Plant Science Bulletin Fall 2019 Volume 65 Number 3
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PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN FALL 2019 VOLUME 65 NUMBER 3 A PUBLICATION OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Botany 2019: A Fantastic Time in Tucson! IN THIS ISSUE... Meet new BSA Student Representative, Old trees meet new technology.... p. 156 Students beta-testing new Shelly Gaynor.... p. 177 PlantingScience module.... p. 174 PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN From the Editor Editorial Committee Greetings, Volume 65 I hope that those of you who made the trip to Tucson found this year’s Botany meeting to be productive and stimulat- Melanie Link-Perez (2019) ing. It was my first time in Arizona and Department of Botany I particularly enjoyed the landscape. & Plant Pathology Oregon State University As always, we are pleased to list the Corvallis, OR 97331 melanie.link-perez winners of awards that were presented @oregonstate.edu during the meeting. Congratulations to all! I want to highlight a pair of articles in this issue that address botanical ed- Shannon Fehlberg ucation for general audiences—one (2020) Research and Conservation looking back at the work of influential Desert Botanical Garden past botanists and the other focusing Phoenix, AZ 85008 on using modern social media tools to [email protected] engage the community. It is important and inspiring to consider those who use creative and contemporary resources to promote plant and environmental David Tank (2021) science. Many in our professional com- Department of Biological Sciences munity are doing incredible outreach University of Idaho with both local and global audiences. Moscow, ID 83844 At PSB, we are always pleased at high- [email protected] light those projects, either as articles or as features in the Education News and Notes section. James McDaniel (2022) Botany Department University of Wisconsin Madison Madison, WI 53706 [email protected] Fall 2019 Volume 65 Number 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS SOCIETY NEWS Public Policy Committee Report Supporting Evidence-Based Policy Through Public Comments ............................................................................................................................144 BSA Promotes Author Workshop at the XXI Congreso Mexicano de Botánica in Aguascalientes, Mexico ...................................................................................................................................146 New AJB Reviews Feature Coming In 2020 ............................................................................................147 BSA Members Participate in 2019 Climate Strike ...............................................................................147 Botanical Society of America’s Award Winners (Part 2) ...................................................................148 Botany 2019 - It's More Than Just Another Scientific Conference! ..........................................153 SPECIAL FEATURES Old Trees Meet New Technology ...................................................................................................................156 Inspirational Voices in Early Botanical Education .................................................................................161 SCIENCE EDUCATION “Botanists: See Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists”: Seeking Resources on Careers for Plant People ................................................................................................................................172 PlantingScience Launches new “Plants Get Sick, Too!” Theme in Collaboration with American Phytopathological Society .............................................................................................174 Thanks to PlantingScience’s Early-Career Scientist Support Team .........................................175 STUDENT SECTION Getting to Know Your New Student Representative: Shelly Gaynor ...........................................177 Quick Notes on the Botany 2019 Conference .......................................................................................179 ANNOUNCEMENTS New BSA Social Media Liaisons Selected for 2019-2020..............................................................180 Harvard University: Bullard Fellowships in Forest Research ...........................................................181 In Memoriam Personal Reflections on a Guiding Light: Winslow R. Briggs (1928-2019) ........................182 Arthur Oliver Tucker, III (1945-2019) ........................................................................................................185 W. Mark Whitten (1954–2019) ....................................................................................................................188 BOOK REVIEWS Biographies ..................................................................................................................................................................192 Ecology ..........................................................................................................................................................................195 Economic Botany .....................................................................................................................................................196 Physiology ....................................................................................................................................................................197 Systematics.................................................................................................................................................................199 143 SOCIETY NEWS Public Policy Committee Report Supporting Evidence-Based Policy During theThrough past year, we have highlightedPublic While Comments new laws are introduced by parts of the ways that BSA members can support science- legislative branch (e.g., the federal House of friendly candidates and legislation to increase Representatives), proposed rules are created the capacity for botanical expertise in the by parts of the executive branch (e.g., the federal workforce (PSB 65[1]: 2019). Winners Environmental Protection Agency) in order to of this year’s (BSA) Public Policy Awards, carry out existing laws (e.g., the Endangered (ASPT) Congressional Visits Day Award and Species Act). Because civil servants with (BSA/ASPT) Botany Advocacy Leadership technical expertise are often involved in Award have also described their experiences proposing and altering rules, public comments reaching out to elected officialsPSB ( 65[2]: can be surprisingly similar to writing or orally 2019). Another way our members have presenting research findings to a scientific engaged in public policy is by providing public audience. Here we provide some tips for how comments on proposed rules or rule changes. to get started with your first public comment. Public comments can be a highly effective way of leveraging your subject matter IDENTIFYING YOUR expertise to create positive change. However, many scientists are unaware of what a public SUBJECT MATTER comment is or how governments use them. EXPERTISE Within the scientific community, we often assume that our subject matter expertise begins and ends with our own research. In the context of public policy, however, that expertise is far broader. What graduate- By BSA PPC Co-Chairs Krissa Skogen (Chicago Botanic level STEM courses have you Garden) and Kal Tuominen (Metropolitan State University) completed or do you teach? and ASPT PPC Chair Andrew Pais (North Carolina State What topics did your graduate University) committee expect you to 144 PSB 65 (3) 2019 discuss during comprehensive exams? Have time about multiple viewpoints on the issue. you been a co-author on any side projects? Any verbal testimony you provide will be Have you used your scientific training to documented and made public, so prepare as help a nonprofit organization become more you would for a conference presentation or effective? How do you explain the relevance course lecture. The number and geographic of your work to friends and neighbors? The locations of hearings tends to be limited, answers to these questions can help you so if you are unable to travel on a specific identify what your subject matter expertise day, providing a written comment is still looks like to elected officials. It is likely that a good option. In our experience, written you have expertise in many subjects, or that comment periods typically last 60 to 90 you have not fully constructed the nature of days; your state or local government may your expertise in the context of a particular have different expectations. If you need policy issue that interests you! assistance writing your first public comment, the Public Comment Project provides more detailed guidelines and templates (https:// IDENTIFYING PROPOSED publiccommentproject.org/how-to). RULES OR RULE CHANGES While many scientists become aware of pro- KNOW YOUR RIGHTS posed rules or changes directly through their own research, by law most governments in the Scientists speaking publicly on politically United States must publicly announce such challenging topics such as climate change proposals. The federal government makes experience political and sometimes legal these announcements in the Federal Regis- opposition. Depending on your professional ter (www.federalregister.gov), and StateScape role, the sort of information you may legally provides links to state registers (http://www. provide in a public comment may also be statescape.com/resources/regulatory/regis- limited. OrgÍanizations such as the American ters/). If you are interested in science policy Institute of Biological Sciences