PSB 67(2) 2021
BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA’S AWARD WINNERS (PART1) Distinguished Fellow of the Botanical Society of America
The Distinguished Fellow of the Botanical Society of America is the highest honor our Society bestows. Each year, the award committee solicits nominations, evaluates candidates, and selects those to receive an award. Awardees are chosen based on their outstanding contributions to the mission of our scientific Society. The committee identifies recipients who have demonstrated excellence in basic research, education, public policy, or who have provided exceptional service to the professional botanical community, or who may have made contributions to a combination of these categories. sy stemat ics/ phy logenet ics, genom ics, and de velopment a l genet ics. Much of her recent work focuses on population-level and phylogeographic problems. She has an extremely rich publication record and has also maintained continuous NSF support throughout her long career. One of Dr. Xiang’s most important contributions has been fostering close interactions and research connectivity between botanists in China and the United States. Since 2008, she and colleagues in China have taught the “East Asia–North America Field Botany and Ecology Course” at Zhejiang University and North Carolina State University, making a great impact on the training of Chinese and American students in this field. This has been a remarkable opportunity for students from both countries and has helped to foster new international research, as well as many friendships. These student exchanges have had significant impact on the number and quality of collaborations between U.S. and Chinese labs in the botanical sciences.
DR. QIUYUN (JENNY) XIANG North Carolina State University Dr. Xiang is well known globally for her diverse contributions to plant systematics and evolution. She is best known for her extensive work on Cornaceae, for which she is the world’s expert, as well as her numerous important contributions to our understanding of the wellknown Eastern Asia–Eastern North America floristic disjunction. Few groups of plants are now as well-studied as dogwoods, thanks to Jenny’s dedication. Her expertise is diverse and spans classical taxonomy, mole c u l ar
Jenny has been a life-long member of the Botanical Society of America. She is an outstanding mentor to students, post-docs, and young faculty, often bringing them along to annual scientific conferences including 80
