President’s Letter—The Uniting Power of Green

Climate change knows no borders. This obvious truth, and the well-recognized impacts of global warming on agriculture and food security, as well as the broad scope of individual and organizational efforts to ameliorate this urgent threat, were on display at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on October 31–November … Read more

ASPB Board of Directors Decision on IPMB2022

As a leading society in our field, ASPB has an obligation to advocate not only for plant science, but also for plant scientists. We are not fulfilling our obligations to the latter if we stand by as members from groups that have been historically marginalized continue to face exclusionary practices, taunting, and harassment from others … Read more

A Follow-Up Regarding IPMB2022

Late last week, a passionate conversation erupted around a critically important topic in the plant science community: diversity and the inclusion of minoritized groups in visible roles at conferences, including IPMB2022. ASPB has been tagged in the conversations, and our delay in responding—our silence—allowed an unacceptable situation to get worse. Although ASPB has been assisting … Read more

Apologies to Thelma Madzima and the entire community from Katie Dehesh, ASPB President

As the President of ASPB, I’m writing to offer my sincere apologies to Thelma Madzima and the entire community. The recent events in regard to IPMB have demonstrated our shortcomings and urgent need to address the issue of diversity and inclusion, and our obligation to address the social and moral challenges we are facing. The … Read more

ASPB Award Nominations Are Open

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 ASPB Awards. The deadline is February 25, 2022, so please submit your nominations as soon as possible. It is important that ASPB honor the most notable achievements and contributions of plant scientists worldwide – a responsibility that we carry out in large part through our annual awards … Read more

DARPA Announces Cornucopia Program

On December 10, the Defense Sciences Office (DSO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) released a broad agency announcement (BAA) for its Cornucopia program.  Cornucopia is a funding opportunity focused on how to produce palatable food from microorganisms such as bacteria, microalgae, and fungi using minimal inputs. The program will span four years and … Read more

Introducing: The Newly Revised Principles for Teaching Plant Biology

The 12 Principles of Plant Biology are a widely used resource for teaching and learning plant biology, especially within the K-12 educational community. On the eve of the 25th anniversary of their development, the Education Committee would like to share with you a revised, expanded set of Principles for Teaching Plant Biology.  What are the … Read more

Applications Open for CourseSource Writing Faculty Mentoring Network

Have you developed new evidence-based teaching activities and/or lessons for online learning in biology undergraduate education? Are you interested in working with a group of peers to write and prepare your Lesson manuscript for submission to the journal CourseSource? CourseSource is partnering with BioQUEST and QUBES to offer semester-long Faculty Mentoring Networks (FMN)! Apply now … Read more

ASPB/AAAS 2022 Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows Program

Are you interested in science writing? Do you want to help people understand complex scientific issues? Apply for the ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows Program and learn how to increase public understanding of science and technology. Fellows in the 10-week 2022 summer program will work as reporters in mass media organizations nationwide. Application … Read more

ASPB Signs USCIA/NSF Authorization OPT-OUT Letter

ASPB recently signed a letter that encourages and supports a conference agreement for House and Senate competitiveness legislation that will, “reflect a bipartisan, bicameral commitment to maintaining U.S. global competitiveness through increased long-term investments in NSF research and education programs.” Read the Full Letter Here  

Scaling Up Equity and Inclusion Through K-12, Undergraduate, and Graduate Education

Title slide Building Sustained Commitments to Equity and Inclusion

By Sibongile Mafu (WiPB) and Adam Steinbrenner (EDIC) The Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) and Women in Plant Biology (WIPB) co-hosted a workshop at the Plant Biology 2021 Annual meeting entitled “Sustained Commitments to Diversity and Inclusion”. The invited panelists have focused their careers on outreach and teaching at critical early stages in student … Read more

Surviving Academia and Industry: 2021 Plant Biology Workshop

By Asia Hightower (EDIC) and Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi (EDIC) During the Plant Biology 2021 meeting, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) hosted a virtual workshop called ‘Surviving Academia and Industry’. Navigating the scientific workforce can be challenging for anyone at all career stages, but is particularly stressful for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) … Read more

Apply for an ASPB Women’s Young Investigator Travel Award for Plant Biology 2022!

ASPB is now accepting applications for the Women’s Young Investigator Travel Awards to attend Plant Biology 2022, which is scheduled to be held this year in Portland, Oregon from July 9-13, 2022, and online! The goal of the program is to increase attendance of early-career female investigators at the annual meeting; women plant scientists who … Read more

Call for workshop proposals for Plant Biology 2022

Planning for the Plant Biology 2022 conference is well underway. This year the conference will be a joint meeting with the Canadian Society of Plant Biologists and this year’s program committee is pleased to invite members of the plant science community to submit proposals for workshops to be held during the conference. Please complete and … Read more

Apply for an ASPB Travel Grant to attend Plant Biology 2022!

ASPB is offering a limited number of travel grants to attend Plant Biology 2022 which is scheduled to be held in Portland, Oregon from July 9-13, 2022, and online. The travel award program aims to increase attendance of early-career scientists at the annual meeting by providing funds for those in financial need; increasing diversity among … Read more

Sprinting to Endow ASPB’s Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award

By now, we hope you have heard about ASPB’s major fundraising drive – the Centennial Challenge – leading up to ASPB’s 100th anniversary in 2024. Although components of the Centennial Challenge – the Pioneer of ASPB program, for example – are perennial, at a recent meeting of the Centennial Challenge Committee it was decided to … Read more