2020 Meeting Program
2020 MSA Meeting Program
2020 MSA Meeting Program & Highlights
Thank you to those who joined us for the first ever Mycological Society of America Virtual Meeting!
#MSAfungi20
The 2020 MSA virtual meeting included:
- Presidential address by President Anne Pringle
- Karling Lecture, “Fungal Mycelia as Complex Microfluidic Systems,” presented by Gregory Jedd, National University of Singapore
- Symposia
- Virtual poster and graphical abstract session
- Awards ceremony, business meeting, and reception
- Online auction
Schedule of Events
All times are U.S. Eastern Daylight Time
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
10:00 am – 12:00 (noon) – Pre-Meeting Workshop: Student Section Job Panel (Students and Post-grads)
12:00 (noon) – 1:00 pm – Lunch
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Student Section Board Meeting (Open to all members)
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
10:00 am – Welcome and introduction of Karling Lecturer
10:10 am – Karling Lecture (with virtual Question & Answer session)
11:10 am – Introduction of President by President-Elect
11:15 am – Presidential Address
12:15 pm – Lunch Break
12:45 pm – Business Meeting
1:15 pm – Symposia
3:15 pm – Coffee Break
3:30 pm – Virtual Poster Session (awards presented for best posters)
5:30 pm – Tea Break
6:00 pm – Awards Ceremony
6:30 pm – Social with BYOB Beverage, Auction
Pre-Meeting Workshop: Student Section Job Panel
(Students and Post-grads)
Early career scientists experience a lot of anxiety regarding the next stages of their careers. This includes applying for their next big position, which may be a graduate program, a postdoc, a faculty position, or a full-time non-academic position.
The MSA Student Section hosted a panel during the
Karling Lecture: Gregory Jedd, National University of Singapore
“Fungal Mycelia as Complex Microfluidic Systems“
From rapid invasive growth to fruiting body development, the fungal mycelium underlies core features of the fungal lifestyle. The lecture will focus on the mycelium as a microfluidic network allowing long-distance transport and bulk cytoplasmic migration. I will describe distinct taxa-specific flow-control mechanisms, and show how cytoplasmic flow can play a deterministic role in the specification of hyphal fate.
Presidential Address: MSA President Anne Pringle
“How to Count? Lichens, Buller, and Fungal Individuality”
The rich intellectual history of our thinking on fungal individuality reflects distinct literatures focused on different groups and species, for example, lichens and Neurospora. While lichenologists accept genetic mosaics may be common, Neurospora is a model for probing the molecular underpinnings of rejection of “other”. In my talk I will focus on simple questions with no simple answers: What is an organism? How shall we count individual fungi in nature? I will base my answers on a decade-long survey of lichens growing on the tombstones of a Petersham cemetery. My central thesis: lichens are organisms and should be counted as such.
Symposia
"Teaching Mycology Online: Lessons Learned"
See here for more symposium details.
Organizers:
The MSA Eduction Committee:
Emily Cantonwine, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA
Sara Gremillion, Georgia Southern University, Savannah, GA
Chance Noffsinger, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
Michelle Pearson, Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane, WA
Marc Cubeta, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Many of us were asked to transition our undergraduate and graduate courses to online instruction this spring and summer with little preparation or support, and it’s possible that we will be expected to do the same thing this fall. The Mycology Teaching Symposium will include best practices for online teaching, resources for online educators, and advice from mycologists currently overcoming the various challenges encountered when teaching online. We were happy to collaborate with and strengthen our mycological community to best serve our future students.
"Fungal Community Structure, Dynamics and Function in Decaying Wood"
See here for more symposium details.
Organizers:
Lynne Boddy, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
Michelle A. Jusino; University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA
Symposium Contributors:
Lynne Boddy; Cardiff University, Wales, UK
Michelle A. Jusino; University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA
Daniel L. Lindner; USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI, USA
Emma C. Gilmartin; Cardiff University, Wales, UK; Woodland Trust, UK
François Maillard; University of Minneapolis, MN, USA
Yu Fukasawa; University Tohoku, Sendai, Japan
Scheduled Talks (in order):
Fungal Community Structure and Change in the Heart-rot and Hollowing of Standing Angiosperm Trees
Fungi in Sapwood: Endophytes and Origins of Decay
Why Predicting Outcomes is So Difficult: Intra-specific Competition and Incremental Changes in Temperature Influence Fungal Community Composition and Functional Outcomes in Wood Decomposition
New Insights into the Drivers of Wood Decay Types Occurrence in North American Forests
Relationships in Decay: Ambrosia Beetles Host Phylogenetically Diverse Basidiomycete Fungi
Wood Decay Stage and Associated Fungal Community Characterize Diversity–Decomposition Relationship
Wood decomposition is usually brought about by a community of fungi which interact with each other, and with other organisms. The structure and activity of these communities change with time, and in response to the presence of other organisms and environmental conditions. Understanding fungal community structure and dynamics is essential for modeling and predicting ecosystem function in a globally changing environment. While solid progress has been made on describing wood decay communities in the 20th century, with modern technologies we are now able to achieve a deeper understanding, and the time is now ripe to review recent, exciting progress.
Virtual Posters and Graphical Abstracts can still be viewed!
Awards Ceremony
The Mycological Society of America recognizes excellence in research, teaching, and service among its membership by celebrating students, teachers, and researchers.
Thank you to all of our 2020 award applicants, and congratulations to this year’s awardees!
The winners of the MSA Distinctions and MSA Fellow awards were announced the day of the meeting.
The annual MSA auction was held online this year, and raised over $2000.00 for the Society! Thank you to all who donated items, and to all who bid!