Welcome to Phytogen for October 2022. Last month was ComBio2022 in Melbourne. Below are some reports by students who received travel awards. We will chase the rest of you up in 2023 or please send reports as you wish. ComBio2022 had many great talks and posters across many disciplines. There are also links below to opening and closing Plenary Talks to enjoy again.

Abi Ghifari, PhD Candidate, School of Molecular Sciences & ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia.

I was grateful to be awarded a travel grant by the Australian Society of Plant Scientists (ASPS) to attend and present my research at ComBio 2022 Conference in Melbourne. ComBio is a combined meeting of five leading Australia and New Zealand societies focusing on all aspects of genetics, plant science, biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell and developmental biology. ComBio 2022 was the first in-person ComBio meeting after the pandemic, which was delayed for two years due to COVID-19 related lockdowns and border closure. As a result, more than a thousand scientists were keen to present and discuss their latest studies face-to-face. I was delighted to present my poster that highlighted the latest results of my PhD project focusing on proteolytic regulation of plant mitochondrial respiratory components. I was so excited to discuss my studies to scientists across multiple disciplines. I was especially delighted to meet and talk with other researchers that work on similar aspects of mitochondria, but on different organisms such as yeast and mammals, including human cell system. I also learned a lot about different scientific approaches to particular problems, particularly in areas of biochemistry and molecular biology that I interested in, such as post-translational modifications, protein homeostasis regulation by ubiquitin-proteasome system, and roles of mitochondria in health and diseases. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience of attending and presenting in such a massive and diverse conference. I encourage future and present graduate students working in all aspects of plant science to join ASPS, which is such as welcoming community for its members.

Linh B. Ton, PhD Candidate, Crop Genomics Group, School of Biological Science, The University of Western Australia.

It was my first time attending ComBio2022 thanks to the Travel Grant offered by ASPS and support from my supervisors. ComBio2022 in Melbourne was the first big conference I attended after the pandemic, and I had the privilege of presenting findings from my PhD on designing CRISPR/CasRx system targeting Turnip mosaic virus infecting canola (Brassica napus). It was a far more amazing and friendly environment than I imagined. My first impression is how it was professionally organised, and I had no difficulty in registering for attendance and accommodation booking near the conference venue.

The plenary talks were excellent in providing an overview on the achievements and the on-going studies, motivation and navigation for researchers at different levels of career development. Symposium presentations on cell biology and signalling were also so amazing they expanded my knowledge on the diverse applications of biological and molecular tools in exploring cellular networks. I was very impressed by the research journey leading to the success of the C4 Rice project by Dr Maria Ermakova and other talks about strategies to improve plant productivity. Poster sessions were my chance to catch up with other topics and discussions.

ComBio2022 offered me a great time learning new knowledge beyond my expertise and provided me with the opportunity to come up with new ideas for my PhD project. It also gave me the chance to expand my professional networks, not only within the research community but also extending to scientific services and businesses, where I could find solutions for my experiments.

Hanh Minh Vo, PhD Candidate, Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania.

ComBio2022 was a fantastic opportunity for a young researcher like myself to present my current project on understanding how plants can rapidly response to dehydration. As the climate gets drier, it is crucial for us to understand what controls stress responses in plants, so we can improve plant tolerance in preparation for the near future.

I used my talk as a conversation starter to tell people about my current experiments and get feedback thereafter. I also talked to new people from various backgrounds on their own projects, both to satisfy my curiosity, and to gather possible ideas for my own research. For example, the work done by Dr. Lim Chee Liew using single-cell RNAseq and the conversation with her gave me some ideas about for my project. Even the opportunity to explore outside of my scope into human and animal research, was amazing. It gave me glimpses into what we have achieved and what I might be able to apply to plant research. Everyone was professional yet friendly and approachable, which is encouraging for new researchers to strike up a conversation.

I would like to thank the ASPS for the student travel grant that allowed me to join such a vibrant face-to-face gathering community. I would also like to specifically thank my supervisors Dr. Frances Sussmilch, Prof. Timothy Brodribb and Prof. Michael Charleston for their support throughout my PhD.

Lots of great tweets at @asps_ozplants

Our President Elect Professor Martha Ludwig would like to share an upcoming Special Issue in Plants:

Wishing students, researchers and teachers all the best for studying and preparations as the year is ending. Some of the plants in this article may help with motivation.

Please login and check your ASPS membership is up to date. Encourage your colleagues and students to join ASPS.

Tweet to @asps_ozplants your news and upcoming events and follow to keep up to date.

Welcome to Phytogen for August 2022. It is getting closer now to ComBio2022 in Melbourne next month. Below are several wonderful reports from ASPS2021 to inspire your talk and poster preparations for ComBio2022. Also remember to book tickets for our dinner:

Dear ASPS members,

ASPS will hold a dinner for Society members during ComBio 2022 following our AGM on Thursday 29th September.

This will be a two-course dinner including some drinks at Melbourne Public in the Docklands a short walk from the Conference venue.

The ticket prices for members are subsidised by the Society:

Students members for $30

Other members for $60

Additional tickets can be purchased for $90

Tickets are limited, so don’t delay. Book today HERE.

Please indicate any dietary requirements when booking your ticket.

Here is Simon Williams, one of the organisers of ASPS 2021, ANU.

“It was fantastic that, after such a long hiatus, we could organise a meeting that incorporated local face-to-face interaction with a national vibe, via the virtual awards session presentation. A sense of comradery was formed (and welcomed) working across states and territories with motivated, hardworking plant science-ASPS colleagues. The Hybrid-ASPS meeting was a great event for our society, providing an opportunity, particularly for EMCRs, to showcase their important plant science research.”

Aaron Phillips, University of Adelaide.

I started my PhD under Professor Rachel Burton in 2019 at the University of Adelaide. Soon after, as the world came screeching to a halt due to the pandemic, there were many uncertainties. Chief amongst them was not knowing when the academic world would resume face-to-face conferences. It seemed like we had to bear the burden of a mostly digital existence for a lifetime. But then an exciting email arrived, letting us know about ASPS2021 – an in-person conference, with nodes operating in all major cities around the country! What a fantastic opportunity this would be for the students of the pandemic to spread the word of their research and finally get some networking under our belts. And we were not disappointed!

ASPS2021 was the first conference I was able to attend during my candidature. This two-day conference really had it all – from understanding sub-cellular processes involved in osmotic stress, to the challenges surrounding growing plants in space, to learning how to be more effective plant science teachers. As this was my first conference, one of the biggest highlights was being able to present and discuss some of my research from the preceding two years. I had the opportunity to present a poster and talk about my work on wild rice (Oryza australiensis) abiotic stress tolerance and genome sequencing. I was incredibly nervous, but I’m so glad to have had this opportunity as I met and had interesting discussions with some wonderful people from other institutions who were able to shed new light on my findings. I value the connections made at ASPS2021 highly and look forward to the next face-to-face event immensely!

Pieter-Willem Hendriks, Charles Sturt University.

How good was it to finally meet people in person again? After two years of Covid19 forced online conferences. The ASPS2021 meeting was my first opportunity to listen in person to other scientists’ presentations and give a presentation on my PhD research. The introduction by president Peter Ryan was genuinely inspiring. He was questioning why plant science may seem to be ignored while it will be so crucial in the next few decades to answer critical questions such as food security for an increased world population combined with climate change challenges.

