Congratulations to Shawn Thomas on receiving Mizzou’s John D. Bies International Travel Scholarship, which enabled him to participate in the 2024 International Botanical Congress in Madrid, Spain, this summer. The scholarship, awarded by the Graduate School, "provides opportunities to PhD students to build knowledge of culture and language from regions of the world students would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience."  

The congress, held every six years, serves as a global platform for botanical researchers. With over 3,000 participants from 95 countries, the event featured a diverse range of scientific presentations, including keynote lectures, symposia, and poster sessions. The attendees collectively endorsed the , which outlined strategic actions to foster a healthier relationship between plants and people for a resilient planet. 

Thomas's research on the evolutionary genomics of the Brassicaceae family was selected for a presentation as part of the “Advances in Phylogenomics and Systematics of the Brassicaceae” symposium. His talk focused on identifying ancient genome duplications shared by mustard crops and their wild relatives, and the subsequent impact of these duplications on key biological traits. As Thomas explains, “My research contributes to a deeper understanding of the evolutionary history of mustard crops and their wild relatives, as well as how this history influences their current biological characteristics.”