Dear MSA Members,
There were several errors in the previously published version of Inoculum in regards to the Spring election results. Those have been corrected in this version of the newsletter, and we extend our apologies for the misinformation!
Thank you,
Inoculum Editorial Team
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The Mycological Society of America |
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2023 MSA Election Results |
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The Mycological Society of America is pleased to announce and congratulate the following MSA members on election to their respective positions: |
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Vice President - David Geiser |
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Councilor, Ecology and Conservation - Adriana Corrales |
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Councilor, Systematics and Evolution -
Alija Mujic
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Councilor, Genetics and Cell Biology - Sara Branco |
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Councilor, Symbiosis and Pathology - Vinson Doyle |
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Don't forget to register for the Annual Meeting. The deadline to book a dorm room at Northern Arizona University (NAU), or to receive the discounted room rate at Little America Hotel and Convention Center is July 9, 2023.
For all information related to the meeting, including lodging, extra excursions, etc. check the meeting home page. Updates are made often.
*Note, the foray is sold out
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MSA would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Ri Corwin, the artist who designed the 2023 MSA Meeting Logo, seen above. |
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Dear MSA Members,
It has been an honor serving MSA as President over the past year; thank you for the opportunity to have served our Society in this capacity. The annual report of the President will contain a summary of activities we have been working on over the last year. In the meantime, I wanted to focus on two main topics for this article.
The Meeting
The MSA 2023 Annual Meeting in Flagstaff, Arizona is July 30 to August 2, 2023 – registration remains open. Registration, the schedule at a glance, program details, and related information is updated frequently on the meeting’s home page, so check back often.
I hope you have noticed the eye-catching Elevating Mycology 2023 meeting logo. A big thank you to the artist who created it, the very talented Ri Corwin (ri.corwin@nau.edu). Ri is a fungal ecology graduate student with the Gehring and Johnson labs at Northern Arizona University. You can get a copy of this wonderful artwork by ordering a MSA t-shirt when you register for the meeting.
The meeting schedule and format are similar to previous in-person MSA meetings, with scientific, professional, and social events. You can see the schedule at a glance (SAAG) on the meeting website (link above). As in previous meetings, we have the Karling Lecture, diverse symposium topics, numerous talks and posters on a wide variety of subjects, the Business Meeting, the Distinction and Student Award presentations, Mycologists and Musings, and the foray, among other events. This is the first year we will have SPORES (Society Prioritizes Our Recruitment of Every Scholar) attendees, an initiative to increase diversity through mentorship. This year the Diversity and Inclusion Committee is hosting the panel discussion ‘Mycology is Diverse’. The final session of the meeting will be a remembrance memorial in honor of Tom Volk, 2017-2018 MSA President and dear friend. The meeting will conclude with the annual fun fundraiser, the MSA Social and Auction (please donate as well as spend what you can!). Finally, if you have never been to the Grand Canyon, I highly recommend you visit, it is a bucket-list item. We’ve arranged for visits on Sunday or Thursday, via a separate tour company (details on the meeting registration page).
For those unable to attend the meeting in person, a virtual component is also available. This includes the streaming of key sessions scheduled in one dedicated venue. For the other two meeting rooms, presentations will be recorded and available after the meeting. This allows all content to be available virtually, while also keeping costs at a sustainable level. Registration for the virtual meeting is available via the meeting website (link above).
Words of gratitude that deserve repeating: The MSA Program Committee, along with The Reese Group (TRG) and various committees, are working hard to plan a safe and inclusive conference. Thank you to Jason Slot, Program Committee Chair, and the rest of the Program Committee for all their hard work. We are fortunate to have an excellent local group, with Don Natvig as the Local Arrangements person, as well as Kitty Gehring (Foray Coordinator), Bridget Barker, and Nancy Johnson of Northern Arizona University, all of whom have been providing their local wisdom. One of the highlights of the meeting is the awards; thank you to the Awards Coordinator, Allison Walker, for overseeing its many facets.
Mark your calendars – the upcoming meetings are posted on the MSA website. The 2024 MSA meeting will be June 9-13 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This is scheduled earlier than usual to accommodate those who wish to attend the International Mycological Congress (IMC12) in Maastricht, Netherlands, August 11-15, 2024. The 2025 MSA meeting will be June 28-July 2 in Madison, Wisconsin. Look for more information in the upcoming months.
Our Members
The heart of MSA is you, MSA thrives because of member involvement. Thank you for all you do for MSA, and mycology. I have been a member of MSA since 1993, and much of that commitment is due to the dedication, generosity, and kindness of its members.
