ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGISTS (ASB)
PROMOTING BIOLOGY THROUGH RESEARCH AND EDUCATION FOR MORE THAN 75 YEARS.
82nd ANNUAL MEETING OF ASB
VIRTUAL MEETING
24-27 MARCH 2021
NOMINEES FOR ASB 2021 OFFICER ELECTIONS
The following individuals were nominated by the ASB Nominations Committee and have agreed to serve in the indicated capacities if elected. Elections will take place online only. ASB Members will receive an electronic invitation to vote via SurveyMonkey. Each member is limited to a single vote through this e-invitation, and all voting will be anonymous. There are opportunities to indicate write-in candidates on the ballot. Voting for these elections will close at midnight one week prior to the ASB 2021 annual meeting. Results of the election will be announced at the conclusion of the annual meeting.
VICE PRESIDENT: Holly Boettger-Tong, Wesleyan College, Macon, Georgia

Dr. Boettger-Tong, a Professor in the Department of Biology, is in her twentieth year at Wesleyan College in Macon, GA. Her research interests are in the area of reproductive and developmental biology; specifically, her lab examines the role of retinoids in the control of uterine smooth muscle cell biology and explores the influence of environmental contaminants on Oryzias latipes development. Holly has supported 19 undergraduate Honors Theses in her lab at Wesleyan (ten of these students have presented their research at ASB meetings) and is a former Department Chair and Director of the Center for Women in Science and Technology. Recent grants include an NSF S-STEM award, designed to support the Student Preparation and Retention Collaborative (SPARC) Scholars Program, which aims to improve STEM retention and graduate outcomes for socioeconomically disadvantaged, high achieving undergraduate students. Holly has worked with a diversity of Colleges and K-12 partners in the context of Math Science Partnership (MSP) and GEAR UP funded collaborations. She has received four different awards for teaching excellence at Wesleyan and was selected as the SGA “Professor of the Year” in 2019 and 2020. Prior to her arrival at Wesleyan, Holly was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine, where she worked on exon trapping the mouse Y chromosome and on characterization of the Juvenile Spermatogonial Depletion (Jsd) mutant mouse; at Baylor she mentored undergraduate, graduate and medical students. Prior to her work at Baylor, Holly was a Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas Medical Center, Houston, in the Department of Pharmacology. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Holly has served ASB as Chair of the Education Committee (2016-present), of which she has been a member since 2013, and as an At Large Member of the Executive Committee (2018-present).
ASSOCIATE TREASURER: Charles Horn, Newberry College, Newberry, SC

Dr. Horn received his B.S. degree from George Mason University (1978), M.S. from The Ohio State University (1980), and Ph.D. from the University of Alabama (1985). He is currently professor of Biology at Newberry College where he also serves as biology program coordinator and curator of the Herbarium (NBYC). Among his teaching assignments are introductory biology, botany, zoology, environmental science, ecology, and environmental issues. As a botanist, his research interests are in the flora of South Carolina, as well as the systematics and ecology of the genera Heteranthera (Pontederiaceae), Asimina (Annonaceae), and Rhododendron (Ericaceae). These projects have resulted in the publication of several new species of Heteranthera and a new hybrid of Asimina in North and South America. His research has also involved students assisting in documenting new populations of the rare Rhododendron eastmanii (May-white azalea) in South Carolina. Charles has contributed many years of leadership to the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society (SABS), including Secretary-Treasurer (1994-2001), Treasurer (2001-2016), and President (2016-2018). He received the Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award for outstanding service to SABS. He has been a member of ASB since 1981 and has not missed a meeting since 1983. Charles has served ASB through chairing oral presentation sessions, as a member of the Conservation committee, and assisting with judging of student poster presentations.
SECRETARY (One Seat)
Kim Hays, Dalton State College, Dalton, Georgia

