The first moss genome was published online in Science Express December 13th, 2007, in advance of its print publication in Science January 4th, 2008, providing insights into traits involved in the movement of plants onto land. University and Jepson Herbaria Director Brent Mishler co-authored the paper.
Links:
The Science abstract is at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/319/5859/64
The UC press release is at: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2007/12/13_physco.shtml
The Moss Genome Project home page is: http://www.mossgenome.org/

Bruce Baldwin

At the 2007 national meetings in Chicago, the Botanical Society of America presented its prestigious Merit Award to Bruce Baldwin, Curator of the Jepson Herbarium and Professor of Integrative Biology.

“Dr. Bruce Baldwin is recognized for his contributions in plant systematics. Beginning in graduate school, Dr. Baldwin studied one of the icons of island biogeography, the Hawaiian Silversword Alliance. His dissertation work using chloroplast DNA was one of the pioneers on island plant groups and confirmed that this morphologically diverse group represented a single colonization event from ancestors in North America. Baldwin reconfirmed these results using nuclear genes, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. His development of ITS for plant phylogenetic study is perhaps his most widely recognized contribution. Less well-known outside of California is that Dr. Baldwin has made major contributions to plant floristics, through his efforts editing the Jepson Desert Manual and the 2nd edition of the Jepson Manual of California plants. For his many contributions to the systematics of Asteraceae, Hawaiian plant biogeography and evolution, and advances in molecular systematics, the BSA is pleased to recognize Dr. Bruce Baldwin with its highest award.”

The August 2007 newsletter of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists announced that its membership has selected Dr. Baldwin as the society’s President-elect for the coming year.

The ASPT has also selected Abby Moore as recepient of a Graduate Student Research Award for her population genetic study of the genus Grindelia (Compositae).

Anna Larsen

In July 2007, Anna Larsen joined the staff of the Jepson Herbarium as Coordinator of Public Programs. Anna will have many responsibilities but the biggest component of her new position will be to develop and implement the 2008 workshop season. The full schedule will be available this fall and from the classes that she has planned so far, I can see that 2008 will be an exciting workshop season!

Many of you may have met Anna when she served as Interim Coordinator in 2005. When I asked her what she enjoyed most about that position she said “I love the people, the places we go, the plants we get to see and I love the sense of community.” When the position of full-time coordinator became available this summer, Anna was eager to apply.

Anna attributes her interest in science to her early introduction to the natural world – she grew up in rural Vermont about a mile from the Canadian border and she spent a lot of time in the woods behind her house catching monarch butterflies and climbing trees. Anna developed a strong interest in Botany as an undergraduate at Skidmore College when she took a non-majors course ‘Biology of the Green World’. This course opened her eyes to how closely the lives of people and plants are intertwined and led Anna to the popular literature on medicinal plants. Her interests continued to develop and eventually she came to UC Berkeley where she has pursued (and almost completed!) her Ph.D. studying the prehistorical co-movement of plants and people in Oceania.

During her dissertation studies, Anna traveled to the Society Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Indonesia, and Hawaii. She also lived in Australia for a year as an undergraduate. Through all of these travels, Anna has gathered many interesting stories to share around the campfire!

Anna has also been very active in the field of science education. She has taught various courses for UC Berkeley undergraduates including General Biology, Medical Ethnobotany, and the Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands. She co-taught a natural history course for middle and high school biology students at Richmond High School and Adams Middle School. Most recently, she was an instructor for Project POSIT’s Summer Institute, a professional development partnership between the Oakland Unified School District and partner organizations, including the Berkeley Natural History Museums.

Each coordinator brings their own expertise to the position and we encourage each one to pursue their own professional interests. When I asked Anna how she would like to see Jepson’s education program develop, she said “I would love to see the program expand to include more opportunities for kids (or their science teachers) to get involved in nature and natural history. By the time they reach middle school, students are primed to understand how science works and they still have the energy and enthusiasm for getting involved. That’s the age when you can catch their interest. Kids really come alive when they get the chance to get out of the classroom and get into nature.”

Welcome Anna, we all look forward to working with you as you continue the excellent tradition of the Jepson workshop program and expand the opportunities for a new audience!

Learn more about Anna’s work by visiting the Contra Costa Times website and viewing a presentation that recently featured the GK12 Exploring California Biodiversity Project. The presentation is of a field trip to the intertidal zone, including high school students, classroom teachers, and graduate student researchers. View the online Flash Slideshow.

—Staci Markos

Mount Diablo buckwheat (Eriogonum truncatum)

Meet the Mount Diablo Buckwheat (Wednesday, May 16, 7 pm) and
First Annual Find the Mount Diablo Buckwheat Day (Saturday, May 19)

The Mount Diablo buckwheat (Eriogonum truncatum) had not been observed since 1936, and was considered possibly extinct until recently. A single population of the East Bay and Solano County endemic Mount Diablo buckwheat was found in 2005 by Mike Park, a graduate student at the UC and Jepson Herbaria. The Mount Diablo working Group has organized a Mount Diablo Buckwheat identification workshop to help botanists search for new populations. The world buckwheat expert, Dr. Jim Reveal, will demonstrate diagnostic morphological characters and identification tips. In addition, you can meet the buckwheat! Mount Diablo buckwheat individuals, in cultivation at the UC Botanical Garden, will be available for up close examination.

The workshop is an excellent way to prepare for the First Annual Find the Buckwheat Day. This event is co-sponsored by East Bay CNPS and the Working Group, and will be a coordinated survey for the buckwheat in historic locations and likely habitat in eastern Contra Costa County. Teams of botanists will survey and document their searches. Each team will be given maps and background data. Botanists of all backgrounds are needed to ensure thorough searches and documentation. Some teams will be searching in areas otherwise not open to the public. Find the Buckwheat day is a great opportunity to botanize new natural areas in the East Bay!

Two brochures are available from Mount Diablo Working Group. One is an identification guide for buckwheats in eastern Contra Costa County; the other is a pamphlet about the Mount Diablo buckwheat.

Please RSVP Holly Forbes, if you are interested in attending the Meet the Mount Diablo Buckwheat Workshop, or contact her if you have any questions (hforbes@berkeley.edu).

Please RSVP Susan Bainbridge, if you are interested in attending the Find the Mount Diablo Buckwheat Day, or contact her if you have any questions (sjbainbridge@berkeley.edu).

Mike Park, a graduate student in the Jepson Herbarium, has rediscovered a population of Eriogonum truncatum on Mount Diablo. Read about it in an article by Robert Sanders

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