Alternative careers in science: My experience as an informal educator

By Courtney Price, Education & Outreach Specialist,  Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center & Center for Applied Plant Sciences, and Plantae Fellow With a passion for life science, conservation and education, my academic and professional experience has taken me on a convoluted path. That unique path has led me to my current role as the Education & … Read more

Professional Development for PUI Faculty at Plant Biology 2017

As a faculty member at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI), do you find yourself challenged to develop and nurture a research program that is both robust and richly engaging for undergraduate scientists? As a grad student or a postdoc, are you committed to (or seriously considering) pursuing a faculty position at a PUI? If so, … Read more

Recognizing featured Plant Cell first authors, November 2016

Recently, we’ve been profiling first authors of Plant Cell papers that are selected for In Brief summaries. Here are the first-author profiles from the November issue of The Plant Cell. Jaewook Kim, Kijong Song, and Eunae Park, featured authors of Epidermal Phytochrome B Inhibits Hypocotyl Negative Gravitropism Non-Cell Autonomously Jaewook Kim Current Position: Graduate student, … Read more

Recognizing featured Plant Cell first authors, October 2016

Recently, we’ve been profiling first authors of Plant Cell papers that are selected for In Brief summaries. Here are the first-author profiles from the October issue of The Plant Cell. Olivia Wilkins and Christoph Hafemeister, featured first authors of EGRINs (Environmental Gene Regulatory Influence Networks) in Rice That Function in the Response to Water Deficit, … Read more

Recognizing featured Plant Cell first authors, September 2016

Recently, we’ve been profiling first authors of Plant Cell papers that are selected for In Brief summaries. Here are the first-author profiles from the September issue of The Plant Cell. Inmaculada Couso, featured first author of Synergism between inositol polyphosphates and TOR kinase signaling in nutrient sensing, growth control and lipid metabolism in Chlamydomonas Current … Read more

Developing students’ digital identity through guided Twitter networking

This is a guest post by Judith Wayte, in which she describes how she prepares her students to use Twitter professionally. Judith is based in The School of Biosciences at The University of Nottingham where she leads efforts to support students through integrated placement programmes and assessment of professional skills.  She is interested in how … Read more

Keeping up with the literature: Your suggestions

Last month we asked “How do you keep up with the literature?” (cross-posted on the ASPB blog and Plantae). Several of you shared your tips, thanks! Here we’ve compiled the replies we received from you. Follow specific journals One tip is to follow the Twitter or Facebook pages of your favorite journals (in case you … Read more

Working as a Plant Biology Consultant

At the 2016 Plant Biology conference in Austin, Texas, we had the opportunity to sit down with Michael Gonzalez to get tips on pursuing a career as a Plant Biology Consultant.  Here are some of the tips and suggestions Michael shared with us.  For more information, you can contact him at michael@mdgonzales.com.  Getting Started: The … Read more

Plant Biologists Pitch their Science

We spent all four days of Plant Biology 2016 recording “Plant Science: How I Work” interviews and fantastic elevator pitches following the Communication Workshop: How to Create a Winning Elevator Pitch facilitated by Teresa Evans and Geoff Hunt. Here are a few to inspire you!  We’ll share more in Plantae.org along with the How I Work … Read more

To Resumé, or not to Resumé?

  There’s been some great discussions and dialogue at @ASPB #plantbio16 around careers and applying for jobs. Specifically there has been great dialogue around preparing cover letters and CV’s to submit as part of an application process. During a couple of the conversations that I’ve been involved in, I’ve realized that there is considerable confusion … Read more

Your Meeting Checklist: 21 ways to get the most out of Plant Biology 2016

Plant Biology 2016 is turning out to be our best meeting yet and we want to make sure that you get the most out of your time. To help you do this, our team at ASPB put together this handy list of 21 ways to maximize your experience. Plan your schedule Making the best use of your time … Read more

Six Meetups Happening at #PlantBio16

Getting ready for Plant Biology 2016 in Austin? Meetups are a great way to gather face-to-face with friends, colleagues, and others with similar interests.   1. ASPB Ambassador Meetup (Saturday 3:30 – 4 pm – Membership desk near registration) Curious about how to become an ASPB Ambassador? Come meet our current Ambassadors who help support and grow the plant … Read more

3 Ways To Learn How To Effectively Pitch Yourself and Your Science at #PlantBio16

Your “elevator pitch” is how you present yourself in an intriguing, attention-grabbing and articulate way. When someone asks you about yourself or your work, being prepared with your “pitch” immediately catches their interest and opens the conversation so you can provide more detail. Developing and refining your pitch is more difficult than it sounds, which is why there are … Read more

4 Ways To Supercharge Your Career at #PlantBio16

Looking for career resources and workshops to help navigate your career path?   Look no further. Here are 4 ways to supercharge your career at Plant Biology 2016.   1. Improve your skills Choose any of these career-related workshops: Re-imagining Postgraduate Training for the Plant Sciences (Saturday, 10-12) Writing Science: Inspire careful thinking and useful discourse (Sunday, … Read more

4 Ways To Connect With And Support Your PUI Colleagues at #PlantBio16

Are you from a PUI (Primarily Undergraduate Institution)? Here are four easy ways to connect with your peers, support each other, get ideas, and find resources. Attend the PUI Networking Workshop: Funding Research at PUI – Sunday, July 10 – 7-9 pm – $ This workshop is for faculty currently working at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) or younger scientists … Read more

Recognizing featured Plant Cell first authors, June 2016

Recently, we’ve been profiling first authors of Plant Cell papers that are selected for In Brief summaries. Here are the first-author profiles from the June issue of The Plant Cell. Yuki Kondo, featured first author of Vascular Cell Induction Culture System Using Arabidopsis Leaves (VISUAL) Reveals the Sequential Differentiation of Sieve Element-like Cells Current Position: … Read more