If you would like to be involved with MSA, we want to hear from you! Below is a list of committee positions that will be open at the end of the 2023 Business Meeting on August 2. President-elect Cathie Aime is working to fill these positions, so if you are interested please reach out to her (maime@purdue.edu). We need Associate Editors for Mycologia; please contact the Managing Editor Chris Schardl (chris.schardl@uky.edu) if you wish to contribute in that capacity. Look out for an email message from MSA that will contain a form where you can submit your volunteer-related preferences. We are building a database of volunteers, which will be ongoing for future use. For the full list of committee rosters, members can find that under the About Us tab on the MSA website.
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Open Committee Positions
- Inoculum Editor
- Memorials Publication Committee Chair
- Education Committee
- Electronic Communication & Web Page Management Committee
- Distinctions Awards (open to past distinctions awardees)
- Honorary Awards (open to past presidents)
- Research Awards
- Mentor Student Travel Awards
- Student Awards
- Karling Annual Lecture
- Nominations (open to past presidents)
- Program
- MSA Historian & Archivist
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As I approach the final weeks of my term as President, I want to express my sincere gratitude. I have truly enjoyed serving as your President, as well as President-Elect and Vice President. Thank you to the service of the Executive Council, Council, and Committee members, as well as the wonderful people at TRG; I am very proud of what we have accomplished together. I will continue to serve on the Executive Council as Past President in 2023-24, and welcome Cathie Aime as your next President and Tim James as President-elect, who will begin their terms at the end of the upcoming Business Meeting.
Julia Kerrigan
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Executive Vice President's Report |
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Executive Vice President’s Report – Spring 2023
The spring ballot results are in, and there are three important bylaws changes to announce. First, I am pleased to share that there is no longer a fee for Emeritus members to access Mycologia online. The fee was a remnant from when the journal was published only in print and we are thrilled to correct the oversight. Second, the committee structure of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee has been changed from standing to rotating. The rotating structure better reflects how the Committee has been functioning since its inception and will make membership selection for this important Committee easier. And third, MSA membership is now officially required for all who serve MSA. This includes Officers, Council Members, Committee Members, MSA Representatives, and Editors of Mycologia. Many thanks to all who voted in this year’s ballot!
Council Business: The Executive Council has met twice by videoconference since my last report. The Midyear meeting occurred on February 25, 2023, and the Spring Quarterly meeting was on June 6, 2023. Meeting minutes and Midyear reports are available on the MSA website (https://msafungi.org/msa-meeting-minutes-and-reports/). Council approved two email polls since my February column: Poll 2023-07, Motion to approve the Honorary Awards Committee recommendation for Honorary Member, and Poll 2023-08, Motion to approve the Honorary Awards Committee recommendation for MSA Fellow. The Annual Council Meeting is scheduled for July 29, 2023, in Flagstaff, Arizona.
New Members: I would like to extend a warm welcome to the following new members who joined MSA between February 8, 2023, and June 6, 2023. Their membership will be formally approved at the 2023 Annual Business Meeting in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Australia: Emily McIntyre
Belgium: Libelje Mortier, Aimée Blondelle
Canada: Lune Estrada, Benjamin Bohemier, Rebecca Mader, Arseniy Belosokhov
Columbia: Esther Velasquez Vinazco
Czech Republic: Frederik Christiaan De Wint
Hungary: Dorottya Anna Szafián
Mexico: Gerardo Vázquez-Marrufo, Elena Flores Callejas
Puerto Rico: Dana Vargas Solivan
United States: Demosthenes Morales, Amber Stewart, Mariah Rogers, Thomas Jenkinson, Khristina Young, Brooke Sykes, Gillian Trimber, Itzel Lopez, Karrin Tennant, Melissa Vergara, Roxanne Bantay, Libby Indermaur, Katilyn Beidler, Zera Adame, Kathryn Bushley, Kieryn Zizzo, Shannon Skarha, Lucas Carbajal, Kendra Autumn, Kristen Pierce, Cameron Wilson, Sarah Shrum Davis, Xueyan Xu, Erin Nuccio, Noralhuda Ismail, Sariah VanderVeur, Shelby Showalter, Sheng Sun, Lucia Goldman, Bethany Kennedy, Chrisa Whitmore, Brenna Prevelige, Nicolas Louw, Christopher Smith, Stacey Simmons, Delia Tota, Dillon Alexander, Austin Frewert, Don B. Fireland Fanning, Chris Bock, Lea Laslow, Spencer Baldwin, Saleh Rahimlou, Wolfgang Hutton, Evelin Yulisa Reyes Mendez, Busayo Babalola, Danielle Sublett, Nemat Keyhani, Guilliaume Cottarel, Dakota Salyer, Sallu Nepal, Cedar Sekorski, Shuang Liu, Devon Racine, Nina Peck, Jennifer Martin, Rishi Prasadh, Alexis Faulborn, Bryan Ruegg, Tony Randall, Matthew Chang, Asia Cornelius, Ishwora Dhungana, Sam Elliott, Bailey Crowley, Katelyn Hickman, Clayton Rawson, Luis Berrios-Hayden, Erika Walker, Nadia Schoenherr, Alireza Poursafar, Ashlynn Morin, Molly Heit, William Dunford, Cody Lewis, Leon Rogers, Leila Shadmani, Marina Zaza, Mark Yacoub, Jessica Wu-Woods, Hannah Petronek, Josh Leon, David Hayes, Basubi Binti Zhilik, Beatrice Bock, Andreas Guerrero, Ri Corwin, Esbeiry Cordova-Ortiz, Brogin Van Skoik, Jessica Begay, Cauy Bia, Amanda Rawstern, Justin Loucks, Imani Pascoe, Kathryn Maley, Bryce Waller, Megan Korne, Aiym Bakytbaikyzy.
