Editor, Michael L. Christianson
Electronic Publications Editor, Scott D. Russell
Special Papers Editor, Darleen Demason
Associate Editors
Gregory J. Anderson
James Hamrick
Winslow R. Briggs
Christopher Haufler
Russell L. Chapman
Scott Hodges
Michael L. Christianson
Erin Irish
Martha E. Cook
Paul Kenrick
Darleen DeMason
Deborah Kohn
Nancy G. Dengler
Joshua Kohn
Christopher G. Eckert
Jane A. Langdale
Elizabeth Farnsworth
C. Randal Linder
R. Geeta
Richard G. Olmstead
Linda E. Graham
Jeffrey M. Osborn
Robert A. Raguso
Heather Reynolds
Jennifer H. Richards
Loren H. Rieseberg
Gar W. Rothwell
Scott D. Russell
Fred D. Sack
Peggy A. Schultz
M. Wendy K. Silk
Douglas E. Soltis
Hans-Christof Spatz
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David M. Spooner
William E. Stein, Jr.
Peter Stevens
Sean C. Thomas
Bruce H. Tiffney
Maxine A. Watson
Beata Zagorska-Marek
25
PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN
Marshall Sundberg , Editor (2009)
Editorial Committee
Andrea D. Wolfe (2007)
Samuel Hammer (2008)
Joanne M. Sharpe (2009)
Representatives to Various Organizations:
AAAS COUNCIL
Christopher Haufler (2007)
AIBS COUNCIL
Kent E. Holsinger (2007)
ANNUAL INCORPORATION, STATE OF CONNECTICUT
Kent E. Holsinger (2007)
BIOLOGICAL STAIN COMMISSION
Graeme P. Berlyn (2008)
COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY PRESIDENTS
Christopher Haufler (2007)
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL COMMISSION ON LIFE SCIENCES
BOARD OF BASIC BIOLOGY
Steve Weller (2009), Secretary, ex officio
NATURAL SCIENCE COLLECTIONS ALLIANCE (formerly: ASSOCIATION
OF SYSTEMATICS COLLECTIONS)
Alan Prather (2008)
Additional committees (Discuss with ExComm and Council) (make ad hoc
committees to see if they fly):
Minority Affairs
Mary Mckenna?
Muriel Poston?
Javier Fransciso-Ortega?
Development
Greg Anderson
Ed Schneider
Peter Raven
David Dilcher
Dennis Stevenson
5. Conservation Committee
6. Report from the Education Committee of the BSA
SIP3: During the past year, Education Committee members worked on several long-term
BSA education projects initiated in previous years. First, interactions between the
Teaching Section and the Education Committee of BSA continue to develop. The two
26
groups are working on the Scientific Inquiry through Plants (SIP3) project with BSA
members serving as online mentors for middle school, high school, and college students
conducting research using plants. Online mentors review contributions that have been
posted by students engaged in the SIP3 activities. Claire Hemingway, along with Bill
Dahl, has been key in the continued development of SIP3. The main issues currently are:
finding funding to continue the work of the SIP3 project; improving the website;
determining how to evaluate the project; and ramping up the project to include more
students, teachers, and faculty mentors. One major focus of the project this year has been
the introduction of the SIP3 project into Chicago public schools. At a recent
informational session in Chicago led by Susan Singer and Claire Hemingway, 16
Chicago teachers indicated an interest in using the SIP3 program either next fall or next
spring. Two Chicago representatives will attend the Chico Education Forum this
summer: the manager of the teacher professional development program and one teacher
who'll use SIP next year. Hemingway will return to Chicago in the fall to provide
teachers with an in-depth program orientation.
The SIP3 committee has been expanded to include teachers, members of the ASPB, and
project evaluators. The committee organization currently is:
Steering Committee: Gordon Uno, Jeff Osborn, Mary Williams, Larry Griffing, Barb
Schulz, Valdine McLean, plus individuals on the working committees below.
Inquiry Development Committee (to develop new “activities”): Paul Williams, Marsh
Sundberg, Susan Singer, Valdine McLean, Carol Packard, Peggy Skinner
Web Development Committee: Patrick Sweeney, Beverly Brown
Evaluation Committee: Carol Stuessy, Sandy Honda, Barb Schulz
A second continuing interaction between BSA members of the Teaching Section and
Education Committee is the formal review of teaching slides and images. This review is
being coordinated by the Teaching Section, with assistance from the Education
Committee.
ASPB/BSA Collaborations: Collaborative education efforts continue to evolve between
ASPB and BSA. First, as noted above, two members of ASPB have joined SIP3
committees, and a small group of individuals from both groups submitted a proposal to
the ASPB Educational Foundation to support the development of a genetics unit for SIP3.
Richard Cyr, of ASPB, has invited a SIP3 presentation at the Sunday Evening Education
Workshop on "Broader Impacts and Beyond" at this year’s ASPB convention. It is hoped
that through that presentation and BSA’s presence at the ASPB education booth at least
40 new faculty mentors will be recruited for SIP3.
On April 1, 2006, Bill Dahl and Gordon Uno met with the ASPB Executive Director and
several other BSA and ASPB members at the ASPB headquarters in Rockville, MD. One
goal of this meeting was to discuss how our organizations could help members address
the challenge of the “Broader Impacts” aspect now required in all NSF-funded projects to
help disseminate scientific knowledge and train a wider audience of students. A panel of
national experts considered how the ASPB and the BSA could help their respective
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memberships recognize activities that ensure continued, vigorous growth of science and
technology in this country. The panel composition was diverse and included science
professionals with expertise in K-12 and undergraduate education, professional
development (including graduate student and post-doctoral training, and mentoring those
in the professorial ranks), and informal education/outreach.