Besides the possibility of networking with local scientists, it was also an excellent opportunity to present the work from my thesis. It was a highlight to have dinner with senior scientists and receive their constructive observations and questions. This will have helped me set up my thesis’s last year and made me think about how to construct my final discussion.

I enjoyed the scope of the research presented in the morning by fellow researchers. The breadth of presentations went from subcellular structures such as aquaporins all the way to broad field breeding. It was great to see the work and passion of fellow early career and PhD students. I particularly enjoyed the reward talk for the Education and Outreach reward from Dr Kim Johnson and Dr Monika Doblin. Their way of bringing science to young students was inspiring.

Fiona Kang, PhD candidate, School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne.

Having the opportunity to speak at the ASPS 2022 Victorian node meeting was experiencing the best of both worlds.

I had the comfort and flexibility of attending an Australia-wide conference at my doorstep, the opportunity to network with the local plant research groups in-person and to tune-in to the major advancements in the field of plant science happening all-across Australia. It would’ve been a technologically mammoth effort pulled by the organisers but as an attendee it was such a rewarding experience after a difficult and isolating pandemic. I had the pleasure of presenting my research, followed up by an invigorating, fruitful discussion that has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on my research. As a co-chair of the student session, I also had so much fun connecting with my fellow graduate students from different universities. We not only spoke about our research but shared stories of our dilemmas and accomplishments to be reminded that we are sharing the graduate study experience together. The ASPS2022 meeting certainly reaccelerated my motivation and passion for research and I look forward to their next conference.

To those of you who has made it this far and is wondering what I do for research, I study plant cell wall biosynthesis in a basal land plant, Marchantia polymorpha. My end goal is to modulate the cell wall sugar composition to better equip plants to tolerate the conditions that is becoming exceedingly unpredictable due to climate change.

Willem Joubert, University of Adelaide.

I attended Phytogen in Adelaide 2021 during my final year of completing a Bachelor of Viticulture & Oenology and was lucky enough to present the work undertaken in my honours project in poster form.

Attending the conference allowed me to connect with others in the plant science community, as well as provided me with insight into research being conducted to address issues in industries other than the wine industry.

It was a real privilege to present results from my honours project in poster format, along with a short presentation addressing conference attendees. The experience allowed me to build confidence in communicating the results of my work and the response of other attendees taking an interest in my work was quite uplifting.

I would strongly urge any student to take part in ASPS events if provided with the opportunity. It is a fantastic opportunity get a broader perspective on current and future research being conducted in the field of plant science. Not to mention the great networking opportunities and spectacular food provided by the ASPS!

Lina Herliana, University of Adelaide.

Attending ASPS 2021 (Australian Society of Plant Scientists) was a rewarding and memorable experience. I am Lina Herliana, an international student from Burton Lab at the University of Adelaide. I have studied the molecular mechanism underlying Plantago ovata (psyllium) seed and fruit development since mid-July 2018 under the supervision of Prof Rachel Burton, Dr Tina Bianco-Miotto and Dr Nathan Watson-Haigh. I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to the University of Adelaide for sponsoring me with a generous scholarship and Prof Rachel Burton for supporting all my PhD projects, including attending this meeting. ASPS conference in 2021 was unique because it was a hybrid conference. Each state has in-person presentations on the same days, including Adelaide, on 25-26th November at National Wine Centre. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic restriction, we could not gather in one place as the previous year. However, I was still delighted because I had a chance to attend a face-to-face meeting in Adelaide during my final PhD year before returning to Indonesia. In total, there were 16 speakers and ten posters. Listening, learning, and talking about plant science was a thrilling experience. I was honoured that I had been selected to deliver a presentation. My talk was “De novo Genome Assembly and Annotation of Plantago ovata”. I explained the process of generating a reference genome and how we can use it to accelerate the P. ovata breeding program. This work was a foundation for studying the molecular mechanism behind mucilage production and shattering mechanisms.

Joanah Midzi, University of Adelaide.

As a PhD candidate, supervised by Dr Vinay Pagay at the University of Adelaide, I had the privilege of attending the ASPS 2021 meeting. I was excited to have been selected to present a poster on my research study entitled: ‘Drought stress-induced inter-vine signalling via plant volatiles’. The main focus of my study is on the role of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as chemical signal molecules facilitating plant communication in grapevine. Understanding the mechanisms involved in VOCmediated interactions and identifying the specific VOCs responsible for defence priming could underpin sustainable and eco-friendly plant-protection strategies against both biotic and abiotic stressors in agriculture. The opportunity to interact with other post-graduate students interested in plant communication, as well as networking with seasoned researchers in the field, made the symposium the ideal platform for scientific exchange, which I believe is very important for early-career researchers as myself. The highlight of the day for me at the conference was that I was able to showcase may research and receive great feedback from eminent scientists who had the chance to view my poster. I would like to extend my gratitude to the ASPS committee for the opportunity to attend the ASPS meeting and I look forward to attend similar conferences before completing my PhD studies. As an ASPS student member, I have been fortunate to be awarded an ASPS post-graduate travel grant to attend yet another exciting academic forum, ComBio 2022 (Melbourne), where I will once again present my results on a poster.

Zane Marks, Honours Student, University of Adelaide.

My name is Zane Marks and in 2021 I took part in the ASPS conference as an honour’s student, preparing both a poster and short talk. This being my first time presenting in a professional capacity, there was a lot of research into what information I needed to present and what to say. I presented my research on the effect of seed priming on hemp and barley germination. As I was near the end of honours this provided a good opportunity to get to know fellow researchers as well as find out what options were available to me post-graduation. There were some incredible insights from the GDRC about the acquisitions of scholarship. There were some very refreshing and realistic insights from university scholars into the future of both industry and academia. The presentations themselves were incredibly impressive ranging from AI developed recognition of organelles within a cell to the nutritional content of Plantago. As my poster went up there was no shortage of people curious about my work and my understanding of the significance of my results. This also gave me good insight into possible avenues for investigation as well as just general ideas both careerwise and how to handle myself in a professional setting. Overall the conference was a valuable insight into the future of research and what career paths are available to young scientists.

Lauren Philp-Dutton, Flinders University of South Australia.

Last year I attended the ASPS conference at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide where I got the opportunity to present some of my research in the form of a poster. My PhD has focussed on mitochondrial alternative pathway and the role it plays in abiotic stress tolerance in bread wheat. It was great to be able to share some of my findings with other plant scientists and thank you to the APPF and ASPS for awarding me the best student poster! I also got the chance to co-chair one of the sessions which was something I had never done before and pushed me out of my comfort zone, but it turned out to be quite enjoyable as well as a great learning experience.

The conference was an excellent opportunity to talk and network with other researchers interested in plant science. I really enjoyed listening to the talks and looking at the different poster presentations on such a wide range of plant research. It’s amazing to see how broad of a field plant science really is. I also particularly enjoyed the EMCR plant science forum, its always so interesting to hear about how other scientists started and progressed in their research career, and the different pathways they have taken.

The ASPS did a fantastic job of hosting the conference during such a difficult time. If you can, I highly recommend attending the next ASPS conference next year in Tasmania!

Vanessa Tonet, PhD candidate, Discipline of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania.

