Recipients of Student Convention Grants
Gesneriad Society established the Student Convention Grants in 2011. They are awarded to students interested in or actively studying the plant family Gesneriaceae. The grants provide registration, accommodation costs and/or some expenses for students to attend the annual international Convention. Guidelines for submitting an application for a Student Convention Grant can be found here. The Gesneriad Society is proud to have enabled these students to attend the annual convention and give convention registrants a look at their research. Recent recipients of these grants have been:
2022
At the convention in Tacoma, WA, the first two recipients presented in-person and the remaining students presented pre-recorded programs:
Lindsay Lee (Lawrenceville School, NJ): Presented “A preliminary phylogeny of Gasteranthus: a genus in need of an updated classification
Jane Atkinson (Lawrenceville School, NJ): Presented “Elucidating the history of corolla shapes in Gasteranthus”: more tales of convergent evolution
Prasanna N.S. (India): Presented “A View into Tropical Plant Diversity through Herbs in the Understory: A Tale of Indian Gesneriaceae
Roland Putra Pribadi (Indonesia): Presented “Diversity and Benefits of Gesneriaceae in Central Sulawesi
Zulfadli (Indonesia): Presented “Diversity of Aeschynanthus”
Yang Zi-Meng (China): Presented “Report on the Distribution of Gesneriaceae Plants in Karst Caves in China
Rui-Feng Li (China): Presented “Plant Resources, Applications and Plant Selections of Perennial Ground Flora of the Family Gesneriaceae for Woodland Landscapes in China
Deng Xinxin (China): Presented “Specialized Rock Garden Landscape Planning and Design”
Chen Diya (China): Presented “Design, Construction and Implementation of Chinese Gesneriaceae Germplasm Resources
2021
Due to the Covid pandemic, all presentations were presented at the Virtual Convention:
Roland Ahmad (Indonesia): Presented “Gesneriaceae in Central Sulawesi”
Talita Bellonzi (Brazil): Presented “Palynotaxonomy of the Paradrymonia Alliance clade and Relations within the paraphyletic Nautilocalyx”
Alan Pereira De Sousa (Brazil): Presented “Initial Development and Morphological Patterns in hybrids of Sinningia speciosa”
Zhenlong Li (China): Presented “Ecology and Protecting Gesneriaceae”
Cintia Souza (Brazil): Presented “Morphological Variations and Taxonomic Importance of Pollen Grains in Species of Gesneriaceae”
2019
The first three grant recipients were high school biology students at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey who participated in the 2019 research expedition to Ecuador, directed by their teacher, Dr. John L. Clark (Aldo Leopold Distinguished Teaching Chair, The Lawrenceville School).
Samika Hariharan: presented a Videoblog: “The 2019 Lawrenceville in Ecuador Program” (co-authored by Ashley Lee)
Simon Cull: Presented a slideshow: “Biodiversity of the Cordillera del Cóndor”
Nikita Coppisetti: Presented a slideshow: “A new species of Diastema from Eastern Peru”
Wenjing Xu: (from Anhui University, China) presented a slideshow: “The Rare Elves of Southeast China” – Section Heteroboea (Didymocarpus)
2018
The first three of this year’s grant recipients are high school biology students at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey who participated in the 2018 research expeditions to Ecuador, directed by their teacher, Dr. John L. Clark (Aldo Leopold Distinguished Teaching Chair, The Lawrenceville School).
Sid Sharma: Presented a videoblog: “The 2018 Lawrenceville in Ecuador Program”
Brandon Li: Presented a slideshow: “Biodiversity of the Cordillera del Condor”
Emily Guo: Presented a slideshow: “Laboratory and Field Based Approaches for Studying Plant Diversity”
Martin Shaw: PhD candidate at Beijing Foresty University, presented a slideshow: “How to Fall in Love with Gesneriads in 10 Days” about his research in engaging the Chinese public on the urgency of protecting China’s gesneriad populations.
2017
All of this year’s grant recipients are high school biology students at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey who participated in the 2017 research expeditions to Ecuador or Cuba directed by their teacher, Dr. John L. Clark.
Jonny Yue: Presented a PowerPoint “Biodiversity Research in Ecuador”
Alex Small: Presented a video blog “The Lawrenceville in Ecuador Program” (co-authored with student Vinh “Christian” Luu who was unable to travel to convention from his home in Vietnam)
Annika Goldman: Presented a video blog “The Lawrenceville in Cuba Program”
Hiroki Nagao:Presented a poster “Geographic Distribution of Plants of the Gesneriaceae Family in Cuba”
2016
Hong Xin: Ph.D. program (now completed), Anhui Normal University, College of Life Science, China. Presentation: The spatial distribution of favorable habitats for Primulina under climate change and predictions for the future.
Megan Kucker and Claire Garcia: Megan was a junior and Claire a sophomore at Lawrenceville School, New Jersey, USA, at the time of the convention. Presentation: Cerro Candelaria Reserve: a research expedition (led by Dr. John L. Clark) to a recently established reserve along the Ecuadorian Andes.
2015
Laura Clavijo: Ph.D. program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Jason Martin: Masters of Science program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
François Lambert: Masters of Biological Science degree program, Institut de recherché en biologie végétale, Université de Montréal, Québec
Melissa Anne Johnson: Ph.D. Candidate in Botany, Claremont Graduate University, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, California
Hong Xin: Ph.D. program, Anhui Normal University, College of Life Science, China
2014
Laura Clavijo: Ph.D. program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Jon Grammer: Biology Major, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
François Lambert: Masters of Biological Science degree program, Institut de recherché en biologie végétale, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada
Reece Watson: Masters of Science program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Hong Xin: Ph.D. program, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, China
2013
Hermine Alexandre: Ph.D. candidate, Institut de recherché en biologie végétale, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada
Jeremy Keene: Ph.D. student, Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens
François Lambert: Institut de recherché en biologie végétale, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada
Jason Martin: Masters of Science program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Reece Watson: Masters of Science program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Laura Clavijo: Ph.D. student, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
2012
Laura Clavijo: Ph.D. student, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Cassandra Coleman: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Jeremy Keene: Ph.D. student, Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens
2011
Laura Frost: University of Alabama (undergraduate), Tuscaloosa
Jeremy Keene: Ph.D. student, Plant Systematics, Ohio University, Athens
Lacie Schulte: Research Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Idaho
