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
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
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
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
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
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
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
This post is part of the Recognizing our Authors series. Pedro L. Rodriguez The Plant Cell, Plant Physiology Pedro L. Rodriguez is a staff scientist with the Spanish Research Council (CSIC). He received his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from the Autonoma University of Madrid and carried out postdoctoral work at the ETH Zurich … Read more
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
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
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
In this letter I would like to address two interlinked problems and offer possible solutions to both of them: (1) the relatively long duration of PhD graduate studies in many countries and (2) the increasing time it can take from research advance to publication. In the latter case, I will also address innovations that are … Read more
The latest Teaching Tool in Plant Biology explores the theme of “Micronutrients and Metals”. By definition, the micronutrients (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Mo, Ni, B, Si and Cl) are essential for plant life, and most are also essential for human and other animal life. About a quarter of cellular proteins are metalloproteins that associate tightly … Read more
This post is part of the Recognizing our Authors series. York-Dieter Stierhof The Plant Cell York-Dieter Stierhof is the head of the central facility for electron microscopy at the Center for Plant Molecular Biology ZMBP at the University of Tübingen. He studied biology at the University of Tübingen and got his PhD in zoology/parasitology. During … Read more
Practical Learning for Bright Young Minds: The Master Plant Science Team (MPST) program is a mentoring program under the aegis of PlantingScience sponsored by National Science Foundation and supported by several professional societies, including ASPB. The goal for MPST is to facilitate more robust learning experiences among middle and high school students in United States. … Read more
Some of us visit botanical gardens for aesthetic enjoyment, exercise, or to get ideas about what to plant in our own gardens. Rarely do most of us consider what goes on behind the scenes or just how critical plant research is to our daily lives. Botanical Society of America members got a chance address these … Read more
As part of Fascination of Plants Day, over 60 1st grade students at Beall Elementary School in Frostburg, MD were treated to hand-on activities centered on how plants use their senses to explore and respond to their environment. The budding scientists were asked to voice and write their ideas about whether or not plants can … Read more
As US National Coordinator, ASPB hosted four contests for Fascination of Plants Day-USA. Congratulations to the winners! I. Petunia Cultivar Naming Contest The new RevolutionBio’s coloring-changing Petunia hybrida cultivar is: Petunia hybrida “Oz” by LAURIE MARX, Lotusland in Santa Barbara, CA Laurie explains, “The horse of a different color from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ amazed … Read more
This post is part of the Recognizing our Authors series. David Casero The Plant Cell, Plant Physiology David Casero is an assistant researcher in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UCLA. He earned his BS in theoretical physics and PhD in applied mathematics at Complutense University in Spain. David conducted postdoctoral research in Matteo … Read more
This year’s Fascination of Plants Day, a plant scientists’ initiative launched in 2012, has been already adopted by 54 countries worldwide. All information about this initiative can be accessed via www.plantday.org and is supported world-wide by a network of National Coordinators who voluntarily promote and disseminate the activity within their countries. Already over 509 scientific … Read more
