Robert Giaquinta ASPB Legacy Society Founding Member How did you spend your career? After completing my PhD in biology (plant physiology) in 1972 under Donald Geiger at the University of Dayton, I did two years of postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Richard Dilley at Purdue University. My PhD focused on phloem transport, and my … Read more Member Spotlight – Robert Giaquinta
Updates on the US federal government’s response to COVID-19 and research opportunities. Research Guidelines National Science Foundation (NSF) On June 25, NSF issued new guidance in response to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-20-261 “Extension of Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus … Read more U.S. Federal Agency Responses and Research Opportunities: June 24-30, 2020
Katie Murphy 2020 Ambassador of the Year I’m Katie Murphy, a PhD candidate in plant biology at the University of California (UC), Davis, and the two things I love most are corn and chemistry. After receiving an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Stanford University, I came to UC Davis to learn about the best chemists … Read more Member Spotlight – Katie Murphy
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the organization established to improve the interface between science and policy on issues of biodiversity and ecosystem services, welcomes input from technical experts on the draft scoping report of its nexus assessment. The focus of the nexus assessment is to produce information needed to achieve the policy objectives of … Read more IPBES Launches External Review of its Draft Scoping Report for the Nexus Assessment and Requests Input from Technical Experts
ASPB invites members to join the 2020-2021 PlantingScience Master Plant Science Team. PlantingScience is a free online resource to teachers and schools. The program provides volunteer scientists, resources, and activities to support innovation in teaching, learning, and mentoring. PlantingScience is a learning community where scientists provide online mentorship to student teams as they design and think through … Read more Join the 2020-2021 Planting Science Master Plant Science Team!
Heven Sze ASPB Legacy Society Founding Member How did you spend your career? As an undergraduate student, I had no idea how my career would turn out. In those days, it was common to see women as educators in secondary schools for girls, but rarely at universities. I improved my grades at National Taiwan University … Read more Member Spotlight – Heven Sze
Belonging to ASPB brings more than discounts for attending Plant Biology meetings or publishing in the Society’s journals. Our members form a community of dedicated individuals who, like you, work together to support and nurture an engaged, vibrant, and thriving community of plant scientists. By getting involved in ASPB and by voting in our elections, … Read more Meet the ASPB President-Elect Candidates for 2020
As an extension of #ShutDownStem, ASPB acknowledges the importance of Juneteenth, a day widely celebrated by the African American community to commemorate June 19, 1865, the day that more than 250,000 slaves in Texas were informed they were free – more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Below is a list of resources that … Read more Celebrating Juneteenth
On June 5, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released a request for applications (RFA) for the Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative (AG2PI). AG2PI was authorized in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill) and received its first funding in fiscal year (FY) 2020. This new funding opportunity seeks proposals that will … Read more Funding Opportunity: NIFA Releases Funding Opportunity for the Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative
Recorded Wednesday, June 17, ‘Virtual‘ Lunch~N~Learn Seminar via Webinar PLANT SCIENCE DECADAL VISION, 2020-2030 Reimagining the Potential of Plants for a Healthy and Sustainable Future The Decadal Vision for Plant Science will be the subject of a National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (NCFAR) ‘virtual’ Lunch~N~Learn webinar on Wednesday, June 17 at 12:30 Eastern. … Read more Plant Science Decadal Vision Webinar with David Stern and Samantha Miller
Sarah Hake ASPB Legacy Society Founding Member How did you spend your career? I went to Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, a wonderful small college in the middle of nowhere with amazing faculty and great resources. I fell in love with plant morphology thanks to one of the faculty, Vern Durkee, who taught plant taxonomy. … Read more Member Spotlight – Sarah Hake
Chris Barbey, Ph.D. is a researcher at the University of Florida studying strawberry flavor and disease resistance. Brand new USDA regulations for crop biotechnology will begin phasing in during June 2020. The new “SECURE” rules (Sustainable, Ecological, Consistent, Uniform, Responsible, Efficient) govern what is — and isn’t — required for USDA review before going … Read more USDA Relaxes Regulations for GE Crops – How Will it Affect the Plant Research Community?
Weekly updates on the US federal government’s response to COVID-19 and research opportunities. Federal Guidance Related to Research and Higher Education National Science Foundation (NSF) On June 5, it was noted at the NSF Environmental Research and Education (ERE) Advisory Committee that the Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) program expects to add sub-tracks related to COVID-19 … Read more U.S. Federal Agency Responses and Research Opportunities: June 3-9, 2020
In support of #ShutDownSTEM, an initiative from a multi-identity, intersectional coalition of STEM professionals and academics that is taking action for Black lives, ASPB suspended its operations on Wednesday, June 10. Our websites did not function or allow financial transactions, and our journals did not process manuscripts. The Society’s governance, journal editorial boards, and staff … Read more We Need to Hear Your Voices
Bijay Singh ASPB Legacy Society Founding Member How did you spend your career? I received my early education, including my MS, in India. I moved to Australia in 1978 and joined the University of Adelaide. After completing my PhD in 1982, I started postdoctoral work with Jack Preiss in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics … Read more Member Spotlight – Bijay Singh
We deplore the pervasive institutional racism that allows systemic injustice, inequality, suffering, and violence to fester. We understand the love, fear, and anger of those protesting the most recent murders of unarmed Black people going about their lives, and we implore governments and their agents to act with restraint and compassion. We stand with other … Read more Silence Suffocates Us All
Zhiyong Wang Acting Director and Senior Staff Scientist, Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science INTERVIEW BY DIWAKER TRIPATHI ASPB Student Ambassador, University of Washington Zhiyong Wang grew up in Wuda, a small coal-mining town in northwest Inner Mongolia, China. He received his BS in plant physiology from Lanzhou University, China, and his MS from the … Read more Member Spotlight – Zhiyong Wang
On May 27, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) released a request for application (RFA) through its Crops of the Future Collaborative. FFAR is seeking transformative research and technologies “focused on ensuring under-appreciated crops also benefit from recent advances and emerging technologies for genotype-independent regeneration of fertile plants to foster application of rapid breeding … Read more FFAR Releases Crops of the Future RFA
Weekly updates on the US federal government’s response to COVID-19 and research opportunities. Federal Guidance Related to Research and Higher Education National Science Foundation (NSF) The 2020 NSF Proposal and Award Policy and Procedures Guide will go into effect as planned on June 1. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of the new … Read more U.S. Federal Agency Responses and Research Opportunities: May 20 – 26, 2020
On May 18, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) released the final version of the agency’s update to the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology (Coordinated Framework). APHIS initially released a proposed rule in 2019, but withdrew it following significant stakeholder comments. This revision, called … Read more Policy Update: USDA Releases Revised Rule on Genetically Engineered Plants Amid Overhaul of Biotechnology Regulations