​THE AUSTRALASIAN MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY
PRIZES AND AWARDS
• Daniel McAlpine Medal
• Dr Jack Warcup Memorial Prize
DANIEL McALPINE MEDAL
The Daniel McAlpine Medal is sponsored by the International Mycological Association (IMA) and is awarded to outstanding young mycologists from the Australasian region (within 10 years of receiving their PhD). Awards consist of a certificate and free registration to the IMC12 meeting, 11-15 August 2024 in Maastricht, The Netherlands. Presentation of the awards will take place at the awards ceremony at the IMC meeting.
Nominations are now open for the Daniel McAlpine Medal 2024
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Due to the postponement of IMC12 to 2024, two awards will be given in 2024:
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Candidates who obtained their PhD degree from 2012 to 2021
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Candidates who obtained their PhD degree from 2014 to 2023
For more information see the the Daniel McAlpine Medal 2024 Flyer
​Deadline for sending the documents: extended to 31 January 2024
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Past Awardees
2018
Dr Jonathan Plett
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
Western Sydney University, NSW
Jonathan was awarded the McAlpine Medal at IMC11 due to his promotion of mycology through the innovation of his research program, the national and international impact of his publications, and due to his service to the discipline through his commitment to sustained communication with a broad audience.
Jonathan has spent much of his research career listening in on the ‘conversations’ that pass between symbiotic fungi and their plant hosts. He has leveraged multi-omic and functional studies into the biology of mycorrhizal fungi to better our understanding of the mechanistic pathways used to foster symbiosis with plant roots – interactions that are ubiquitous in both natural and managed ecosystems world-wide. In a continuing effort to expand our knowledge of Australasian fungal biology, Jonathan has partnered extensively with the Joint Genomes Institute on several fungal genetics projects. These include broader genomic studies of mycorrhizal fungi and studies on the evolution of sequestrate fungi through to more pointed studies of pathogenic and ectomycorrhizal fungi.
Jonathan is also a passionate advocate of communicating the study of mycology to both the scientific community and to the greater public. Jonathan is a nationally and internationally invited seminar and conference speaker and he has written numerous reviews and book chapters on fungal biology. Further, he shares his love of mycology with the general public through outreach programs aimed at school-aged children, communication with the media and through involvement in popular science talks and science festivals.
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2014
Dr Sandra E. Abell-Davis
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College of Marine & Environmental Sciences, Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Studies, James Cookk University, Queensland
Jonathan is passionate about working in the field, communicating science and growing fungi
2011
Dr Ceri Pearce
Senior Plant Health Scientist, Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation.
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DR JACK WARCUP MEMORIAL PRIZE
The Australasian Mycological Society established the Dr Jack Warcup Memorial Prize to honour its first patron and to encourage students to present their work at the Society's conferences. The prize of $250 is awarded for the best talk presented by a student.
Recent Awardees:
2022
Prize for best talk awarded at the AMS Symposium, 25 November 2022
Eloise Martin, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland
Stagonospora tauntonensis: a newly discovered species and potential biological control agent for weedy Sporobolus grasses
E. Martin, E Aitken, J Vitelli & T Steinrucken
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Inaugural Student Travel Awards for attendance at the AMS Symposium, 25 November 2022
Aindreeya Alcova, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne
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Eloise Martin, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland
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​Weixia Wang, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne
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2018 (Prize for best talk awarded at the AMS Scientific Meeting, Brisbane, 4-5 July)
Aidan Kane, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney
The effect of fluconazole and isoprenoid inhibitors on yeast pathogens
A. Kane, D. Hibbs, J. Hanrahan & D.A. Carter
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2018 (Prize for best poster awarded at the AMS Scientific Meeting, Brisbane, 4-5 July)
Hellem Carneiro, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
The Agrochemical Benomyl Decreases the Susceptibility of Cryptococcus gattii to Fluconazole
HSC Carneiro, DA Santos & DA Carter
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2016 (Prize for best talk awarded at the AMS Scientific Meeting, Queenstown, NZ, 3-5 May)
Kenya Fernandes, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney
Associations between capsule production, cell size, and clinical outcome in Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptooccus gattii clinical isolates
K. Fernandes, A. Brockway, L. Campbell, J. Perfect & D.A. Carter
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2016 (Price for best poster awarded at the AMS Scientific Meeting, Queenstown, NZ, 3-5 May)
Hyun Lee, School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
Phylogenetic diversity of Polyporus sensu lato (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) in Korea
H. Lee, C.M. Kim, Y.W. Lim
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2015 (Prize for best talk; Awarded at the AMS Scientific Meeting, Canberra, 14-15 July)
Tracey V Steinrucken, University of Western Sydney / CSIRO Health and Biosecurity Flagship, Dutton Park
Endophytic pathogens, water stress and dieback in an invasive tree
TV Steinrucken, JR Powell, RD van Klinken, A Bissett, AKH Raghavendra
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2015 (Prize for best talk; Awarded at the AMS Scientific Meeting, Canberra, 14-15 July)
Cecilia Li, Fungal Pathogenesis Group, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research
Role of the inositol polyphosphate kinase Ipk1 in the pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans
C. Li, S. Lev, A. Saiardi, D. Desmarini, T. Sorrell, J. Djordjevic
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2014 (Prize for best talk; Awarded at the AMS Scientific Meeting, Brisbane, 21-24 April)
Sue Thompson, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Toowoomba, Qld.
When dead is alive - a complex of Diaporthe species identified from broad-acre crop and weed residues.
SM Thompson, SN Neate, YP Tan, RG Shivas, EAB Aitken
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2014 (Prize for best poster; Awarded at the AMS Scientific Meeting, Brisbane, 22-23 April)
Andrew J. Kettle, University of Queensland / CSIRO Plant Industry, St. Lucia.
Degradation of the phytoalexin benzoxazolinones is important for virulence in pathogenic Fusarium infecting wheat
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2013 (Prize for best talk; Awarded at the AMS Scientific Meeting, Adelaide, 12-12 July)
Christine Dwyer, School of Molecular Bioscience, University of Sydney.
Virulence-related phenotypic traits of Cryptococcus gattii genotypes.
C. Dwyer, L. Campbell, D. Carter
2012 (Prize for best talk; Awarded at the AMS Scientific Meeting, Cairns, 26-28 September)
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Mel Greenfield, University of Queensland
Biocontrol Potential of Endophytic Beauveria bassiana against Weevil Borers in Cavendish Bananas.
Greenfield, M.J., I. Newton, N. Dillon, D. Astridge and S.E. Abell-Davis. 2012.
2012 (Prize for best talk; Awarded at the AMS Scientific Meeting, Cairns, 26-28 September)
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Shilpa Patel, Center for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney.
Isolation and Identification of Scedosporium spp. in Cystic Fibrosis Patients.
S. Patel, W. Meyer, TC Sorrell, C. Halliday , K. McKay, D. Andresen , P. Middleton, P. Cooper & SC-A Chen