-Magdalen Lindeberg
COVID-19 may have forced scientific conferences to go online, but this has not impeded recognition of the many contributions made by SIPS faculty, staff, and students to their respective disciplines. Congratulations to Jeff Doyle, David Gadoury, and Anya Osatuke, recipients of awards from the scientific societies with which they are affiliated.
Jeff Doyle, member of the SIPS Plant Biology Section and recent chair of Plant Breeding & Genetics, was awarded the prestigious Asa Gray Award by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. The award recognizes outstanding accomplishments pertinent to the goals of the Society.
Jeff’s research concerns the origin and evolution of polyploidy in plants, with a particular focus on soybean and related species. Nominators for the award cited the leading role that he has played in shaping the field of molecular systematics. His most highly cited paper describes a DNA extraction method, developed in collaboration with Jane Doyle and has been cited over 18,000 times. Additionally, he has mentored 19 graduate students, 18 postdoctoral scholars and 56 undergraduate students. Complete press release
Davi
d Gadoury, Senior Research Associate in the SIPS Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section working at CornellAgriTech, is this year’s recipient of the Outstanding Volunteer Award from the American Phytopathological Society (APS). David has served APS in various capacities, most recently as chair of the APS Foundation. His advocacy of the Borlaug’s Army Initiative linked free undergraduate membership to internship programs, introducing hundreds of undergraduates to APS, many of whom are either now in graduate programs across the U.S., or are entering the workforce with graduate degrees.
Anya O
satuke, graduate student in the Field of Horticulture in the program of Marvin Pritts, is this year’s recipient of the UP Hedrick Award for her manuscript “Development of Quality Attributes in Strawberry Fruit: A Review”. The award is given by the American Pomological Society and named for horticulturalist U.P Hedrick after which Hedrick Hall on the Cornell AgriTech campus is named.