PhytoKeys author Dr. Tanisha M. Williams awarded the Linnean Society’s Bicentenary Medal

PhytoKeys extends warm congratulations to Dr. Tanisha M. Williams, Bucknell University Post-Doctoral Fellow in Botany, for being awarded the Linnean Society’s Bicentenary Medal. The medal comes in recognition of “excellent biological research and contribution to the wider natural history community”.

“I am deeply honored to have been recognized. It is also motivation to continue to accomplish great academic pursuits, as well as highlighting the many diverse voices within botany,” says Dr. Williams.

Among Dr. Williams’ various notable scientific contributions is a study describing a new species of bush tomato which she and her team recently published in our journal. The name chosen by the researchers, Solanum scalarium, highlights the need for safe access to the outdoors for the public, in particular for historically marginalized and minority communities.

As lead author of the study, Williams has commented: “This Latin name [...] is also a way for us to acknowledge how important it is to create ways for people to interact with nature; not just scientists like us, but everyone”.

This timely and hopeful sentiment has wide recognition, soliciting attention from media outlets, science communicators, and fellow botanists, ultimately showcasing the relationship between science and the socio-cultural sphere and underscoring the need for constant dialogue between them.

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Image caption: Dr. Tanisha M. Williams on the rim of the Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater during fieldwork in Western Australia in June 2022. Photo by Chris Martine.

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