An additional point of discussion at this meeting was the intent to bring together the
expertise of BSA and ASPB members, as well as other plant scientists and educators, to
develop a set of educational materials for pre-college students, focusing on the high
school level. The goal is to work with the ASPB on a few major educational projects,
targeting both pre-college and college-level classrooms, teachers, and students. One of
the projects is SIP3, and the other is the development of new and the revision of existing
pre-college classroom materials on plants. A timeline will be outlined that leads to an
unveiling of coordinated activities at the 2007 joint ASPB/BSA annual convention.
A proposed Education and Outreach Forum at the 2007 joint annual meeting in Chicago
now includes individuals from the Chicago Botanic Garden and Morton Arboretum as
well as members of both BSA and ASPB. Planning for this Forum has now begun in
earnest and will continue throughout the next year.
Submitted by Gordon E. Uno, Chair June 15, 2006
7. Election Committee - Past President's Report 2006
8. Financial Advisory Committee (FAC)
Joe Armstrong jearmstr@ilstu.edu (Member), Russell Chapman <rchapman@ucsd.edu>
(Member), Jack Horner hth@iastate.edu (Member and Chair), Bill Dahl
<wdahl@botany.org> (ex officio, Executive Director), Kent Holsinger
kent@darwin.eeb.uconn.edu> (ex officio, Treasurer), Ed Schneider
<eschneider@sbbg.org> (ex officio, President)
To:
Re:
Executive Committee and Council of the Botanical Society of America
Annual Report of the FAC for 2005-2006
Since the previous 2004-2005 Annual Report, the FAC has:
 monthly monitored the BSA Endowment Fund (EF) invested with Smith Barney
(SB);
 has had two conference calls, one in the fall and one in the spring, with the SB
staff in Des Moines, IA;
 made decisions on how the portfolio was configured to meet the changing global
markets;
 recommended a portion of EF to be used by EC/Council during 2006-2007.
As of June 30, 2006 the EF value was $3,097,239. As of June 30, 2005 the EF value was
$2,814,182, an increase of $283,057 for the fiscal year. This represents a 10 percent
annual increase in the value of the EF. Presently, the EF is divided into three categories:
28
 Stocks + Money Funds
= $2,211,863
 Stocks + Money Funds
= $ 495,049
 Fixed Income + Money Funds = $ 390327
During the spring conference call, rebalancing of the EF to come closer to its expected
9.44% net return goal was discussed and approved. This adjustment will reduce the EF
fixed income and increase its international investments, overall increasing the portfolio
risk by 1.38%. Both SB and the FAC felt this rebalancing would increase the efficiency
of the EF during the upcoming fiscal year. The rebalanced holdings will be divided
among the following categories:
Categories of Investments
US Large-Cap Stocks
US Mid-Cap Stocks
US Small-Cap Stocks
International Stocks
US Core Fixed
Percent Invested
37.0
15.9
08.5
27.4
01.2
The FAC believes the EF is growing at a reasonably steady rate but needs infusion by the
membership to reach the 5 million mark it established a year ago.
Recommendation: The FAC recommends that $30,000 be provided from the EF to the
EC and Council to be used during 2006-2007 (per FAC Guideline 4).
The FAC has scheduled a committee meeting at the Centennial in Chico, on Monday,
July 31 (time and location to be determined).
The chair on any member of the FAC will be willing to answer questions about the EF.
Respectfully submitted, Harry T. (Jack) Horner, FAC Chair
9. Membership
In the past year we have been working under the new incentives that Bill Dahl suggested
at last year’s Council Meeting. The changes in numbers of free pages for members and
lower color image costs should be good incentives to members to encourage them to have
a long standing relationship with the BSA.
In the past year we sent out a letter to all long-standing members of BSA asking them to
encourage their students to join the society and outlining the benefits of membership. I
received many responses, all of which were favorable (except one). What became
obvious to me was that many people were unaware of the new changes that were made to
benefit members in the past year. Most were pleased about the changes in free pages and
color image charges. Most of our members are still in the category of professional
members; however, if they missed the Annual General Meeting or word of mouth
through the sections, they were unaware of the changes to member benefits. To me, this
29
showed the importance of sending personalized e-mails to members from time to time to
keep them posted of changes. We are all inundated with junk e-mail and often don’t have
time to search the web to see what BSA is doing. Members worry about page charges
only when they are about to submit a manuscript. Most people who wrote back to me
were surprised (and pleased) to hear about the changes.
My spring memo to also outlined specifically the benefits of student membership and we
received positive feedback about this. Many members either said that they already
encouraged their students to join or that they had purchased initial memberships for
advanced undergraduates or graduate students as gifts. Some said that their professors
had started them in BSA as a Christmas gift. It was suggested by one of our members
that we institute a gift card that could be sent or given to a student to let them know that a
membership in BSA had been purchased for them. We will be discussing this idea and
others in a Membership Committee meeting here in Chico.
Membership numbers this year are down slightly from last year (see Business Manager’s
report). These are in the categories of Emeritus and Professional members mostly, with a
slight drop in Student Memberships. Amateur, Associate, Affiliate, K-12 Teachers and S
Family members have all increased, but not enough to make up for the drop in the other
categories. Since my e-mail, however, membership in the student category has increased
by about 30 and professional membership is up about 100. Perhaps these are just normal
fluctuations, or the increase in membership prior to the annual meeting.
