On November 2, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will launch a new portal to list all future funding opportunities and submit applications for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. Fiscal year (FY) 2021 application submissions will be through the new portal, while open opportunities published prior to November 2 will continue to be managed … Read more
ASPB signs on to two letters urging the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy to rescind the September 4th memorandum and September 22nd Executive Order (EO) to eliminate federal employee training programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion. “Such constraints are antithetical to the progress we seek to … 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
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
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
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
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the organization established to improve the interface between science and policy on issues of biodiversity and ecosystem services, welcomes input from technical experts on the draft scoping report of its nexus assessment. The focus of the nexus assessment is to produce information needed to achieve the policy objectives of … Read more
On May 27, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) released a request for application (RFA) through its Crops of the Future Collaborative. FFAR is seeking transformative research and technologies “focused on ensuring under-appreciated crops also benefit from recent advances and emerging technologies for genotype-independent regeneration of fertile plants to foster application of rapid breeding … Read more
On February 20, the Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics Scott Hutchins announced the long-anticipated Agriculture Innovation Agenda. This effort has been a long-term priority of Deputy Under Secretary Hutchins and outlines target objectives for a future innovation strategy at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Agenda identifies several clear benchmark objectives … Read more
Weekly updates on the US federal government’s response to COVID-19 and research opportunities. Congressional and Federal Updates Senate Returns to Washington Despite COVID-19 Concerns The Senate returns to Washington on May 4 under controversial circumstances as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) reconvenes the Senate amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The House of Representatives was also originally … Read more
To provide relevant information to ASPB members, we will be sharing weekly updates on US Federal Agency responses to COVID-19 and research opportunities. The information below was prepared by Lewis-Burke Associates and curated by Shandrea Stallworth, Early Career Representative on ASPB’s Science Policy Committee. Additional information about ASPB’s response to COVID-19 can be found here. … Read more
To provide relevant information to ASPB members, we will be sharing weekly updates on US Federal Agency responses to COVID-19 and research opportunities. The information below was prepared by Lewis-Burke Associates and curated by Shandrea Stallworth, Early Career Representative on ASPB’s Science Policy Committee. Additional information about ASPB’s response to COVID-19 can be found here. … Read more
After cancelling its plans to meet in person in Washington, DC, as it typically does each spring, ASPB’s Science Policy Committee (SPC) convened virtually on March 23, 2020 to address one of its core activities: engaging with representatives of the federal agencies and other pertinent organizations. (Another core activity – convening meetings with Congressional staff … Read more
The Plant Science Research Network attends two conferences each fall to support undergraduate research and education: SACNAS and ABRCMS. Connecting undergraduate students to research opportunities in the plant sciences is a goal of the PSRN, which curates resources to support student research, careers, and connection to the plant science community. If you were not with … Read more
Rockville, Maryland, October 21, 2019 – The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is pleased to announce the appointment of Blake C. Meyers to serve as editor-in-chief of The Plant Cell beginning January 1, 2020. The Plant Cell publishes novel research of particular significance in plant biology, especially in the areas of cellular biology, molecular … Read more
The activity of this gene controls the timing of esterification in grain, which is related to storage and nutritional qualities of bread wheat and other grains. This work provides insight into the timing and control of esterification, related to storage and nutritional qualities of bread wheat and other grains. ASPB is pleased to announce the … Read more
It’s Peer Review Week (#PeerRevWk19) ! What better time than now to blog about how two of ASPB’s journals (The Plant Cell and Plant Direct) have approached open peer review? In 2018, Nature published a Comment titled “Publish Peer Reviews” (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06032-w). This Comment references an open letter (http://asapbio.org/letter) signed by two of ASPB’s own: the Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Cell, … Read more
In early 2019, the Plant Science Research Network (PSRN) held two strategic planning meetings. The PSRN is an NSF-supported Research Coordination Network whose members are research councils and scientific societies, including ASPB. Among the participants at both workshops were early career researchers and scientists from the public and private sectors across the plant science research … Read more