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Dear members,

Just to remind you that the deadline for Goldacre and Teaching Awards applications is 9 December 2016 and is fast approaching.  The RN Robertson Travelling Fellowship application deadline is 20 January 2017.

We also have several new employment opportunities and FEBS 2017 congress has been added to our events page.

FEBS 2017

The 42^nd FEBS Congress
Jerusalem, Israel, 10-14 September, 2017

https://2017.febscongress.org/

The FEBS Congress aims to provide an outstanding international forum in the European area for the face to face exchange of knowledge and ideas across the molecular life sciences. The core scientific programme comprises inspiring plenary lectures from distinguished researchers working in areas of high topical interest, and a range of themed symposia providing focused updates from leading experts in each field. The contribution of participants towards the scientific discussion at the event is encouraged by the opportunity to present work through extensive poster sessions, and submitted abstracts may also be considered for oral presentations.

The broad subject coverage of the Congress and its size provide an excellent setting for participants to gain valuable insight into progress in research areas beyond their own. In addition, a range of special sessions aim to engage participants on wider issues, such as teaching in the molecular life sciences, and science and society questions. A commercial exhibition provides additional interest.

The FEBS Congress has a strong emphasis on support, education and inspiration for the next generation of scientists, with a bursary scheme for early-career researchers, a satellite Young Scientists’ Forum, and activities to encourage interaction with peers and experts.

Altogether the FEBS Congress aims to be an exemplary cross-discipline gathering in the molecular life sciences for research presentation, discussion, learning, inspiration and encouragement — with participants leaving with new research knowledge and ideas, and perhaps the beginnings of international collaborations and friendships.

For more information visit: https://2017.febscongress.org/

Your membership is paid to [wpmlfield name=”paidtodate”] (year, month, day).

There are several employment opportunities posted on our site available to view here.

The 2nd International Conference on Pharmaceutical Chemistry has been added to our events calendar.

Applications Open for Women’s Young Investigator Travel Awards for Plant Biology 2017