Our increased visibility on the web has helped to increase our profile and bring BSA to
the attention of plant lovers in the community.
If any member of council has further ideas for increasing membership. Please call these
to our attention.
Ruth A. Stockey, Membership Chair
10. Publication
11. Web – See Webmasters Report
B. Standing Committees (Awards and Prizes)
1. Corresponding Members – See Past President’s Report
2. Charles Edwin Bessey Award (BSA in association with the Teaching Section
and Education Committee)
The committee recommend the following be given the C. E. Bessey Teaching Award for
2006.
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Dr. W. Hardy Eshbaugh, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, Professor Emeritus,
Department of Botany. The nomination letters indicate that Hardy has advanced and
broadened botany education for several generations of Miami University students. He
pioneered the development of field courses ranging from introductory level formal
courses to public outreach for retirees. We thank him for his 33 years of formal teaching
and his continuing efforts to bring additional understanding of the natural world to the
public at large.
Dr. David W. Lee, Florida International University, Miami, Florida. Peer nominators
wish to recognize life-long effort and creativity demonstrated by Dr. Lee’s teaching of
botany and advocacy for botanical education. His unique career path began in 1970. It
has included extensive research and teaching in the tropics, as well as academic positions
in the United States. We thank him for sharing his love of botany and his desire to
communicate about plants to students and the public in uniquely effective methods.
Beverly Brown – Chair Teaching Section
Gordon Uno – Chair Education Committee
3. Cheadle Award Committee Report
Prepared by Larry Hufford 24 July 2006
The Cheadle Award Committee (Frank Ewers, Bruce Kirchoff, and Larry Hufford
[chair]) evaluated proposals from ten applicants. We selected four students to each
receive $500 awards based on each student’s plans to attend Botany 2006, the relevance
of the talk/poster to structural botany, and the intellectual quality of the talk/poster.
The following students were selected to receive awards:
Tania Hernandez-Hernandez, UNAM
Purbasha Sarkar, Miami University
Richard Tate, Humboldt State University
Ramona Walls, SUNY Stony Brook
4. Darbaker Prize Committee Report 2006
The committee consisted of Linda Graham and Martha Cook (defacto chair, in absence of
Annette Coleman, who retired).
The solicitation for nominations was sent out electronically to members of the BSA and
to the Phycological Society of America. Only one nomination was received. The
committee unanimously agreed that the nominee met the criterion of meritorious work in
the study of microalage during the last 2 calandar years (2004-2005), published in
English. Delwiche is at the University of Maryland, located in College Park, Maryland.
He is recognized for his work on a wide variety of algae, resulting in significant
contributions to the literature in many fields. These fields include: molecular sytematics
and genetics of green algae and dinoflagellates, genomics of microalgae, molecular
evolution of microalgae, and structure and function of microalgae.
The following papers from the previous two years were nominated:
31
Drummond CS. Hall J. Karol KG. Delwiche CF. McCourt RM. 2005. Phylogeny of
Spirogyra and Sirogonium (Zygnematophyceae) based on rbcL sequence data. Journal of
Phycology 41(5):1055-1064.
Bachvaroff TR. Puerta MVS. Delwiche CF. 2005. Chlorophyll c-containing plastid
relationships based on analyses of a multigene data set with all four chromalveolate
lineages. Molecular Biology & Evolution 22(9):1772-1782.
McCourt RM. Delwiche CF. Karol KG. 2004. Charophyte algae and land plant origins.
Trends in Ecology & Evolution 19(12):661-666.
Delwiche CF. 2004. The genomic palimpsest: Genomics in evolution and ecology.
Bioscience 54(11):991-1001.
Johnson MD. Tengs T. Oldach DW. Delwiche CF. Stoecker DK. 2004. Highly
divergent SSU rRNA genes found in the marine ciliates Myrionecta rubra and
Mesodinium pulex. Protist 155(3):347-359.
Puerta MVS. Bachvaroff TR. Delwiche CF. 2004. The complete mitochondrial genome
sequence of the haptophyte Emiliania huxleyi and its relation to heterokonts. DNA
Research 11(1):1-10.
Bachvaroff TR. Concepcion GT. Rogers CR. Herman EM. Delwiche CF. 2004.
Dinoflagellate expressed indicate massive transfer to the nuclear genome sequence tag
data of chloroplast genes. Protist 155(1):65-78.
5. Katherine Esau Award
Prepared by Cynthia Jones 27 July 2006
At BSA in Austin, TX, 2005, the Esau Committee (Larry Hufford, chair; Cynthia Jones
and Uwe Hacke) evaluated seven student presentations and selected Heather Sanders of
Ohio University to receive the Esau Award. Her presentation was entitled
“Developmental genetics, the fossil record, and the evolution of plant form.” Co-authors
were Gar W. Rothwell and Sarah Wyatt.
The Esau Committee for 2006 consists of Cynthia Jones (chair), Uwe Hacke and Ken
Cameron. The committee will evaluate 16 papers and three posters.
6. J. S. Karling and BSA Graduate Student Research Awards
In 2006, the BSA Graduate Student/Karling Award committee received 41 proposals.
The proposals were read and ranked by Ranessa Cooper and Charles Delwiche. Karen
Renzaglia also assisted with the project because several of the committee members were
unable to participate.
Joshua Clayton was awarded the 2006 J. S. Karling Award ($500).
32
The following students (listed alphabetically) were selected to receive the BSA Graduate
Student Research Award ($500):
Monica Carlsen
Kate Hertweck
Jamie H. Howard
Gretchen M. Ionta
Aaron Jenks
Gabriel P. Johnson
Suzanne Joneson
Marcela Martinez Millan
Cynthia Skema
Checks will be presented on Wednesday, August 2nd during the BSA Banquet in Chico.
