The Secretary’s Research Prizes for 2022, recognizing outstanding scholarship across disciplines at the Smithsonian Institution were presented Wednesday, December 14. If you were unable to join the event in person, you can watch the recording here.
Sister Gertrude Morgan, Fan, ca. 1970, paint and ink on card, 9 3⁄4 × 8 1⁄2 in.; irregular, double-sided, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.43r-v
The presentation of the Secretary’s Research Prizes was followed by the ninth annual Bruce William “Will” Morrison memorial lecture. The lecture is named in honor of Morrison, who retired as program manager after many years in the Office of Fellowships and Grants (now known as the Office of Academic Appointments and Internships.) This year’s talk will be delivered by Leslie Umberger, curator of folk and self-taught art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Ms. Umberger will present on her current exhibition, We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection (July 1, 2022 — March 26, 2023).
The recipients of the 2022 Secretary’s Research Prizes are:
William Bennett (SLA) for the scholarly website: A Tale of Two Sisters: The Hungerford Deed and James Smithson’s Legacy.
Dawn Biddison (NMNH) for the audio and moving image production with accompanying scholarly text or narration: Voices from Cedar.
Frank Blazich (NMAH) for the scholarly article: “Notre Cher Ami: The Enduring Myth and Memory of a Humble Pigeon.”
Paul Gardullo (NMAAHC) for the exhibition: Make Good the Promises: Reconstruction and Its Legacies.
James Hassell (NZCBI), Yvonne-Marie Linton (NMNH), Katrina M. Pagenkopp Lohan (SERC), and Dawn Zimmerman (NMNH) for the scholarly article: “Towards an Ecosystem Model of Infectious Disease.”
Eric Hintz (NMAH) for the scholarly book: American Independent Inventors in an Era of Corporate R&D.
Carlos Jaramillo (STRI), Mónica R. Carvalho (STRI; first author, postdoctoral fellow), Dayenari Caballero-Rodríguez (STRI), Fabiany Herrera (STRI), Scott Wing (NMNH), Conrad Labandeira (NMNH), and Camila Martínez(STRI) for the scholarly article: “Extinction at the end-Cretaceous and the origin of modern Neotropical rainforests.”
Jonathan Lefcheck and J. Emmett Duffy (MarineGEO) for the scholarly article: “Species richness and identity both determine the biomass of global reef fish communities.”
Dorothy Moss (NPG) for the exhibition: Hung Liu: Portraits of Promised Lands.
Erin Spear (STRI) for the scholarly article: “Host-generalist fungal pathogens of seedlings may maintain forest diversity via host-specific impacts and differential susceptibility among tree species.”
These pan-Institutional prizes recognize excellence in recent research by the Institution’s employees and carry a $2,000 award (per project) for future research. The work of the Secretary’s Research Prize recipients underwent peer review, and a committee of the Smithsonian Congress of Scholars, representing expertise across the diverse spectrum of Smithsonian scholarship, recommended finalists.
Please join us for this celebration of the outstanding scholarship at the Smithsonian.
As we wrap up our Volunteer Appreciation Month events for this year, we want to extend one more BIG thank you to our Smithsonian volunteers. Continue reading We can never thank you enough!
