Maureen McCann became ASPB president on October 1, 2020. She succeeds Judy Callis, who becomes immediate past president. In the following article, Maureen tells us her thoughts for ASPB over the next few years. A career in academic research is, in equal measures, hard work and great fun. But I believe deeply that academic life … Read more
ASPB has made progress in increasing transparency in its activities. Although we have a ways to go, we are on the right track, and with your continued interest, ASPB will respond by initiating changes to better serve you. Way back in San Jose in the summer of 2019, multiple suggestions were put forward during the … Read more
This week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a proposed rule that would replace the current Duration of Status policies for F, J, and I visa holders with fixed time periods of admission, as a way to increase oversight over these categories of nonimmigrants. The proposed fixed length of time would not exceed four … Read more
On September 22, President Trump released an Executive Order (EO), entitled “Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping.” The EO has implications for federal agencies, grantees, and contractors and is a follow-up to a September 4 executive memorandum, M-20-34, which directed executive branch agencies to end trainings on topics such as “critical race theory,” … Read more
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a new cross-agency solicitation for Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks (SRS RNs) to advance convergent science, engineering, and education research to create more sustainable regional systems. The Research Networks will seek understanding of the connections between rural and urban communities integrating data collection, outcomes, theories of change, generalizable … Read more
The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) released a $25 million funding opportunity for new technologies to improve the carbon efficiency of bioconversion platforms. The Energy and Carbon Optimized Synthesis for the Bioeconomy (ECOSynBio) program seeks to establish pathways for low-, zero-, or negative-carbon fuels, chemicals, and materials for a robust and secure U.S. … Read more
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) pertaining to the agency’s 2010 framework for providers of synthetic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). This framework aims to mitigate the potential biosecurity risks of certain dsDNA products being … Read more
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) will be holding a proposers day webcast on September 25, 2020 in anticipation of releasing its 2021 Young Faculty Award Program (YFA) research announcement (RA). DARPA’s YFA program aims to expose rising stars in junior faculty or equivalent positions at academic and non-profit research institutions … Read more
The fourth day of the Plant Biology Worldwide submit was introduced by Asia Hightower, a PhD student at Michigan State University who is also the Early Career Representative on the ASPB Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee. Asia relayed how becoming involved in ASPB provided many opportunities to build her network and gave her access to … Read more
Research network presents action plan for the plant science community to maximize impact on pressing global issues such as human health and climate change. Plant science research has tremendous potential to address pressing global issues including climate change, food insecurity and sustainability. However, without sustained investment in plant science, the necessary research to generate innovative … Read more
By Yun-Ting Kao (Plantae Fellow) This year, nine plant scientists have been elected to the National Academy of Science. We asked the newly elected plant scientists about how the news of their election to the NAS reached them, what inspires their research, and for their advice for early career researchers. Barbara Valent is a University … Read more
On August 31, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced, via two Dear Colleague Letters (DCL), new opportunities to support international collaboration. Specifically, the two DCLs will enable collaborative projects in specific research areas with the UK and with France to undergo a single review under lead agency agreements. Both lead agency opportunities allow for reciprocal … Read more
On September 1, ASPB joined more than 70 scientific organizations to support the call of House Science Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson for a National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) study to “identify policies, strategies, and practices that have been the most successful in preventing and addressing systemic racism” in academia. Read the Letter … Read more
By Yun-Ting Kao (Plantae Fellow) This year, nine plant scientists have been elected to the National Academy of Science. We asked the newly elected plant scientists about how the news of their election to the NAS reached them, what inspires their research, and for their advice for early career researchers. Kazuo Shinozaki is the Senior … Read more
By Yun-Ting Kao (Plantae Fellow) This year, nine plant scientists have been elected to the National Academy of Science. We asked the newly elected plant scientists about how the news of their election to the NAS reached them, what inspires their research, and for their advice for early career researchers. Loren Rieseberg is the University … Read more
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced its second solicitation to support national artificial intelligence (AI) research institutes through the National AI Research Institutes Program. This solicitation is a joint activity with the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T), the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), … Read more
The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) released the second solicitation for its Biology Integration Institutes (BII) as part of its continued effort to facilitate a “unification of biology.” BII will support research collaborations across disciplines, both within and beyond biology, that address an overarching biological theme and will fund awards of … Read more
By Yun-Ting Kao (Plantae Fellow) This year, nine plant scientists have been elected to the National Academy of Science. We asked the newly elected plant scientists about how the news of their election to the NAS reached them, what inspires their research, and for their advice for early career researchers. Elizabeth (Toby) Kellogg is the … Read more
On the last day of a five-day conference, I normally feel exhausted and have limited mental bandwidth to process scientific information. To my surprise, the Plenary Symposium V at the Plant Biology Worldwide Summit was an eye-opening and thought-inspiring session that used science to reflect and celebrate the visions and passions of an extraordinary science leader – Mary … Read more
The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is delighted to announce that it will partner with Oxford University Press (OUP) to produce and disseminate the ASPB journals Plant Physiology® and The Plant Cell beginning January 2021. But what does this partnership mean for you – as a member, an author, or a reader? And what does it mean … Read more
