By Leeann Thornton, ASPB Past-President
ASPB Past-President
In difficult times, people need to come together to support and encourage each other to keep moving towards a shared vision. ASPB is committed to promoting plant science, communicating research about plants, and supporting plant biologists. Our work in advancing the community of plant biologists embraces inclusivity, integrity, transparency and respect. ASPB is working to remove barriers to participating in plant science so that we grow in our ability to be a professional home that welcomes plant scientists at all stages of their careers.
What about immediate efforts to support the community?
The ASPB presidents and our Science Policy Committee are working closely with the ASPB staff and our policy advisors from Lewis-Burke Associates to communicate information to the community as quickly as possible. We are also collecting information from members to amplify your voices and to assemble examples of the harm that is being caused by the recent executive actions to members of Congress. The Board of Directors is organizing a Town Hall soon for you to share your perspective on the best path forward. ASPB wants to hear about your experience and help where we can! To that end, we will be communicating with you more frequently because we want to make sure you are informed and connected to those who share your concerns.
What is the ASPB leadership doing to provide long-term support for the community?
In our efforts to improve transparency, we have engaged more people in understanding how our annual budget works and offering perspective on how our spending aligns with our mission. The ASPB Council comprises leaders from each committee and section, and it works with the Board of Directors to plan and implement all of the programs that support plant biologists around the world. The January Council meeting included an opportunity for Council members to see how all of the programs are financed and to discuss ways to keep doing great work in a fiscally responsible way. The Board of Directors and staff are closely monitoring the current threats to federal funding to minimize direct impacts on ASPB programs. As you might have seen in the statement we released on February 11, ASPB remains committed to on-going goals that promote equitable engagement in the sciences, as well as culturally sensitive mentoring and teaching.
Being part of a society gives you representation in a larger voice for the good of plant science.
However, in the face of current concerns for science, the power of ASPB alone is insufficient. So, we are also working with other plant biology societies as well as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and sibling organizations across the STEM space to identify the common concerns that we need to bring forward to policy makers. We are adding our voice and examples of the impact of the recent changes to joint letters to congress. We are working to promote new solutions that will keep the scientific community moving forward.
I had the opportunity to attend the AAAS conference last week to learn more about what ASPB can do to keep advocating for equitable and inclusive support of the sciences. It was humbling and empowering to be surrounded by representatives from other scientific fields who were committed to maintaining excellence and opportunity. I heard from AAAS leaders and lawyers on how to keep our long term goals in mind as we navigate the current disruptions to our scientific practice. There were a few important take-home messages from the conference that apply to societies, institutions, and individuals. We need to avoid buzzwords and be very clear about what we are doing and how it aligns with our mission; we are removing barriers to fair access and opportunity with legally non-discriminatory practices. Law is our tool as we carefully push back; we must stay committed to doing no harm while we collect evidence that we are addressing all gaps in opportunity to carry out our mission within the law. We need to better communicate what we are doing and why it is in the best interest of our country to use public funds to promote innovation and inclusive participation in the sciences. It is going to take some time to rebuild trust in science, so be persistent with outreach opportunities that highlight how scientific innovation improves people’s lives and is important for their future. If the general public doesn’t feel a connection to scientific practice and thinking – and they generally do not – they will not support what we do. No one knows what tools will be necessary for the problems of the future, so we need to help our broader community trust the usefulness of scientific endeavors.
These are unprecedented and distressing times! We are witnessing the dismantling of science and education systems and support structures. Try to hold on to what drew you to science as we chart a path forward. Maintain your drive for understanding the natural world and developing tools that support sustainable uses of plants. Keep sharing your fascination with plants with others to inspire them to explore and appreciate plant science. Be supportive of your colleagues who are worried about or actually harmed by the changes to our programs and funding. Be determined to keep advancing science and nurturing the next generation of innovators. Know that you are not alone in your frustration with the current uncertainties and obstacles. ASPB will remain nimble in the coming years as we work together to promote a shared vision for excellence in plant science in an inclusive community of plant biologists.
Over the span of my more than 50 years of membership of ASPP (ASPB), I have always found the leadership as well as the entire membership of the Society to be very diverse and broadly represented; both nataionally and internationally. Organizations like the Gordon Conferences and International societies have all been very representative of the scientific community. Financial support at the major plant phsiology conferences has made it possible for scientists (including young scientists) from diverse institutions across the world. Let’s keep it like that. Plants are fascinating, and let us keep our interest in them expanding. More the public knows about them; more they’ll thrive.
Thank you, Leeann, for your inspiring message. In these challenging times, it’s heartening to see ASPB’s unwavering commitment to inclusivity, transparency, and support for plant scientists at all career stages. Your leadership and proactive efforts to engage with policymakers and the broader scientific community are truly commendable. Together, we’ll navigate these challenges and continue to advance plant science.
Thank you! I am glad to hear scientific organizations and scientists are binding together. Yes, you need to collect stories. We also need to help nonscientists understand that post docs in all sciences have generally put in 10 years of education and are at a similar stage as resident medical doctors, that they work day and night both in grad school and as postdocs, that they have low pay and firing them costs us money as far as productive research, that they often receive money from their countries if they are international, that if American, they often have student debt, that the overhead of expensive machines has allowed America to be world leaders in research and development and these cuts will make us into a third world country.
Thank you for your comments to expand this conversation! We need to keep sharing our perspectives on the importance of plant biology research and the systems that support young scientists in getting the training they need to solve the problems of the future. I am very worried about what lasting impacts we will see if our brightest young people are forced to turn to other industries or other countries to develop their talents.