 ASPS21 was the first conference I was allowed to attend in real person and I had the great opportunity to share some exciting results with other plant scientists in Hobart, Tasmania. I gave an oral talk that initiated a very stimulating conversation around leaf water transport system. As the environment is getting dried and drier, plants need to face more intense and more frequent drought events that impact their fitness and survival. We are now assisting to unprecedented rates of tree mortality. Understand how water moves through leaves and how they respond to dehydration is the major goal of my research.

This conference was a great opportunity to refine my skills as an oral presenter, and I’m glad the environment was friendly even if professional. At ASPS21, I was able to meet many scientists with different backgrounds but that can collaborate to bring together exciting discoveries, unravelling the fantastic world of plants.

Sam Henderson, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide.

The 2021 ASPS meeting was held at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide in November. This was the first time in two years that I attended a face-to-face conference due to the pandemic. It was good seeing many familiar faces in person and meeting several plant scientists who have moved to Adelaide recently.

I was fortunate to be selected to present unpublished research on the plant electroneutral cation-chloride cotransporters, which I first began studying at the University of Adelaide in 2010. Thanks to the ASPS and the local organising committee for their support and for giving me an opportunity to share my work.

Some highlights of the meeting included a great talk by Sunita Ramesh on the mechanisms of anion and GABA flux through the wheat ALMT1 protein, which is important for abiotic stress tolerance. Sunita has pioneered the rapidly expanding field of plant GABA research as it relates to ion channel function. Another interesting presentation was given by Jiaen Qiu, describing how water and ion conductivity of the aquaporin PIP2;1 is regulated, including the potential involvement of intracellular loop D. This would represent remarkable conservation between plants and animals, as the analogous loop D in human aquaporin-1 also regulates its activity.

The local organising committee, led by Megan Shelden, did a wonderful job delivering a high quality, professional symposium. I was pleased to re-join the Australian plant science community and was impressed by the kindness and inclusivity of our ASPS members.

 See you in Melbourne soon …..    https://www.combio.org.au/combio2022/

#ComBio2022 The Programme Timetable, Plenary and Symposium Schedule’s are looking great.

Please login and check your ASPS membership is up to date. Encourage your colleagues and students to join ASPS.

Tweet to @asps_ozplants your news and upcoming events and follow to keep up to date.

Welcome to Phytogen for July 2022.

In this issue:

• ASPS Awards 2022
• Science and Technology Annual Professional Scientist Employment and Renumeration Survey
• National ScienceWeek 2022 – 13th-21st August and National Science Quiz 7th August
• Next Superstars of STEM
• Plant Cell Atlas
• State of the Environment 2021
• ASPS Carers’ Support Travel Grants for ComBio2022

Announcing ASPS awards 2022

********Congratulations*********

Jan Anderson Award – Frances Sussmilch, University of Tasmania

Peter Goldacre Medal – Maria Ermakova, Australian National University

J.G. Wood Award – Rudi Appels, University of Melbourne

Education and Outreach Award: Adelaide University 2021 National Science Week Team

RN Robertson Travelling Fellowships (1) Oscar Fung (Melb Univ) will visit the John Innes Centre, UK; (2) Nattiwong Pankasem (Uni California San Diego) will visit the ANU.

tenor.com

Student Travel Grant recipients:

Anoma Sudarshani Rangalage     UQ
Andrew Tuckey UWA
Abi Ghifari           UWA
Sabrina Davies   UWA
Hanh Minh Vo   UTas
Kim Melville       UWA
Pravin Khambalkar          ANU
Carl McCombe  ANU
Nipuni Peththa Thanthrige           QUT
Joanah Midzi      UoA
Daniel Hawkins UoA
Ming Cheng        UQ
Zheng Gong        UQ
Yuhan Liu             UQ
Hannah Drieberg Wilkins               UQ
Rebecca Degnan               UQ
Yan Zhang           UQ
Samantha Norman          UWA
Suyan Yee           ANU
Bao Linh Ton      UWA
Rose Zhang         ANU
Judith Eglitis-Sexton       UQ
Leroy Mangila    UQ
Mabel Gill-Hille  UWA

Science and Technology Australia and Professionals Australia Annual Survey – closes 7th August 2022.

Science & Technology Australia and Professionals Australia invite you to participate in the annual Professional Scientist Employment and Remuneration Survey.

Through this survey, you will contribute to the most comprehensive benchmark report of scientist remuneration and employment conditions in Australia. The survey will also provide important insights into the unprecedented and continuing impact that COVID19 has had on Australia’s scientific workforce.

Your responses will provide an important glimpse into Australia’s science sector which, in turn, will help us advocate with and for this sector to Government, policymakers and the Australian public. The more scientists who participate, the more comprehensive and meaningful these results will be.

What do people need to know?The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete.
It is entirely anonymous.
It is open to all science professionals in Australia.
All survey participants can enter the draw to win one of two $500 JB HiFi vouchers.
The survey closes on 7 August 2022.

TAKE THE SURVEY

National Science Week 2022 – 13th-21st August 2022 and National Science Quiz 7th August.

Many events (August 13th-21st 2022) are happening nationally. It features more than 1000 events around Australia, including those delivered by universities, schools, research institutions, libraries, museums and science centres. Find an Event

In the lead up to Science Week is: The National Science Quiz hosted by Charlie Pickering on the 7th August 2022. Attend in person at Fed Square Melbourne, or play along online for cash prizes!

Two teams of Australia’s top scientists, with special guest team captains Nate Byrne meteorologist and weather presenter for ABC-TV’s News Breakfast and Lawrence Leung comedian and host of Our Brain on ABC-TV, will battle it out to be this year’s National Science Quiz champions.

www.nationalsciencequiz.com.au

Superstars of STEM – closes 14th August 2022.

A nationwide search has begun for Australia’s next constellation of Superstars of STEM – a game-changing initiative to advance gender equity by turning more diverse science experts into media stars.

Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic will launch the national talent search today for the program, run by Science & Technology Australia and funded by the Australian Government.

“Australia needs to draw on the full diversity of our talent pool to deliver the next huge science and technology breakthroughs and galvanise STEM gender equity to strengthen our skilled workforce,” Minister Husic said.

“Visible diverse role models in the media and in our schools send a powerful message to the next generations of diverse young Australians that there is a place for them in STEM.

“Our Government is committed to supporting programs that equip Australian smarts with the skills to confidently communicate their research and be recognised for their work.”

Open to women and non-binary STEM professionals, the program has created 150 Superstars of STEM since 2017. Another 60 more Superstars will be chosen this round.

Science & Technology Australia CEO Misha Schubert said the program tangibly helped diverse young Australians to see themselves in science and technology careers.

“It’s really hard to be what you can’t see,” she said. “Women are around half the Australian population – and yet are seriously under-represented in STEM careers and leadership, and, at last count, only one in three experts talking about science in the media were women.”

“To fix the visibility challenges, we need to create even more diverse role models who are household names appearing regularly in the media as science experts and authorities.”

“The program is transforming and challenging ideas about what a scientist looks like, turbo-charging gender equity in science, and giving more young Australians inspiring role models to encourage them into STEM studies and careers.”

