Joan Edwards, the Samuel Fessenden Clarke Professor of Biology, has won the Botanical Society of America’s (BSA) Charles Edwin Bessey Teaching Award for 2024. According to the BSA, the prize recognizes “an individual whose work has impacted botanical education at a regional, national and/or international level.”
As the BSA states in their award announcement, for five decades Edwards has nurtured future botanists and environmental stewards through her research and teaching, which includes courses such as Field Botany and Conservation Biology. Passionate about students’ intellectual growth, she also has created undergraduate opportunities for interdisciplinary exploration and hands-on research experiences. Beyond the classroom, Edwards engages with the broader community to foster conservation efforts and a deeper appreciation for the natural world.
For example, during a summer trip to Isle Royale, Mich., to collect botanical data, one of Edwards’ honors students noticed a patch of Bunchberry Dogwood flowers blooming on the forest floor. Examining the flower under a microscope, Edwards and her student discovered that the buds of the bunchberry burst open and fire their pollen into the air three times faster than the time it takes for a bullet to leave a rifle barrel. The results of their findings were published in Nature and earned the flower a place in The Guinness Book of World Records. She and her student were interviewed on National Public Radio, and the flower opened up a whole new research avenue for Edwards.
One of the BSA prize nominators notes, “Very few faculty members at any higher education institution have the stamina to remain in their position this long, and even fewer do so while not only maintaining their teaching and research standards, but continuing to pioneer and adjust to changes in technology, student needs, and pedagogical understanding in the way that Dr. Edwards has.”
A BSA announcement about the award states that Edwards has cultivated a collaborative environment where students are empowered to make meaningful contributions to the field. One of her former students says that Edward’s ability “to convey the excitement and wonder of biological phenomena and then make the underlying concepts (whether physical, molecular, developmental, ecological, or evolutionary) seem simple and accessible to all of her students is the core of her approach to teaching.”
The announcement also notes, “Dr. Joan Edwards epitomizes the essence of excellence in botanical teaching, embodying a profound passion for plants and a steadfast dedication to inspiring future generations of botanical enthusiasts.”
Read the full announcement from the Botanical Society of America.
Published July 16, 2024