Researchers Decipher Mysterious Growth Habit of Weeping Peach Trees

Why do weeping trees “weep”? A basic premise of how plants grow is that shoots grow up and roots grow down. A new study, published in Plant Physiology, a leading international society journal published by the American Society of Plant Biologists, reveals the answer to a fascinating question: why do weeping tree varieties defy this … Read more

Read and Publish Agreements in ASPB Journals

Authors required to publish in open-access journals may be able to publish in ASPB journals at no additional cost to them As institutions and funders around the world require authors to publish with journals meeting certain open access standards, authors may feel like their options for journals in which to publish are becoming more limited. … Read more

It’s Time to Retire the Term “Blind” Review

Putting ableist language behind us   As part of ASPB’s commitment to diversity (see ASPB’s Revised Diversity Statement, 2021), we are changing our language around peer review to use the phrase “anonymous” review rather than “blind” review. We are joining the efforts of several other academic publishers and societies to move away from this unclear … Read more

The Plant Cell’s Cover Image Continues Global Conversation Over AI-Generated Art

The January 2023 Focus Issue of The Plant Cell, one of ASPB’s high-impact journals, spotlights research focusing on the biology of plant response to abiotic stresses and explores the effects of climate change such as increased drought conditions and extreme heat. It also features an innovative AI-generated cover image created by Nan Eckardt, Senior Features … Read more

Cultivating the next generation of scientists and the scientific literature through micropublications

Guest post by Amy T. Hark, Muhlenberg College Scientific training is largely built on mentoring relationships, often beginning at the undergraduate level.  Students have found increasing opportunities to engage in research and the benefits including promoting engagement and retention are well documented.  But what parts of the research process do undergraduates typically have access to?  … Read more

ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Fellowship Alumnus spotlight – Anna Funk

Interested in science communication? Look no further. The AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship carries out the mission to increase public understanding of science and technology. Over the past decades, more than 700 scientists have gone through the 10-week summer program and explored the realm of science journalism. ASPB has been a proud sponsor … Read more

ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Fellowship Alumnus spotlight – Jenna Gallegos

Interested in science communication? Look no further. The AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship carries out the mission to increase public understanding of science and technology. Over the past decades, more than 700 scientists have gone through the 10-week summer program and explored the realm of science journalism. ASPB has been a proud sponsor … Read more

ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Fellowship Alumnus spotlight – Eric Hamilton

Interested in science communication? Look no further. The AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship carries out the mission to increase public understanding of science and technology. Over the past decades, more than 700 scientists have gone through the 10-week summer program and explored the realm of science journalism. ASPB has been a proud sponsor … Read more

ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Fellowship Alumnus spotlight – Lorena Villanueva-Almanza

Interested in science communication? Look no further. The AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship carries out the mission to increase public understanding of science and technology. Over the past decades, more than 700 scientists have gone through the 10-week summer program and explored the realm of science journalism. ASPB has been a proud sponsor … Read more

ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Fellowship Alumnus spotlight – Nikki Forrester

Interested in science communication? Look no further. The AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship carries out the mission to increase public understanding of science and technology. Over the past decades, more than 700 scientists have gone through the 10-week summer program and explored the realm of science journalism. ASPB is a proud sponsor of … Read more

ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Fellowship Alumnus spotlight – Katherine Dynarski

Interested in science communication? Look no further. The AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship carries out the mission to increase public understanding of science and technology. Over the past decades, more than 700 scientists have gone through the 10-week summer program and explored the realm of science journalism. ASPB has been a proud sponsor … Read more

ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Fellowship Alumnus spotlight – Carolyn Beans

Interested in science communication? Look no further. The AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship carries out the mission to increase public understanding of science and technology. Over the past decades, more than 700 scientists have gone through the 10-week summer program and explored the realm of science journalism. ASPB has been a proud sponsor … Read more

Society Civic Science Initiative: Advancing Collective Support for Civic Science Activities

Addressing many of the most complex and important problems we face—from climate change to global health threats—requires conversations and collaborations among scientists, decision makers, and the public more broadly. For many scientists, these interactions are embedded in their identities and daily realities; they may regularly speak to the media, meet with their elected representatives to … Read more

Halfway to Establishing the New Primarily Undergraduate Institution Section

BY ANDREAS MADLUNG University of Puget Sound For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to focus my career on working with students; designing curricula, lesson plans, and lab activities; and passing on my excitement about living things to anyone who might share this interest. While in graduate … Read more

New Teaching Tool “Computational Image Processing in Microscopy”

We’re excited to announce the publication of The Plant Cell’s latest Teaching Tool, “Computational Image Processing in Microscopy,” by Adrienne Roeder, available without subscription at Plantae.org (and in the October issue of The Plant Cell). The age of big data includes sophisticated imaging datasets. Computational image processing is essential for extracting quantitative information from these … Read more

PSRN Updates – Inclusivity in the Plant Sciences and Plant Summit 2019

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

Does Public Engagement Really Matter?

Is science communication important? Does public engagement really matter? Should the scientific community do more or less to support these activities? Here’s your chance to be heard. Please help us better serve you by completing the 15-minute survey. All responses are anonymous and confidential. The American Society of Plant Biologists is one of thirty scientific … Read more

Plant scientists call for renewed focus on empowerment of trainees

Preparing graduate students and postdocs for diverse careers Changes in the workforce are challenging academia to prepare scientists to be adaptable and adept at communicating across boundaries. To meet these demands, the Plant Science Research Network (PSRN, plantae.org/PSRN) is shifting the focus to enable trainees to take ownership of their training experiences. “Since President Lincoln … Read more

ASPB Wins 2018 Excellence in New Communications Award for Plantae

(ASPB) is pleased to announce that Plantae, the online home for the global plant science community, has been awarded an Excellence in New Communications Award from the Society for New Communications Research of The Conference Board (SNCR) in the Communications, Communities, and Collaboration category – nonprofit division. This prestigious award honors organizations for their exemplary use of digital, mobile and … Read more

ASPB/AAAS 2018 Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows Program

Are you interested in science writing? Do you want to help people understand complex scientific issues? Apply for the ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows Program and learn how to increase public understanding of science and technology. Fellows in the 10-week 2018 summer program will work as reporters, researchers, and production assistants in mass … Read more