In March 2023, US Senators Michael Bennet and Roger Marshall introduced the Advancing Cutting Edge (ACE) Agriculture Act with the goal of supporting “high-risk, high-reward agricultural research and development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).” ASPB was one of 65 organizations that signed a recent letter to the Senate and House Agriculture Committee members … Read more
In late September, ASPB joined a diverse group of organizations representing state, research, scientific, and private industry interests to sign a letter urging support for the Advancing Research on Agricultural Climate Impacts (ARACI) Act as part of the 2023 Farm Bill. This bipartisan legislation, introduced by Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Todd Young (R-IN), and … Read more
The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) remains active in supporting the advancement of scientific research and recently signed a letter to the leadership of the Committee on Appropriations urging inclusion of language regarding the Microbiome Interagency Working Group in the final Senate Fiscal Year 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill. … Read more
On September 26, 2023, Philip Benfey, notable plant geneticist, professor, and ASPB Pioneer Member, passed away. Philip had a lasting impact on many people in the plant biology community, some of whom have shared their memories and tributes to Philip here. Readers are invited to add their own memories to the comments of this blog … Read more
The ASPB journals Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell are introducing a new mechanism for publishing peer review reports on each journal’s website. A version of peer review reports has been published with the supplemental material of original research articles in The Plant Cell for some time. However, for the first time we are introducing … Read more
In mid-September, while the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization was under-way, ASPB, together with 130 organizations from industry, academia, and agriculture, signed a community support letter for the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) in the Farm Bill. Refreshed every five years, the last Farm Bill passed in 2018. The 2023 Farm Bill includes critical … Read more
For Peer Review Week 2023, ASPB is asking the community to weigh in on topics affecting peer reviewers in scientific publishing This year’s theme for Peer Review Week is “The Future of Publishing,” and with such a lofty theme, there’s one direction the conversation naturally goes: artificial intelligence (AI). While much of the conversation … Read more
ASPB represented plant biology research at the Congressional Life Science Fair on Capitol Hill on July 19, 2023, in the Rayburn House Office Building. This event was hosted by The Coalition for Life Sciences (CLS) and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). The purpose of this event was to showcase the positive … Read more
Interview by Charlay Wood Today, I had the star-struck experience of meeting Prof. Jing-Ke Weng in person! Imagine meeting someone you’ve idolized from the pages of academic journals brought to life right in front of you. It’s like bumping into your favorite movie star, but in the world of plant specialized metabolism. I’ve poured over more … Read more
ASPB established the Plant Biology Learning Objectives, Outreach Materials, & Education (Plant BLOOME) grant program with the goal to enhance public awareness and understanding of the essential roles of plants in all areas of life (http://bloome.aspb.org). Congratulations to the 2023 ASPB Plant BLOOME grant recipients! Engaging high school students in the Springfield Massachusetts Public Schools … Read more
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling on the use of race in college admissions, many academic institutions are left reworking admissions programs and policies that have historically benefitted Black, Indigenous, and Latino students. The end of race-conscious college admissions directly impacts the reach and accessibility of higher education by the very … Read more
As the highly successful term of current Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Cell is coming to an end, the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is seeking a prominent plant scientist to assume the duties and responsibilities of Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Cell, effective January 1, 2025. ASPB’s Editor Search Committee is charged with evaluating candidates for … Read more
Many thanks to those members who took the time to vote this summer; and hearty congratulations to our incoming President-elect, Hong Ma, and elected member of the Board of Directors, Sarah Wyatt! Additionally, the recognition of Avraham Levy and Wataru Sakamoto as Enid MacRobbie corresponding members was overwhelmingly ratified by the ASPB membership. Hong and … Read more
Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell pledge to help published authors present their science Authors whose work has been published in Plant Physiology or The Plant Cell, leading international society journals published by the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB), have a new option to support their travel to share their research with the … Read more
ASPB recently joined more than 50 food, farm, and conservation organizations in urging Congress to protect public investment in agricultural research. “Investing in research at the intersection of agriculture and climate change is critical to both short-term and long-term efforts to protect the viability of the agricultural industry,” the letter reads. “Unfortunately, the U.S. is … Read more
The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2023 awards, which honor distinction in service, outreach, education, and research. ASPB Innovation Prize for Agricultural Technology Renata Bolognesi, Stanislaw Flasinski, Sergey Ivashuta, Daniel Kendrick, Curtis Scherder, Gerrit Segers Bayer, Chesterfield, Missouri Charles Albert Shull Award José Dinneny Stanford University, … Read more
To create a transparent, consistent, and equitable process to provide assistance with membership dues to current and potential ASPB members, ASPB has implemented a formal process by which those in the plant science community can request a discounted or free membership. The goal of the Board-approved hardship dues reduction program is to provide a mechanism … Read more
The American Society of Plant Biologists announces its participation in a time-honored White House tradition to engage families in the importance of plants. The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) will engage children and families in fun activities and plant biology discussions at the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday April 10, 2023. … Read more
As the fiscal year 2024 (FY24) budget is being developed, ASPB joined forces with more than 400 organizations sending a letter to House and Senate Budget and Agriculture Committee members calling for providing the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and House Committee on Agriculture with sufficient budgetary resources. These budget resources could be … Read more
ASPB’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program has long-been one of the most in-demand programs at ASPB for young researchers. This year, however, there was an enormous amount of interest from enthusiastic undergraduates interested in exploring plant biology! With so many more applications than we’ve seen in years past, ASPB is looking to the community … Read more