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
Gramene researchers are sharing their passion for plants and plant science in the community and online: On May 19 of 2015, Dr. Marcela Karey Tello-Ruiz, project manager for Gramene, will present an interactive demonstration for kindergartners at Bayville Elementary School in Bayville, NY on the subject of “Plants in our every day lives”. On May … Read more
Our day-to-day life here at Western Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) is infused with the study and appreciation of plants. Several school-wide, year-round projects reflect our belief that the study of botany, ecology, and the environment is fundamental to an education that provides young people with the knowledge and skills needed to become leaders and changemakers … Read more
Students from Dr. Hua Lu’s class and lab are celebrating Fascination of Plants Day by hosting a midday study break on campus. All are invited to enjoy activities, prizes, food (plants), and free plants to take along. Plant fans are welcome to present a favorite plant or to swap or donate a plant at the … Read more
The following letter was sent to our USA members in regards to the Cornell Alliance for Science petition. This issue is extremely important regarding transparency concerning publicly-funded research and scientific investigations. Please read below to help support the plant science and research community with this issue. On January 28th, 2015, 14 scientists from four universities were targeted … Read more
By Hanna Rovenich and Setareh Mohammadin of the EPS PhD council. Benefits of a Netherlands-wide multi-university graduate school The interuniversity Graduate School ‘Experimental Plant Sciences‘ (EPS) trains over 300 PhD candidates at any given time across seven different universities including Wageningen University, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Free University of Amsterdam, the University of Amsterdam, Leiden … Read more
This post is part of the Recognizing our Authors series. Ian Baldwin The Plant Cell, Plant Physiology Ian Baldwin graduated with a PhD in chemical ecology from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, Section of Neurobiology and Behavior in 1989. He was an assistant (1989), associate (1993), and full professor (1996) in the Department of Biology … Read more
At ASPB, we are privileged to publish the work of a range of authors whose scientific experience and academic leadership have helped establish our journals, Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell, as highly respected sources of knowledge for the advancement of plant science. In 2009, we analyzed citations to our journals for papers published between … Read more
Eric Hamilton, from Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), has been awarded the 2015 ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship. He will spend 10 weeks this summer training as a science journalist at the Milwaukee Journal- Sentinel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Eric is a PhD candidate in the Plant and Microbial Biosciences program at WUSTL, … Read more
In response to recent inquiries concerning a publication by Dr. Olivier Voinnet in The Plant Cell, the American Society of Plant Biologists and The Plant Cell release the following statement: We confirm that one of three reviewers of the original submission of the Dunoyer et al. 2004 paper in The Plant Cell [“Probing the microRNA … Read more
We’ve now been publishing “Teaching Tools in Plant Biology” for five years, and it’s clear that this feature of The Plant Cell is being used across the world; the articles are regularly accessed from sites in more than 100 countries (the figure shows 2014 country distribution). We recently ran a survey to find out how … Read more
For years we’ve been asking people how they define a great teacher. One trait that repeatedly comes up is “enthusiasm.” Nobody enthuses about plants better than plant scientists, so we’re offering you a chance to “share your enthusiasm”. Have you got a passion for plant science? Do you have a favorite paper, experiment, topic, or … Read more