US mycologists win prestigious awards in the Netherlands
On the 8th of May
1808 King Louis Napoleon (brother of
Napoleon Bonaparte) founded the Royal Institute of Science, Letters and Fine
Arts, the forerunner of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
(KNAW). To celebrate this bicentennial the Academy organized a series of
different events to take place throughout 2008. Each Academy institute was given
the opportunity to organize a special symposium.
The CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre organized a symposium “Fungi and Health” on the
13–14 November 2008 at the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam The aim of this symposium was to
highlight the important role that microbes play in the environment, touching
many aspects of our lives, from industry, to health and agriculture. The symposium consisted of six
sessions covering Fungi and Human Health, Food Safety, Living in Healthy
Environments, Culture Collections, DNA Barcoding and Biosecurity, Yeasts and
Health, and Fungi and Healthy Plants. A total of 150 participants from 18
different countries attended the symposium.
During the meeting, a framed copy
of a new species of fungi, Sporidesmium
knawiae, named after the KNAW, was presented to the President of the
Academy, Prof. dr. Robert Dijkgraaf. The description was officially
published and disseminated on the 13th of November 2008 (see
www.fungalplanet.org). The
meeting also provided the opportunity for
two special awards to be made.
Prof. dr. Robbert Dijkgraaf (President of the KNAW), accepting a framed copy of the fungus named after the Academy, Sporidesmium knawiae, which was published on the 13th of Nov. 2008 in the Fungal Planet (www.fungalplanet.org).
The
Johanna
Westerdijk Award is awarded on special occasions to an individual
who has made an outstanding contribution to the culture collection of the
CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre, marking a
distinguished career in mycology (www.cbs.knaw.nl/research/awards.aspx).
Nominees for the award are evaluated on the basis of quality, originality, and
quantity of their contributions to the collection, and on the basis of
associated mycological research in general. The first recipient of this award
was Dr. Emory G. Simmons.
Dr. Kurtzman (awarded the Josef Adolf von Arx Award) congratulating Dr. Simmons (awarded the Johanna Westerdijk Award), during the symposium “Fungi and Health” hosted at the Royal Dutch Academy for Arts and Sciences (13¬-14 Nov. 2008).
Dr. Simmons has had many prestigious appointments during his career at different
institutions, of which his term as head of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Culture
Collection of Fungi, was probably the most important in forming his career. Some
important honours bestowed upon Dr. Simmons include: D.Sc. (honoris causa), 1988, Kasetsart
University, Bangkok, Thailand; Honorary Life Member, Mycological Society of
America; Honorary Life Member, World Federation for Culture Collections;
Centennial Fellow, British Mycological Society, 1996; Honorary President,
International Mycological Association, 2002 (for life). Although retired for
several years, Dr. Simmons is still a Research Associate, at
Wabash College Crawfordsville Indiana. His recent book,
“Alternaria: An Identification
Manual”, published in 2007 in the CBS Biodiversity Series, is proof of his
continued activity. All the cultures used
in this book have been deposited in the CBS culture collection to be be
preserved for future generations.
It is with great pride and extreme joy, that the mycological staff at CBS
congratulate Dr. Emory Simmons with the first-ever
Johanna Westerdijk award.
The Josef Adolf von Arx Award for mycological research
was awarded to Dr. Cletus P. Kurtzman. This award is made on special
occasions to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to taxonomic
research of fungal biodiversity, marking a distinguished career in mycology.
Nominees for the award are evaluated on the basis of quality, originality, and
quantity of their contributions in the field of fungal taxonomy.
Dr. Kutzman has occupied several research positions in his career, the most
influential probably being his present position as Research Leader, Microbial
Genomics and Bioprocessing Research Unit (includes Head, ARS Culture Collection)
and Curator, Yeast Collection, National Center for Agricultural Utilization
Research, 1985-present. Some special honors bestowed upon Dr. Kutzman include:
Fellow of the AmericanAcademy
of Microbiology, J. Roger Porter Award, from the U.S. Federation for Culture
Collections, Medal of Merit, Ohio University Alumni Association, Fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, Presidential Rank Award
from the ARS USA. Dr. Kurtzman has published close to 250 research papers in his
career, with one of his major achievements being the role that he has played as
senior editor in the book “The Yeasts – A Taxonomic Study” of which a new
edition is pending. We are extremely proud to be able to honor Dr. Kurtzman with
the
Josef Adolf von Arx Award
, and recognize him as a true “trailblazer” in fungal taxonomic research.
P.W. Crous
CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre
“To Collect, Study, Preserve and Educate”