Checks not picked up at the banquet will be mailed following Botany 2006.
Looking forward to 2007, Chris Haufler has been contacting potential committee
members. The BSA St. Louis Office will continue to coordinate the selection process.
Wanda Lovan Administrations Manager, The Botanical Society of America
7. Merit Award
Dr. Barbara Webster is recognized for her many contributions to plant development and
structure. Her early work focused on abscission and senescence in higher plants, and
included anatomy, ultrastructure, histochemistry, and physiology, as well as experimental
work, especially on the genus Phaseolus. Beginning in the 1970s, Dr. Webster began to
concentrate more on reproductive biology, but she has contributed to a wide range of
topics, including nitrogen fixation in the legumes, environmental stress, and yield of crop
plants. Her impressive publishing career spans more than five decades and includes more
than 100 published papers and book chapters; her research has been supported by the
National Science Foundation, the USDA and USAID. Dr. Webster was truly a pioneer in
advocating for increased participation of women and minorities in science, and has
served as a role model and mentor to both undergraduate and graduate students in plant
biology. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
and the American Society for Horticultural Science, served as Treasurer and President of
the Botanical Society of America, and has served as Associate Vice-Chancellor for
Research at the University of California, Davis since 1989. As one letter writer noted, “It
is hard to believe that Barbara has not already received this award.” For her numerous
contributions in many arenas to the field of botany, the BSA is proud to recognize Dr.
Barbara D. Webster with its highest award.
Shortened ‘blurb’ for the certificate: For her contributions to plant development and
structure, her support and mentoring of young botanists, and her tireless efforts on behalf
of the botanical sciences in teaching, research, service and advocacy......
Dr. Ruth Stockey is recognized for her contributions to paleobotany, especially to our
understanding of the anatomy and development of fossil conifers and angiosperms. Dr.
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Stockey has been a member of the Botanical Society of America for more than 30 years.
She began her research career elucidating the structure and development of fossil conifers
and is recognized as the world’s expert in this area. Since moving to the University of
Alberta, she has concentrated on anatomically preserved fossil angiosperms, providing
data on floral structure, development, and phylogeny in these ancient plants. Her
research has been supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
(NSERC) of Canada for more than 26 years. Dr. Stockey is truly an “ambassador of
botany” and is involved in collaborative work with colleagues around the world; her
letters of support came from five countries! She is an enthusiastic teacher and her
support and training of students is exceptional--one student began research in her
laboratory in high school, and received her Ph.D. this year. For her many contributions
to paleobotany, including her dedication to training the next generation of botanists, the
BSA is proud to recognize Dr. Ruth A. Stockey with its highest award.
8. MOSELEY AWARD COMMITTEE
(3 appointed members; 3 year terms)



Kevin Boyce (2006), Chair
Patricia Gensel (2007)
Brian Axsmith (2008)
The Maynard F. Moseley Award was established to honor a career of dedicated teaching,
scholarship, and service to the furtherance of the botanical sciences. The award is
presented to the student who is the sole or senior author of a paper, orally presented in the
sessions of the Developmental and Structural Section or Paleobotanical Section of the
annual BSA conference that best advances our understanding of plant anatomy and/or
morphology of vascular plants within an evolutionary context.
Erika Edwards won the Moseley Award in 2005 for her single-authored presentation
“Pereskia water relations reflect deep ecophysiological conservatism in the Cactaceae.”
In part to accommodate the different student award committies, the Developmental and
Structural Section has been following the practice of the Paleobotanical Section, which is
to put all of the student presentations into a single session. This has made it much more
convenient for the award committee members to see most or all of the student talks,
which is more fair to the students.
One difficulty that has arisen is that a number of non-students apparently have found it
too tempting to resist clicking on that convenient box present on the registration website
asking if you want to be considered for awards. It is suggested that for future years the
registeration form be altered to ask explicitly if the registrant wishes to be considered for
student awards, with italics, underlining, and perhaps flashing of the word “student” as
necessary.
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9. Jeanette Siron Pelton Award
The Jeanette Siron Pelton Award is given for sustained and imaginative productivity in
the field of experimental plant morphology.
Dr. Tobias Baskin, University of Massachusetts, Amherst is the 2006 awardee.
Dr. Baskin is recognized for his research into how plants control their shape via cellulose
microfibrils and the microtubule cytoskeleton. He has made fundamental contributions to
our understanding of how local cortical microtubule organization is related to microfibril
orientation, which constrains cell and, ultimately, organ growth in longitudinal and radial
directions. He has combined physiological, cytological, ultrastructural and genetic
approaches to his studies of cell growth, and is credited with important innovations of
microscopic techniques. Dr. Baskin is currently investigating the interaction of specific
proteins with cortical microtubules, the plasmamembrane, and the cellulose synthase
complexes in the membrane, to critically evaluate his proposed model of cell wall control
of its own microfibril orientation. This award is from the Conservation and Research
Foundation, based on the nomination by the BSA Pelton Award Committee, and includes
a check and a certificate. This award also includes a Jeanette Siron Pelton Award
Address,which will be given at the Botany 2007 conference in Chicago, Illinois.
