COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Five faculty members of Ohio State University's Department of Plant Pathology are being recognized this week at the annual meeting of the American Phytopathological Society (APS) in Providence, R.I.
Guo-Liang Wang, professor of plant pathology, has been named a fellow of APS. Wang, who also is a researcher with the university's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), is internationally known for studying host resistance to fungal and bacterial pathogens, particularly in rice. His lab's goal is to develop rice resistant to such pathogens to reduce reliance on environmentally damaging pesticides.
As the society notes, Wang’s use of cutting-edge genomic technologies has not only revealed important pathways contributing to disease and resistance responses in plants, but it has also provided critical resources to the cereal research community. His previous recognitions include the DuPont Young Professor Award (2000); Outstanding Overseas Young Scientist Award of China (2001); Fu-Rong Scholar from Hunan Province, China (2003); OARDC Distinguished Junior Faculty Research Award (2005); Syngenta Award of APS (2006); and Research Award of Merit, Gamma Sigma Delta (2007). Wang is an editor for Plant Physiology, Rice, and the Journal of Plant Biology, and he is the co-organizer of the Rice Functional Genomics Workshop at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference.
In addition, APS is honoring Randall Rowe, professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Plant Pathology, with the Distinguished Service Award for his sustained, outstanding leadership to the society while also furthering the science of plant pathology. Rowe is just the sixth recipient of this award since its inception in 1984.
Rowe joined the Department of Plant Pathology in 1974, serving at OARDC's main campus in Wooster. His research focused on fungal root diseases of vegetable crops. His work is credited with helping the industry battle Fusarium crown and root rot of greenhouse-grown tomatoes, and his laboratory made major advances in understanding potato early dying disease. Rowe joined APS as a graduate student in 1968 and has served in numerous leadership positions, including president in 1992-93. His current role as treasurer ends this year, which marks his 17th year on the APS Council.
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Mike Boehm, former plant pathology department chair and currently an associated faculty member and the university's vice provost for Academic and Strategic Planning, is taking the reins as the new president of APS at the annual meeting.
- Steve Slack, associate vice president and associate dean of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and director of OARDC, is being named as the society's new treasurer during the meeting.
- Anne Dorrance, professor of plant pathology, is being recognized for receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the North Central Division of APS, the highest honor given by a division of the society. Dorrance organized the North Central meeting of the division in Wooster in June 2012.
"These professors are all outstanding members of our department and The Ohio State University," said Terry Niblack, chair of plant pathology. "We are so proud to be this well-represented in the international forum dedicated to the science of plant pathology that is APS."
The Department of Plant Pathology is housed in Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
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