Announcing the 2021 Mid-Atlantic States Mycology Conference

Announcing the 2021 Mid-Atlantic States Mycology Conference: April 17–18, 2021

MASMC is back! After a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19, this year the annual Mid-Atlantic States Mycology Conference will be held April 17-18, 2021. Due to continued pandemic concerns, MASMC 2021 will be held virtually.

MASMC 2021 is dedicated to Dr. William Chambers Coker, the first Professor of Botany at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) and eminent mycologist. This year MASMC is sponsored by the North Carolina Botanical Garden, the UNC-CH Herbarium (NCU), and the UNC-CH Biology Department.

The program on April 17^th will begin with a presentation on the History of Mycology at UNC-CH by Carol Ann McCormick, Curator of the Herbarium, and a virtual tour of the fungal collections which include over 1000 type specimens by Dan Meyers, UNC-CH senior and Mary McKee Felton Intern. The main part of the day will involve presentations and poster discussions. To cap the day, we are delighted that Dr. Amy Gladfelter, Biology Professor at UNC-CH, will give the evening keynote address. Her website is: https://gladfelterlab.web.unc.edu/.

Traditionally, MASMC would end with a morel foray on Sunday in honor of Dr. Larry F. Grand. Given that an in-person foray is not possible this year, we will do something special. On Sunday morning April 18^th, we encourage all participants to go out wherever they are located to seek morels and other fungi, then midday Sunday we will have a virtual “collection table” where we can see and review the exciting fungal finds of the morning.

Participation in MASMC 2021 is free; here is the link to register:

Instructions for oral presentations/posters and submitting abstracts will be sent to registrants. Abstracts and posters will be accepted until March 31^st. Oral presentations should be 15 minutes in length (12 minutes with 3 minutes for questions).

MASMC 2021 will be the 42^nd MASMC. MASMC began in 1979 with participating mycology labs from Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, Howard University, and Towson State University. Each spring, mycologists from the mid-Atlantic region have been provided with an opportunity to present their latest research findings, meet new colleagues, and develop/strengthen scientific collaborations. MASMC provides undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs a unique opportunity to present their mycological research findings in a less formal venue than at a national or international scientific meeting.

Any questions about MASMC 2021 can be directed to the MASMC 2021 Team (Van Cotter, Suzanne Cadwell, Dan Meyers, Corbin Bryan, Davis Upchurch) at masmycology2021@gmail.com.