Africa-Press – Ethiopia. May 10/2021(ENA) The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has awarded Ethiopian Academy of Science (EAS) Founding Fellow Professor Sebsebe Demissew, the 2021 the José Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Department of Botany presents this medal to a botanist and scholar of international stature who has contributed significantly to advancing the field of tropical botany, according to a press release from EAS.
First awarded in 2001, the medal is meant to keep vibrant the accomplishments and memory of late José Cuatrecasas a colleague of the department known as an outstanding scientist.
In making this selection, the award committee recognized Prof. Sebsebe Demissew’s many accomplishments as a scientist, tropical botanist, and educator.
The award committee noted his lifelong work to document and conserve Ethiopian biodiversity with its rich endemism, including leadership of the Ethiopian Flora Project and the National Herbarium.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Department of Botany recognized Prof Sebsebe Demissew as being a role model for internationally-recognized excellence in the botany of tropical Africa.
The award ceremony will be held virtually on May 13–14, 2021 at the 18th Smithsonian Botanical Symposium, entitled “Plant symbiosis: The good, the bad, and the complicated.”
The symposium is being organized in collaboration with the United States Botanic Garden, and will focus on plant collaboration and competition.
Prof. Sebsebe Demissew is a senior fellow at Ethiopian Academy of Sciences.
He was the Executive Director, Gullele Botanic Garden, Professor of Plant Systematics and Biodiversity, and College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University.
