Nominations Opening Soon for 2019 ASPB Awards!

The time to recognize and honor excellence among our fellow plant scientists is near

The 2019 Call for Award Nominations will be sent to ASPB members on January 4, 2019, and nominations will be due by Wednesday, February 20. ASPB encourages you to participate in the 2019 awards program by nominating highly deserving individuals. Please watch for the Call for Nominations in your email inbox, on our website, and via social media (https://aspb-awards.secure-platform.com/a/). In the meantime, please visit ASPB’s awards pages so that you can see who among your colleagues have received these awards in the past and determine who might be most deserving in the future. All that is required to make a nomination for ASPB’s awards is a one- to two-page letter of nomination and a detailed CV of the nominee. However, nomination committees may opt to go back to the nominator to ask for additional information if they deem it necessary. Nominations should be submitted electronically as a single PDF via https://awards.aspb.org  beginning January 4, 2019. The names of the 2019 award recipients will be announced in mid-April via social media and e-mail broadcast to ASPB members, and the awards themselves will be presented during Plant Biology 2019 in SanJose, California.

Awards to Be Given in 2019

Adolph E. Gude, Jr.Award

This monetary award honors the Gude family, who made possible the establishment of the Gude Plant Science Center, ASPB’s headquarters. The award, established by the Society and first given in 1983, is to be made triennially to a scientist or lay person in recognition of outstanding service to the science of plant biology. Membership in the Society is not a requirement for the award.

ASPB Innovation Prize for Agricultural Technology

This prize was inaugurated in 2015 to recognize the outstanding work of industry scientists in companies of all sizes who translate discovery research into real-world outcomes that benefit agriculture. The award additionally acts as a vehicle to increase the awareness of the highest quality science performed by industry scientists, whether or not they are members of the society upon nomination and showcases the opportunities and rewards of this career path. The Innovation Prize, which is made biennially, is a monetary award that also provides a one-year membership in the Society.

Charles Albert Shull Award

This award was initiated in 1971 by the Society to honor Dr. Charles A. Shull, whose personal interest and support was largely responsible for the founding and early growth of the Society. It is a monetary award made annually for outstanding investigations in the field of plant biology by a member who is generally under 45 years of age on January 1of the year of presentation or is fewer than 10 years from the granting of the doctoral degree. Breaks in careers will be considered when addressing the age limit of this award. The recipient is invited to address the Society at the annual meeting the following year.

Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award

This award was established in 1925 at the first annual meeting of the Society through the generosity of Dr. Charles A. Shull. It honors Dr. Charles Reid Barnes, the first professor of plant physiology at the University of Chicago. It is an annual award for meritorious work in plant biology; it provides a life membership in the Society to an individual who is at least 60 years old. Membership is a requirement for the award, and, if appropriate, every fifth award should be made to an outstanding plant biologist from outside the United States.

Early Career Award

The Society’s executive committee instituted the Early Career Award in 2005 to recognize outstanding research by scientists at the beginning of their careers. This award is a monetary award made annually for exceptionally creative, independent contributions by an individual, whether or not a member of the Society, who is generally not more than seven years post-PhD on January 1 of the year of the presentation. Breaks in careers will be considered when addressing the time limit of this award.

Enid MacRobbie Corresponding Membership Award

This honor, initially given in 1932 and renamed in 2018 to recognize Enid MacRobbie’s many contributions to plant science research, provides life membership and Society publications to distinguished plant biologists from outside the United States in recognition of their contributions to ASPB and to plant biology. The honor is conferred by election on the annual ballot. The committee selects no more than three candidates, and these are placed on the ballot for approval of corresponding membership by majority vote. The president notifies successful candidates of their election. Election of a corresponding member is to be considered each year and held if warranted, provided the election would not increase the number of corresponding members beyond 2% of the dues-paying membership. ASPB membership is a requirement for this award.

Eric E. Conn Young Investigator Award

The Eric E. Conn Young Investigator award, first given by the Society in 2011, honors Eric E. Conn’s contributions in plant biology by recognizing young scientists who will be inspired to follow in his footsteps. The award recognizes demonstrated excellence in outreach, public service, mentoring, or teaching by plant scientists at the beginning of their careers. This award is a monetary award made biennially for demonstrated commitment by a member of the Society who is not more than five years post-PhD on January 1 of the year of the presentation. It also provides a one-year membership to the Society.

Excellence in Education Award

This award, initiated in 1988, recognizes outstanding teaching, mentoring, and/or educational outreach in plant biology by an individual, whether or not a member of the Society. It is a monetary award to be made annually in recognition of excellence in teaching, leadership in curricular development, or authorship of effective teaching materials in the science of plant biology.

Fellow of ASPB Award

Established in 2007, the Fellow of ASPB Award may be granted to current members in recognition of direct service to the Society and distinguished and long-term contributions to plant biology. Areas of contribution may include education, mentoring, outreach, research, and professional and public service. Examples of relevant Society service include, but are not restricted to, service on or on behalf of ASPB committees, service on editorial boards of ASPB journals, and active involvement in ASPB meetings. Current members of ASPB who have contributed to and been members of the Society for at least 10 years cumulative prior to their nomination are eligible for nomination. Recipients of the Fellow of ASPB honor, which may be granted to no more than 0.2% of the current membership each year, receive a certificate of distinction and a lapel pin.

Martin Gibbs Medal

This monetary award, initiated in 1993, honors Martin Gibbs for his outstanding service to the Society as editor-in-chief of Plant Physiology from 1963 to 1992. This award is to be given biennially to an individual, whether or not a member of the Society, who has pioneered advances that have served to establish new directions of investigation in the plant sciences. The recipient is invited to organize a symposium at the annual meeting the following year.

Stephen Hales Prize

This award honors the Reverend Stephen Hales for his pioneering work in plant biology published in his 1727 book Vegetable Staticks. It is a monetary award established in 1927 for an ASPB member who has served the science of plant biology in some noteworthy manner. The award is made annually. The recipient of the award is invited to address the Society on a subject in plant biology at the next annual meeting.

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