The Mycological Society of America |
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Each year, the Mycological Society of America recognizes excellence in research, teaching, and service among its membership by celebrating students, teachers, and researchers.
For a summarization of all MSA Awards, who is eligible, the award received, and the administering MSA committee please see the MSA Awards Chart.
Click on each button for additional information on the awardees.
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Mentor Student Travel Awardees |
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Oral and Poster Presentation Awardees |
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Dear Mycologists,
Warmest greetings from Arizona, where summer’s rains made for a wonderful mushroom season – both in our high-country forests and even in our low deserts, where Battarrea and Podaxis put on an uncommon show. I hope that where you are, the joys of mycology have brought hope and good cheer in a year – now a year-plus – fraught with so many challenges. Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson – where the University of Arizona and Gilbertson Mycological Herbarium are located – being home to the O’odham and Yaqui. My students and I are fortunate to live in, study fungi at, and value such a place.
So too am I fortunate to write this brief column, which I dedicate respectfully to the mycologists we have lost in the past year, and to all members of MSA presently: all of us have overcome enormous challenges, sorrows, and stresses during the long months of the pandemic and, in many cases, are still doing so. For many, the season now has turned to busy campuses, outreach, and teaching in person, and the hopes and concerns that these and related changes have brought. I remain hopeful that we will be able to gather in person for “Mycology in the Swamp” Take 2 in 2022 -- and what a joyful and poignant reunion that will be. I thank our local organizer Matt Smith, our Program Chair, Frances Trail, and our wonderful team at The Rees Group for working hard on a plan for the 2022 MSA Annual Meeting in Gainesville (July 10-14); and I thank all those who organized, participated in, and presented at our terrific 2021 virtual meeting with our partner societies. It was a joy to see superb work by members of our MSA family, and many new and familiar faces in mycology throughout that remarkable virtual meeting. Now is a wonderful time to turn such presentations – and our other projects too -- into publications in our flagship journal, Mycologia. Please consider submitting your work today!
As I think about the teamwork that supports our annual meetings – and so much more in our Society - I can’t help but reflect on how I am honored and humbled to serve as your 90th President. As I share with students and colleagues on a near-daily basis, MSA is an incredible society and community; we are committed to our students and postdocs; we are committed to diversity and inclusion; we serve our diverse stakeholders and communities in vital and unique ways; and we are active on so many fronts in our key mission – promoting the science of mycology through research and education. Now is a great time to share that message with students and colleagues who might benefit from MSA and all we offer. Please consider reaching out to a student, postdoc, or colleague today, and invite them to join MSA.
As I reflect on our Society’s positive impacts, I appreciate not only the expertise and professionalism of our colleagues across mycology, but also the volunteer spirit, hard work, and engagement our members share. I am grateful for the chance to serve in a leadership and stewardship role for MSA, and for the chance to have learned so much over the past years of mentorship from our exemplary Past Presidents, Anne Pringle and Marc Cubeta. I can say that working with Anne, Marc, and members of our Executive Council, Council, and Mycologia leadership team over the past few years has been one of the most personally and professionally enriching activities of my career. Thus, I know first-hand that service in MSA has lasting benefits – for our Society and those we serve, for our next generations of mycologists, and for ourselves, as we grow and come to know colleagues in our many service roles. Please consider joining our MSA leadership, by serving on a committee, running for office, or engaging in Mycologia or Inoculum. We welcome diverse perspectives and experiences and would love to hear from you.
In the coming year, I look forward to sharing news of initiatives and updates on a series of strategic themes designed to help our MSA flourish. At the center of all such activities is our membership – the people who make our Society so special. As we look forward to ways to help MSA continue to grow in terms of diversity and impact, we always come back to recognizing the people who make our Society shine. Now is a great time to reach out to a colleague, a mentor, a student, a postdoc, a junior faculty member, a mycologist emeritus, or a friend in mycology – just to be in touch, just to talk fungi, just to say thanks.
For now, I wish everyone the very best with the turning of the seasons. Thank you all for being a member of our MSA.
Yours in Service,
Betsy Arnold (she/her/hers)
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Executive Vice President's Report |
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Greetings, MSA members!
MSA recently wrapped up our second virtual meeting, this time with the Botanical Society of America, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, International Association for Plant Taxonomy, American Fern Society, and Society of Herbarium Curators. Our hopes are high that next year's MSA meeting in Gainesville, Florida (July 10-14, 2022), will be face-to-face. Proposals for MSA 2022 symposia and workshops were due October 15, and the selection process is underway. You can keep up with meeting updates as they develop at the MSA meetings webpage (https://msafungi.org/future-meetings/).
