There’s a lot of buzz right now about indoor farming. I’m sure you’ve seen photos of fuchsia-illuminated lettuces hydroponically growing in abandoned warehouses, airplane hangars, and disused subway terminals (see for examples here and here and here.) One of the goals of these programs is to cut the energy costs of food shipping, and another … Read more
This is a guest post by Judith Wayte, in which she describes how she prepares her students to use Twitter professionally. Judith is based in The School of Biosciences at The University of Nottingham where she leads efforts to support students through integrated placement programmes and assessment of professional skills. She is interested in how … Read more
One of the highlights of the 2016 Plant Biology Conference in Austin, TX was a panel discussion about the National Academies of Science review of genetically modified crops. ASPB had several members on this prestigious review committee, including Drs. Robin Buell, Neal Stewart, and Rick Dixon, who convened a special session to discuss the outcomes … Read more
July 13 was the final day of Plant Biology 2016. Traditionally, it ends with the President’s symposium, and this year President Dixon’s theme was ‘Specialized Metabolism’, or all the things that plants make that aren’t strictly necessary for survival (though this could be debated). .@ASPB President Dixon along a out why specialized metabolites matter for … Read more
We spent all four days of Plant Biology 2016 recording “Plant Science: How I Work” interviews and fantastic elevator pitches following the Communication Workshop: How to Create a Winning Elevator Pitch facilitated by Teresa Evans and Geoff Hunt. Here are a few to inspire you! We’ll share more in Plantae.org along with the How I Work … Read more
Plant Biology 2016 is turning out to be our best meeting yet and we want to make sure that you get the most out of your time. To help you do this, our team at ASPB put together this handy list of 21 ways to maximize your experience. Plan your schedule Making the best use of your time … Read more
Tell the world why you do what you do and how you do it on video at Plant Biology 2016. The Plant Science Today blog and podcast series, How Plant Scientists Work will be hosting a video edition at the Plant Biology 2016 meeting in Austin, TX. Tell your story This is an opportunity for you to … Read more
Here are 11 ways to use social media to keep up-to-date, find and connect with others, and discuss your experiences during and after Plant Biology 2016. Pro-tip Use the #plantbio16 hashtag for all of your social media activity so everyone can follow along. Twitter 1. Follow and tweet using the #plantbio16 hashtag – tweet your experience, things you learn, and pictures of other … Read more
Your “elevator pitch” is how you present yourself in an intriguing, attention-grabbing and articulate way. When someone asks you about yourself or your work, being prepared with your “pitch” immediately catches their interest and opens the conversation so you can provide more detail. Developing and refining your pitch is more difficult than it sounds, which is why there are … Read more
Looking for career resources and workshops to help navigate your career path? Look no further. Here are 4 ways to supercharge your career at Plant Biology 2016. 1. Improve your skills Choose any of these career-related workshops: Re-imagining Postgraduate Training for the Plant Sciences (Saturday, 10-12) Writing Science: Inspire careful thinking and useful discourse (Sunday, … Read more
Winning Resources for Plant Biology Learning Objectives, Outreach Materials & Education The BLOOME is awarded to Society members with education and outreach projects that advance youth, student, or general public knowledge and appreciation of plant biology. On behalf of ASPB, the Education Committee is pleased to announce these four projects selected for the 2016 Plant … Read more
I could already sense the festivity in the air when I arrived at the Maker’s Faire in downtown Shreveport early on a Saturday morning. I scanned the rows of vendors and food trucks as I looked for my target – the booth for Sciport: Louisiana’s Discovery Center. With help from the center and my mentor, … Read more
Improving Wikipedia’s Science Content Collaboratively A major component of the 2016 Year of Science (YoS) is engaging scientists to work with Wikipedia, and improve Wikipedia’s science content. One way Wikipedia is doing that is by partnering with major scientific societies for a series of ‘edit-a-thons,’ workshops, and talks at conferences throughout the year. This includes … Read more
The Void in STEM Education I never thought a break from science courses would actually make me a better scientist. As a Biotechnology major and now graduate student, my college curriculum focused heavily on subjects like microbiology, statistics, and chemistry- all great courses that supported my research. Over the past years, I’ve noticed my research … Read more
Wikipedia is often the first place people go to learn about new science… so let’s work together edit it to reflect the best in plant science! Attend the ASPB Edit-a-thon to help ensure this powerful tool for communicating science to the general public is as accurate, as balanced and as up to date as possible. Over a light … Read more
2015 – 2016 World of 7 Billion Video Contest View the winning 60-second videos online now. This year, entries came from over 3,800 students from schools in 28 countries and 42 U.S. states plus Puerto Rico and American Samoa. Theme Options: Deforestation – erosion, clearing for agriculture/pasture, impacts on climate, biodiversity or habitat loss Public … Read more
ASPB joined with the US Botanic Garden (USBG) to collaborate with the Botanical Society of America (BSA), Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Society of Economic Botany and Rutgers University in order to organize a 5-part, 600 square foot exhibit at the April 15-17, 2016 USA Science & Engineering Festival (USASEF). Over 365,000 people attended the … Read more
On Tuesday, April 26th, at 1 PM EST one of our members, Ian Street, will be featured in the Member Spotlight on Trellis – AAAS’s new platform for general scientific communication and collaboration. This is an hour long series that highlights activities of members and gives them a chance to discuss their work. Ian is currently a Research … Read more
Recently, I was asked it if is ethical to give a job to a woman rather than to a man of higher quality. I replied, “How do we measure “quality”? This is the longer answer that I didn’t have time to provide. The opinions expressed are my own. Achievement does not equal quality Imagining that … Read more
Many scientists are exploring the use of videos and video blogs (vlogs) for science communication. I asked Claire Hopkins, creator of the Brilliant Botany videos and website, how she got started making science videos and if she has any advice for getting started in science communication. Here are her replies. (I also invite you to … Read more
