IU sunflower genetics expert wins 'genius' grant

An IU biology professor who is an expert on sunflower genetics was among 24 winners Sunday of this year's $500,000 MacArthur Foundation "genius grants."\nLoren Rieseberg, 42, said he was stunned to learn that he is now in an elite group of scientists, scholars and artists.\n"It's a very prestigious award. It's certainly not something I would ever have expected to receive," he said.\nThe award recognizes Rieseberg's pioneering work in understanding the basic biological question that Charles Darwin faced nearly 150 years ago -- how new species originate.\nA MacArthur citation says he earned the grant because he was able to show how one sunflower species, Heilanthus anomalus, arose from an ancient, natural hybridization of two older species.\n"Remarkably, Rieseberg has been able to replicate this hybridization under controlled conditions, in effect, reproducibly re-enacting the creation of a new species," the citation stated.\nThe award, formerly called the MacArthur "genius" grant, is presented by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to give creative individuals the time and financial support to advance their work.\nAll 24 MacArthur winners receive $500,000 over five years, with no strings attached.\nRieseberg said the MacArthur money will pay for the second half of his two-year sabbatical leave, which begins next year. IU is funding the first half of his leave.\nRieseberg will use his leave to visit British Columbia, Italy or Australia and write a book on the origin and evolution of plant species.\nHe said the MacArthur money will enable him to hire an illustrator and researcher to help with the book. And he's also thinking about doing a book about sunflowers for the general public, complete with photographs.\nRieseberg, who grew up in British Columbia, first worked with sunflowers as a graduate student at the University of Tennessee. He turned to studying speciation -- how species develop -- while working on his doctorate at Washington State University.\nBesides showing how sunflower species have crossed to form new species, Rieseberg has uncovered information about how genes can move from one species to another and developed a model for understanding how changes in chromosomes lead to new species.\n"Speciation is a multilevel problem," he said. "We can't just do one thing and expect to understand how species evolve."\nWhen he isn't working, the soft-spoken scientist carves stone sculptures, often of plant and animal figures, which he gives to graduate students. His lab includes 15 to 20 students and postdoctoral researchers.\nRieseberg's colleagues are not surprised by his MacArthur award.\n"I frankly regard him as the most outstanding plant evolutionary biologist working today, and I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment," said Jeff Palmer, a past chairman of the department.