Global Plant Council E-Bulletin October 2016 Forward to a Friend  | View this Email on the Web | Translate This Email Email Us GPC Website GPC Blog @GlobalPlantGPC @GPC_EnEspanol Facebook Donate E-Bulletin /  October 2016 Welcome to another issue of the Global Plant Council’s e-Bulletin. We were really excited to see our President Professor Bill Davies on the TV this month! Bill was interviewed for the CNN news program ‘EcoSolutions’ and spoke about reducing water use in agriculture. Read more and watch the video here. Are you looking for a new job or PhD position in plant science, or do you have a vacancy to fill? We post relevant jobs or studentships to our Twitter and Facebook pages using the clickable, searchable hashtags #PlantSciJobs and #PlantSciPhD –and these posts are proving very popular indeed! Please use these hashtags if you’re posting new opportunities; we’re also happy to tweet/post these on your behalf – just let us know! We are delighted to announce that Dr Deena Errampalli, President of Plant Canada, has joined our Executive Board. Deena replaces Professor Carl Douglas who very sadly passed away earlier this year. Welcome to the team, Deena! Latest News /  View more… If you have news you would like us to share on our website, please contact lisa@globalplantcouncil.org  This month 63 new breaking news stories were posted on the GPC website including… Sharon Gray Memorial Fund Friends and colleagues of Dr Sharon Gray – a plant science postdoc from the University of California, Davis, who was tragically killed in Ethiopia earlier this month – have established a memorial fund. The fund will be used to establish a fellowship in Dr Gray’s honor. In New Phytologist: Scientists Root for More Cassava Research to Help Meet Greater Demand for Food A new review brings together research on the potential for improving cassava yields, such as by boosting the efficiency with which the plant captures sunlight and converts it into sugars. In Journal of Experimental Botany: How To Build Beautiful Biochemical Factories New research and an accompanying Insight article shed new light on the regulation of glandular trichome development in plants. In Current Plant Biology: Special Issue on Protein Networks Our newest journal sponsors have a new special issue, which focuses on protein networks – in particular, the centrality of proteins in the study of fundamental aspects of plant biology and plant interface with abiotic and biotic factors in the environment.  In Nature Plants: New Strategy to Accelerate Plant Breeding by Turbocharging Gene Banks A new study led by an Iowa State University agronomist may help scientists sift through vast amounts of plant seeds stored in gene bank facilities across the globe to identify those useful to plant breeders attempting to produce better varieties. Events / View more… If you have a conference, meeting, workshop, training course or other event coming up, we can include it in our Events calendar! Please email lisa@globalplantcouncil.org Cold Spring Harbor Asia Conference: Latest Advances in Plant Development & Environmental Responses 29 November–02 December 2016. Awaji, Japan.  4th International Plant Phenotyping Symposium 13–15 December 2016. El Batán, Mexico.  International Conference on Plant Synthetic Biology and Bioengineering 16–18 December 2016. Miami, Florida, USA.  Policy / Lots of new reports, and an archive of useful documents from the last few years, are available on our website. Head to the Resources page and click ‘Reports’. US Senate Decides on the Ratification of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture “The joining of the United States will represent a major milestone towards universal membership of the Treaty,” said Shakeel Bhatti, Plant Treaty Secretary. Online Sales of Threatened Cacti Highlight Open Door for Illegal Trade Threatened cacti are available on websites and shipped across countries without any legal documents to certify their trade. A study published in Nature Conservation reports on this activity and discusses assessment methods and solutions. Report Provides Options for Organic Soybean Growers Despite soybean being one of the most widely grown crops in the US, few soybean farmers use organic practices. A new  report details organic products and practices to combat pathogens and insect pests. Funding Opportunities / Spotted a funding opportunity we’ve missed? Please tell us about it by emailing lisa@globalplantcouncil.org New Phytologist Tansley Medal The New Phytologist Tansley Medal is awarded annually in recognition of an outstanding contribution to research in plant science by an individual in the early stages of their career (including students and any researcher with up to five years’ experience since gaining/defending their PhD). The winner recives a prize of £2000 (GBP) and authors a short review, published in New Phytologist, accompanied by an Editorial. The deadline for first-round submissions is 30th November 2016. Trellis Fund projects Horticulture Innovation Lab has selected nine new Trellis Fund projects led by organizations in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Cambodia and Nepal. These six-month projects are each funded with a $2,000 grant, with work scheduled to begin in 2017. A US graduate student with related expertise will be matched to each project, to provide agricultural knowledge and support for local goals. Graduate students at UC Davis, North Carolina State University, the University of Florida and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa are now invited to apply to participate in these new Trellis Fund projects. The deadline for applications is November 4th. On the blog /  View more… Would you like to contribute an article to the GPC’s blog? Please get in touch! Email lisa@globalplantcouncil.org How trees communicate via a Wood Wide Web In this repost from The Conversation, Stuart Thompson discusses how plants communicate.  Farming Futures: integrating plant research and industry in the agri-food supply chain Tim Williams, Business Manager of Farming Futures and Research Fund Development Manager at Aberystwyth University, UK, tells us all about how Farming Futures links researchers with industry.  Members /  Click here for details of the GPC Member Societies and Affiliates and their representatives.  Please contact Ruth Bastow (ruth@globalplantcouncil.org) to find out how your organization can join the Global Plant Council.  The GPC is a coalition of plant and crop science societies and affiliates from across the globe. The GPC seeks to bring plant scientists together to work synergistically toward solving the pressing problems we face. Please click here to make a donation via PayPal to help support the GPC. Copyright © 2016 Global Plant Council, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive updates from the Global Plant Council. If you no longer wish to receive the monthly GPC E-Bulletin, or think you have received this email in error, please unsubscribe using the link provided. The Global Plant Council is a not-for-profit entity registered in Switzerland. Our registered mailing address is:  Global Plant Council 3rd Floor, Bow House 1a Bow Lane London, EC4M 9EE United Kingdom Add us to your address book

Your ASPS membership is paid to [wpmlfield name=”paidtodate”] (year, month, day).

by Aruni Buddhika, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW

Aruni and her prize winning poster at Combio 2016.

I am Aruni Buddhika, 2^nd year PhD student from Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW.  My PhD research has focused on understanding the role of laccases of Botrytis cinerea during grape infection. I am investigating the differential expression profiles of laccase isoforms during the infection process to elucidate the specific role of each laccase isoform during the infection. I presented some of my research findings at the COMBIO – 2016. I am delighted that I was awarded a student poster prize in the poster competition. This is a really great recognition for my research, and a great encouragement to continue my research carrier.  I am really grateful for organizers from ASPS for awarding me the student poster prize. COMBIO-2016 was a great platform for me to learn new things and to share knowledge. The posters were displayed for three days and it was a great opportunity to expose my work for renowned scientist and researchers in the field. I really appreciate the questions, comments and suggestions given since, they will be useful in further development of my research. Plannery lectures were really informative and contained lots of new facts allowing young scientist to learn. Besides meetings, social gatherings were awesome, particularly the conference dinner which made us a great place to meet people and share ideas and knowledge. I am really proud to be a member of ASPS and looking forward to join with the next conference.