Dr. Judy Jernstedt
C. Ad hoc Committees
1. Centennial Planning Committee
Date: June 23, 2006 From:
Greg Anderson ander@uconnvm.uconn.edu (Member)
Carol Baskin ccbask0@pop.uky.edu (Member)
Bill Dahl wdahl@botany.org (Member and Executive Director
Pat Gensel pgensel@bio.unc.edu> (Member)
Linda Graham lkgraham@wisc.edu> (Member and Past President)
Chris Haufler <vulgare@ku.edu> (Member and President-Elect)
To:
Re:
Executive Committee and Council of the Botanical Society of America
Annual and Final Report of the BSA Centennial Planning Committee (CPC)
The Centennial Meeting of the Botanical Society of America in 2006 is almost here! The
100 years of American Botany created by many botanical scientists, their students, and
others is a colorful history that will be portrayed for posterity through the writing and
storytelling of Betty Smocovitis. She, as well as the CPC listed above, the Executive
Director (Bill Dahl) and his fine staff, and the Editor-in-Chiefs [Karl Niklas (past) and
Judy Jernstedt (present)] and their fine Editorial Office staffs have been the main players
in developing the plans for the Centennial Celebration which began in September 2003.
At that time, the CPC solicited the membership for ideas about the celebration and a
theme. The ideas were plentiful and from the many suggestions the theme “Looking to
the Future, Conserving the Past” was appropriately chosen. It is prominently displayed
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on the bronze Centennial Medallion which each member will receive who attends the
Centennial Meeting at Chico State University, Chico, California, during July 29 through
August 2.
Plans for the Centennial Meeting and its highlights have been published in several issues
of the Plant Science Bulletin, and the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Botany
will have a special Centennial cover. In addition, the history of the Society will be
published at that time.
The specific program for the Centennial Meeting is already set with many symposia,
contributed oral and poster sessions, individual presentations, field trips, luncheons and
banquets, and a very special awards ceremony honoring 120 senior scientists of the
Society. The number of individuals attending is still increasing as of the writing of this
report but there were over 850 abstracts submitted for the meeting!
Suffice it to say, this BSA Centennial Meeting will be a gala event marking the success
of botanical research, education, and out reach over its 100-year history. Its future is
bright and the continued support and involvement of its growing membership in the
second 100 years will make it even brighter.
Finally, the membership of the Society needs to be truly proud of what it is
accomplishing and what its predecessors have accomplished. Let us together continue to
move forward and increase our efforts and impact on a critically important field of
science – Botany!
Respectfully submitted, Harry T. (Jack) Horner CPC Chair and BSA Member (1961)
D. Sections
1. B&L
2. Developmental and Structural Section Report
Prepared by Larry Hufford 24 July 2006
Key points from the sectional business meeting held in Austin, Texas, at Botany 2005
were the following:
1) Students who received Cheadle and Developmental and Structural Section travel
awards were introduced.
2) David Lee (Florida International Univerisity) was elected as the new treasurer for the
section.
3) Symposium proposals for Botany 2006 were discussed. Ultimately, the following three
symposia were approved for sponsorship by the section:
a) International Botanical Exchange Delegations: Lesson From Twentieth
Century China Exchange (1978-1979), With Application To The Twenty36
First Century. Organizer: Anitra Thorhaug, Yale School of Forestry and
Environmental Studies,
b) Bringing together the living and dead: integrating extant and fossil
biodiversity in evolutionary studies. Organizers: Dr Nathalie Nagalingum, Duke
University; Hervé Sauquet, Swedish Museum of Natural History
c) The comparative phylogenetic method of reconstructing evolutionary
history. Organizer: William (Ned) Friedman
4) A proposal for the section to give an award for the best student poster presented at
the annual meeting was discussed. After much discussion, the section approved a
motion to give up to one award of $100 in 2006. The Esau Committee will judge
the posters and make the award.
At Botany 2005, 21 contributed papers and 12 posters were presented to the section,
which also was the sponsor/cosponsor of symposia.
The executive committee evaluated applications from students for travel awards to
Botany 2006. Eight students were given travel awards, including Theresa (Meis)
Chormanski (Florida International University), Cary Pirone (Florida International
University), Lara I. Strittmatter (), Gabriel Johnson (Southern Illinois University),
Jennifer Winther (University of Colorado), Anna Jacobsen (Michigan State University),
Mackenzie L. Taylor (University of Tennessee), and Athena McKown (University of
Toronto).
Executive committee members also participated in the selection of the BSA’s Cheadle
Awards.
The section will have its next business meeting in Chico, California, at Botany 2006.
3. Ecological Section Report—2006
At Botany 2005 in Austin, TX, the business meeting of the Ecological Section was
attended by 35 people. In addition to other business, we recognized students with awards
for their talks and posters.
 Awards for talks were given to:
Yvonne Davila (co-author Glenda Wardle from the University of Sydney) for
“Does geographic, annual and diurnal variation in pollinator visitation define a
generalist-pollinated plant?”

John Geiger (Florida International University) for “Breeding system investigation
of the endangered vine Ipomoea microdactyla Griseb. (Convolvulaceae)”
An award for a poster was given to:
Christopher Martine (co-authors Patrick Herron, Andrew Latimer, Stacey Leicht,
and Eric Mosher from the University of Connecticut) for “Predicting the next
woody invasives in New England: A model-based approach to identifying future
threats”
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
Judges for these student awards included Tim Bell, Joe Colosi, and Elena PintoTorres for posters as well as Katherine Preston, Cynthia Huebner, and William
Smith for talks.
During the past year, Margaret Devall began her term as secretary and program
director for the Ecological Section. Jeff Walck will begin his term as vice-chair for the
Section following the Botany 2006 meetings in Chico, CA.