The Superstars of STEM program has nurtured media stars such as health expert Dr Kudzai Kanhutu (now a regular on ABC’s The Drum), mask safety expert Dr Kate Cole (whose media work led to stronger safety checks on masks amid a pandemic), whale expert Dr Vanessa Pirotta (seen on a vast array of media) and Gamilaraay astrophysicist Karlie Noon (author of the new book Sky Country).

“Visible role models matter,” said Superstar of STEM Dr Cayt Rowe, a STEM research leader with Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) in the Department of Defence.

“In its first few years, the Superstars of STEM program has started to powerfully boost the visibility of Australian women in science. It’s shown how building a media profile can turbo-charge careers, helping to secure leadership roles,” she added.

“Superstars of STEM has meant more women STEM experts on our airwaves and in the nightly news bulletins,” said Superstar of STEM Pearl Li Ng, a Digital Implementation Manager at engineering company Aurecon.

“The program gives participants the skills, knowledge and opportunities to become regular media commentators,” she added.

Superstar of STEM and CSIRO conservation team leader Dr Rebecca Jordan said the program had given her opportunities to inspire more Australian young people into exciting careers in the sciences.

“It’s been such an incredible experience to be able to do school visits, open young people’s eyes to the joys of studying science, and inspire them into future careers as scientists. I can’t wait to see some of them as future Superstars of STEM.”

The next 60 Superstars of STEM will participate in the program for two years, starting in January 2023. Applications are open now and close on Sunday 14 August 2022.

Plant Cell Atlas – was at Plant Biology July 2022.

The Plant Cell Atlas was involved in the Plant Biology 2022 conference at the beginning of July. To learn about the Plant Cell Atlas initiative or find out about the amazing current research being done by scientists from the Plant Cell Atlas community (@CellAtlas) milestones can be viewed here: Motivation and Goals.

Australia State of the Environment 2021 – released July 2022.

Click: Explore all chapters in the report to access the report chapters online. Good for a study, research or work break to bring you up to date.

ASPS Carers’ Support Travel Grant for ComBio2022

Since interstate conference attendance is often difficult for ASPS members who are primary carers of young or high needs children, the Society has set aside funds to mitigate this situation and allow the professional development of these members to continue. These funds will provide return air fares to the conference location for a support person to accompany eligible ASPS members with dependent preschool age children (0-4 years) or children with high needs. The award is open to general members and students whose child-caring duties would normally prevent them from travelling due to their circumstances or because alternative child-minding options are unavailable. Note that the accompanying carer need not be a parent or legal guardian.

Support will be awarded on first in first served basis and will vary from year to year depending on the Society finances, meeting location and the number of applications. The Treasurer will apply a formula in calculating individual entitlements and take these factors into account.

Applicants (and their supervisor if applicant is a student) must be financial members of ASPS. Funding is contingent on the applicant having an accepted poster or oral presentation at the conference. Assessment will begin from 15 August 2022. We are ready to receive your applications: ASPS Carers’ Support-Travel-Grant-for-ComBio2022

See you in Melbourne soon …..    https://www.combio.org.au/combio2022/

#ComBio2022 The Programme Timetable, Plenary and Symposium Schedule’s are looking great.

Please login and check your ASPS membership is up to date. Encourage your colleagues and students to join ASPS.

Tweet to @asps_ozplants your news and upcoming events and follow to keep up to date.

This Friday is the 24th June and hopefully you are managing to form together your abstracts and will be able to submit for the early bird registration. Here are some pointers from the ComBio 2022 website:

• Abstracts cannot be accepted without prior registration and payment of a registration fee.
• All abstracts must be submitted online via this page.
• Abstracts sent as attachments will not be accepted.
• Abstract submission is restricted to one oral or one poster communication per registrant. However, those registrants submitting an abstract in the “Education” theme are also welcome to submit an additional abstract relevant to another theme.

After you submit your abstract by 24th June 2022, students are encouraged to apply for travel awards to pay for travel to ComBio2022.

Here is the link: https://www.asps.org.au/awards/combio-travel-awards-2 Your applications have to be in by 4th July 2022.

Very topical is the price of lettuce. Here are some articles you might find interesting; 

Freshmark representing the central markets across Australia, explains crops lost to the floods and now cooler winter conditions will cause shortages in fresh produce to continue.

The Winter 2022 issue of Vegetables Australia also has an article on page 16 describing the floods in New South Wales and Queensland that occurred in April 2022. The magazine has many interesting articles, R&D, reports on horticultural meetings, innovation and high tech, another on page 58 investigates urban horticulture.

Insider Guides, International Student Resources have a link from their article to the seasonal food guide to explore what is available in the meantime seasonally:

PB2022 registration at lowest rates ended June 8 2022. On Demand Plant Biology Extended will be available for purchase for those not able to attend the meeting in person. More details to come…..

Please login and check your ASPS membership is up to date. Encourage your colleagues and students to join ASPS. Go to: https://www.asps.org.au/members/join

Tweet to @asps_ozplants your news and upcoming events.

Welcome to Phytogen for May 2022.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear ASPS Members,

A reminder that the 2022 Annual Meeting for the Australian Society of Plant Scientists will be held in Melbourne (27-30 September) as part of ComBIO2022  (see ComBio2022 ).

ComBIO is the joint meeting of five biological and genetics societies from Australia and New Zealand. It provides us all with the opportunity to experience a much larger and exciting meeting and hear outstanding international and local speakers from the plant and animal worlds (including Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna). Among the wide range of symposia are streams dedicated to plant biology, signalling and evolution.

Deadline for Abstracts is Friday 24 JUNE – see the website. Please print off the attached POSTER and display it in your labs and tea rooms.

Note: Student members of ASPS who attend ComBio and present a talk or poster are eligible to receive funding to support their travel. See the attached Student-Travel-Grant-for-ComBio2022 – due 4th July 2022.

We encourage everyone to participate.

Peter.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Taking a look at the Programme of Plenaries and Keynotes, 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Professor Jennifer Doudna is delivering the opening Keynote Lecture. Jennifer’s research field is gene editing and CRISPR, revolutionising agriculture and genetics. In early childhood in Hawaii, marvelling at plants is where it all began – will be very inspirational for all of us. There is also Professor Siobhan Brady from the College of Biological Sciences at the University of California, UCDavis. Here is an amazing article about growing food despite drought. Plus Professor Niko Geldner from the Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, will be speaking about the root endodermis.

Root endodermis, Geldner Lab

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In May there has been an interesting article growing plants with soil from the moon: Scientists Grow Plants in Lunar Soil from the 12th May 2022.

We wish students and teachers all the best in preparing for exams and semester assessments in coming months.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PB2022 registration at lowest rates ends June 8 2022. On Demand Plant Biology Extended will be available for purchase for those not able to attend the meeting in person. More details to come…..

Please login and check your ASPS membership is up to date. Encourage your colleagues and students to join ASPS. Go to: https://www.asps.org.au/members/join

Tweet to @asps_ozplants your news and upcoming events.

Welcome to Phytogen for April 2022,

Our politicians are on the campaign trail and to get you thinking, here are reports from Science Meets Parliament 2022 introduced by Peter Ryan.

