St. Paul, Minn. (August 31, 2009)—The The American Phytopathological Society (APS) Foundation presented several monetary awards at the society’s annual meeting, August 1–5, 2009, in Portland, OR.
H. David Shew, a professor at North Carolina State University, received the Lucy Hastings de Gutiérrez Award for Excellence in Teaching Award.
The JANE International Service Award was presented to Richard A. Sikora, professor and head of the Soil Ecosystem Phytopathology & Nematology Section, University of Bonn, Germany.
Andrew F. Bent, University of Wisconsin, Plant Pathology Department, received the Noel T. Keen Award for Research Excellence in Molecular Plant Pathology.
Oscar Alberto Moreno Valenzuela, Yucatan Scientific Research Center (CICY), Mexico, received the International Travel Award. This fund, established with the Office of International Programs, supports the travel costs for early- to mid-career international scientists to participate in an APS Annual Meeting.
The 9th I. E. Melhus Graduate Student Symposium Awards, sponsored by the Crop Loss Assessment and Risk Evaluation Committee and cosponsored by the Post Harvest Plant Pathology and Mycotoxicology Committees, were given to support student speakers at this year’s APS Annual Meeting. Students, chosen by a selection committee, presented at the symposium, “Integrating Pre- and Post-Harvest Views of Yield and Quality Loss.” Awardees included: Saori Amaike, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Pravin Gautam, University of Minnesota; Peter Horevaj, University of Arkansas; Claudia Probst, University of Arizona; Anissa M. Poleatewich, Pennsylvania State University; and Katelyn T. Willyerd, Pennsylvania State University.
Rodrigo P. P. Almeida, University of California-Berkeley; Johan H. J. Leveau, University of California-Davis; Brenda K. Schroeder, Washington State University; and Youfu Zhao, University of Illinois, have been named “up and comers” in bacteriology. The awardees had the opportunity to highlight their current work and speculate on the future directions of their discipline at the Schroth Faces of the Future Early Career Professionals Symposium held at the annual meeting.
Travel assistance awards were presented to 28 students, selected out of a competitive pool of more than 70 applicants. These awards are designed to help students studying in the field of plant pathology present their work, either in an oral or poster presentation, at the APS Annual Meeting. The 2009 student travel awards included: Maria Carolina Quecine, University of São Paulo; Jessica Gigot, Washington State University; Grant Poole, Washington State University; Sydney Everhart, University of Georgia; Mauricio Montero Astúa, Kansas State University; Kaoutar El Mounadi, SIUC; Jessica Koczan, Michigan State University; Kylea Odenbach, The Ohio State University; Stephanie Rogers, Oklahoma State University; Carola De La Torre, The Ohio State University; James Zanzot, Auburn University; Michelle Moyer, Cornell University; Alissa Kriss, The Ohio State University; Jonathan Jacobs, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Kestrel Lannon, North Carolina State University; Ganyu Gu, Mississippi State University; Fushi Wen, University of Arizona; Heather Olson, North Carolina State University; Lakmini Wasala, Oklahoma State University; Rebecca Sweany, Louisiana State University AgCenter; Ernesto Robayo-Camacho, Clemson University; Kameka Johnson, University of Georgia; Thanuja Thekke Veetil, University of Illinois-Champagne-Urbana; Jane Stewart, Washington State University; Rachel Melnick, Penn State University; Xiaopeng Wang, Michigan State University; Qing-Ming Gao, University of Kentucky; and Amy Replogle, University of Missouri.
Additionally, French-Monar Latin American Fund Awardees for 2009 included Yuliet Franco, Instituto de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Cuba; Jose Crespo, Tobacco Research Institute, Cuba; Marleny Gonzalez, Instituto de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Cuba; Maylin Perez Bernal, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Cuba; Y. M. Moran, Tobacco Research Institute, Cuba; Yamilka Perez, Instituto de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Cuba; Juana Belkis Peteira, National Center of Animal and Plant Health (CENSA), Cuba; Madelaine Quiñones Pantoja, National Center for Animal and Plant Health, Cuba; Julia Elena Almandoz, Plant Health Research Institute, Cuba; Alexander Bernal, Centro de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Cuba; Yusimy D. Reyes, Dpto. Biología y Sanidad Vegetal, San José de las Lajas, Cuba; Elda Ramos, Instituto de Investigaciones de Sanidad Vegetal, Cuba; Dariel Cabrera, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, UCLV, Cuba; Yamila Martinez-Zubiazur, Protección de Plantas, CENSA, Cuba; Monica Guzman-Barney, Laboratorio Virus Vegetales, IBUN, Colombia; and Juan Bautista Pineda, Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado, Venezuela.
A full description of each award is available on APSnet. The American Phytopathological Society is a nonprofit, professional scientific organization. The research of the organization’s more than 5,000 worldwide members advances the understanding of the science of plant pathology and its application to plant health.
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