Greetings ASPB members!
It is encouraging that signs of spring are here: daffodils are blooming and robins have returned, even though sometimes a cold spell can still make one feel the chilling air. Despite the unstable weather, warmer climates are inevitably forthcoming and many more flowers will blossom.
This is my third year of service among the leaders of ASPB, as the Immediate Past President. There are several responsibilities for me this year, including serving as the Chair of the ASPB Council, which is the largest ASPB governing committee and includes several elected members, chairs of other ASPB standing committees, representatives of ASPB regional and topical sections, an early career representative, the Chair of the ASPB Ambassador Alliance, and the ASPB CEO. The ASPB Council meets five times a year, including an in-person meeting at the site of the Plant Biology conference, on the day before the conference starts.
ASPB continues to strive for inclusiveness and representation in its programs and leadership. A specific effort for this aim is the agenda of the first Council meeting each year over the last several years that involves an in-depth discussion of APBS’s goals and activities for broad representation of APSB membership and the greater plant biology community. In addition, the Program Committee has continued to promote broad representation at the annual Plant Biology conferences, with a large number of speakers from wide range of research fields and backgrounds. An example was that, at the beginning of Plant Biology 2025, five ASPB leaders, including all four presidents and the CEO, were on stage together to welcome all conference attendees and kickoff the first plenary symposium, which included five speakers of different research areas, career stages, and backgrounds.
Another important continuing effort is the development and implementation of the ASPB strategic plan. After a comprehensive external consultation/review and multiple discussions at Council meetings, including a recent meeting in January, 2026, with a period for additional comments, the ASPB Board of Directors approved the strategic plan in February 2026. This important document serves as a guide for priorities and actions over the next a few years. Information about the strategic plan will be shared soon. Furthermore, related to these efforts and governance changes that have taken place over the recent years, the Council has discussed changes developed by the Constitution and Bylaws Committee for these two documents. These changes will be voted by ASPB members before they can take effect as part of the Constitution and Bylaws for the ASPB operations and leadership into the future.
The ASPB Council has also explored ways to better serve ASPB members and the plant biology community and to enhance the communication among council members. Specifically, with representation from standing committees and sections, and other council members, the Council has the broadest representation of ASPB units. Therefore, the council can communicate the voices of ASPB members to strengthen ASPB work and better serve its members. In addition, each committee is dedicated to specific aspects of the ASPB mission, and sections also endeavor to serve its members. Nevertheless, there can be more collaborations and interactions that make the effects stronger and the work more efficient. To this end, the council ASPB welcome ideas and inquiries from members and can leverage the collective energy and wisdom to address common challenges.
Another recent discussion centered on how more people, such as the nomination committee, can assist the President-Elect to fill vacant positions on the ASPB committees. In the interest of sharing the workload and broadening representation, the ASPB council recently recommended that the nomination committee members can also provide additional sources of information regarding potential candidates. As stated in the ASPB Constitution, the President-Elect is the ASPB leader with the responsibility of appointing new members to ASPB committees and also serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors (BoD) and the Chair of the Nomination Committee. Except for those stated in the constitution, such as the Chair of the Program Committee who is the ASPB secretary, elected by members, other committee members and chairs are appointed by the President-Elect, often after consultation with others; for some appointments, they are then approved by the BoD. ASPB members can also nominate other members or indicate in their membership profiles of interests in serving on ASPB committees.
Speaking of ASPB nominations, the nominations for the 2026 election of officers concluded in late February. Soon we will have a chance to hear from the candidates and I hope many of you will tune in to engage with the candidates. Furthermore, please be prepared to cast your votes for the candidates of your choice and support this important exercise of governance to sustain and enhance ASPB mission.
I would also like to highlight several instances of the work done by Council members who lead ASPB committees or sections. The BoD and Board of Trustees meet every other month to discuss overarching topics and financial matters, respectively. Several other committees have had regular meetings recently and discussed and deliberated on a wide range of topics related to ASPB missions, including the identification of the next Editor-in-Chief of Plant Physiology (PubsCom); selection of Women’s Young Investigator Award (WiPB); selection of travel awardees and Recognition Travel Awardees (EDIC); advancing member recruitment, retention and engagement, including the Hardship Membership Program (MemsCom); webinars and efforts to promote the early career community (ECPS); planning for Plant Science Saturday and representing ASPB at other conferences (EdCom); monthly engagements with policy experts on topics related to ASPB (SPC); and collaboration with other plant biology societies (InternCom).
The regional sections have recently had or will have annual meetings. The Mexico Section co-organized a conference in October 20-23, 2025, with the Mexican Society of Biochemistry. On March 13-15, 2026, the Southern Section held their meeting. Three sections will have their meetings in April:
The Mid-Atlantic Section will have its meeting on May 27 – 28, 2026. These meetings are relatively affordable and provide opportunities for many students to showcase their research and often offer information and advice for career developments. The ASPB leaders have attended or will attend them to inform and interact with other attendees. Other sections held Zoom meetings and, along with several committees, plan to have annual in person meetings and workshops as part of Plant Biology 2026.
The annual Plant Biology conferences are one of the most visible activities organized by ASPB. This year’s annual conference, Plant Biology 2026 (July 18-22), is co-organized by ASPB and CSPB/SCBV, our sister society in Canada, and to be held in Ottawa, Canada. The program committee, with support of ASPB and CSPB/SCBV members and the plant biology community, has put together another exciting program for Plant Biology 2026. I strongly encourage our members to attend this conference and enjoy the sciences, the networking, and explore new opportunities for collaborations and careers. I look forward to seeing many of you in July.
I hope our ASPB members and colleagues will find opportunities to enjoy plants, whether in a research setting, gardening, or while hiking and visiting a florist shop. Plants can bring us joy even when we face multiple challenges, and the resilience of plants can give us hope for a better future.
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All the best and congratulations to the new president. I am grateful to the journal Plant Physiology for its scientific progress and outstanding success.