American Society for Plant Biologists Recognizes Drs. Elisabeth Gantt and Heven Sze

Elisabeth Gantt, Distinguished University Professor, and Heven Sze, Professor, both from the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, were named as Fellows of the American Society for Plant Biologists in July 2007. The award is granted in recognition of Distinguished and Long-term Contributions to Plant Biology. This ASPB honor, established in 2007, may be granted to no more than 0.2% of the membership.

Dr. Elisabeth Gantt has been on the forefront of basic plant biology research for years. She has discovered invaluable information about the photosynthetic apparatus of algae, among other plants. Gantt’s research stems from the question of how plants make atmospheric oxygen from water. Her contributions have prompted the biology and biophysics spheres to take a closer look at similar critical issues. Gantt's research focuses on the absorption and transfer of light energy through intracellular supramolecular complexes which house light-harvesting proteins. She has examined the relationships between enzymes, proteins and pigments in the photosynthetic apparatus of phycobilin-containing algae. An example of one such protein that Gantt works with includes red ketocarotenoid astaxanthin which is frequently used as an additive for fish feed as well as in nutritional human supplements. Gantt is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and received the Academy's Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal in 1994. She was a recipient of UMD's Board of Regents Faculty Award in 2002/2003 for Excellence in Research/Scholarships/Creative Activity. In addition, Gantt is a strong supporter of the American Institute of Biological Science, the American Society of Photobiology, and the American Society of Plant Physiologists for which she served as president in 1988-1989.

Dr. Heven Sze has made significant contributions to the fields of cell biology and molecular genetics. Her research seeks to understand a plant's ability to live and even thrive in what are sometimes toxic environments. This work is directly applicable to both the general protection of the environment as well as to generating a better understanding of the nutritional quality and value of plants. She has provided critical discoveries in the structure and chemical components of plant membrane biology. In order to better distinguish and evaluate a plant's resilience, Sze focuses her work on distinct ion pumps that function with other cell apparatus in nutrient uptake and disposal, as well as affect transporter signaling and the plant's tolerance to the particular environmental stress. In researching specific proton pumps, Sze investigates the transport and morphogenesis at both the biochemical and cellular levels. In addition to Sze's breakthroughs, she is also the Monitoring Editor of the journal Plant Physiology.