The Stan Hudson Research Grant is available to assist with funding for research projects conducted by college or university students under the supervision of a faculty member. The grant honors the late H. Stanton Hudson (1921–2002), a long-time member of the Missouri Native Plant Society whose passion for the flora of Missouri and its conservation inspired his friends and family to create a small grants program in his memory. The grant is usually given annually.
To qualify for the Stan Hudson Research Grant, research must involve Missouri native plants in some way, but may have as its primary focus any pertinent subject area in plant biology, including conservation, ecology, physiology, systematics and evolution, etc. The grant may be used for any non-salary expenses relating to the proposed research, including travel, equipment, and supplies.
At the conclusion of the project, grant recipients will be expected to prepare research results for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, Missouriensis (the peer-reviewed journal of the Missouri Native Plant Society), or the society’s newsletter The Petal Pusher. Alternatively, recipients can present their research at the Missouri Botanical Symposium as either a poster or oral presentation. The symposium is held each fall in Rolla, Missouri.
Application
Proposals should not to exceed 5 single-spaced typed pages and should include:
- Description of the project;
- How the project relates to native Missouri plants;
- Estimated completion date;
- Overall budget for the research;
- How a grant from the Stan Hudson Research Fund would be used;
- A list of other funding received or applied for toward the project.
Applicants should also include a current curriculum vitae. In addition, two letters of reference must be included, one of these being from the student’s faculty advisor. Proposals are due by January 31st and awarded by March 1st. Materials should be submitted electronically as e-mail attachments in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format. Letters from the applicant’s references should also be be submitted as e-mail messages.
Application materials should be emailed to:
Steve Buback
Proposals will be reviewed by the MONPS grants committee. Watch this site and your native plant news source for annual announcements.
Past Recipients
| Recipient | Institution | Year | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daphne Miles | Missouri State University | 2023 | Effects of curly leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), an invasive aquatic species, on native aquatic vegetation. |
| Sloane Scott | University of Missouri | 2023 | Pollinator habitat restoration in severely damaged wooded communities. |
| Kate Tillotson | Southern Illinois University | 2022 | Pollination dynamics of Triodanis perfoliata (Venus’ looking glass). |
| Alexis Reifsteck | Missouri State University | 2022 | Functional role of Justicia americana (American water-willow) in streambank stabilization |
| Esther Par | Missouri Western State University | 2021 | Study relationships in False Foxgloves (Agalinis spp.) |
| Abigail Giering | Missouri State University | 2021 | Study of competition effects of an exotic duckweed (Landoltia punctata) on native duckweeds (Lemna minor and Spirodela polyrhiza) |
| Eva Colberg | University of Missouri, St. Louis | 2019 | Effect of Prescribed Fire on Ant-Dispersal of Seeds |
| Rachel Becknell | Washington University, St. Louis | 2019 | Role of Soil Microbes in the Establishment of Hard-to-Establish Plant Species and the Restoration of Grassland Communities |
| Brigette Williams | Saint Louis University | 2017 | Conservation Epigenetics and Phenotype Plasticity Leavenworthia uniflora |
| Sarah Unruh | University of Missouri | 2013 | Creating a chloroplast phylogeny for Orchidaceae at the tribal level using next-generation sequencing technology |
| Alice Tipton | Washington University, St. Louis | 2012 | Restoration at the roots: Rudbeckia missouriensis and its effect on mycorrhizal interactions and dolomite glade restoration |
| Steve Kroiss | Washington University, St. Louis | 2011 | What limits the establishment of rare plant species? – A comparison between rare and widespread species in restored Ozark glades |
| Kyra N. Krakos | Washington University, St. Louis | 2009 | Specialization of pollination systems in Oenothera |
| Erica J. Wheeler | University of Missouri | 2009 | Hybridization, polyploidy and asexuality in the Allium canadense varietal complex |
| Nicole E. Miller | Washington University, St. Louis | 2008 | Plant-pollinator interactions and endemism in a glade system |
| Kurt Piskin | Saint Louis University | 2007 | Isolation and identification of mycorrhizal fungi from two native Missouri orchids, Aplectrum hyemale and Triphora trianthophora |
| Mickey Schutzenhofer | Saint Louis University | 2006 | Comparing the exotic Lespedeza cuneata and native L. virginica for differences in herbivory and pollination |
*Special award outside of formal Hudson Program