Press Release
Fla. Museum plant scientists receive award for outstanding service
For Immediate Release Nov. 22, 2006
Contact:
Paul Ramey, APR
Assistant Director, Marketing and Public Relations
Florida Museum of Natural History
(352) 846-2000, ext. 218, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Lauren Williams
Photo Available
GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Florida Museum of Natural History scientists Doug and Pam Soltis and David Dilcher, and William Stern, University of Florida Botany Professor Emeritus, recently received centennial awards from the Botanical Society of America for their outstanding service to the plant sciences and the society.
The Soltises oversee the Florida Museum molecular genetics lab and are world leaders in plant genome research. Doug Soltis also currently is chair of the UF Department of Botany. Dilcher, a Florida Museum graduate research professor in the Division of Paleobotany and Palynology, is well-known for his research of the origin of flowers and the reproductive biology of the first flowering plants.
The Botanical Society of America encompasses all areas of plant biology, including development, physiology, reproductive biology, evolution, phycology, genetics, mycology, ecology, systematics, molecular biology and paleobotany. The BSA, founded in 1906, is one of the world's largest societies devoted to the study of plants and allied organisms. The awards were received during the society's annual meeting July 28- Aug. 3 in Chico, Calif.
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The Florida Museum of Natural History is Florida's state natural history museum, dedicated to understanding, preserving and interpreting biological diversity and cultural heritage. It is located near the intersection of Southwest 34th Street and Hull Road in the University of Florida Cultural Plaza in Gainesville. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Butterfly Rainforest admission is $8.50 for adults ($7.50 Fla. residents) and $4.50 for children ages 3-12. Prices subject to change. For more information, including directions and parking, call (352) 846-2000, or visit, www.flmnh.ufl.edu.