Also during the past year, Tim Bell and Carl Weekley drafted a plan for the
Ecological Section to provide Student Travel Awards. They also served as judges to
select the first two students to receive these awards at Botany 2006. Student Travel
Awards ($500 each) from the Ecological Section will be given to Rebecca Anderson
(Illinois State University) and Marissa Jernegan (Eastern Illinois University).
For Botany 2006 to be held in Chico, CA, our section has 33 papers
and 27 posters scheduled. We also are co-sponsors for one symposium entitled “Human
Transformation of California: Botany, History, and Sociology” with $1,000 support. In
addition, Carol Baskin will present an overview of the History of the Ecological Section
as part of the Section’s business meeting, since 2006 marks the thirty year anniversary for
our section.
Respectfully submitted, Janice Coons Chair, BSA Ecological Section
4. Economic Botany Section Report
The Economic Botany Section presented five papers and one poster at the 2005 annual
meeting. We met at our luncheon and annual sectional meeting to discuss future
symposium initiatives, and discussed the possibility of participating in BSA Sci-Pi. We
co-sponsored the BSA Symposium: Biology of Dryland Plants.
5. 2006 Genetics Section Report to the BSA Council
At the Botany 2005 meetings in Austin, TX, the Genetics Section made several awards.
Two Graduate Student Research Awards of $500 were presented. One to a PhD student
(Nicole Hardiman, U. of Cincinnati), and one to a M.S. student (Amy Stillman, Boise
State University). These awards were based on submitted research proposals, judged by
an ad-hoc committee from the Genetics Section, and in addition to the $500 research
award carry an award of up to $500
reimbursement for travel to a future BSA meeting to present the results of the research.
The Margarte Menzel Award for the best contributed paper ($200) was presented to
Mitchell McGlaughlin (Rancho Santa Anna Botanical Garden), and the award for best
poster ($100) was presented to Jennifer Cruse-Sanders (Rancho Santa Anna Botanical
Garden).
A Genetics Section Business Meeting was conducted on Aug. 15, 2005, with 13
individuals in attendance.
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At the Botany 2006 meetings in Chico, CA, the Genetics Section will have 5 contributed
papers sessions over two days with a total of 44 papers, as well as contributed posters
session. The Genetics Section will also co-sponsor a symposium entitled “Hybridization
as a Stimulus for the Evolution of Invasiveness in Plants” with seven papers. In addition
to these papers, many papers
will be presented that traditionally would have been presented in the Genetics Section,
but will now be presented under on of the “thematic areas.”
Chair Randall Small (U. of Tennessee), Vice-Chair Vance Baird (Clemson U.), and
Secretary-Treasurer Theresa Cully (U. of Cincinnati) will remain in their current
positions for the 2006-2007 year. At the end of the Business Meeting at Botany 2007
Randall Small will step down as Chair, and Vance Baird and Theresa Culley will rotate
up. During the next year we will initiate the process of identifying individuals to take on
the responsibilities of Secretary-Treasurer for
the 2007-2008 year.
Resepectfully submitted, Randall Small 12 July, 2006
6. Historical Section Report for 2004-2005 [Botany 2006]
Lee Kass, Chair of the Historical Section has been our representative on the Centennial
Planning Committee. Kass will attend Botany 2006 in Chico and will give a paper on the
contributions of Cornell to American Botany (Travel funds for Kass to attend the meeting
will be provided by the Cornell Department of Plant Biology). Carol Kelloff,
Secretary/Treasurer of the Historical Section will be presenting a talk in the Tropical
Biology Section.
Lee Kass will step down as Chair of the section this year. Larry Davenport will succeed
Kass as Chair of the Historical Section, as provided in our by-laws. A new Vice-Chair
should be elected at our Annual Business Meeting. Carol Kelloff is currently
Secretary/Treasurer of the Historical Section and her term is also up this year. If she does
not wish to continue in this office, the section should elect a new officer for this position.
In last years report the section suggested using some of the Historical Sections funds to
support the archival research of Dr. Betty Smocovitis for her project on writing a history
of the Botanical Society of America in honor of its Centennial Year. Dr. Smocovitis is a
member of the Historical Section and has been chosen as Keynote speaker for the Botany
2006 Centennial Meeting. I suggest that we use $600 of our current balance for an
honorarium to Dr Smocovitis. The Secretary/Treasurer will make this request as soon as
possible.
The section sponsored 2 papers and 1 poster for Botany 2005. Two historical abstracts
were submitted for Botany 2006; one was scheduled for the Historical Section
contributed papers and the other has been placed in contributed papers for the Economic
Botany Section.
The 2005 BSA Directory lists 78 members of the Historical Section.
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We have scheduled an annual meeting for Botany 2006 at which time we plan to propose
an award for a student paper on an historical subject. We also hope to discuss ideas for a
Historical symposium for Botany 2007. We will also discuss who will be responsible for
submitting our annual report--the Section Chair or the Secretary/Treasurer.
Respectfully submitted, Lee B. Kass Chair Historical Section, BSA
7. Mycological Section Report June 16, 2006
The mycological Section has been inactive for several years. This year we will revive the
section with a breakfast meeting, one paper, several posters and one student travel award.
For next year, we will propose a symposium on plant-fungal interactions.
Darlene Southworth, Chair Southworth@sou.edu
8. Paleobotanical Section
9. Annual Report of the Phycological Section, 2006
The Phycological Section of BSA received funds to co-sponsor a symposium with the
Physiological Section in 2006. In keeping with the emphasis on the centennial theme of
the history of the Society, the symposium honors the work of algal physiologist L. R.
Blinks: "Legacy of L.R Blinks: Algae, Ions, and Light".