2023 Membership: If you have not renewed your membership for 2023, please do so here: https://msafungi.org/join-us/. Committed MSA members are encouraged to select an auto-renew or multi-year option to receive the $10 early renewal discount next year and reduce unintended lapses in membership. You can also help us add new members by recommending MSA to amateur and professional colleagues interested in fungi, especially students and postdoctoral associates. And don’t forget, our new Gift Membership option makes it super easy to gift an MSA membership.
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REMINDER - MSA Directory Update: Have you checked your information in the MSA directory recently? Accurate information ensures that the MSA can continue to bring you timely information about awards, elections, meetings, and news. To review your information, visit (https://msafungi.org/membership/) or select the "Member Login" link found within the membership menu option at msafungi.org. If you need assistance, contact our MSA Membership Coordinator, Cori VanGalder (msafungi@reesgroupinc.com).
Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in getting more involved with the Society or have any questions about the Society or MSA business.
Respectfully submitted,
MSA Executive Vice President
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Oldriska (Oluna) Ceska
Oluna was born in Prague, Czech Republic, and grew up in Beroun. She developed an early interest in natural history, and eventually ventured into botany and mycology. Oluna had a long-standing interest in art and was a keen observer. This combined with her interest in mycology resulted in the numerous, careful and detailed illustrations and descriptions of fungi that she made over a period of several decades. After completing high school Oluna entered Charles University in Prague where she studied biology and chemistry. She specialized in mycology and completed her dissertation in 1961 on the Melanconiales of Czechoslovakia.
Photo credit: Adolf Ceska
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MSA Inoculum Educator Spotlight June 2023
Subject: Brian Perry
Interviewed by a member of the MSA Education Committee
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Steve Trudell, Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest, Revised Edition
Submitted by: Michael W. Beug
The revised edition of Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest is a beautiful work that I recommend to everyone from serious beginners to seasoned mushroom hunters. The two editions are the same physical size, but the revised edition is 415 pages versus 349 pages in the first edition. Increasing the page numbers allowed for over 100 image sizes and enabled an increase in species count from more than 450 to 493 species. There are at least 16 more species included because research has shown that what we thought was one European or Eastern North American species is really two or more distinct species. Several new Tricholoma species, Cortinarius species, Hebeloma species, Ascomycota, and others are the result of new discoveries.
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Larger Fungi in Eastern Tropical Africa. A Field Guide
Author: Tuomo Niemelä, Marja Härkönen, Graham Piearce
Submitted by: Cathie Aime
I once went to teach a one-week short course at the University of Benin on how to identify mushrooms. It was an eye-opening experience for many reasons, not least of which was the fact that the only books on mushrooms available in the entire university were a volume of Meinhard Moser’s outstanding keys to European mushrooms and an old field guide, also from Europe. Needless to say, these did not begin to do justice to the overwhelming diversity and uniqueness of the funga in Africa. The present volume fills a very real need for a regional field guide, long overdue, for eastern tropical Africa and one that should be essential for students throughout the African tropics. For sheer beauty alone it should also have a place on the shelf of any temperate agaricologist.
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Newly Published and Upcoming Books to Watch For
Submitted by: Amy Rossman
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New Series: MycoNotes
By: Edson C. Setliff
The purpose of “MycoNotes” is to share information and ideas developed throughout my career that otherwise would not see the light of day. In some ways, it is all about an older worker trying to tie up loose ends. After all, resigning from our paid positions doesn’t mean that we necessarily resign from contributing to science. Hopefully, “MycoNotes” will provide an expanded informational outlet.
