The “New normal” was a term that arose during the 2007–2008 financial setbacks, and it has been used periodically since then. Again apropos, the term has emerged recently in the popular press. This new normal has its own vocabulary: social distancing, flattening the curve, N95 masks, Zoom and Zoombombing, and others. Many of you are … Read more
This is an unprecedented and extraordinary time. The fabric of our personal and professional lives is changing daily, and it will be different as you read this message than it was when I wrote it a few weeks ago. Now more than ever, we should value our ASPB community. Indeed, none of us is alone, … Read more
Continuing our transparency project, in this President’s Letter I discuss a proposal for a new name and mission statement for one of our standing committees, the Minority Affairs Committee (MAC), and highlight the activities of another standing committee, the Women in Plant Biology (WIPB) Committee. Minority Affairs Committee Our standing committees work hard to identify … Read more
The word transparent has multiple meanings. For us scientists, we might first think of a solution in a tube or vial being transparent, defined by Merriam-Webster as “having the property of transmitting light without appreciable scattering so that bodies lying beyond are seen clearly”. As in, did your chemical dissolve? But the transparency to which … Read more
By Rob Last, Michigan State University, and Mary Williams, Features Editor, The Plant Cell “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Attributed to Margaret Mead (1901–1978), American cultural anthropologist Whether or not Dr. Mead actually uttered this quote, the words … Read more
ASPB News • July/August 2019 • Volume 46, Number 4 This continues the experiment of publishing the President’s Letter as part of a collection of essays and other resources related to the topic (https://tinyurl.com/HumanNetworks). Please also have a look at the previous collections on the future of not-for-profit science organizations (http://bit.ly/futurenonprofitscience), member security (http://bit.ly/SecuringFuturePlantBiologists), and … Read more
This year, ASPB President Rob Last did an experiment aimed at increasing the value of the President’s Letters. Four of these letters were accompanied by essays from community members of all career stages. Two were co-authored. The idea was to explore the topics of President’s Letters more fully and include more voices. A general theme … Read more
January/February 2019 • Volume 46, Number 1 Note: To help increase the usefulness of the President’s Letter and expand participation in ASPB, a collection of resources from other community members that are relevant to this topic are available on the Plantae website. Links are provided to blogs written by members of our community and existing … Read more
The results are in from our membership survey. First, I want to acknowledge the work of Shea Keene, a University of Florida graduate student, and her mentor Dr. Thomas Colquhoun, who collected and analyzed all of the data. I also sincerely thank those of you who participated and am taking this opportunity to explain the … Read more
Why did you join ASPB? Why do you continue to be a member? We need to know the answers to these questions. As I mentioned in my first President’s Letter, there has been a slow but continuous erosion in membership over the past decade. It is vital that we understand what you value most about … Read more
It seems like only yesterday that the members of ASPB entrusted me with the presidency. My year as president-elect has flown by. When I was elected, I wondered, what exactly does a president-elect actually do, and is it necessary? A year later, I am pleased to say that the system devised by my predecessors is … Read more
A research community thrives best when it acts with a consensus voice and agrees to commonly held priorities. An effort to achieve such consensus within the plant science community was first launched with the 2013 publication of the document Unleashing a Decade of Innovation in Plant Science: A Vision for 2015–2025 (http://bit.ly/DecadalVision). The Decadal Vision … Read more
At ASPB, so much has changed over the past few years. Our flagship journals are now online only and offer open access options; we welcome the initiation of our new journal, Plant Direct; and ASPB is set to better interconnect its members with the larger plant science community by way of the Plantae digital ecosystem. … Read more
Now that we have all had a chance to learn a bit more about the Trump administration and its positions on science, it is time to launch the inevitable conversation about how best to respond. The appointment of Robert F. Kennedy to lead a task force to evaluate the safety of vaccines (Phillip et al., … Read more
As we enter 2017, plant biologists face uncertainty with the arrival of President Trump. The new administration has provided few hints about a position on science, and what comments have been made appear worrisome. A Trump administration is not what most of us were expecting based on polling data and, in fact, was not what … Read more
I consider it a tremendous privilege to serve you as president of ASPB this year. Because I have participated for the past several years as chair of the Publications Committee and member of the Science Policy and Executive Committees, I feel as though the start of this year provides an invaluable opportunity to take a … Read more
Because of publication deadlines, I started to write this newsletter the day before the Iowa caucuses. International members of the Society may be unfamiliar with the somewhat bizarre procedure whereby the people of the state of Iowa select their preferred choices for presidential nominee for both major parties, and I would bet that many in … Read more
On the front page of the November/December issue of the ASPB News, alongside my first President’s Letter, was an exhortation to “On your mark, get set…nominate!” ASPB currently has about 4,000 members and is hoping to greatly increase this number thorough its new Plantae portal. It is really important that members feel they are part … Read more
It’s amazing how quickly my year as president-elect of ASPB has passed, and I now find myself writing my first President’s Letter. I echo the words of my predecessor, Julian Schroeder, when I say that it is truly an honor to serve this important Society. It is also a somewhat daunting experience. Before becoming president-elect, … Read more
We plant biologists live in exciting times, in terms of both scientific advances and the relevance of our collective research. Your professional organization, ASPB, is working hard to ensure that we all can stay productive and effective in our endeavors. Having returned home from Plant Biology 2015 in Minneapolis, and as my year as president … Read more