Tanisha Williams

Last updated
Tanisha Marie Williams
Born
Washington D.C.
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Pennsylvania State University, California State University, Los Angeles, University of Connecticut
Scientific career
InstitutionsBucknell University
University of Georgia
Thesis Predicting Pelargonium Responses to Climate Change in a Biodiversity Hotspot throughout South Africa  (2019)
Doctoral advisor Kent E. Holsinger, Carl D. Schlichting
Author abbrev. (botany) T.M.Williams
Website naturesplasticity.weebly.com

Tanisha Marie Williams is an American botanist and the founder of #BlackBotanistsWeek. Williams created the hashtag in 2020 as an initiative to promote Black botanists and to share their work and life experiences on social media. She was inspired after seeing similar initiatives for Black scientists in other fields. [1] Williams' doctoral work focused on predicting plant adaptability to climate change, specifically plants in the Pelargonium genus in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Williams was born and raised in Washington, D.C. She credits childhood hiking and camping trips, as well as the influence of her great-grandmother, Grace Alice Hawkins, for her early interest in nature and plants. [2] [3] Williams received a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University in Energy Business and Finance in the Energy and Mineral Engineering Department in 2007. [4] [5] She completed a master's degree at California State University at Los Angeles in 2012. Williams worked as a graduate student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut and received a PhD in 2019. [5]

Career

Academia

Male flowers of Solanum scalarium Solanum scalarium male flowers (cropped).jpg
Male flowers of Solanum scalarium

Williams' master's advisor inspired her to academically pursue botany. [6] At California State University at Los Angeles, Williams investigated gene flow and hybridization between three species of Populus in California and Nevada. [7] For her doctoral research, she studied plant adaptability to climate change, and the ability to predict plant adaptability to climate change, focusing on plants in the Pelargonium genus growing in the Cape Floristic Region in South Africa. [2] There, she spent two years as a Fulbright scholar and Alumni Ambassador. [8] She performed this research in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, where she was the recipient of a Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship as well as a UConn's Outstanding Multicultural Scholars Program (OMSP) fellowship. [4] Overall, she spent four years in South Africa. She worked at and operated a research garden at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, and conducted research at the University of Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. [3]

Williams' post-doctoral work has focused on multiple projects, including investigations into biogeographic barriers on species distribution, population genomics to determine the conservation status of plants, and how the relationship between the Martu people of Australia and the plants that they use affect the movement of plant material in the region of that the Martu live in. [7] [9]

In 2020, Williams spoke to the Washington Post about the effects of climate change on tree species and leaf colors. [10] She also appeared on NPR to explain how leaves change color, and opened the field of botany to anyone who loves plants. [11] In 2021, Williams was a David Burpee Postdoc Fellow in Botany at Bucknell University. [12] That year, Williams received the Peter Raven Award from the American Society of Plant Taxonomists for her efforts in scientific outreach. [8] [13] She was co-advisor on the plant-bee project at Bucknell, studying the relationship between the white alumroot ( Heuchera alba ) and the alumroot cellophane bee ( Colletes aestivalis ). [14]

In 2022, she studied plant population dynamics and genomics in northern Australia. [15] That year, Williams and botanist Chris Martine described Solanum scalarium , a new species of tomato plant from Australia. [16] It is known from one location in Judbarra/Gregory National Park. [17] Williams brought specimens back from Australia to Bucknell and successfully propagated seeds in a greenhouse. [18] She was the lead author of the publication describing the species. [19] Williams and Martine were awarded a grant by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to study "plant species of concern". [20]

In 2023, Williams was awarded the Bicentenary Medal of the Linnean Society, which acknowledged her "excellent biological research and contribution to the wider natural history community". [21] She was nominated by botanists Sandra Knapp and Chris Martine. [20] In August 2023, Williams was hired by the University of Georgia as an assistant professor and director of the University of Georgia Herbarium. [22]

