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Department of Botany & the U.S. National Herbarium The Plant Press New Series - Vol. 17 - No. 1 January-March 2014 Botany Profile Research Scientist Spills the Beans By Gary A. Krupnick magine starting a new job by going population genetics to phylogenetics and rial of Psoraleeae and soybean (Glycine away on a three-month field excur- systematics. max). In 2007, Egan became a postdoc- sion to the remote forests of China, n 2001 she began her graduate years toral research associate in Doyle’s lab, I studying the phylogenetic systematics Japan, and Thailand after only two weeks at Brigham Young University, initially on the job, before having a chance to set- working on a doctoral thesis in cancer of subtribe Glycininae (Leguminosae). tle into your new office and unpack your I Egan’s research has determined that research. Her preliminary studies utilized boxes. Continue imagining that while phylogenetics as a means of bioprospect- tribe Psoraleeae is nested within subtribe you are away on your Asian expedition, ing, looking at the chemopreventive ability Glycininae, and is a potential progenitor you find out that your employer, the U.S. and phenolic content of the mint family, genome of the polyploid soybean. federal government, has shut down for 16 Lamiaceae. Unsatisfied with the direc- During her postdoctoral research, days, forcing you into “furlough in place” tion of her thesis, Egan switched to Keith Egan began collaborating with several status (non-duty and non-pay). Such is Crandall’s invertebrate biology laboratory, scientists studying soybean genome evo- the life of Ashley N. Egan, the Depart- with the understanding that Egan would lution. She was among a large group of ment of Botany’s new Research Botanist continue on with plant research. co-authors who published several papers and Assistant Curator of Legumes. Crandall suggested that Egan choose on genome evolution and polypoidy in Egan grew up in Idaho, spending her a plant system close to home, so Egan soybean. As part of their research, they summers on the outskirts of Yellowstone focused on the rare and endangered plant sequenced an approximately 1 million- National Park where she cultivated her species of Utah. She settled on Pediome- base pair region in soybean and com- love for nature. Her undergraduate stud- lum (Leguminosae), a genus with around pared this region with its homoeologous ies were at Utah State University where 27 species across the United States and 70 region duplicated 10 to 14 million years she initially declared a major in Bio- percent listed as endangered or threatened. ago. Their research produced several logical Engineering, and then switched She explored the population history and papers that focused on the evolution of to Biology and focused on population conservation genetics of Pediomelum disease resistance genes (Plant Physi- genetics. As an undergraduate, she volun- pariense, a rare species endemic to two ology 148: 1740-1759; 2008), a large teered in Paul G. Wolf’s laboratory, under counties in southern Utah. She asked accumulation of retroelements (Plant the assistance of a Howard Hughes Medi- questions about the relationship between Physiology 148: 1760-1771), and a com- cal Institute Undergraduate Research the substrate in which P. pariense grows parison of retention or loss of disease Fellowship. She studied the genetic and its endemism in Utah. Her project resistance genes between the 20 million- differentiation between populations of then morphed into a species diversification year diverged soybean and Phaseolus Erythronium grandiflorum (Liliaceae). study of tribe Psoraleeae, to which Pedi- vulgaris, the common bean (Plant Physi- Egan’s honor’s thesis focused on the omelum and four other genera endemic to ology 159: 336-354). resolution of inter-simple sequence repeat the United States belong. Egan defended Egan and Doyle wrote a method- (ISSR) markers in Ipomopsis aggregata her dissertation, “Phylogenetics of North ological discourse regarding the origins and I. tenuituba (Polemoniaceae). American Psoraleeae (Leguminosae): of polyploidy events (New Phytologist After graduating in 1998 with a B.S. Rates and Dates in a Recent, Rapid Radia- 186: 73-85; 2010). The paper argued in Biology, she stayed in Utah working tion,” in December 2006. that most studies that measure the date as a laboratory technician under Lynn While conducting her doctoral of polyploidy are actually measuring Bohs at the University of Utah where her research, Egan was in contact with Jeff the date of divergence of progenitor work focused on the Solanaceae fam- Doyle at Cornell University. Egan and genomes. They conclude that, “esti- ily. Egan soon shifted her attention from Doyle were exchanging outgroup mate- Continued on page 12 Travel Pedro Acevedo traveled to San Juan, W. John Kress traveled to Kunming, – 10/6) to attend the meeting of the Inter- Puerto Rico (11/13 – 11/16) to collect China (10/24 – 11/6) to deliver an invited national Society for the History of Medi- plants and to meet with staff at the Univer- plenary lecture at the International Bar- cine and present papers; to