Recently, I was invited to attend a workshop at the University of Exeter, organized by George Littlejohn*, Tom Howard and Lizzy Dridge, a post-doctoral Research Fellow in Professor Nick Talbot’s group, Independent Research Fellow and Associate Lecturer respectively. The aims of the workshop were to help Early-Career Researchers (ECRs: e.g., graduate students and post-docs) make best … Read more
“Plant-Water Relations 1: Uptake and Transport” is the latest article in Teaching Tools in Plant Biology, and first of the in-depth series on the topic of Plant Physiology. It was written by me (Mary Williams), Mel Oliver of the USDA-ARS and Steve Pallardy of the University of Missouri. This topic is a cornerstone … Read more
In 1962, when I was born, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere stood at 316 parts per million (ppm). Now nearly 52 years later, the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has reached 400 ppm. I can’t see it, taste it or feel it but through the power of science I know it … Read more
I attended my first Plant Biology Meeting as a graduate student– and I was in awe. So many people, and I didn’t know a soul. It was scary and I thought I would drown in anonymity. And I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of scientific presentations. That changed very quickly though when my … Read more
A handy list of plant science grant and fellowship opportunities with deadlines in early 2014. Please leave a comment if you know of other opportunities we should promote. ASPB Travel Grant Program for Plant Biology 2014 ASPB is offering up to 80 $575 grants for students, postdocs, and faculty beginning their careers to attend the … Read more
On December 3rd, 2013, the National Plant Science Council partnered with the American Chemical Society; the Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies; and the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) to co-host a briefing on the report Unleashing a Decade of Innovation in Plant Science: A Vision for 2015-2025. The briefing was also … Read more
This year’s meeting will be great! We’ll have the best science, an outstanding locale, plus new opportunities for connecting at every level. 1. Award-winning science will be featured in symposia and mini-symposia. This year, top scientists in the US (ASPB) will be joined by others from Canada (CSPB) and beyond, to speak in major and mini-symposia on … Read more
If you recognize what the following string of 16 digits represents, you are welcome to stop reading: 0000-0002-4669-3215. If not, here’s a question: Wouldn’t it be cool if each scientist’s contributions to scholarship across all disciplines could be discovered, cited, and curated quickly and easily? That is exactly what the Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCiD) … Read more
One of the most meaningful perks of my job as a faculty member in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley is the opportunity to mentor students – both undergrads and grads. My job also gives me the privilege to share with students my passion for doing plant science research, and to … Read more
Communicating about your research to raise awareness and to get noticed is a critical skill. To be sure your abstract is a hot pick for talks, it’s important to use the right approach. Here are some tips and resources that can help your abstract get chosen. Consider Each Audience Reviewers will select your work for … Read more
What do locks, alarms, TSA screenings, guard dogs, and plants have in common? Each can deter danger. Yes, you read that right. Plants can make stuff safer. In fact, NOVA’s technology aficionado David Pogue explored cutting-edge examples of some leafy lifesavers in his PBS program, Making Stuff: Safer (airdate 11/6/13). So beyond thorns and prickly … Read more
Call me a nerd, if you wish; but the Career Tree, which I first saw in a report published over a decade ago by the European Science Foundation and the Human Frontiers Science Program, is one of my favorite images: The Career Tree depicts a plant, so it appeals to my innate pro-plant bias. (And … Read more
Last week marked the end of the first partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government since the Clinton administration. In the final days of the impasse, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) were able to broker a deal to reopen the government and raise the debt limit. The deal … Read more
NSF Science & Engineering Fair, a set on Flickr.
Plant Biology 2013 President’s Symposium – Plant Biology’s Diversity Molds Our Future – Part 1 Organizer: Peggy Lemaux, University of California, Berkeley, CA Speakers: Cary Fowler, Genebanks: Past, Present, and Possibly Future Phil Pardey, The Shifting Structure of Food and Agricultural R&D Worldwide Jonathan Lynch, Roots of the Second Green Revolution James Dale (recording not being released), … Read more
The National Science Foundation (NSF) released a Dear Colleague Letter announcing a funding opportunity from the Belmont Forum and the Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security, and Climate Change (FACCE-JPI). The Belmont Forum is supported by the G8 and emerging economies’ heads of research councils with the purpose of bringing together major funders of … Read more