Museum botanist receives award for public outreach
Dr Sandy Knapp holding her award with Professor David Spooner
29 September 2009
Dr Sandy Knapp, a Merit Researcher in the Botany Department, has been recognised for her outstanding contributions to public education in systematic botany, receiving the American Society of Plant Taxonomists’ Peter Raven Award.
Professor David Spooner of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) presented Dr Knapp with her award at the American Society of Plant Taxonomists' banquet during the 2009 Botany and Mycology Conference.
The commendation was well-deserved, as Dr Knapp regularly involves herself in a range of public outreach activities - from public lectures to radio interviews. Among other things, she has recently helped develop the stunning exhibitions in the Museum’s new Darwin Centre.
‘This award means a lot to me,’ says Dr Knapp, ‘as Peter Raven [of the Missouri Botanical Garden] has been one of my most valued mentors throughout my career in botany, and also because to receive an award in 2009, the “Darwin year”, is pretty special.’
Solanum at the conference
The conference, held in Snowbird, Utah from 25-30 July, also included the closing project meeting for Planetary Biodiversity Inventory (PBI) Solanum, which Dr Knapp co-led.
Another of our botanists, Dr Maria Vorontsova, gave a presentation on ‘African spiny Solanum: a thorny taxonomic tangle’.
Colleagues encouraged to come along next year
Dr Knapp adds, ‘Before leaving the conference, I took a long hike to the top of the mountain - good for the soul! What great combination - science and scenery! Next year’s meetings are in Rhode Island, so I hope more Natural History Museum botanists can come and enjoy this unique and large gathering.’
Toolbox
A summary of the PBI Solanum session is available to download:
PBI Solanum session summary PDF (39.3 KB)