Mary Williams

I studied Biochemistry at Berkeley (BA), Plant Molecular Biology at Rockefeller (PhD), did a postdoc at Berkeley with Ian Sussex, and then spent 14 years as a Biology professor at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. In 2009 I started working at the American Society of Plant Biologists as Features Editor of the journal Plant Cell and the developer of Teaching Tools in Plant Biology. My passion lies in making it a little bit easier for students of all ages to understand plants and plant science research. I live in Glasgow, Scotland, with my family and our much adored dog.

New approach to improve nitrogen use, enhance yield, and promote flowering in rice

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Expression of the nitrate transporter gene OsNRT1.1A improves yield and accelerates maturation. Using nitrogen fertilizer increases crop yields, but excess runoff causes environmental pollution. Moreover, in grains such as rice, large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer can delay flowering, leaving the crop vulnerable to late-season cold weather. A recent study in The Plant Cell identified a … Read more

Fanconi Anemia: Insight From a Green Plant

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Model plant studies show key protein functions in the exchange of genetic material Fanconi anemia is a human genetic disorder with severe effects, including an increased risk of cancer and infertility. Work in animal systems has identified many factors involved in Fanconi anemia and showed that these factors function in the repair of DNA. However, … Read more

Top altmetric scoring papers from The Plant Cell and Plant Physiology – 2017

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The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is a not-for-profit member society, and the publisher of two the top plant science journals, The Plant Cell and Plant Physiology. ASPB is also a member of the Scientific Society Publisher Alliance (SSPA). Like other society-published journals, ASPB’s journals provide authors with the opportunity to have their work … Read more

Fond farewell to Patti Lockhart, ASPB Managing Editor

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The staff and editorial boards of ASPB, The Plant Cell, and Plant Physiology would like to offer our appreciation and best wishes to Patti Lockhart, who is leaving her position as managing editor of the ASPB journals for a new opportunity at the Transportation Resource Board of the National Academies. Patti has been with ASPB … Read more

Summer undergraduate researcher update (applications open now!)

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This article is by guest author Abigail Miller, whose ASPB-funded research has just been published in Nature Communications. Congratulations Abigail! Applications for the summer undergradate research fellowships are new being accepted, through March 15, 2018. Learn more here. The American Society of Plant Biologists Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship award (SURF) was a great experience for … Read more