Activism

Williams created #BlackBotanistsWeek, an initiative started in 2020 promoting Black botanists to share their work and life experiences on Twitter and Instagram after seeing similar initiatives for Black scientists in other fields. [1] She explained, "I participated in Black Birders Week and felt a sense of joy. It was nice seeing so many Black people enjoy nature, hiking, and birding. I wanted to bring that joy and representation to the botanical fields." [2] Williams recruited a group of co-founders and co-organizers including Beronda Montgomery and Nokwanda Makunga and as part of the first week, commemorated the late Lynika Strozier. [23] [24] On the first day of the event, the hashtag was used over 3,000 times. [25]

Williams and the other members of the #BlackBotanistsWeek committee plan on #BlackBotanistsWeek being an annual event, [26] and have already worked with the Holden Arboretum to put on a lecture series focusing on Black botanists; "Growing Black Roots: The Black Botanical Legacy". [27] In addition to promoting Black botanists to share through social media, the response to #BlackBotanistsWeek also led to new initiatives in other botanical societies - including a Zoom mixer for BIPOC botanists at the 2020 Botanical Society of America conference. [1]

Williams has spoken up about how Black scientists are perceived while conducting fieldwork, and explained her own precautions before going to work: "I’ve been quizzed by random strangers," she said. "Now I bring my wildflower books and botanical field guides, trying to look like a scientist. It’s for other people. I wouldn’t otherwise lug these books." [28]

Awards

Selected publications

The standard author abbreviation T.M.Williams is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name. [31]

Related Research Articles

The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature collections, and publishes academic journals and books on plant and animal biology. The society also awards a number of prestigious medals and prizes.

<i>Pelargonium</i> Genus of plants

Pelargonium is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs, commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. Geranium is also the botanical name and common name of a separate genus of related plants, also known as cranesbills. Both genera belong to the family Geraniaceae. Carl Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus, Geranium, and they were later separated into two genera by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1789.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holden Arboretum</span>

The Holden Arboretum, in Kirtland, Ohio, is one of the largest arboreta and botanical gardens in the United States, with more than 3,600 acres (1,500 ha), including 600 acres (240 ha) devoted to collections and gardens. Diverse natural areas and ecologically sensitive habitats make up the rest of the holdings. Holden's collections includes 9,400 different kinds of woody plants, representing 79 plant families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William T. Stearn</span> British botanist (1911–2001)

William Thomas Stearn was a British botanist. Born in Cambridge in 1911, he was largely self-educated and developed an early interest in books and natural history. His initial work experience was at a Cambridge bookshop, but he also had an occupation as an assistant in the university botany department. At the age of 29, he married Eldwyth Ruth Alford, who later became his collaborator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellaphie Ward-Hilhorst</span> South African botanical artist (1920–1994)

Johanna Ellaphie Ward-Hilhorst was a South African botanical artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Society of Plant Taxonomists</span> Botanical organization

The American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) is a botanical organization formed in 1935 to "foster, encourage, and promote education and research in the field of plant taxonomy, to include those areas and fields of study that contribute to and bear upon taxonomy and herbaria", according to its bylaws. It is incorporated in the state of Wyoming, and its office is at the University of Wyoming, Department of Botany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irene Manton</span> British botanist

Irene Manton, FRS FLS was a British botanist who was Professor of Botany at the University of Leeds. She was noted for study of ferns and algae.

Chris Humphries FLS was a British botanist known for his work on systematic botany and biogeography.