We used our general funds to continue the student travel award that we initiated last year
to support a student attending the annual BSA meeting. This year’s recipient is Nestor
Raul Anzola of the University of Southern Mississippi. He will be attending the Botany
meeting for the first time and presenting a poster: “Algae From the Pascagoula River
Basin: Phytoplankton Responses to Water Chemistry Dynamic in Small Streams.”
This year was to have been my last year of service as chair of the section. So far I have
not been able to find a replacement for myself, despite suggestions from an ad hoc
nominating committee consisting of former officers of the section, Louise Lewis and
Rick McCourt. I will continue as chair until I can find a replacement.
At the Botany 2006 meeting we will discuss ways to revitalize the Section.
Last year I reported that there were no nominations for the Darbaker Prize for 2005,
hence no prize would be awarded. However, after the meeting a nomination was
received, and the prize was awarded to Tracy A. Villareal of the University of Texas at
Austin Marine Science Instutute. The Darbaker Committee consisted of: Richard
McCourt (chair), Annette Coleman, and Martha Cook.
Respectfully submitted, Martha E. Cook, Chairperson Phycological Section
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10. Report of the Physiological Section 2005-6.
The physiological section in 2005 sponsored a major symposium on Dryland Biology
which was co-sponsored by the Ecological, the Developmental and Structural and the
Economic Botany sections, whom we thank greatly for their contributions. The program
was highly appropriate for Austin Texas and drew a major audience throughout the entire
day. The speakers were from Mexico as well as Europe and the USA.
During the Physiological Section's contributed sessions and poster sessions there were
two student prizes for best papers as well as one for the best poster presentation. These
student awards were presented at the Annual Botanical Society Banquet.
The planning for another major symposium in Tribute to Lawrence R. Blinks of
Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station and Santa Cruz's Biology Department, National
Academy of Sciences member for 40 years, and Vice-Director with McElroy of National
Science Foundation was planned with the Phycological Section as co-sponsor. An
International group of speakers, former students or colleagues of L.R. Blinks plus his son,
Dr. John Blinks, has been planned for the centennial since important contributions to the
algal physiology of the entire century was done in and around the laboratories of L.R.
Blinks at Harvard with Osterhout, at Rockefellar Institute and then Hopkins Marine
Station of Stanford as well as University of California at Santa Cruz. Frances Haxo,
Richard Eppley, John Blinks, William Vidaver, Mary Jo Ryan Duncan, Nancy Nicolson,
Anitra Thorhaug, Isabella Abbott, Jack Dainty, and Cecila Smith will speak or contribute
their recollections and evaluations of Blinks' contribution to the botany of the century
with contributions from the floor.
Anitra Thorhaug, Chair Christy Carter, Program Peter Straub, Treasurer
11. The Phytochemistry Section of BSA works to establish active dialog between
members and to extend the Section. A discussion on future activities of the Section has
been initiated.
Three papers and two posters are submitted to the Botany 2006 meeting in Chico.
No award by the Section of Phytochemistry was granted this year.
Dr. Tadeusz Aniszewski Chair of Phytochemical Section of BSA
12. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PTERIDOLOGICAL SECTION
Presented at the 2006 Botanical Society of America Council Meeting
Chico, CA
At the Botany 2005 meetings in Austin, TX, the Pteridological Section of the BSA had
15 contributed papers, three contributed posters, and one field trip.
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The Edgar T. Wherry Award, for best paper presented as part of the contributed papers
sessions, was given to James E. Watkins, Jr. for his presentation entitled, “Stress
physiology of fern gametophytes: consequences for distribution and abundance.”
A well-attended field trip was sponsored entitled “Ferns of the Central Texas area” led by
Jim Blassingame, Jack Stanford, and Laura Sánchez.
The Pteridological section contributed $400 to the publication of the Annual Review of
Pteridological Research, Volume 18 (2004).
Increased funding from BSA allowed the Pteridological section to initiate in 2005 an
application process for our new student travel award program, which grants $400 to
qualified students who present and/or attend BSA Pteridological Section contributed
paper sessions, symposia, and field trips. The second annual awards were made for the
Botany 2006 meetings in Chico, CA, and six awards were given:
1) Michael S. Barker, Indiana University (Advisor: Dr. Loren Rieseberg): Botany 2006
presentation entitled "Inferring paleopolyploidy in homosporous ferns using duplicate
gene age distributions"
2) Joshua Der, Utah State University (Advisor: Dr. Paul Wolf): Botany 2006 presentation
entitled "A global phylogeographic study of the chloroplast genome in bracken
(Pteridium: Dennstaedtiaceae)"
3) Amanda Grusz, University of North Carolina – Wilmington (Advisor: Dr. Kathleen M.
Pryer): Botany 2006 presentation entitled "Polyploids and reticulate voids: the
Cheilanthes fenderli complex revisited"
4) Chad E. Husby, Florida International University (Advisor: Dr. Steven Oberbauer):
Botany 2006 presentation entitled "Salinity tolerance ecophysiology of the giant
horsetail, Equisetum giganteum, in the Atacama Desert, Chile"
5) Annabelle Kleist, Carroll College (Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Geiger): Botany 2006
presentation entitled "Alternate pathways of fern dispersal to the Hawaiian Islands, Part
3: Cibotium"
6) Eric Shuettpelz, Duke University (Advisor: Dr. Kathleen M. Pryer): Botany 2006
presentation entitled; "Toward a comprehensive phylogeny of extant ferns"
We continue to seek ways to effectively publicize the travel awards.