Science and Technology Australia (STA) is an umbrella organisation that represents 90,000 STEM professionals in Australian from ~60 member societies and associations. STA regularly surveys its members to develop STEM-related policies that are then presented to governments, private enterprises and other stakeholders. One of the major STA events organised each year is Science Meets Parliament which facilitates direct interactions between scientists, lobbyists and politicians. The participants hear talks from leading scientists and gain insight into parliamentary processes and policy development. The participants also learn from experienced staffers about how best to approach politicians and pitch ideas for maximum impact. The whole experience is a rare and valuable opportunity that will hopefully empower more researchers and academics to effectively communicate their ideas, aspirations and concerns directly to decision makers. Members of STA send two representatives to Science Meets Parliament each year and for 2022 ASPS was represented by Megan Shelden (University of Adelaide) and Benjamin Schwessinger (ANU). Their reports are attached below.

Although held in a busy part of the academic year, Science Meets Parliament is a rewarding experience. ASPS members interested in participating in 2023 should lookout for messages in Phytogen early next year.

Peter Ryan (President ASPS).

Megan Shelden, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide.

I had the pleasure of representing the ASPS as a delegate at Science Meets Parliament in 2022. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the event was held online over 5 days. Despite this, I found the event to be a very valuable experience and thoroughly enjoyed the sessions.

Science meets Parliament 2022, kicked off with a wonderful Welcome to Country by Ngunnawal Elder Wally Bell. This was followed by the opening keynote address by the inspiring Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty. Professor Doherty has become an avid science communicator and “twitter sensation” over the course of the pandemic. In the Professors’ words “You cannot convince everybody but you can engage anyone with respect”.

Panel sessions highlighted the need to communicate our science effectively and gave us many practical tips on how to engage with parliamentarians and really make the most of our meetings with Members of Parliament. I particularly loved the “Marie Kondo your writing” session with Mischa Schubert (CEO of Science and Technology Australia) – so many writing tips that have already helped me enormously!

There were so many highlights in the program: Professor Brian Cox and astrophysicist Kirsten Banks gave their tips for effective science communication, the National Press Club Address by Professor Mark Hutchinson, and the final session, a commercialisation masterclass with Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Cathy Foley.

I was very fortunate to participate in a zoom meeting with Ms Kate Thwaites MP, the federal ALP member for Jagajaga, with two other Science meets Parliament delegates Dr Kelly Walton (UQ) and Dr Hamish Brown (UniMelb).  We discussed the importance of food security, particularly in light of the recent floods in Australia and climate change. We also discussed the need for government to continue to invest in scientific discoveries.

I would absolutely recommend attending this event if you get the opportunity. I would love to attend Science Meets Parliament again in the future (in-person!) and am very much looking forward to the National Gala Dinner to be held in June 2022.

Benjamin Schwessinger, Research School of Biology, ANU College of Science, ANU

Politics needs Science and Science needs politicians.

As scientists is it worth our time to engage with politicians and politics? Like many other high performances high pressure professions, we scientists are time poor and too often too busy with too much busy work. So, it begs the question if adding another item to the to-do list is worth the effort.

One day early summer 2021 our ASPS president, Dr. Peter Ryan, invited members to join Science Meets Parliament 2022 (SMP22). I said “yes” of course, it being held in a far distant future without an overloaded schedule, just yet. I always had a great interest in politics and politicians as my father was actively involved in regional politics for over four decades including being major of my hometown for three.  SMP is a Science and Technology of Australia flagship event that brings together scientists, public servants, policymakers, and politicians for about a week to learn from each other and to network. It all started in 1999 as a small friendly face-to-face event, yet this year’s SMP22 was unfortunately another online event due to COVID19. The event itself was a series of classic lectures, panel discussion style workshops and virtual networking events one could attend live or catch up on during the week. Besides skill building this year’s focus was on indigenous knowledge and panel members where often the who-is-who of Australian Science and Technology including multiple Nobel Laureates, CEOs, and prominent media figures. Some of the sessions worked well while others suffered from the online format, at least for me. I would have preferred to randomly bump into people, to start spontaneous conversations in hallways, and get to know people who might or might not be of benefit to know some years down the track. Path can be very short if you know the right people I learned early on in my life.

My personal highlights were the National Press Club address with Professor Mark Hutchinson and meeting parliamentarian Maria Vamvakinou.

The Press Club dinner was delicious while the address was a bit disappointing. For my taste Prof. Hutchinson’s address was too much self-involved, ego driven stardom with “bench to boardroom” talk that praised recent government investment into translational science. Of course, additional investment into science is very welcome. We in Australia clearly need to get better in converting yesterday’s wonderful basic science investment into commercial outcomes today. No question. Yet Prof. Hutchinson could have warned the audience more explicitly that we need to invest more into the whole knowledge generation to translation pipeline because without out groundbreaking basic science today there will be nothing to commercialize tomorrow.

Our group conversation with MP Vamvakinou was impressive as she came very well prepared to the discussion with clear objectives wanting to learn more and to listen. Maria was very engaged, fully on top of it, and very smart. One topic that really hit home with me is that Australia has a wide-ranging skill shortage in many STEM related sectors which holds back the economy. This was reiterated several weeks later at another National Press Club event hosting Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud, which was sponsored by Crop Life.

Us scientists have a clear role to play here, at universities and other research organizations. We train the future workforce who will step into leadership roles, be it in politics, the public service or industry. Delivering world class education in STEM is a very significant contribution to Australia’s economy. Of course, our basic science has the potential to be transformational if it is supported in with the right frameworks. So, all our science needs funding and science funding needs advocacy at all levels. We as scientists need to listen to policy makers and public servants to identify joined problems and to engage in meaningful conversations. We all have our role to play, one-on-one during spontaneous hallway conversations or via our scientific societies. It is well worth our time to patiently and levelheaded illustrate the worth of our combined research pipeline to society. If not some of us who else?

In May is Fascination of plants day (FoPD22). This international event is always on the 18th May. If you would like to organise an event during May, email: georgia.koerber@adelaide.edu.au and events can be added to the events site.

.

Please login and check your ASPS membership is up to date. Encourage your colleagues and students to join ASPS. Go to: https://www.asps.org.au/members/join

Tweet to @asps_ozplants your news and upcoming events.

The year is under way and hope you are managing to settle into your studies, experiments and teaching. As Peter has said ASPS awards are closing 28th March 2022:

Dear ASPS Members,

Reminding you many of our ASPS award applications are closing at the end of the month.

ASPS Awards for 2022: We encourage applications for our annual awards. These include the Goldacre Medal, the Jan Anderson Award, the Robertson Travelling Fellowship and Education and Outreach Award. Deadlines are 28 March and details are available HERE.

ComBio 2022: 

ComBIO 2022 (Melbourne, 27-20 September 2022) includes, among many others, a Plenary Address from Jennifer Doudna, the Nobel Laureate for her work on gene editing. ComBIO is a combined meeting organised by several societies involved in biological sciences. Details at  https://combio.org.au/combio2022/information.html.

Importantly, student members of ASPS can apply for funding to attend this meeting and details will be released soon. Student poster prizes will also be awarded.

Thanks, Peter

Dr Peter R Ryan

President, Australian Society of Plant Scientists

Honorary Fellow, CSIRO Agriculture and Food

To inspire your applications, here is an article from Joanna Melonek, ASPS 2021 Peter Goldacre Medal Recipient. You will read that the wheat genome is complex but Joanna has conveyed her work with enthusiasm making it interesting and intriguing. It is lovely that she has managed to carry out her research with such nice collaboration too.

