For Immediate Release

Contact:
Brian Hyps bhyps@aspb.org / 301.251.0560 ext 114 / 240.354.5160 (c)
Katie Engen katie@aspb.org / 301.251.0560 ext 116

University of Michigan's Nicola Harrison-Lowe Wins 2007 ASPB-Pioneer Award from American Society of Plant Biologists
Rockville, MD. (August 28, 2007) - The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is pleased to announce recipients of its 2007 ASPB-Pioneer Hi-Bred International Graduate Student Prize. This award was presented at the society's annual meeting that was held jointly with the Botanical Society of America as well as the American Fern Society and the American Society of Plant Taxonomists July 7-11, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois.
This award, made possible by the generosity of Pioneer Hi-Bred International (http://www.pioneer.com), recognizes and encourages innovative graduate research and innovation in areas of plant biology that relate to important commodity crops. Three $5,000 prizes will be given annually from 2006 through 2009, with an additional $1,000 awarded for prize recipients attending the ASPB annual meeting in the year of their award. Each nominee must attend a U.S.-accredited college or university and must demonstrate interest in the study of plant biology or a related discipline. Each nominee must be a Ph.D. candidate-i.e., have successfully passed their preliminary examinations, must demonstrate an excellent academic record, and must be a member of ASPB. An individual may receive this prize only once. The 2007 winner is Nicola Harrison-Lowe, a graduate student at the University of Michigan in the laboratory of Laura Olsen. Nicola graduated with honors from Eastern Michigan University with a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology. A full description of the winner's work along with a photo can be found at www.aspb.org.

Founded in 1924, ASPB (formerly known as the American Society of Plant Physiologists), is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. This professional society has a membership of approximately 5,000 plant scientists from the United States and more than 50 other nations. ASPB publishes two of the most widely cited plant science journals in the world, Plant Cell and Plant Physiology.