Dr. Hays is an Associate Professor of Biology at Dalton State College in Dalton, GA. She has been teaching since 2011 and has taught courses in introductory biology, Human Anatomy & Physiology, Ethical Issues in Science, Field Biology, and Ecotoxicology. Dr. Hays holds a BS in environmental biology from Jacksonville State University (2002) and an MS and PhD in Zoology from Oklahoma State University (2005, 2010). Her dissertation focused on the genetic impacts of heavy metal contamination on the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) at Tar Creek Superfund Site. Dr. Hays’ current research is all student-centered and serves as a means to expose students to experimental design, field and disturbance biology, and scientific writing. Her recent projects have focused on efficacy of tick repellants, small mammal diversity in disturbed environments, and lethal effects of essential oils. Dr. Hays routinely brings students to the annual ASB meeting and views ASB as the perfect meeting experience for students to share their research findings. She has been a member of ASB since 2015 and served as the Assistant Archivist from 2018-2020. Dr. Hays currently serves as the Archivist.
Natasha Vanderhoff, Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, FL

Dr. Vanderhoff is an Associate Professor of Biology & Marine Science at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, FL. She is a biologist, educator and avid birder who enjoys sharing her passion for the natural world with her students and the Jacksonville community. She earned a BS in Biology from Loyola University of Chicago (1999) and a PhD in Ecology, Evolution & Behavior from the University of Louisville (20017). Her graduate research focused on the foraging and vocal behavior of the American Robin and she is an author of the Birds of North America species account on the robin. She is a broadly trained biologist with specialization in ecology, evolution, animal behavior and ornithology. She began her career chasing primates through the jungles of Suriname, where she fell in love with tropical biology. She taught two years at Francis Marion University in South Carolina before coming to Jacksonville University in 2009. She teaches a variety of courses to majors and non-majors including Animal Diversity, Evolution, Animal Behavior, Ornithology, Vertebrate Biology, Primates, and study abroad courses in Tropical Biology. She has been a member of ASB since 2008, and along with her students, has presented annually at the ASB meeting. She enjoys exposing students to the research process at all stages, from work in the field to ASB meetings to publication. Her current research includes projects in North and South America. She continues to work with colleagues from the Carolina’s on the ecology of the margay, a near-threatened neotropical cat, at Wildsumaco Wildlife Sanctuary in Ecuador. Back home in the states her research focuses on how humans affect animal behavior, including projects on seed dispersal and anthropogenic sound pollution. She is the chair of Jacksonville University’s Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee and is a founding organizer of Science on Tap-Jacksonville, a monthly speakers series that engages the community in the importance of science in Jacksonville and beyond.
MEMBERS-AT-LARGE (two seats)
Hussein Mohamed, Dalton State College, Dalton, GA

Dr. Hussein Mohamed is an Associate Professor of Biology at Dalton State College in Dalton, GA. Dr. Mohamed received a Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology (1992) from Alexandria University (Egypt) in conjunction with Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen (Germany); a M.Sc. in Plant Ecology (1986) and a B.Sc. in Botany (1981) from Alexandria University, Egypt. Since 1981 he has been a faculty member, researcher, student advisor, and postdoc in different universities in Egypt; U.K.; Netherlands; Austria; Germany; and U.S.A. Dr. Mohamed has been teaching lower and upper level of undergraduate and graduate courses. He teaches introductory biology, general botany, ecology, and bioremediation in additional to several plant biology courses. His research is highly diverse and focuses on plant-habitat interactions, in particular, the ecology of plants in extreme environments. His research is employing innovative combinations of laboratory, field, and theoretical approaches to select the suitable phytoremediation technique to clean up the contaminated ecosystems on spatial and temporal scales. Recently, he extended his research to assess the influence of anthropogenic perturbations such as urbanization or agricultural and industrial pollution on plant diversity in natural ecosystems and identify the molecular and biochemical mechanisms responsible for plant coexistence with the surrounding environment. Since he joined Dalton State in 2014, Dr. Mohamed endeavors to train science major students in basic research skills. His research students are involved in several research projects such as assessment of physical and environmental properties for sustainable crop production, selection of heavy metal hyperaccumulation cell lines using tissue culture techniques, and morphological and physiological responses of invasive species exposed to 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2,4-D). Most of them presented their researches on ASB poster and oral presentation sessions. Dr. Mohamed currently serves as a chair of ASB Graduate Support Award Committee.
Lindsay Rhodes, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Meyers, FL

