Plant Biology (#plantbiology15) days 4 and 5. Too much happening.

This post covers two days of Plant Biology, 2015 in Minneapolis. Your correspondent took the night last night to attend the closing mixer/party and so decided to combine the last two days into one post. Once again, this is just to give a reader a sense of what went on at the conference, not exhaustive … Read more

Industry Careers = Good and Impactful Science

Since the advent of GMO crops, agriculture across the globe has undergone immense transformation, becoming the productive system in place today. The benefits of GMO crops are clear – corn farmers in developed countries have increased their productivity and yields. Take the U.S. for example, according to the USDA*, corn yields have grown by 35% … Read more

#plantbiology15 day 3. A day where energy returned

It rained this morning in Minneapolis. Luckily, that ended pretty quickly and the day was off to a quick start with the major symposia on epigenetics, with all of the speakers discussing the methylome (all of the DNA that ends up methylated in the genome, in what cells & in what conditions it occurs in … Read more

A day of connecting. Of pushing comfort zones. #plantbiology15 day 1

I went for a run this morning at 6:15am. It is now 20 past midnight. In between was day one of Plant Biology. And yes, I was there the whole day, or interacting with people at the conference that whole time. I’ve been getting known more and more for being the “twitter person” at Plant BIology … Read more

What is Plant Biology? (#plantbiology15)

The following was originally posted on the Quiet Branches Blog. Plant Biology is the name of the annual meeting organized by The American Society of Plant Biologists- ASPB (& sometimes co-organized with partner plant science societies from around the world). This is one gathering of the plant science community, one of the bigger ones that … Read more

2015 Women’s Young Investigator Travel Award Winner: Peizu Guan

We are pleased to announce that Peizu Guan has received one of our ten Women’s Young Investigator Travel Awards. For the past six years, Peizu has been conducting her postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Diego. Peizu’s research focuses on elucidating the regulatory mechanisms governing plant-nutrient interactions, more specifically, nitrate signaling and nitrate … Read more

2015 Women’s Young Investigator Travel Award Winner: Amy Klocko

We are pleased to announce that Amy Klocko has received one of our ten Women’s Young Investigator Travel Awards. Amy  is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University. She would like to present her research to a wider audience than her home department and university.  Amy also will … Read more

2015 Women’s Young Investigator Travel Award Winner: Cora MacAllister

We are pleased to announce that Cora MacAllister has received one of our ten Women’s Young Investigator Travel Awards. Cora is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan’s Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology Department.  In this position, she will be responsible for establishing an independent research group, securing external funding and teaching graduate and … Read more

BLOOME Grant Update: 19 Teachers + Forest Ecosystem Functions = 100s of student engagement opportunities

Thinking about Forests – What happens when nineteen teachers have the opportunity to study how forest ecosystems function? You get the potential to engage hundreds of students in thinking about forests as dynamic, exciting systems that shape the quality of the world we live in, from cleaning water and cooling the environment to preserving biodiversity. … Read more

Plant Science Careers: Survey Summary and Infographic

In 2015, the traditional academic path remains the default and desired path for plant scientists. Further, there is a high degree of uncertainty for current early-career researchers who wish to pursue that traditional path. Those are two big takeaways from the ASPB career survey carried out earlier this year.  Worldwide, over 800 respondents from many … Read more

 A Master Educator: Making a case for case studies

Tremendously beneficial: As a 2014 recipient of ASPB’s Master Educator Program (MEP) award, I received funding to attend the National Case Studies 2015 summer workshop in Buffalo, NY. Prior to attending the workshop I had used a few case studies in my classes but attending the workshop was tremendously beneficial because it examined the structure … Read more

Plant Biology 2015 Career Chats: Get answers to your career path questions

Below is a list of the scheduled Career Chats and panelists that will take place in the Career Center at Plant Biology 2015.  Come prepared and bring your plant science career path questions. Attend as many as you want, there is no registration required. Schedule and speakers subject to change. Monday, July 27 12:00 – 1:30 PM … Read more

White House Orders Review of GMO Regulations

On Thursday, July 2nd, 2015, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) ordered a review the regulatory policies for biotechnology products. ASPB welcomes this opportunity to engage both OSTP and the relevant federal agencies. The administration’s efforts, which will cover both agricultural and biomedical products, will seek to improve public confidence in the … Read more

Plant Biology 2015 – Call for Volunteers

Help with event coverage: Call for Volunteers in Minneapolis Volunteer onsite and help the entire plant science community stay connected with Plant Biology 2015. Together, we can raise awareness, increase visibility around the amazing science, networking, and education happening at the meeting and beyond. Opportunities include: Event coverage via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn Taking … Read more

Plant Biology 2015: Getting Connected

We are hitting the road soon and heading to Minneapolis for what is shaping up to be a fantastic meeting. This year, Plant Biology 2015 includes: 1,000+ Abstracts 100+ Exhibits 1,100+ Posters 30+ Mini symposia 5 Major Symposia 20 Workshops and Career sessions A series of networking events and activities A team of volunteers and … Read more

Balticon 49: What do fairies and elves need to know about plant science?

Sex, maize and how to feed the world (despite herbicide tolerance) Balticon 49 – Established in 1967, Balticon is the annual convention sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. This year’s version (May 22-25) offered everything surrounding science fiction including comic books, movies, kids’ programs, the presentation of the prestigious “Robert A. Heinlein” and the … Read more

Fascination of Plants in Hopewell, NJ – update

What do plants do? Why are different types of plants important? These were the central questions for two plant day activities in Hopewell, NJ. Leeann Thornton, a plant biology professor at The College of New Jersey, taught third graders about plant diversity and identification. The students learned a few characteristics for identifying tree leaves and … Read more

Winning entries of the April 2015 “Teaching Tools Proposal” competition

Earlier this year we announced a competition for proposals for the “Teaching Tools in Plant Biology” series of educational articles published by The Plant Cell. We had many excellent proposals submitted from which we selected three for further development. Sound intriguing? The competition has additional submission deadlines of August 31 and December 31 2015, and … Read more