Student Support & Awards

Australian Conservation Taxonomy Award

The Australian Conservation Taxonomy Award is designed to foster research by young scientists into important taxonomic problems that have significant implications for conservation in Australia. The Nature Conservancy, thanks to generous support from The Thomas Foundation, has created this $9,000 Award, which includes funding for a research project and costs associated with attending two Australasian Systematic Botany Society Conferences.

Applications for an Australian Conservation Taxonomy Award are welcomed from all current financial members of the Australasian Systematic Botany Society who are either enrolled as postgraduate research students or planning to enroll in a postgraduate research degree within twelve months of the closing date for applications. The project must contribute to Australian systematic botany (including cryptogams), must be carried out within Australia, and must have relevance to a conservation issue. The value of the grant awarded will be $6000 plus up to $3000 allocated to attendance at 2 ASBS conferences. Applications will be assessed on the quality of the applicant and the proposed project. The project should be clearly defined in scope and preferably result in a publication.

Find out more

Student assistance to attend ASBS conferences

Student assistance is available for most conferences of which the Australasian Systematic Botany Society is a sponsor. The amount available for student assistance is generally based on the early-bird student registration for the conference. Assistance will only be paid to student members of the Society who present either a talk or poster at the conference.

If you wish to apply for student assistance to attend an ASBS conference please download and complete an application form (Word document) and submit it to the Secretary at least 4 weeks prior to the conference.

Secretary
John Clarkson
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
PO Box 156
Mareeba
QUEENSLAND  4880

Ph: +61 (0)7 40484745
Fax: +61 (0)7 40922366

Email: asbs_secretary@anbg.gov.au / john.clarkson@qld.gov.au

ABRS National Taxonomy Research Student Travel Bursary Program

The Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) offers small grants to Honours, Masters and Ph.D. students in Australian institutions who wish to travel to national or international conferences relevant to both the student’s research program in taxonomy or systematics and ABRS Research Priorities. A maximum of $1,000 is available for an international conference and $500 for travel within Australia. Applicants must be enrolled at an Australian institution in post-graduate studies in taxonomy or systematics.

Evidence of registration at the Conference and evidence that a poster or oral paper presentation was submitted to the organisers of the conference must be provided to ABRS. This evidence can be provided upon submission of the application or must be provided to ABRS with submission of the final report, if it has not been provided at an earlier date.

Further information about the bursaries is available at:
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/funding-and-research/bursaries/index.html

Opportunities

Some options for students are also posted on our 'Jobs & Opportunities' website, check it out.

Pauline Ladiges Prize

The Pauline Ladiges Prize is awarded to the best oral presentation by a student at an ASBS conference. The prize is sponsored by CSIRO.

The Inaugural award was given in 2008.

The award is named in honour of Professor Pauline Yvonne Ladiges AO FAA in acknowledgement of her dedication to teaching, students and systematics. Pauline is a Professorial Fellow of the School of Botany at the University of Melbourne where from 5ffi€e 1992 to 2010 she was has been the Head of the School of Botany, The University of Melbourne. Professor Ladiges was appointed to a "Personal Chair" at the University of Melbourne in recognition of her scientific discoveries and leadership within the university.

She has published more than 120 scientific articles in refereed journals of international standing, published eight book chapters, edited four special volumes, co-authored two biology textbooks for secondary education, and co-edited and co-authored the first substantial Australian biology textbook used in tertiary institutions. These three books have won prizes for Best Australian Textbook and Awards for Excellence in Australian Publishing.

Her research is in the field of plant ecology (predominantly 1974-1982) and phylogenetic systematics and historical biogeography (1983- present). She studies the evolutionary relationships and history of the Australian flora, particularly in relation to the botanical differentiation of geographic areas during the geological history of the continent. Lately Professor Ladiges and her research group have been elucidating the phylogeny of large Australian plant genera, including the eucalypts and acacias using molecular (DNA) and morphological techniques.

Pauline has had a distinguished career which has been recognised by a number of awards which include:

• Awarded the Nancy T. Burbidge Medal by the Australasian Systematic Botany Society (2011)
• Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the General Division (2009)
• Elected Fellow Australian Academy of Science (2002)
• Awarded Royal Society of Victoria 2005 Research Medal (biological sciences, non-human)
• Awarded Australian Centenary Medal (2003)

The above is an extract from ASBS Newsletter 137: 4-5 (2008); 138: 21 (2009).

Recipients

Year	Recipient	Insitution	Conference	Title of Paper	Newsletter
2012	Lalita Simpson	Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University	Perth	Mind the gap: phylogeography and taxonomy of the Dendrobium speciosum complex (Orchidaceae)	ASBS Newsletter 153:3
2011	ASBS Conference was held as part of the IBC and no student prizes were offered
2010	Caroline Puente-Lelievre	Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University	Lincoln, NZ	Crossing the ditch? Historical biogeography of the trans-Tasman Styphelieae (Styphelioideae, Ericaceae)	ASBS Newsletter 144–5: 18
2009	Mark Wallace	University of Western Australia	Armidale	Using flow cytometry to investigate ploidy distribution: an example from the Lepidosperma costale (Cyperaceae) species complex	141
2008	Trevor Wilson	University of Sydney	Adelaide	Does traditional classification of Prostanthera dictate how pollination has evolved?	137

ASBS Poster Prize

The Poster Prize is awarded to the best poster presentation by a student at an ASBS conference.
The prize is sponsored by CSIRO.

Recipient

Year	Recipients	Insitution	Conference	Title of Paper	Newsletter
2012	Benjamin Anderson	University of Western Australia	Perth	A revision of Rhynchotechum (Gesneriaceae)	ASBS Newsletter 153:3
2011	ASBS Conference was held as part of the IBC and no student prizes were offered
2010	Austin Brown	National Herbarium of Victoria and The University of Adelaide	Lincoln, NZ	Morphological comparisons in Lachnagrostis across the ditch	ASBS Newsletter 144–5: 18
2009	Bort Edwards	University of Queensland	Armidale	Drawing a line in the sand: differentiation between Melaleuca argentea and M. fluviatilis, two ecologically similar members of the broadleaf paperbark complex	141

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