Submitted by President: Warren D. Hauk Secretary/Treasurer: Karen Renzaglia
13. BSA Systematics Section
During the 2006 fiscal year, the BSA Systematics Section supported three symposia with
funds and sponsored four symposia without funds for the Botany 2006 conference.
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Financial Support of three symposia. The Systematics section supported three symposia
for the Botany 2006 conference:
1) $500 for “Botanical Cyberinfrastructure: Issues, Challenges, Opportunities,
and Initiatives.” Organizers: L. Alan Prather and Nico Cellinese.
2) $500 for “The Evolution of Ericales: Recent Insights using both Morphology
and Molecules.” Organizers: Erik Smets and Frederic Lens.
3) $500 for “Bringing together the living and dead: integrating extant and fossil
biodiversity in evolutionary studies.” Organizers: Nathalie Nagalingum and
Hervé Sauquet.
Sponsorship (without financial support) of four symposia. The Systematics section
sponsored four symposia for the Botany 2006 conference:
1) “The comparative - phylogenetic method of reconstructing evolutionary
history.” Organizer: Ned Friedman.
2) “Evolution, Ecology, and Floristics in Northern California: Current
Knowledge and Unexplored Realms.” Organizer: Kristina Schierenbeck.
3) “Flora of North America: Synergy with other botanical projects.” Organizer:
Nancy Morin.
4) “New insights into the biogeography of Australian plants.” Organizers: Barbara
Whitlock and Austin Mast.
Respectfully submitted, Wayne J. Elisens
14. Teaching Section, Botanical Society of America
Beverly J. Brown, Chair Nazareth College of Rochester, 4245 East
Ave., Rochester, NY 14618
585-389-2555, bbrown6@naz.edu
We have undertaken the following projects and actions:
1. At the upcoming Botany 2006 meeting the Teaching Section will be sponsoring one
symposium (Human Transformation of California: Botany, History, and Sociology);
and one discussion session (Teaching Nonmajor Students about Plants).
2. The Section continues to support proposed guidelines submitted to the Education
Committee for the submission and review of visual resources and curriculum
resources. These procedures include a peer review process. Once approved, the
resources would be made available through the Society’s web site.
3. Minor changes in the image database have been made by volunteers in the past year.
Those who have volunteered, but not completed their projects need to be contacted.
New volunteers are welcome.
4. We are in the process of revising our Section Offices and job descriptions and will be
considering changes to out bylaws at our upcoming business meeting.
5. We are increasing the number of Teaching Section members who are involved in the
Sip3 project and we continue to recruit additional mentors.
15. Tropical
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The Tropical Biology Section presented four papers and three posters at the 2005 BSA
annual meeting. This year, the Tropical Biology Section will present six papers and one
poster at the 2006 BSA annual meeting. The section will co-sponsor the symposium
entitled “Bringing together the living and the dead: integrating extant and fossil
biodiversity in evolutionary studies”.
Submitted by Susana Magallón.
16. NE
17. Pacific
18. South Eastern
This was the second year of our award for the outstanding paper in plant science given at
the annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists which meets jointly
with the Southeastern Section of the Botanical Society of America. Our meeting was in
Gatlinburg and we had eleven students apply for the award. The winner was Brett
McMillan of Old Dominion University who received a check for $100 and will receive a
check towards his expenses in attending the meeting in Chico. Brett was recognized at
the banquet of ASB.
I expect even more applicants at next year's ASB meeting in Columbia, South Carolina as
the award becomes better known.
Lytton John Musselman
E. Representatives to other Organizations
1.
AAAS - See President Elect’s Report
2.
AIBS – See Treasurer’s Report
3.
Report of BSA representative to the Biological Stain Commission
Graeme P. Berlyn
The annual meeting of the Biological Stain Commission was held June 2-3 at the
Wyndham Milwaukee Center Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was there as
representative of the Botanical Society. I am also a Trustee of the Commission, a member
of the Editorial Board of Commission's journal, Biotechnic and Histochemistry.
Somewhat inexplicably I was also elected President of the Commission. I will be
succeeded as President next year, having served a three year term.
The Scientific Session was held on Friday, June 2, 2006. The topic was fixation and had
a lot of information of interest to botanists. There has been recent progress in the
chemistry of fixation and the first lecture by Dr. Richard Dapson discussed and
dramatically illustrated these reaction series. Fixatives preserve by changing the shape of
44
tissue molecules and involve addition, cross-linking and molecular dehydration with
subsequent alcohol dehydration. Emphasis was on immunohistochemical staining, IHC.
The standard fixative for animal tissue (which also works for plant tissue) is 10% neutral
buffered formalin, NBF. This fixative generally requires antigen retrieval by chemical
processing. A new fixative for IHC, glyoxal, is proposed that generally does not require
antigen retrieval. Full fixation was determined to take three full days, which of course is
the traditional time suggested in standard texts of both animal and plant microtechnique.
Other topics of interest to botanists are the publication of manuals such as CONN'S
BIOLOGICAL STAINS (10th Edition, 2002). Plans are underway for CONN'S 11th
edition. In addition, a new edition of The History of Staining is being planned if the
copyright can be obtained. The copyright for Clark's Staining Procedures has been
attained and plans are being made for a new edition. I have offered to rewrite the plant
section and would like interested botanists to send my their favorite staining procedures
for possible inclusion in the new edition. Bibliographies on stains and staining as
published by members of the Biological Stain Commission are being assembled and
should be available in the near future. If there are any additional issues that the BSA
would like the BSC to consider please let me know.
4.
CSSP – See Presidents Report
5.
NSCA
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