I would like to congratulate Professor Christine Beveridge on being elected to the Australian Academy of Sciences this week. Her research has overturned the dogma on apical dominance and introduced both sugar and strigalactones into the picture through her innovative experimental approaches and determination. Challenging long held beliefs is not easy, but elegant experimental results eventually could not be ignored. Not often does one see the text book representation getting this sort of update.
Professor John Evans,
President, Australian Society of Plant Scientists.

Once again we received a strong field of nominations for the Goldacre award which recognises excellence in an early career researcher. I am pleased to announce that this year the Goldacre medal will be awarded to Mark Waters during ComBio 2015 where he will delivery a plenary lecture on the genetics of a hormone that was discovered in bushfire smoke, so this will have an Australian flavour.

Originating from the UK, Dr Mark Waters joined the University of Western Australia in 2010 to work on the genetics of karrikin responses in Arabidopsis. Derived from burnt plant matter, karrikins are seed germination stimulants that resemble strigolactone hormones. Dr Waters’ research has elucidated early events in karrikin and strigolactone signalling, specifically involving the karrikin receptor protein KAI2. His work has established that KAI2 regulates
diverse aspects of the plant life cycle, and may be a receptor for an unknown plant hormone. Evolutionary conservation of KAI2 suggests that KAI2-dependent signalling is a fundamental and ancient process common to all plants.

I congratulate Mark for his research achievements. I would also like to applaud the other nominees, who sadly missed out, but whose research was also of very high calibre.

John Evans

President, ASPS

Attention women early career researchers and their mentors:

Fellowship opportunity for those who are up to 5 years post PhD – please consider

21st January 2015

Global Plant Council New Media Fellowship Available

The Global Plant Council (GPC) seeks applications from PhD students and postdoctoral scholars working in the area of plant science for a New Media Fellowship that carries a small stipend of US$3,500.

The Fellow’s task will be to use social media and other outlets to publicize the activities of the GPC and to expand the Council’s reach. The Council is especially interested in expanding its engagement with researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders in the fields of agriculture and food production. GPC’s leadership believes that social media channels are one mechanism to reach a wider audience, and we seek a fellow with demonstrated experience in these media to support the work of the GPC. The successful candidate will work closely with the GPC Executive Director, Dr. Ruth Bastow and members of the GPC Advocacy group.

The minimum requirements for this fellowship are :-

1. Familiarity and understanding of all forms of social media,
2. Active participation and use of at least one social media tool or outlet to promote science
3. Knowledge of and enthusiasm for plant science, and excellent English language skills.

To apply for this fellowship please send an up to date CV and letter of application to info@globalplantcouncil.org by (Friday 27 February 2015).

GPC New Media Fellowship-Final

THE PLANT NUTRITION TRUST has been established to encourage and promote research and technology transfer in the mineral nutrition of plants, soil fertility and fertiliser and soil amendment technology, and includes areas where these impinge on other fields such as plant breeding.

THE TRUST invites applications for awards to assist in carrying out a study tour or to attend a conference or such other activity related to the stated objectives.

Awards will be made to promising students and early-career scientists working in the areas mentioned above. More than one award may be made, depending on the applications received.

In making these awards independent assessors will consider the applicant’s achievements, recent contribution to industry, research, technology transfer and their potential for future contributions to plant nutrition.  The amount of each award depends on the number of applications received, the nature and cost of the activity proposed and the potential for other sources of funding.

Applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents and be based in Australia.

Applications for the next round close on 2 March 2015

Further details and application forms can be obtained from:

Dr Peter Ryan                         e-mail:    Peter.Ryan@csiro.au

CSIRO Agriculture

GPO Box 1600

Canberra  ACT 2601

Tel:      (02) 6246 5053

About the Plant Nutrition Trust: The Trust was established from a combination of surpluses collected after previous international conferences held in Australia, donations from The Sulphur Institute, the Australasian Soil and Plant Analysis Council (ASPAC) and other individuals.  Further donations are welcome. The Management Committee has included people associated with the Fertiliser Industry Federation of Australia, the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, the Australian Society of Soil Science, the Australian Society of Plant Scientists, the Australian Soil and Plant Analysis Council and CSIRO Agriculture.

Plant Nutrition Trust application 2015

Book your 2015 phenotyping experiment at The Plant Accelerator now

Do you work with crop plants? Are you interested in getting quantitative measurements of traits such as early vigour, nutrient and water use efficiency or salinity tolerance?

The Plant Accelerator is part of the NCRIS funded Australian Plant Phenomics Facility and offers high-throughput non-destructive phenotyping of crop plants in a greenhouse environment. Using automated imaging and watering systems, we can control the desired growth conditions while measuring their impact on plant performance and growth over time.

If you consider undertaking a phenotyping experiment at The Plant Accelerator in 2015, please contact us now to discuss your phenotyping needs and potential project.

We can provide advice on design and feasibility of your experiment and an itemised quote to help with budgeting or grant applications.

Especially if the time of year is important for your experiment, then contact us soon to ensure we can accommodate your project at the required time.

You can go online and fill out a request for quote:  http://www.plantphenomics.org.au/services/accelerator/ or contact Drs Bettina Berger and Trevor Garnett at: bettina.berger@adelaide.edu.au; trevor.garnett@adelaide.edu.au;

We look forward to working with you in the future.