How do you describe the cycle that involves carboxylation and regeneration of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate that was elucidated by the work of Melvin Calvin, Andrew Benson and James Bassham? As a student, I learned that this is the Calvin Cycle, but a quick survey of the literature reveals that it is also described as the Calvin-Benson … Read more
Recently, I was asked it if is ethical to give a job to a woman rather than to a man of higher quality. I replied, “How do we measure “quality”? This is the longer answer that I didn’t have time to provide. The opinions expressed are my own. Achievement does not equal quality Imagining that … Read more
Many scientists are exploring the use of videos and video blogs (vlogs) for science communication. I asked Claire Hopkins, creator of the Brilliant Botany videos and website, how she got started making science videos and if she has any advice for getting started in science communication. Here are her replies. (I also invite you to … Read more
We are proud to partner again with the National Park Foundation, to support the 2016 White House Easter Egg Roll on March 28th at President’s Park on the South Lawn of the White House. In addition to having volunteers on site, ASPB will have several plant science experts, the My Life as a Plant activity book, and … Read more
Inaugural class sets high standards for a growing program. Mentoring Matters Our Society takes an active and collaborative role in the Promoting Active Learning & Mentoring (PALM) Network. PALM funds one-on-one, long-term mentorships for faculty or postdocs new to the effective biology education approaches outlined in the Vision and Change recommendations. PALM Fellows work … Read more
This entry is re-blogged from NASA’s recent post. On Jan. 16, 2016, Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly shared photographs of a blooming zinnia flower in the Veggie plant growth system aboard the International Space Station. Kelly wrote, “Yes, there are other life forms in space! #SpaceFlower #YearInSpace” This flowering crop experiment began on Nov. 16, 2015, … Read more
By Courtney Price, Education & Outreach Specialist, Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center & Center for Applied Plant Sciences In order to engage students in the learning process it is important to provide opportunities for hands-on activities that bring to life important science concepts. However, for some educators the task of developing new lesson plans that demonstrate … Read more
Now available: Fascination of Plants Day Success Stories 2015 Thanks to the voluntary contributions and hard work of many people in the plant science community around the world the Fascination of Plants Day (FoPD) 2015 was a huge success. This publication celebrates how so much diversity – in terms of individual demographics, activity content and … Read more
Research often involves hundreds of hours of behind the scenes work before results come together, ultimately culminating in presenting a snapshot of the project as a whole. This past year has offered me a glimpse into this process through my participation in ASPB’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. Over the summer of 2015 I … Read more
ASPB partners with the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Science Education (PULSE) community on various initiatives. With PULSE, Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) is offering three sessions of a Summer 2016 institute at The Claggett Center in Adamstown, Maryland, for early and mid-career STEM faculty. Applications due March 11, 2016. Session Options: Institute I: July 12–July 17 Institute … Read more
Dr. Chris Martine (Bucknell University) discovered a species of Australian bush tomato and named it after Mark Watney, the main character of Hollywood blockbuster, The Martian (based on Andy Weir’s novel of the same name). As a scientist dedicated to eliminating society’s tendency toward ‘plant blindness,‘ Chris took this opportunity to trumpet how very non-optional … Read more
ASPB and the Botanical Society of America (BSA) are recruiting 20 PlantingScience Fellows to participate in the Digging Deeper Project. Application Deadline – March 15, 2016 Apply Here Digging Deeper: Developing a Model for Collaborative Teacher/Scientist Professional Development The Digging Deeper project will develop, implement, and test a professional development (PD) model whereby teachers and … Read more
Many scientists are exploring the use of blogs to share their experiences of science and nature with a wider audience. I asked John Palka, retired neuroscientist (University of Wasthington) and author of the popular blog Nature’s Depths how he got started blogging and if he has any advice to those considering blogging. Here are his … Read more
ASPB partners with PlantingScience to support authentic plant science research in middle and high school classrooms across the United States and Canada. The spring session kicked off Monday, February 15. Already, almost 120 student teams from 11 schools are online and introducing themselves to their scientist mentors. Many other schools will be coming online soon. … Read more
We had many excellent proposals submitted for the third round of the “Teaching Tools in Plant Biology” competition, from which we selected three for further development. We’ve added another opportunity for you to submit your ideas for consideration as a Teaching Tools, deadline October 1, 2016 (see this for more information). Feel free to contact … Read more
Three grand prize winners will take home $500 and an all expenses paid trip to New York City — the most populated city in the U.S. — to visit the U.N. headquarters in November 2016 and share their story of urban sustainability with world leaders. Sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Planet Forward Storyfest 2016 is looking for stories about … Read more
Rebecca Davis, CEO of Ovington, is a marketing professional with a particular focus on the area of public engagement with science. Rebecca spoke at the February 3, 2016, session of the Public Engagement with Science at Societies (PES@S) working group. With Rebecca’s marketing overview and then discussion guidance, the working group focused on these guiding … Read more
Insight from a 2015 SURF Fellow The ASPB Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is a spectacular opportunity to embark on an independent project over the summer, earn money, present your research, and expand your resume. Applying to nationally competitive fellowships is a daunting task. Only 15 students are awarded the SURF (10 from doctoral granting … Read more
Previously we shared a list of videos spanning the plant biology part of an introductory biology course at the University of California at Berkeley. A reader shared a link to another plant biology course taught at Berkeley, the Plant Molecular Genetics (PMB160) course, taught in 2012 by Jenn Fletcher and Bob Fischer. Here is a … Read more
While updating the materials for upcoming workshops (Nottingham and Potsdam next month) on careers, communication and writing, I asked Matt Candeias, author of the popular blog In Defense of Plants how he got started and if he has any advice to those considering blogging. Here are his replies. I started In Defense of Plants as … Read more
