Pamela S. Soltis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pamela S. Soltis
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Soltis presenting at XX International Botanical Congress
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| Born | November 13, 1957 Nelsonville, Ohio
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| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Pamela Sagraves |
| Alma mater | University of Kansas |
| Spouse(s) | Douglas E. Soltis |
| Awards | Darwin–Wallace Medal (2016) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany |
| Institutions | |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | P.S.Soltis |
Pamela Soltis (born November 13, 1957) is an American botanist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. Dr. Soltis is a very important professor at the University of Florida. She also works as a curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History. A curator is someone who takes care of and organizes collections, like plant samples in a museum. She helps lead the Laboratory of Molecular Systematics and Evolutionary Genetics and was a founder of the University of Florida Biodiversity Institute. This institute is a place where scientists study all kinds of living things and how they are connected.
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Early Life and Education
Pamela Soltis was born on November 13, 1957, in Nelsonville, Ohio. Her parents were Barbara D. Sagraves and Walter Ronald Sagraves. She grew up in Pella, Iowa, and finished high school in 1976 as the top student in her class. She was also recognized as a National Merit Finalist, which is a special award for smart students.
After high school, she went to Central College and earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 1980. She graduated with very high honors. Then, she continued her studies at the University of Kansas. There, she earned two more degrees in botany: a master's degree in 1984 and a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in 1986.
Career as a Plant Scientist
After finishing her Ph.D., Dr. Soltis began her career as a professor. In 1986, she started as an assistant professor in the Department of Botany at Washington State University. She worked hard and was promoted to associate professor in 1992, and then to a full professor in 1998.
In 2000, Dr. Soltis moved to the University of Florida and the Florida Museum of Natural History. Here, she became a curator, helping to manage and study the museum's plant collections. At the University of Florida, she was also a Research Professor from 2006 to 2009. From 2009 to 2012, she helped lead the UF Computational Biology Program, which uses computers to study biology.
Research on Plant Evolution
Dr. Soltis's research focuses on understanding the "Tree of life". This is a way of thinking about how all living things on Earth are related to each other, like branches on a giant tree. She especially studies flowering plants, also known as angiosperms. She wants to know how these plants became so diverse and how they have changed over millions of years.
To do her research, she uses several cool methods:
- Genomic methods: This means she studies the DNA of plants to understand their genetic information.
- Natural history collections: She examines plant samples that have been collected and stored in museums for a long time.
- Computational modeling: She uses computers to create models and analyze large amounts of data to see patterns in plant evolution.
She has written over 400 scientific papers about her discoveries. Many of her important papers are about how changes in a plant's genes (called polyploidy) can help them become successful. Because of her important work, Dr. Soltis was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2016 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017. These are very high honors for scientists in the United States.
Service to Science
Dr. Soltis has also given a lot of her time to help scientific organizations. She was the president of the Botanical Society of America from 2007 to 2008. She has also served on the councils of other important groups, like the Society for the Study of Evolution and the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. These groups help scientists share their research and work together.
She was also the secretary of the Botanical Society of America for three years and is currently the president of the Society of Systematic Biologists. She helps edit scientific journals like Evolution and Systematic Biology, making sure new research is accurate and well-written. She is also a member of the University of Kansas Women's Hall of Fame.
Honors and Awards
Dr. Pamela Soltis has received many awards for her important contributions to science:
- In 2002, she won the Dahlgren Prize in Botany from the Royal Physiographic Society of Sweden.
- Reuters, a news agency, named her a "highly cited researcher" in 2014. This means her work is often used and referred to by other scientists.
- In 2006, she and her husband, Douglas Soltis, won the Asa Gray Award.
- She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2016, which is one of the highest honors a U.S. scientist can receive.
Images for kids
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Soltis presenting at XX International Botanical Congress
See also
In Spanish: Pamela S. Soltis para niños