The following series of ten MycoNotes provide details of white rot fungi in the Rigidoporus/ Junghuhnia group. All of these fungi are good wood recyclers and some are pathogens. Especially noteworthy is Rigidoporus microporus, the notorious cause of white root disease in rubber trees. Similarly, Junghuhnia vincta is an important root pathogen of commercially important woody plants such as tea, rubber, hoop pine and Mexican cypress among others.
Series I
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Junghuhnia vincta var. vincta - a root pathogen of Hevea in Mexico
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Pore surface coloration comparisons among Junghuhnia vincta basidiocarps and a newly discovered variety
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Discovery of Junghuhnia vincta var. cinerea comb. nov. as a root rot pathogen of trees in Tanzania
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Rigidoporus albostygius (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Rajchenb. - a touch of pink
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Junghuhnia vincta: a comparison with R. albostygius and generic considerations
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Is Rigidoporus albostygius a separate species from Poria endoxantha?
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An examination of J.R. Weir’s Amazonian collections of “Poria albostygia” and “P. nigrescens” in the U.S. National Fungus Collection (BPI)
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Rigidoporus microporus (Sw.) Overeem - a ubiquitous white-rotter
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Gloeopleurous mammiform cystidia in Polyporus lignosus Kl. typus, ex Herb. Fr.
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Rigidoporus crocatus (Pat.) Ryvarden in the boreal forests of Canada
Additional written comments and perspectives from other workers will be welcomed and added as appropriate.
Edson C. Setliff
June 11, 2023
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44th Mid-Atlantic States Mycology Conference (MASMC)
By: Priscila Chaverri, Chinyere A. Knight, and Catalina Salgado-Salazar
For 44 years, mycologists from the greater Mid-Atlantic region have been meeting annually for the Mid-Atlantic States Mycology Conference (MASMC). Every spring, MASMC has provided scientists, students, and non-professional mycologists with an opportunity to present their latest research findings, meet new colleagues, and develop and strengthen scientific collaborations in a less formal venue than at national or international scientific meetings. MASMC 2023 was co-hosted by the Department of Natural Sciences at Bowie State University (Bowie, MD) and the USDA ARS Mycology & Nematology Genetic Diversity & Biology Laboratory (Beltsville, MD), 14-16 April.
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Model Mycology: UGA Scientists Fight Fungi for the Rest of Us
Submitted by: Meredith Blackwell
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International Mycological Congress (IMC12)
The 12th edition of the International Mycological Congress, one of the most prestigious international mycological meetings, will be held in the city of Maastricht, Netherlands, from August 11-15, 2024.
This represents a unique opportunity for mycologists from around the world to get together and enjoy excellent science in one of Europe’s most impressive cities. Besides offering an excellent, inclusive, and comprehensive scientific program, it will support the training of young researchers from countries with limited resources, making it accessible at preferential prices for attendees from developing countries.
The four-day meeting will include keynote lectures by scientific leaders, bridging sessions, and workshops in seven themes. Mycologists can now submit proposals for symposia and workshops.
For more information, see the IMC12 web page.
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Remember to enable emails from msafungi@reesgroupinc.com for continued MSA updates.
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It's time to renew your membership for 2023! Access your MSA membership profile here!
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Digital issues of Mycologia are now accessed on the MSA website, not at Taylor and Francis. You will need your log in information. See web page for troubleshooting steps.
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Thank you to all who have donated to MSA funds since our last publication of Inoculum!
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MSA continues to be immensely appreciative of all of the generous donors that allow the Society to continue to fund research and travel through various endowment funds. If you're interested in supporting any of these funds, there are multiple ways you can donate!
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Use MSA's secure donation portal (you will be redirected to Wild Apricot, the payment processing platform for MSA)
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Donate while renewing your membership
- Call the MSA Membership Coordinator with your donation information at (608) 441-1060 ext. 162
- Mail a check, paid to the order of The Mycological Society of America to:
The Mycological Society of America
2424 American Lane
Madison, WI 53704
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We Want to See Your Fungal Photos! |
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Rocky Mountain Morchella 2023 - Tyler Hacking |
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Your fungal photo could be featured as the header for the next issue of Inoculum!
MSA is calling for your photos! Chosen photos will appear in future issues of Inoculum. Submit your photos along with your name and any text you'd like to accompany the image (optional) using the button below!
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The Inoculum header photo for June 2023 was taken May 7th, 2023 in Payson canyon, Payson Utah. It is a Morchella snyderi. that weighed 110 grams, found on the NE facing slope, near conifers, 300 meters from a stream, at elevation: 1850 m, and soil temp: 16 C. by Tyler Hacking - Botanist, Photographer, Chef
Thank you Tyler!
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The Mycological Society of America | (608) 441-1060 | 2424 American Ln. Madison, WI, 53704 | MSAfungi.org
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