<i>Pelargonium <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> hortorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium × hortorum, commonly called zonal geranium, or garden geranium, is a nothospecies of Pelargonium most commonly used as an ornamental plant. It is a hybrid between Pelargonium zonale and Pelargonium inquinans. They are the group of Pelargonium cultivars, with leaves marked with a brown annular zone and inflorescence in the form of large balls of tight flowers, usually red, pink, or white. These are the most common geraniums of garden centers and florists, sold in pots for windowsills and balconies or planted in flowerbeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Blackmore</span> British botanist

Stephen Blackmore CBE FRSE Royal Society of Biology FLS is a British botanist, who was educated at St. George's School, Hong Kong and the University of Reading where he completed his PhD in 1976 on the "Palynology and Systematics of the Cichorieae". He was elected a fellow of the Linnean Society of London in 1976. He then worked at the Royal Society of London’s Research Station on Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean before being appointed Lecturer in Biology and Head of the National Herbarium and Botanic Garden at the University of Malawi. In 1980, he was appointed Head of Palynology at Natural History Museum in London and from 1990 to 1999 served there as Keeper of Botany. In 1985 he organized, together with Keith Ferguson, the Linnean Society symposium "Pollen and Spores: Form and Function" and in 1990, together with Susan Barnes, "Pollen and Spores: Patterns of Diversification". He was the 15th Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from 1999 until 20 December 2013, and was appointed His Majesty's Botanist in Scotland in 2010.

Richard Mark Bateman is a British botanist and paleobotanist. He was awarded the Bicentenary Medal of the Linnean Society in 1994. He was awarded a DSc from University of London in 2001 for his work on plant phylogenetics and evolution, palaeobotany and palaeoenvironments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Moore (botanist)</span> New Zealand botanist and ecologist (1906–1987)

Lucy Beatrice Moore was a New Zealand botanist and ecologist.

Alastair Culham is an English botanist. He is a member of the staff of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Reading and Curator of the University of Reading Herbarium (RNG). He specialises in plant taxonomy, biosystematics and applications of techniques from molecular biology, phytogeography and phylogenetics. He focuses on broad-based research in biodiversity and taxonomy.

Michael Francis Fay is a British geneticist and botanist currently serving as Senior Research Leader, Conservation Genetics, at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Beverley Jane Glover is a British biologist specialising in botany. Since July 2013, she has been Professor of Plant Systematics and Evolution in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge and director of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden.

Jan Salick is an American botanist who researches the interaction between humans and plants (ethnobotany) and conservation biology. Her specialisms include alpine environments, climate change, indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge. She is a past-president of the Society for Economic Botany and holds their Distinguished Economic Botanist award. She is also Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and received the Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration. In 2019 she retired as Senior Curator of Ethnobotany at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and now has emerita status.

Beronda Montgomery is a writer, science communicator, and researcher. In 2022, she moved to Grinnell College as professor of biology and vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. Prior to Grinnell, Montgomery served as Michigan State University Foundation Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics. She was also a member of the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory. Her research group investigates how photosynthetic organisms adapt to changes in their environment. Her scholarship extends beyond biology and into studying mentorship and faculty development to develop evidence-based strategies to foster equity and inclusion in academia. Together with Tanisha Williams and other members of the Black Botanists Week organizing committee, Montgomery co-founded and co-organizes Black Botanists Week.

Warren Lambert Wagner is an American botanist, a curator of botany, and a leading expert on Onagraceae and plants of the Pacific Islands, especially plants of the Hawaiian Islands.

Naomi Suzanne Fraga is an American botanist who is the Director of Conservation at the California Botanic Garden and research assistant professor of botany at Claremont Graduate University. She has focused her career on the conservation, monitoring and habitat restoration of rare plants across California. She was awarded the 2021 Center for Biological Diversity E.O. Wilson Award for Outstanding Science in Biodiversity Conservation. In 2023, Fraga received the Peter Raven Award from the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. This award is given annually to a plant systematist who has made exceptional efforts at outreach to non-scientists.