Dr. Lyndsay Rhodes is an Associate Professor of Biology at Florida Gulf Coast University. She received her BS in Biology and BA in Psychology from Pfeiffer University, NC (2004) and her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Tulane University School of Medicine, LA (2010). Since joining the faculty at FGCU in 2014, she has taught Cell Biology, Scientific Process, and Cancer Biology. Dr. Rhodes was the lead for FGCU Biology Department’s involvement in the Partners for Undergraduate Life Science Education (PULSE) Institutes in 2016-2017, as well as presenting the results of this experience at ASB. Dr. Rhodes has mentored more than 50 undergraduate researchers in her lab focused on identifying novel anti-cancer agents and understanding the signaling pathways that promote breast cancer progression. Dr. Rhodes is passionate about undergraduate research and mentorship, and has worked to bring more authentic research opportunities to students both in and out of the classrooms. In support of CURE development, she is also a member of Cell Biology Education Consortium (CBEC) and the Genome Education Partnership (GEP). Her students have presented at regional and national conferences, received numerous awards support their research projects, and published their research in peer reviewed journals. Dr. Rhodes its committed to increasing cancer education and research access to all students, and strives to offer a variety of experiences to support this goal. In collaboration with student leaders in 2017, she founded the FGCU Cancer Research Program, a registered student organization with a mission to increase undergraduate access to cancer research opportunities, educate the community about cancer, and support and advocate for those in their community effected by cancer. Dr. Rhodes looks forward to continuing her efforts to increase student engagement in biological research as a Member-At-Large of ASB.
Bahong Zhang, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

Dr. Baohong Zhang is a well-known scientist and distinguished professor in the Department of Biology at East Carolina University. Dr. Zhang not only provides leadership in research activities but also training our next generation scientists and serving our scientific community. He has been working on the field of plant biotechnology, including transgenic and genome editing, for more than 20 years. Dr. Zhang is frequently invited by the international conferences for giving plenary or keynote lectures. During his long and distinguished career, he has published 10 scientific books, including MicroRNAs in Stem Cell, and Transgenic Cotton, published >200 papers at the peer-reviewed international journals. His papers have been cited for more than 14,800 times; many of them were listed as highly cited papers by the ISI Web of Sciences. He is frequently invited to serve on grant reviewing panels, including NSF, USDA, DoE, and European Research Council Executive Agency. Dr. Zhang is also serving as co-Editor-in-Chief, associate editor or guest editor for 10 international journals, including Scientific Reports, Plant Biotechnology Journal, Molecular Biotechnology, Plant Molecular Biology, and Journal of Cotton Research. Dr. Zhang frequently reviews manuscripts for more than 100 international journals, including Nature. Dr. Zhang has won many prestigious awards, including not only the Cotton Researcher of the year 2018, but also Science/AAAS Excellence in Science (2006), ECU Five Year Research Achievement Award (2013), THCAS Distinguished Professorship (2018). He has collaborated with more than 1,000 scientists from >20 countries and won the inaugural ECU Achievement in International Research and Creative Activity Award (2017). In 2018, he was elected to the Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2018) and won the Lifetime Achievement Research Award from ECU (2019). In 2020, he also won the Cotton Biotechnology Award. Dr. Zhang has been serving on the ASB Human Diversity Committee since 2015 and promote the education and biodiversity of both graduate and undergraduate students. At East Carolina University, he has mentored 36 undergraduate students and 56 Master and Ph.D students as well as 14 PostDoc for research, many of them are under representative students and also won many national and international awards. As a Member-at-Large, if elected, Dr. Zhang will look forward to working with all scientists, including graduate and undergraduate students, to promote the development of biology knowledge and exchanging ideas and communication among all groups of members, and to strengthen the way connecting ASB society with its members and facilitates the professional development of our next generation biologists.