Since the last Executive Vice President report, the MSA Council voted to approve three email polls. MSA Poll 2021-07: Nomination of Anthony Amend as Executive Editor of Mycologia; MSA Poll 2021-08: Nomination of Peter Avis as Chair of the MSA Endowment Committee; and MSA Poll 2021-09: Ranked list of candidates for the 2022 Karling Annual Lecture.
2022 Membership Renewal: The 2022 MSA renewal notices will be sent to membership by email in October. Dues are same as last year, and members who renew on or before December 31, 2021, receive a $10 early renewal discount. Committed MSA members are encouraged to select an auto-renewal or multiyear membership option to reduce unintended lapses in membership.
New Members: I would like to extend a warm welcome to the following new members who joined MSA shortly before or since the 2021 Annual Meeting. Their membership will be approved at the 2022 Annual Business Meeting in Gainesville, Florida.
Canada: Kendra Sampson
Mexico: Alejandra Barrios Flores
Netherlands: Michiel de Groot
United States: Joseph Vasselli, Christopher Barown, Patricia T. Vega Gutierrez, Marwa Neyas, Brandon Stairs, Ousmane Cissé, Kendra Baumgartner, Molly Bindell, Shayna Noonen, Talph Begley, Gerald Cobian, Hosanna Barrett.
You can help us add names to the New Members list by recommending MSA to amateur and professional colleagues interested in fungi, especially students and postdoctoral associates. Members of our Society include pathologists, geneticists, systematists, ecologists, and those who want to know more about the fascinating world of fungi. Joining MSA is easy by following the links on the membership page (https://msafungi.org/join-or-renew/). Please feel free to contact me (egcantonwine@valdosta.edu) or our MSA Membership Coordinator, Cori VanGalder, (msafungi@reesgroupinc.com), if you have questions about memberships.
REMINDER - MSA Directory Update: Now is an excellent time to make sure your address, phone, and email are current in the MSA Directory so that MSA can continue to bring you timely information about awards, elections, meetings, and news, and your fellow MSA members can keep in touch. To review your information, visit the "Member Login" link found within the membership menu option at msafungi.org. If you need assistance, don't hesitate to contact our MSA Membership Coordinator, Cori VanGalder (msafungi@reesgroupinc.com).
Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in getting more involved with the Society or have any questions about the Society or MSA business.
Respectfully submitted,
MSA Executive Vice President
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Dr. Jack David Rogers (1937-2021)
Dr Jack D. Rogers, 83, WSU Regents Professor Emeritus, died peacefully at his home in Pullman on Monday June 14th after a long illness. Jack was a nationally and internationally renowned mycologist, dedicated and inspirational educator, avid hunter and fly fisherman, a wonderful humorist, and most of all a dedicated husband to his wife Belle and father to his twin daughters Rebecca Ann (Hines) and Barbara Lee (Cooper). He will be sorely missed by his family and international network of colleagues, friends, and former students.
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MSA Inoculum Educator Spotlight October 2021
Interviewed by: Sara Gremillion of the MSA Education Committee
Subject: Dr. Brandon Matheny
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Mushrooms of Cascadia: An Illustrated Key by Michael Beug
Submitted by: Fred Rhoades
Michael Beug is well known to the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) members but perhaps not as well known to the MSA population. He retired from teaching chemistry at Evergreen State University in Olympia, Washington, about 10 years ago and now lives on the north side of the Columbia River Valley where it cuts through the Cascade Mountains. See a sample here.
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Newly Published and Upcoming Books to Watch For
Submitted by: Amy Rossman
Click on the button below to see a list of newly published or soon to be published books available from Koeltz.
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Phoma violacea Defacement of White House Columns
Submitted by: Arthur J. Meyers
See the photographs of the purple discoloration of the columns of the White House in the North Portico due to the presence of Phoma violacea on the painted surface. In the autumn of 2000, preparing for the new administration (President George W. Bush), the 16-year-old white paint on the sandstone columns was removed by sandblasting.