Joanna with hybrid wheat plants. Photo Julie Leroux.

 Figure 2. The extraordinary complexity of the wheat genome. A. 1686 PPR genes were identified in the wheat IWGSC RefSeqv1.0 genome. B. Picture of wheat spikes of transgenic wheat plants producing anthers (F-Fertile) and a wheat spike unable to produce anthers and functional pollen (S-Sterile). Photo Laurent Beuf (Group Limagrain).

With the assistance of researchers from Limagrain (the 4^th largest seed-producing company in the world), I was able to show that both genes are able to restore fertility of wheat plants carrying Triticum timopheevii-type CMS (T-CMS). Furthermore, I was able to identify orf279 as the mitochondrial gene responsible for preventing pollen production in wheat and causing sterility. The discoveries described in the article were the basis of two patent applications and are currently used by Limagrain in their hybrid breeding programmes.

The Peter Goldacre Medal is a great recognition and confirmation from my peers and the broader plant scientific community that they find my work interesting. Therefore I’m truly honoured and thankful to the Australian Society of Plant Scientists and the very vibrant plant community in Australia for it. Of course, this all would not have been possible without the support from many people who accompany me on my scientific journey, and I’m very grateful to all of them for that!

Joanna receiving the Peter Goldacre Medal. Photo Muhammad Kamran.

References:

1. Melonek J et al. (2016) Evolutionary plasticity of restorer-of-fertility-like proteins in rice. Sci Rep. 24:35152. doi:10.1038/srep35152
2. Melonek J et al. (2019) High intraspecific diversity of Restorer-of-fertility-like genes in barley. Plant J. 97(2):281-295. doi:10.1111/tpj.14115.
3. The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (2018) Shifting the limits in wheat research and breeding using a fully annotated reference genome. Science. 361(6403). doi: 10.1126/science.aar7191.
4. Walkowiak S et al. (2020) Multiple wheat genomes reveal global variation in modern breeding. Nature. 588:277-283. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2961-x.
5. Rabanus-Wallace MT et al. (2021) Chromosome-scale genome assembly provides insights into rye biology, evolution, and agronomic potential. Nat Genet. 53:564-573. doi:10.1038/s41588-021-00807-0.
6. Melonek J et al. (2021) The genetic basis of cytoplasmic male sterility and fertility restoration in wheat. Nat Commun. 12(1):1036. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21225-0.

Fascination of plants day (FoPD22) is approaching in May. This international event is always on the 18th May.

If you would like to organise an event during May anywhere in Australia, email: georgia.koerber@adelaide.edu.au and events can be added to the Australian site.

Due to Covid-19, events for all countries the last couple of years have been disrupted and recent posts in the lead up to FoPD2022 take a look back featuring many countries events from years prior to COVID. The one in 2019 with Ukraine is poignant.

The Global Plant Council has a webpage of resources: https://globalplantcouncil.org/resources/resources-for-refugees-of-the-ukrainian-war/ 

Lastly, 23rd March is National Eucalypt Day! Congratulations Eucalyptus regnans #EucalyptoftheYear

Welcome to Phytogen for February 2021. In this issue:

• • • ASPS Awards closing dates in March 2022, Education and Outreach closes in April 2022

      

    • R.N. Robertson Travelling Fellowship

    • Jan Anderson Award and Education and Outreach Award

    • AW Howard Memorial Trust Grants and Awards

      

    • Upcoming events

       

      Voting closes 20th March 2022

       

    • Paper to read – the Global Plant Council has lots to read including this article about trees.

      

  ASPS Society awards are Open:

  The closing date for the 2022 Peter Goldacre award is March 28th 2022 Click: Details.

  The closing date for the 2022 Jan Anderson 2022 award will be March 28^th 2022 Click: Details

  Applications for the 2022 RN Robertson Fellowship will close 25 March 2022.  To be eligible for this fellowship round the planned work must take place in 2022 Click: Details

  Applications for the 2022 ASPS Education and Outreach Award are now open. The closing date for the 2022 award is April 16th 2022. Click: Details

   

  Here are reports from last years award winners

  R.N. Robertson Travelling Fellowship

  Xiaoyang Wei, University of Newcastle

  After 3 years of my HDR candidature at the University of Newcastle as a China Scholarship Council student, I returned to China in January 2020 for a two-week holiday to visit my parents who live near Wuhan in Hubei Province. As we all know now, I unwittingly flew into the disaster of the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the initial lockdown in China, and then the border closures and Australian travel restrictions, I have been stuck in China since then, unable to return to Newcastle. Because of the Covid-19 breakout, all the academic institutes and Universities in China applied tight controls to address the challenge from Covid-19. Consequently, I had no access to any laboratory to conduct my PhD research. Luckily, quick and decisive actions were taken by Chinese government, and the pandemic was totally under control in March and life in China, particularly in Wuhan, gradually came back to normal after a two month-long nation-wide lockdown.

  

  Figure 1. Photo with Dr Huang and his students at HZAU in Wuhan. From left to right, Changjin Liu, Jianuo Xu, Mu Xiong, Dr Yuan Huang, myself, Xiangshuang Wu and Jiangfeng Liu.

  In July 2020, university campuses in China gradually reopened, which provided me a chance to work as a visiting scholar in a biological laboratory. Dr Lu Wang at The University of Newcastle introduced me to Dr Yuan Huang from the Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) in Wuhan, China. Dr Huang had previously worked as a visiting scholar in Professor Sergey Shabala’s lab at the University of Tasmania for one year (2017-2018) and now is an associate professor at HZAU. A major focus of his lab’s work is on vascular reconnection mechanisms in grafted cucurbit species. With support from the Core Facilities and Service Centre of the College of Horticulture & Forestry Science of HZAU, his lab has access to a full set of facilities for cell biology research, such as a several Leica fluorescence microscopes, vibratome, freezing microtome, ultra-thin semiautomatic microtome, etc. Access to Dr Huang’s lab enabled me to continue my PhD research overseas, and this was possible, to a large degree, because I received an R.N. Robertson Travelling Fellowship from the Australian Society of Plant Scientists (ASPS). This assisted with research costs, and allowed me to continue and then complete my PhD project in Dr Hunag’s laboratory at HZAU in Wuhan. Working at HZAU has given me an opportunity to gain new experiences in using different facilities particularly in handling with fluorescent microscopes and microtomes, which not only enriched my skills but also broadened my insight in plant cell biology research. However, working with Dr Huang’s group at HZAU has also allowed me to transfer many of the skills that I learned while at Newcastle to colleagues in China.

