Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

The José Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany was presented to Dr. Rogers McVaugh during the proceedings of the Smithsonian Botanical Symposium. Dr. McVaugh, Professor of Botany Emeritus at the University of Michigan and Research Professor of Botany at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is noted for his lifelong study of Mexican plants and the family Myrtaceae. In addition, he wrote the biographies of botanists Edward Palmer, Oliver Atkins Farwell, and Elisha Mitchell.

The José Cuatrecasas Medal is a new award that will be presented annually to a botanist and scholar of international stature who has contributed significantly to advancing the field of tropical botany. The Medal is named in honor of Dr. José Cuatrecasas, a pioneering botanist and taxonomist who spent nearly a half-century working in the Smithsonian Institution's Department of Botany. Dr. Cuatrecasas devoted his career to plant exploration in tropical South America and this award serves to keep vibrant the accomplishments and memory of this outstanding scientist.
    The winner of this prestigious award is selected by a committee made up of three botanists on the staff of the Department, in consultation with other plant scientists in the Washington area. Nominations for the Medal are accepted from all scientists in the Department. The award, presented for the first time at the Smithsonian Botanical Symposium on 31 March 2001, consists of a bronze medal bearing an image of José Cuatrecasas on the front with the recipient's name and date of presentation on the back.