Honoring Dr. Robert H. Burris as a “Pioneer” of the American Society of Plant Biologists

Dr. Robert H. Burris’ pioneering work on biological nitrogen fixation earned him worldwide recognition. Among his many honors, Dr. Burris was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in 1961, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1975, and the American Philosophical Society in 1979. He was awarded the National Medal of Science, the highest honor the federal government accords scientists and engineers, from President Carter in 1980, and the Wolf Prize, sometimes referred to as the Nobel Prize for agriculture, in 1985. A Biographical Memoir written by Dr. Paul W. Ludden can be found at:  

http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/burris-robert.pdf 

We are proposing to honor Dr. Burris as a “Pioneer” of the American Society of Plant Biologists. In 2024, the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB), formerly the American Society of Plant Physiologists (ASPP), will celebrate its Centennial year. In anticipation of ASPB’s Centennial, the Society is launching the ASPB Centennial Challenge. As part of the Centennial Challenge, the ASPB will be recognizing a special group of plant scientists who helped make the ASPB what it is today.  These individuals have provided the education and research training for many members of our community and in some cases the leadership of ASPB and its journals. Dr. Burris Burris was President of ASPB in 1959-1960.

In recognition of Dr. Burris’s contributions, we propose to honor Dr. Burris as a “Pioneer” of ASPB.  To be eligible, former graduate students, postdocs, colleagues, family members, and friends who support a nomination will need to collectively contribute a minimum of $5,000 in support of a Pioneer recognition.  Disbursal of each of their donations will be as follows: 85% permanently restricted (meaning that ASPB will never spend this portion of the donation and will only use earnings on it to support the activities listed above), and 15% to cover overhead and administrative costs for ASPB’s fundraising efforts.   

If you are willing to be a part of this effort and are willing to honor Dr. Burris Burris as a Pioneer of ASPB, we need a combined donation of a minimum of $5,000.  If you are willing to contribute any amount, please complete this form online: https://aspb.org/pioneer-legacy-donation, where you will indicate your donation amount, provide your contact information, and agree to the 85/15% disbursal split mentioned above. This form is sent to Shoshana Kronfeld (shoshana@aspb.org), who will track incoming commitments and keep us informed of progress toward the $5,000 minimum. Once the minimum commitment is reached, Shoshana will start sending out instructions for payment of the donations. She will continue to do so for any commitments that come in later.  Again, until we reach the minimum of $5,000 in commitments, we will not request the funds be sent.   

Over the past century, ASPP/ASPB has become a leading national and international association supporting plant science research and education, and its membership has grown into the thousands.  The Society publishes three premier plant science journals: Plant Physiology, The Plant Cell, and Plant Direct, and it hosts the annual Plant Biology meeting that is attended by well over a thousand plant scientists from around the world.  In the United States, the ASPB is also an important source of scientific information for Congress, deploying Society members to advocate for Federal support of plant science research and education. 

We believe this is a great way to honor Dr. Burris and provide for the Society he so strongly supported throughout his career.   If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Dave Emerich (emerichd@missouri.edu).