  At HZAU, my PhD research mainly involved in investigating the fine-scale spatial relations between the wall ingrowth deposition in phloem parenchyma (PP) transfer cells (TCs) and other types of phloem cells in leaf minor veins in Arabidopsis. Confocal imaging of Vibratome cross sections and orthogonal reconstruction of minor veins was used to survey the leaves of the Col-0 accession, and also in the transgenic lines pAtSWEET11::AtSWEET11-GFP and  pAtSUC2::AtSTP9-GFP which mark the PP and companion cells (CC) respectively. This analysis revealed, unexpectedly, that wall ingrowth deposition was more abundant in PP TCs positioned abaxially in the phloem compared to those positioned adaxially, implying differing contributions to phloem loading across minor veins within the leaf. This arrangement would, however, match recent studies in maize which have suggested that phloem loading occurs more from the lower side of the vascular bundle. Wall ingrowths in PP TCs were initiated exclusively at the interface adjacent to sieve elements (SEs), and the deposition of wall ingrowths adjacent to SEs was more abundant than that seen along PP TC/ CC interfaces in mature minor veins. Furthermore, only PP cells that were adjacent to SEs had wall ingrowths. As AtSWEET11-GFP levels were significantly higher in PP TCs with wall ingrowths, compared to PP cells without these structures, this further supports the role of wall ingrowths in facilitating phloem loading. These results constitute a major section of Chapter 3 of my thesis (submitted December 2021) and the work is now being prepared for publication.

  

  Figure 2. Confocal imaging and section preparations.

  I have also conducted bioinformatics analysis using recently published single cell RNA-seq datasets and unpublished RNA-seq datasets from our Newcastle group, and then generated a list of candidate genes that are potentially involved in wall ingrowth deposition. A role for a sub-set of these genes in PP TC development was then assessed using relevant T-DNA insertional mutants. It is worth mentioning that seed lines for all tested T-DNA insertional mutants were obtained from the Arabidopsis stock centre in China called ‘AraShare’, which saved me considerable time in getting access to T-DNA lines, rather than sourcing them from ABRC. Results from this bioinformatics study which I completed while at HZAU has become Chapter 5 of my thesis.

  I give my sincere acknowledgements and thanks to the ASPS for funding my project and I am grateful to the legacy of Professor R.N. Robertson for this opportunity. In a large part, this Fellowship allowed me to continue my PhD research while exiled in China. Many thanks to Dr Yuan Huang and all the students in his lab for their help and friendship at HZAU.

   

  Jan Anderson 2021

  Kim Johnson, La Trobe University

  I almost didn’t apply for the Jan Anderson Award in 2021. Melbourne had experienced 6-months worth of lock-downs in 2020, home schooling had managed to destroy any semblance of work-life balance and I hadn’t had time to reflect on my academic achievements. With encouragement from mentor and collaborator Professor Tony Bacic, I took stock and realised that, by maintaining strong relationships (remotely!) with my research team, national and international collaborators, we had made significant progress in understanding the role of a group of plant cell wall proteins called hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins, or HRGPs. I have been fascinated with wall (glyco)proteins for most of my career and have sought to understand how they play such important multifunctional roles in cell wall structure, wall integrity sensing and signalling during development and in response to stress. It is a privilege to work with people who share your scientific passion and to have the recognition of ASPS for these achievements was a real honour. I was delighted to be able to accept the award in person in Melbourne and felt the amazing support of the ASPS community linking in.  The Jan Anderson award is a positive way for the society to show its commitment to improving equity, diversity and inclusion now and into the future.

  Education and Outreach 2021

  Kim Johnson and Monika Doblin, La Trobe University

  

  What will you be eating in 2050 when the world’s population reaches 10 billion? Fake meat? Insects? Gene-edited crops?

  These were the types of questions we posed to students, teachers and the public during ‘A taste of tomorrow’, a series of education and outreach activities held in August 2020 hosted by La Trobe University for National Science Week. Activities included live online events with audience participation through polls and Q&A, a ‘future food box’, social media videos, and a website providing educational resources (https://www.tastetomorrow.edu.au).

  The main aims of the project were to show that sustainable agriculture and nutrition are essential goals of human endeavour and their delivery is complex, that there are multiple stakeholders, no single correct policy and there is a need for compromise. Involvement of researchers from a range of disciplines aimed to show that science is a human endeavour, scientists are approachable and everyday people just like the audience, and learning about plants and animals is fun for its own sake.

  

  To raise awareness of the events, the La Trobe communications team posted fourteen videos, articles and profiles of researchers and students within the areas of biology, ecology, nutrition, physiology and agronomy, that were viewed over 15,000 times. A website was established to provide authenticity and community resources. The website was the point of contact for attendee registrations and supporting information such as future food ‘fact files’, blogs written by La Trobe students that include researcher interviews, recipes, experiments and school activities.

  Kim Johnson and Monika Doblin, La Trobe University, Mike Haydon, University of Melbourne.

  An important part of our events was a free mystery box of ‘future foods’ containing alternative food snacks delivered in advance to registrants. This engaged a wide variety of audiences with 1,000 boxes sent all over Australia. The boxes were particularly popular with teachers who could see the attraction for engaging students and using future food as a talking point for many areas of the curriculum.  Three events were held during Science Week (15-23 Aug) and a launch event on the 5 August, attended by approx. 3000 people. Each involved 5-6 panellists from different disciplines (agriculture research, ecology, psychology, nutrition, sports, farming), and an MC who took the audience through a series of hypothetical future scenarios and food tastings. Feedback from the project showed that the events led to changing attitudes about food and sustainability and the importance of research to our future food security.

  We sincerely thank ASPS for recognising our efforts to innovatively engage with the next generation of Australian researchers to raise awareness of the necessity to undertake multi-disciplinary research to solve complex societal issues such as meeting the nutritional requirements of the world’s growing population.

   

  Pasture research funding opportunities now on offer

  A fresh suite of grants, awards and scholarships are now on offer through the AW Howard Memorial Trust Inc.

  The Trust’s various awards encourage and promote research and investigation in the fields of natural science and social science (including economics) which relate to the development, management and use of pastures.

  Established in 1964 to commemorate the unique contribution of Amos Howard in the discovery and use of subterranean clover as a pasture plant in Australia, the Trust twice a year seeks grant applications from the research and academic community.

  Applications are currently being sought for AW Howard Memorial Trust Early-Career Research Grants, Grants-In-Aid, Honours and Masters Scholarships, Study Awards, and Pastoral Industry Extension Awards:

  • • • Early-Career Research Grants support research activities that improve the development, management and use of pastures. Grants are limited to $15,000 each.
      • Grants-In-Aid, limited to $5000 each, are awarded to projects that: commemorate important contributions to pastoral sciences or industry; distribute scientific innovations to develop pasture use within Australia’s regions; invite prominent overseas pasture scientists to Australia to deliver keynote addresses at relevant conferences or visit regional scientists and community groups involved in pastoral industries; or need essential equipment for pastoral scientific research and development.
    • • Honours and Masters Scholarships are for projects that facilitate pasture research. Each scholarship offers a stipend of $5000 and operating expenses of $3000. Eligible recipients must be intending to commence approved Honours or Masters tertiary studies with any Australian university.
      • Study Awards of up to $5000 are awarded to scientists to undertake overseas study tours or participate in national or international conferences. Tours and conferences must be related to pasture research and within the aims of the Trust.
      • The Pastoral Industry Extension Study Awards, worth up to $20,000 each, aim to support study tours that examine successful grazing systems and practices and have the potential to benefit Australian pastoral industries and rural communities.

  Applications for all the afore mentioned awards close on March 31.

  

  Former Early-Career Research Grant recipient Dr Beth Penrose strongly encourages others to apply for the funding on offer.

  “The funds received through the Trust allow recipients to test their research ideas, build grant track records, be the foundation for larger projects, and help farmers at the same time,” said Dr Penrose, who is a Lecturer in Pasture Science at the University of Tasmania.