Philadelphia, sity of Puerto Rico. code of Life conference and to work with Pennsylvania (10/17 – 10/19) to attend the Barrett Brooks traveled to Orlando, scientific colleagues and students at the symposium “Ancient drugs: pharmacology Florida (11/5 – 11/10) to undertake diving Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gar- across the ancient world” at the University industry related training. den; to Chicago, Illinois (11/13 – 11/15) of Pennsylvania, where Touwaide pre- Laurence Dorr traveled to Paris, to receive the Parker Gentry Award from sented a paper; to Portland, Oregon (10/29 France and London, England (11/23 – the Field Museum; and to Oak Ridge, – 11/3) to deliver lectures and classes at 12/15) to study herbarium specimens at Tennessee (12/3 – 12/4) to discuss further the National College of Natural Medicine, the National Museum of Natural History collaboration in genomics and biodiversity Reed College, Leach Botanic Gardens, (France) and the Royal Botanic Gardens at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. and the Hellenic-American Cultural Kew for treatment of the Malvaceae for Sylvia Orli traveled to Gainesville, Center and Museum; and to Boston, Mas- the Flora of the Guianas. Florida (12/16 – 12/20) to attend the iDig- sachusetts (11/21 – 11/24) to attend the Christian Feuillet traveled to Saint Bio Crowdsourcing Hackathon. meeting of the History of Science Society, Louis, Missouri (10/10 – 10/18) to Christopher Puttock traveled to where Touwaide presented two papers in study specimens of Passiflora subgenus Honolulu, Hawaii (11/29 – 12/15) to different sessions and Appetiti attended Decaloba on loan at the Missouri Botani- collect plants at the University of Hawaii the meeting of the ISIS-Current Bibliogra- cal Garden from many European and Lyon Arboretum and, as a board member, phy editorial board. North and South American herbaria. to attend the Annual Retreat of the Hawaii Jun Wen traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma Vicki Funk traveled to Lawrence, Conservation Alliance (HCA) and HCA (11/5 – 11/8) to give a seminar at Okla- Kansas (10/7 – 10/9) to meet with staff at Foundation (HCAF). homa State University and participate in a the University of Kansas. Alain Touwaide and Emanuela graduate student’s graduate exam. Appetiti traveled to Merida, Mexico (9/30 The Plant Press Visitors New Series - Vol. 17 - No. 1 Carlos García-Robledo, Smithsonian Jonathan Price, University of Hawaii at Fellow; Plant-herbivore interaction Hilo; Pacific flora (9/23-10/23; 11/1-11/4). Chair of Botany (7/20/10-7/20/14). Warren L. Wagner Alison Shapcott, University of the Sun- ([email protected]) Janelle Burke, New York Botanical Gar- shine Coast, Australia; DNA barcoding of den; Tropical Polygonaceae and Plumbag- Queensland plants (10/1-11/15). EDITORIAL STAFF inaceae (8/1/12-12/31/14). Forrest Freund, Rancho Santa Ana Editor Jianqiang Zhang, Peking University, Botanical Garden; Isoetes (Isoetaceae) Gary Krupnick China; Rhodiola (Crassulaceae) (10/8/12- (10/6-10/8). ([email protected]) 10/7/13). Zachary Rogers, Missouri Botanical Gar- Copy Editors Genevieve Croft, Washington University; den; Thymelaeaceae (10/7-10/11). Robin Everly, Bernadette Gibbons, Rose Gulledge, Dail Laughinghouse Byrsonima crassifolia (Malpighiaceae) (10/16/12-10/16/13). Raquel Stauffer Viveros, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil; Ctenitis News Contacts Ning Zhang, Pennsylvania State Univer- (Dryopteridaceae) (10/8-10/17). MaryAnn Apicelli, Robert Faden, Rusty sity; Vitaceae (1/7/13-6/30/15). Russell, Alice Tangerini, and Elizabeth Noema Cano Flores, Knight Piésold Con- Zimmer Jesus Valdez R., Universidad Autónoma sulting, Peru; Bromeliaceae (10/28-10/29). The Plant Press is a quarterly publication pro- Agraria Antonio Narro, Mexico; Poaceae vided free of charge. To receive notification of Nuri Benet Pierce, San Diego State Uni- when new pdf issues are posted to the web, please (2/7-12/7). subscribe to the listserve by sending a message versity; Chenopodium (Chenopodiaceae) to [email protected] containing only the Asmaa Muneer, University of Maryland; (10/28). following in the body of the text: SUBSCRIBE DNA barcoding (4/22-10/31). PLANTPRESS-NEWS Firstname Lastname. Patrick Herendeen, Chicago Botanic Replace “Firstname Lastname” with your name. Amy Wang, Maryland; Silene (Caryo- Garden; Leguminoseae (11/1-11/6). If you would like to be added to the hard-copy phyllaceae) (7/1-12/31) mailing list, please contact Dr. Gary Krupnick at: John Wood, Oxford University; Convol- Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012, NMNH MRC-166, Washington, Elena Roman Jordan, Catedra de Tech- vulaceae (11/4-11/8). DC 20013-7012, or by E-mail: krupnickg@ nologia de la Madera, Spain; Cupressaceae si.edu. (8/30-12/13). Steve Darwin, Tulane University; Timo- nius (Rubiaceae) (11/6-11/7). Web site: http://botany.si.edu/ Page 2 Honoring 170 Years of Service ver the past couple of decades the Department of the department I extend our sincere gratitude to Chair of Botany has maintained a relatively stable them for their dedicated service to the museum and Ostaff, all working together for many years.