Cedar N. Hesse, PhD
Bioscience Division – B11
P.O. Box 1663, Mailstop M888
Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
505-664-0309 / [email protected]
Date:
February 5, 2014
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for the consideration of Dr. Joseph W. Spatafora
for the OSU Alumni Association Distinguished Professor Award. In his eighteen year tenure at
Oregon State University Dr. Spatafora has created a distinguished mycological research
laboratory, developed and taught innovative undergraduate and graduate courses, and has been
an active participant for University betterment. As a former graduate advisee of Dr. Spatafora, I
have doubt that he deserves the recognition bestowed by this award.
As a former student I may be most suited to speak to Dr. Spatafora’s teaching ability. I had the
good fortune to take Introductory Mycology (BOT461/561) from Dr. Spatafora as an
undergraduate student at OSU. His approach to teaching the course uniquely and seamlessly
integrates an evolutionary understanding into all facets of mycology. The evolutionary context in
which this course is taught not only provides a broader understanding of fungal biology, but also
endows a framework for thinking about all other biological systems. Understandably, the
Introductory Mycology course attracts a large proportion of students primarily interested in
mushroom taxonomy and not necessarily expecting the scientific rigor that the course demands.
By virtue of his well-paced and engaging lectures Dr. Spatafora transforms students’ casual
interest in mushrooms into a functional understanding of fungal biology and evolution. In many
cases, Dr. Spatafora’s teaching of Introductory Mycology inspires students to pursue a degree
option in fungal biology or consider advanced degrees in mycology, myself included.
Dr. Spatafora is also highly respected as teacher for the split-level Evolution course (BI445/545)
as well as Graduate Student Orientation for the Botany and Plant Pathology department
(BOT508) and multiple graduate-level Special Topics in Mycology courses (BOT590). As a
participant in multiple Special Topics courses taught by Dr. Spatafora, I can attest that his
deliberate selection of texts and oversight of discussion resulted in some of the most educational
and inspiring courses I have ever taken.
In addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate courses Dr. Spatafora takes pride in
mentoring his graduate students. His casual and approachable demeanor facilitates lively
discussions on a broad range of topics, allowing his students become comfortable in
communicating complex topics. Additionally, his insistence on access to cutting-edge
instrumentation and computing infrastructure for his students shows his dedication to producing
highly trained and capable researchers. Always with their interests in mind, Dr. Spatafora
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February 5, 2014
encourages students to seek international research opportunities and attend academic meetings as
a way to broaden their professional horizons and network with fellow researchers.
Dr. Spatafora’s excellence in teaching has not gone unnoticed. He has been the recipient of the
OSU Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (2001), the Frederick H. Horne Award for Excellence
in Teaching Science (OSU College of Science, 2003), and most recently the Weston Teaching
Award from the Mycological Society of America (2010).
In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Spatafora has created an internationally renowned
mycological research laboratory. His primary involvement in the collaborative Assembling the
Fungal Tree of Life project resulted in a body of work that may be considered the most
significant contribution to mycological research in the last decade. Most recently Dr. Spatafora
initiated and organized the 1000 Fungal Genomes Project, which coordinates researchers around
the world with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute to solidify mycology as
an integral part of genome science. Dr. Spatafora's years of work on the systematics within the
fungal phylum Ascomycota has yielded many papers, book chapters, and an innovative
electronic monograph, making his extensive work available to anyone with an Internet
connection. His extensive publication record demonstrates his efficiency as a researcher as well
as the quality of his work. As a well-respected member of the mycological community he is a
frequent invited presenter locally, nationally, and internationally. He has been an active
participant in professional societies and currently the President for the Mycological Society of
America. In 2002 Dr. Spatafora hosted the week-long Mycological Society of America meeting
at Oregon State University which brought hundreds of mycologists from around the globe to the
Corvallis campus. Furthermore, Dr. Spatafora has served as Associate Editor for the journal
Mycoscience and is currently Executive Editor for the journal Fungal Biology and Moderator for
PLOS Currents: Tree of Life.
Dr. Spatafora’s predominance in his field has been chronicled with awards of excellence
including the Phi Kappa Phi Emerging Scholar Award (OSU, 2001), the Thomas T. Sugihara
Young Faculty Research Award (OSU College of Science, 2002), and the Alexopoulos Award
(Mycological Society of America, 2006). Most recently, the Mycological Society of America
recognized Dr. Spatafora’s achievements as he was named MSA Fellow (2007).
Aside from academic pursuits, Dr. Spatafora has served the University through his participation
and leadership in numerous committees as well as serving as the current Associate Chair for the
Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, and as the current Faculty Athletic Representative.
In addition to sitting on many departmental committees and University-wide search committees,
Dr. Spatafora has been a member of Faculty Senate (2003-2006), chaired the University Honors
College Council (2004-2006), and sat on the NCAA Governance and Compliance Subcommittee
(2008-2009). Serving as Associate Chair in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology for
the last five years, Dr. Spatafora has been an instrumental voice in the conversation about the
direction of the Department during the recent restructuring. His recent selection as the Faculty
Athletic Representative in 2010 demonstrates his commitment to Oregon State University
collegiate athletes and will undoubtedly help steer Beaver Nation to further academic success.
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In his eighteen years at Oregon State University Dr. Spatafora has not only been a valuable asset
to the University itself, but to the surrounding communities. His expertise in fungal systematics
has been disseminated to the public through guest lectures at most amateur mycological societies
in the Willamette Valley and Oregon Coast. He takes pride in working at a land-grant university
and makes his skills available to the public-at-large by identifying mushrooms for anyone who is
curious enough to bring one in to his office. National contributions to his profession include coauthoring two large Research Coordination Network NSF grants designed to mobilize the
mycological community and initiate broader collaborative research projects. Internationally, Dr.
Spatafora maintains collaborations and student exchanges with researchers across the world
including China, Japan, Korea, Colombia, and Thailand.
Once again I would like to reiterate my emphatic support for Dr. Joseph W. Spatafora's
consideration for the OSU Alumni Association Distinguished Professor Award. Dr. Spatafora
has undoubtedly helped shape the lives and careers of many undergraduate and graduate students
through his natural talent as an educator. He is an enormous asset to this University, the local
community, and beyond. His teaching, along with his professional success and continuing
support of University affairs only affirms that he fits the criteria of a Distinguished Professor.
Sincerely,
Cedar N. Hesse, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Los Alamos National Laboratory
The views and opinions expressed in this letter solely represent that of the author, Cedar N.
Hesse, and in no way reflect the views, opinions, or endorsement of Los Alamos National
Laboratory, Los Alamos National Security LLC, the U.S. Department of Energy, or the
National Nuclear Security Administration.
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