How do you keep up with the literature?

In the Plant Physiology publishing workshop held at Plant Biology 2016, the question arose of how people keep up with the huge number of papers being published. Mike Blatt shared the strategy used by his lab, which I’m familiar with as an honorary member.  The lab group meets weekly, and two of every four meetings … Read more

Working as a Plant Biology Consultant

At the 2016 Plant Biology conference in Austin, Texas, we had the opportunity to sit down with Michael Gonzalez to get tips on pursuing a career as a Plant Biology Consultant.  Here are some of the tips and suggestions Michael shared with us.  For more information, you can contact him at michael@mdgonzales.com.  Getting Started: The … Read more

Digital Dispatch, Day 5, Plant Biology 2016.

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

PlantBio16: Summary of President’s Symposium on Specialized Metabolism

The final major symposium of the Plant Biology 2016 conference was organized by ASPB President Richard Dixon and covered various aspects of specialized metabolism in plants (note that the term specialized metabolism has largely supplanted the older term secondary metabolism, which carries with it an implication that it is not as important as primary metabolism; … Read more

Plant Biologists Pitch their Science

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

Digital dispatch, Plant Biology day 4

Long Distance and Cell to cell signaling. Major symposia 4 organized by Philip Benfey was on long and short distance signaling between cells in plants. Benfey started off with a remark that plant cells are constantly communicating with one another, with neighbors and cells in entirely different parts of the plant. He then said “social … Read more

To Resumé, or not to Resumé?

  There’s been some great discussions and dialogue at @ASPB #plantbio16 around careers and applying for jobs. Specifically there has been great dialogue around preparing cover letters and CV’s to submit as part of an application process. During a couple of the conversations that I’ve been involved in, I’ve realized that there is considerable confusion … Read more

Digital Dispatch, Day 3 #plantbio16

There’s a lot of Twitter activity at Plant Biology this year (#plantbio16), but that’s a good thing even if it interrupts Twitter: Remember to mute #plantbio16 if you hate plants and science and are generally a horrible person! — Leon (@orchidhunter) July 11, 2016 Day 3 of Plant Biology started with the major symposia on … Read more

Plant Biology 2016: Developing healthier foods: Quality, nutrition and molecular gastronomy

The first full day of Plant Biology 2016 started with a major symposium, organized by Harry Klee, that focused on the nutritional quality and taste of food. The first speaker, Cathie Martin from the John Innes Centre (UK), set the stage by reminding us that food security involves both the nutritional quality and safety of … Read more

Digital dispatch, day 2 #plantbio16

An early start An analog start at the Plantae pavilion started the day at Plant Biology, day 2. Many people got up early and met up over coffee and baked goods and chatted on “birds of a feather” tables focused on different topics. There was an early morning workshop on putting on workshops written up … Read more

Digital dispatch Day 1 #plantbio16

Plant Biology 2016 officially got underway on July 9 in Austin, TX. With registration open, attendees flocked to the Draw Your Science board and a community coloring activity on the first floor off the conference center. Events underway quickly were the undergraduate poster session and a session on the much-needed reimagining of Postgraduate training in … Read more

What is “The Community of Minds”?

To put it simply, The Community of Minds (COM) is the network of people who choose to engage in life from a rational, thought-driven, inquiry-based perspective. Of course, this is not exclusive to nor encompassing all scientists, but I would like to think that we are a large sector of this Community. If you, as … Read more

Suggestions for sharing conference content by Twitter and blogs

As we begin the Plant Biology meeting today, remember that many of our colleagues will be following along virtually. What works for these  long-distance participants? Here are some examples from two very recent conferences. Have a look and see what you find useful. If you’d like to see how the recent Arabidopsis meeting was shared … Read more

Your Meeting Checklist: 21 ways to get the most out of Plant Biology 2016

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 your story at #PlantBio16

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

Six Meetups Happening at #PlantBio16

Getting ready for Plant Biology 2016 in Austin? Meetups are a great way to gather face-to-face with friends, colleagues, and others with similar interests.   1. ASPB Ambassador Meetup (Saturday 3:30 – 4 pm – Membership desk near registration) Curious about how to become an ASPB Ambassador? Come meet our current Ambassadors who help support and grow the plant … Read more

11 Ways To Use Social Media At #PlantBio16

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