Jason Edwards won the 2014-15 US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) scholarship

Jason Edwards, a Botany/PiE PhD candidate working with Bill Reiners (Botany) and Steve Prager (Geography) won the US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) scholarship.  USGIF scholarships are awarded to Graduating high school seniors, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students "interested in using capabilities of geospatial science, data and technologies to address human security challenges".  Winners are "chosen based on their academic and professional excellence in a field related to the geospatial intelligence tradecraft".

View of the Ethiopian Highlands where Jason is conducting his research

Jason was one of the 5 doctoral students who this award. His research is centered on the national security implications of the response in agricultural regions to changing climate and government policy in the Horn of Africa. The research involves remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and python programming. More information about this scholarship program and this year's winners can be found at: http://usgif.org/education/scholarships.

After long day in the field in Ethiopian Highlands, Jason is relaxing in the hut

Jason holds a B.S. in plant biology from the University of Texas at Austin. He served in the Air Force as an airborne Arabic linguist from 1998 to 2004.

UW Stable Isotope Facility receives NSF award to analyze soil samples

UW Stable Isotope Facility (SIF), received an NSF award to analyze soil samples collected from all across the country. Professor David Williams (Head, Department of Botany) is the faculty director of SIF commented that "we will be analyzing soil samples for carbon and nitrogen isotopes".  This award recognizes SIF as one of "the elite facilities for stable isotope analysis in the US", according to Craig Cook, who is the facility director.

SIF Facility Director Craig Cook (left) speaks with
Professor Dan Yakir from the Weizmann Institute
in Israel who visited UW recently

 For more information about this award please visit UW News

Link to Dr. Williams' Lab webpage: http://www.uwyo.edu/dgw/home.html

Dr. Alex Buerkle won the 2013-14 A&S Extraordinary Merit in Research Award

UW Botany Associate Professor Alex Buerkle won the 2013-14 A&S Extraordinary Merit in Research Award for leading a highly productive research program as illustrated by his many published articles in top international journals such as the The American Naturalist; Ecology Letters; Molecular Ecology; Evolution; and Genetics. 

He has received consistent NSF grant support over the last five years. Dr. Buerkle and his students contribute to the understanding of evolution within hybrid zones using genomic analyses and drawing on study systems spanning much of life’s diversity, including fish and butterflies to sunflowers and spruce and poplar trees. 

He has received numerous invitations from around the world to deliver keynote addresses and has served frequently on NSF program panels.

To learn more about Dr. Buerkle’s research and please visit his website.