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To Armenia.. In Pursuit of Knowledge, Lichens, and mushrooms
Submitted by: Arik Joukhajian
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When you think of the country Armenia, what comes to mind? Maybe you know of a few famous Armenians, such as Cher, System of a Down, or the Kardashians. What you might not know is that Armenia is an ancient and yet contemporary civilization situated within a biodiversity hotspot, the Caucasus Mountain range in Southwest Asia. The region is home to more than 6000 species of plants, 153 species of mammals and 400 species of birds, some of which are endemic to Armenia.
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MSA Endowment Committee Report
Submitted by: Mary Berbee
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Emerging Armillaria
Submitted by: Yishai Barak
Photo of a downed tree in with Armillaria.
Photo taken at Festge County Park Cross Plains, Wisconsin
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Students’ Mycology Symposium |
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Virtual conferences got you down? There can be some real FOMO when sessions are co-occurring and you can’t make it to all the talks you’d like to see! MSA’s Student and Post-Doc Section started a Students’ Mycology Symposium in January 2021, highlighting students since then! Are you interested in sharing your work? Send us an email or fill out the form and we’ll get you in a designated time slot. What about previous talks? View them here.
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International Workshop Series: How Does Sharing Genetic Sequence Data Impact Biodiversity Science and Conservation? |
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With support from the National Science Foundation, the American Institute of Biological Sciences and the USA Nagoya Protocol Action Group are organizing an online workshop series to explore how the international scientific community can study biodiversity in the changing landscape of international policy. Registration is now open for the session on “Applied Ecology and Infectious Disease” scheduled for October 27, 2021. This session will be co-hosted by the American Society of Mammalogists, the Natural Science Collections Alliance, and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. Stay tuned for information about additional sessions in this series.
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Summary of the 2021 MASMC Survey Results |
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Submitted by: Dan Meyers
The 2021 Mid-Atlantic States Mycology Conference sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Biology Department and the North Carolina Botanical Garden was an incredible success, including 85 participants with 16 oral and 4 poster presentations. This represents an increase over the level of participation seen in recent MASMC meetings which ranged from 26 to 57 in the three 2017 – 2019 Meetings. The greater number of participants in 2021 was likely due to the virtual format.
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Announcing the 2022 Mid-Atlantic States Mycology Conference
April 22-24, 2022
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The annual Mid-Atlantic States Mycology Conference is scheduled for April 22-24, 2022! It will be a hybrid meeting, held in person in Clemson, South Carolina with people able to attend online as well. The meeting will be on the Clemson University campus and accommodations and festivities will be held nearby at the Outdoor Lab. Look for more details closer to the meeting, including announcements regarding if the meeting will be hybrid or online only. Contact Julia Kerrigan jkerrig@clemson.edu for more information.
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In addition to being a place to post and view jobs available in the industry, the MSA website now hosts a place to advertise (and seek out!) opportunities to volunteer in a mycological manner. Keep an eye on the new page for opportunities near you!
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Remember to enable emails from msafungi@reesgroupinc.com for continued MSA updates.
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It's time to renew your membership for 2022! Access your MSA membership profile here!
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Digital issues of Mycologia are now accessed on the MSA website, not at Taylor and Francis. You will need your log in information. See web page for troubleshooting steps.
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Thank you to all who have donated to MSA funds since our last publication of Inoculum!
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MSA continues to be immensely appreciative of all of the generous donors that allow the Society to continue to fund research and travel through various endowment funds. If you're interested in supporting any of these funds, there are multiple ways you can donate!
- Use MSA's secure donation portal (you will be redirected to Wild Apricot, the payment processing platform for MSA)
- Donate while renewing your membership for 2022
- Call the MSA Membership Coordinator with your donation information at (608) 441-1060 ext. 162
- Mail a check, paid to the order of The Mycological Society of America to:
The Mycological Society of America
2424 American Lane
Madison, WI 53704
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We Want to See Your Fungal Photos! |
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Your fungal photo could be featured as the header for the next issue of Inoculum!
MSA is calling for your photos! Chosen photos will appear in future issues of Inoculum. Submit your photos along with your name and any text you'd like to accompany the image (optional) using the button below!
Pseudombrophila guldeniae cf (Brown/black apothecia) and Byssonectria terrestris (orange apothecia) are two common "snow-melt" fungi in the front range of the Rocky Mountains. These were spotted in early June 2021 in the parking lot of a trailhead in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. It was submitted by Alisha Quandt
Thank you for submitting your photo, Alisha!
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The Mycological Society of America | (608) 441-1060 | 2424 American Ln. Madison, WI, 53704 | MSAfungi.org
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