Shahina Agha Ghazanfar is a Pakistani botanist and author best known for her work on plants from the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan and East Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mallenbaum, Carly. "#BlackBirdersWeek, #BlackInNeuro: Black scientists, physicians are using hashtags to uplift". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Tanisha Williams: Botanist And Founder of Black Botanists Week". PBS Nature. 2021-02-11. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  3. 1 2 Zamore, Shaz; Wendler, Amber, eds. (1 October 2023). Been Outside: Adventures of Black Women, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming People in Nature. Mountaineers Books. ISBN   978-1-68051-593-0 . Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Placzek, Andrew (2019-08-09). "Bridge to the Doctorate STEM Program: Tanisha Marie Williams". University of Connecticut School of Engineering. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  5. 1 2 "Tanisha Williams". University of Connecticut Schlichting Laboratory. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  6. ↑ Du, Celia (29 July 2020). "Plant Lover & Founder of Black Botanists Week: Dr. Tanisha M. Williams". Science Rendezvous. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Dr. Tanisha Williams". Project Biodiversify. 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  8. 1 2 Allen, Maya; Lagomarsino, Laura P. (21 March 2022). "Tanisha M. Williams—Recipient of the 2021 Peter Raven Award". Systematic Botany. 47 (1): 4–5. doi:10.1600/036364422X16442668423338. S2CID   247779959.
  9. ↑ Rogers, Katie (26 January 2021). "Finding Strength in Diverse Scientific Communities". Taproot (Podcast). Season 5. Episode 1. American Society of Plant Taxonomists. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  10. ↑ Long, Kat (October 17, 2020). "Human-driven climate change is changing the colors of fall foliage, scientists say". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  11. ↑ "Micro Wave: Why Do Leaves Change Color During Fall?". NPR Short Wave. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  12. ↑ "Bucknell fellow honored for outreach efforts for Black botanists". The Daily Item. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Bucknell botanist wins award for outreach". The News-Item. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  14. ↑ Avril, Tom (12 July 2021). "A missing bee, a rare Pa. plant, and a Philly kid who helped tie it all together". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  15. ↑ Farrand, Matt (8 August 2022). "Black Botanists Week started by Bucknell professor". The Standard-Journal. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  16. ↑ Krize, Nikki (January 4, 2023). "New tomato species discovered by Bucknell University professors". WNEP. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  17. ↑ "Scientists highlight safe access to the outdoors with naming of new plant species". phys.org. December 21, 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  18. ↑ Hanson, Brit; Ramirez, Rebecca; Regina G., Barber (15 February 2023). "A newly identified type of tomato has been hiding in plain sight". NPR. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  19. ↑ Ferlazzo, Mike (3 January 2023). "Bucknell Researchers 'Step Up' to Find New Plant Species". Bucknell University. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  20. 1 2 "Bucknell fellow earns medal, state grant". The Daily Item. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  21. ↑ "PhytoKeys author Dr. Tanisha M. Williams awarded the Linnean Society's Bicentenary Medal". PhytoKeys. 10 April 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  22. ↑ Parry, Roy (21 August 2023). "Tour gives new faculty comprehensive look at state". UGA Today. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  23. ↑ "#BlackBotanistsWeek Meet Our Team" . Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  24. ↑ Glick, Molly (2021-02-21). "Inside 2020's Black Solidarity Hashtag Movement, How scientists and adventurers united online in the name of equity" . Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  25. ↑ Meadows, Amy. "Lighting a Spark". Diversity in Action. January/February 2021. p. 42. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  26. ↑ "Plant Lover & Founder of Black Botanists Week: Dr. Tanisha M. Williams". Science Rendezvous. 2020-07-29. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  27. 1 2 "Uncovering the Black Botanical Legacy" Holden Forests & Gardens". Holden Forests & Gardens. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
  28. ↑ "Black scientists call out racism in the field and counter it". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press . Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  29. ↑ Ferlazzo, Mike (July 20, 2021). "Bucknell's Williams Plans #BlackBotanistsWeek2021, Wins Peter Raven Award for Plant Science Outreach" . Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  30. ↑ "Linnean Society Announces 2023 Medal and Award Winners". The Linnean Society. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  31. ↑ International Plant Names Index.  T.M.Williams.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.