  Dr Penrose used her grant, awarded in 2020, to investigate the effect of soil nutrients on nodulation of white clover and the status of the white clover seed bank of Tasmanian dairy pastures.

  The Grant enabled Dr Penrose to engage Honours student Will Coad who worked closely with farmers during the investigation and has since found employment as a pasture agronomist in Tasmania.

  Former Early-Career Research Grant recipient Dr Beth Penrose. Photo: Lesley Irvine.

  Originally from the United Kingdom, Dr Penrose said attracting funding for research without an Australian funding record was difficult, so the support provided through the Howard Trust had been invaluable.

  “It allowed me to undertake preliminary research and has been the catalyst for other pasture-related grants.

  “It is fantastic that the Howard Trust is focused on pasture-related studies as there aren’t many funding opportunities focused just on pasture.”

  The not-for-profit AW Howard Memorial Trust has awarded more than 400 grants of various descriptions since it was established in 1964 by the then Australian Institute of Agricultural Science (now Ag Institute Australia) through donations from benefactors.

  The Trust is managed by a committee drawn from Ag Institute Australia, The Australian

  Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, the University of Adelaide, the South

  Australian Research and Development Institute which is a division of the SA Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) and scientists experienced in crops and pastures including tropical pastures.

  Application forms are available on the Trust’s website, https://bit.ly/3f3Pxkw. More information is available via the Trust’s executive officer, email howard.trust@sa.gov.au.

   

   

  Upcoming events

  

  Voting closes 20th March 2022

  

  Please login and check your ASPS membership is up to date. Encourage your colleagues and students to join ASPS.

  Tweet to @asps_ozplants your news and upcoming events.

Welcome all to 2022.

Last year as a society there were plenty of activities. So much so, I hope you have all managed to have a rest in preparation for 2022.

This year will have highlights of face to face scientific meetings.

There will be ComBio2022 in Melbourne in September and IPMB2022 in Cairns in October.

It will be a wonderful opportunity for students and colleagues to catchup.

We wish all the best to students in their studies this year, to teachers preparing their learning activities for students and to researchers for their experiments this year.

Society awards are Open:

The closing date for the 2022 Peter Goldacre award is March 28th 2022 Click: Details

The closing date for the 2022 Jan Anderson 2022 award will be March 28^th 2022 Click: Details

Applications for the 2022 RN Robertson Fellowship will close 25 March 2022.  To be eligible for this fellowship round the planned work must take place in 2022 Click: Details

Applications for the 2022 ASPS Education and Outreach Award are now open. The closing date for the 2022 award is April 16th 2022. Click: Details

Please login and check your ASPS membership is up to date. Encourage your colleagues and students to join ASPS. Go to: https://www.asps.org.au/members/join

Tweet to @asps_ozplants your news and upcoming events. There is already lots of great activity at https://twitter.com/asps_ozplants – check it out.

Welcome to Phytogen for December 2021.

Here is a piece by Peter Ryan about Science Meets Parliament in 2022.

Dear ASPS Members,

I would like to bring your attention to the 2022 Science Meets Parliament event organised by Science & Technology Australia (STA). STA is Australia’s peak body for science and technology professionals and represents more than 80 societies like ASPS. It conducts outreach sessions directed to the public and government and tries to influence public policy in these areas.

Each year STA organises its flagship event called Science Meets Parliament (SmP). This event connects parliamentarians with STEM practitioners in order to share ideas and build Australia’s excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

This event usually occurs in Canberra during a parliamentary sitting period. However, due to Covid19, the 2022 program will be a virtual event between  Monday 28 February – Friday 4 March 2022. However, SmP is still an excellent experience that provides insights into government processes and how to effectively engage with policy makers. Delegates will be matched for a meeting with a Member of Parliament in the week 7 – 11 March 2022. This year the program also includes presentations from Nobel Laureates Peter Doherty and Brian Schmidt as well as the well-known astronomer and science communicator Brian Cox. More information on Science Meets Parliament and the detailed program is available from the links below.

ASPS is allowed to invite three members to attend this worthwhile initiative. Any members interested in applying should contact our Secretary Kim Johnson (kim.johnson@latrobe.edu.au) by 17 December 2021 to express their interest and provide a CV. We especially encourage early career researchers to apply. Please study the SmP program carefully being mindful of the dates and the time commitment it requires.

Regards, Peter Ryan

President ASPS

Well, wasn’t ASPS2021 last month amazing 🙂  Here is a summary provided by Mark Waters in Western Australia, with lots of photos added in.

About 400 attendees (of which just over 50% were students) joined the meeting across seven locations; South Australia hosted the largest meeting with 82 local attendees (of which 42 were students). Only one node (NSW) reverted to a fully virtual format because of concerns about restrictions on large gatherings, while the other nodes enjoyed traditional face-to-face talks and poster sessions.

As an example of the meeting format, we held three face-to-face sessions with oral presentations, each led by an invited early-to-mid-career speaker (Dr Yinglong Chen, Dr Caitlin Moore, and Dr Monika Murcha, all from UWA). All talk slots were kept short to enable as many speakers as feasible in one day; there were 13 additional speakers, of which ten were students, and ten were female.

Between the first and second session, we joined the nationwide webinar, in which the annual ASPS award presentations were given. We were fortunate that the first speaker, Dr Joanna Melonek (Peter Goldacre awardee), presented locally from UWA; her talk, along with that of three other awardees across Australia, was simulcast to all nodes via Zoom webinar.

Attendees at UWA, Western Australia (courtesy of Roland Politan)

Interestingly, Dr Kim Johnson (Jan Anderson awardee, La Trobe University) chose to present her work in the form of a documentary-style video that featured interviews with her collaborators to discuss how they contributed to thevarious projects that supported her award. This approach was both entertaining and refreshing, and would not have been realistic in a traditional meeting environment. The WA meeting had 52 registrants, of which 26 were students; two attendees travelled all the way from Merridin about 250 km to Perth’s east, which necessitated an overnight stay, but they stated they were more than happy to attend a real meeting for a change!

Left: Sabrina Davies presents at UWA, Western Australia (courtesy of Muhammad Kamran)

Below: Attendees at University of Melbourne, Victoria (courtesy of Mike Haydon) and attendees at QUT, Queensland (courtesy of Brett Williams)

Left: NSW program for online event organised by Kristine Crous                                                                                                                                                      Below: Attendees in Adelaide, South Australia (courtesy of Georgia Koerber)

Based on informal feedback, we consider this experiment to have been a resounding success. Many attendees expressed appreciation of the opportunity to actually experience a proper meeting, without the expense and trouble of travel. Speakers evidently made substantial effort to deliver memorable and interesting presentations.  There were some minor lessons to be learned about managing webinars and the value of high-quality AV equipment, and obviously small local meetings cannot fully replicate the benefits of meeting colleagues from further afield.

Right: Click to follow link to local threads on twitter for more photos.

Below: Attendees in Canberra with Peter Ryan introducing awards (courtesy of Caitlin Byrt)

We would like to thank again sponsors for supporting this venture, which has given us invaluable experience for the delivery of scientific meetings into the future.

Please login and check your ASPS membership is up to date. Encourage your colleagues and students to join ASPS. Go to: https://www.asps.org.au/members/join

Tweet to @asps_ozplants your news and upcoming events.