by

Joanne Ernest

I began my PhD in 2010 with Dr Tony Gendall at La Trobe University, Melbourne. Tony’s group is using reverse genetics to investigate the physiological and cellular roles of two sodium/proton antiporters. These proteins affect cell differentiation and expansion, ro
ot length and lateral root development as well as subcellular trafficking. In my thesis I described the expression patterns of these antiporters in Arabidopsis, and described their role in trafficking seed proteins to a specialised storage vacuole in developing embryos. I presented some this work at two ComBio meetings (2012 and 2014), as well as the International Conference for Arabidopsis Research (ICAR) in 2013, the Australian Research Assembly on Brassicas (ARAB) in 2014, and the Agriculture Bioscience International Conference in 2015. A chapter of my thesis was published in 2015 in the journal of Plant and Cell Physiology (Ashnest et al. 2015).

Like many other PhD candidates, I began looking for a post doc fellowship about 6 months before submitting my thesis. I had applied for several advertised positions, but hadn’t been granted even an interview. Then in May of 2015, I met Dr Tim Sharbel at a free seminar at the AgriBio Systems Biology conference. Tim was in the process of moving his entire lab from Germany to Canada, and was recruiting post docs. Tim’s content and manner really impressed me, and when he mentioned that he was hiring, I decided on the spur of the moment that I would approach him about a job. I went to the ladies’ room and did the “power pose” for 2 minutes, then bravely walked up to Tim and introduced myself (he’s since told me that he had no idea how nervous I was…). We had a brief chat, and arranged to meet more comprehensively the next day. I remember going home and asking my husband, “how do you feel about Canada? Because I met this guy today…”

Tim and I chatted for about an hour the following morning. No pressure, I thought, but this is an interview! In the end it went really well; I had the skill set that Tim was looking for and we got along great. About a fortnight later, after Tim had read my CV and some positive emails from my referees, he offered me a job! There was a little more back and forth over contracts, and it took some time for us to arrange permits to work and live in Canada, and to pack up our home and all our things, but about 6 months later my husband, my cat and I were boarding a plane to Saskatoon. Now I’m living on the other side of the world, working with a wonderful team of people, and doing some really exciting science. I owe it all to the power pose and a moment of great bravery!

Author email: Dr Joanne Ernest  < joanne.ernest@gifs.ca>

Greenhouse Research Education Training Facility

By

Kathryn Dumschott

PhD Candidate, Centre for Carbon Water and Food, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, University of Sydney

The ASPS travel award gave me the opportunity to present my research involving carbon accumulation and partitioning in the legume species Vicia faba (faba bean) at ComBio 2015. Legumes are vitally important for human nutrition and agricultural practices. As we face global population increases and the effects of climate change become evermore apparent, it is crucial to focus on improving legume tolerance to environmental stress. Plants rely on changes in metabolism and carbon allocation to adapt to and tolerate their changing environment. Understanding these responses on a physiological, chemical and molecular basis is crucial for developing improved breeding strategies. Being able to discuss my project provided me the opportunity to hone my presentation skills as well as share my research with the ComBio community. The diverse range and high quality of plant science research covered throughout ComBio2015 meant that every lecture and symposium was both unique and interesting. Overall, it was a great experience that broadened my view on all the research being done in Australia as well as in the international plant science community.

Contact: kathryn.dumschott@sydney.edu.au

ON THE PULSE – RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2016

2016 marks the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s International Year of Pulses – a celebration of the importance of these legumes.

On Tuesday 12 July, the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment at the University of Sydney will host the 2016 Research Symposium, On the Pulse.

On the Pulse brings together domestic and international researchers to discuss strategies and advances that are future proofing pulse agriculture, focusing on three themes: pulse diversity, pulse benefits to agronomy and genetic pulse sustainability.

Download the Symposium program (PDF, 1.37MB)

Event details

Tuesday 12 July 2016
8.15am – 6.00pm
Veterinary Science Conference Centre
University of Sydney

Free Registration

For more information

Liz Kenna

+61 2 9351 5697

liz.kenna@sydney.edu.au sydney.edu.au/agriculture/outreach/symposium

“The interaction between the different cell types of the plant are controlled through complex physical, chemical and environmental signals”

The first half of 2016 has been a busy time for the study of whole plants. Several teams of researchers across the country have been awarded funding for questions at the whole plant scale as well as some significant recognition to individuals in the field.

Congratulations to Professor Peter Waterhouse from the Queensland University of Technology for his Laureate Fellowship to investigate how plants distinguish between ‘self’ and ‘non-self’ genes. The implications for this research certainly have broad repercussions for plant scale research, particularly among agricultural efforts to improve crop production.

Many other researchers across the country have had significant success in securing research funding for plant scale research with some common themes emerging. Management of plants in urban landscapes has been recognised twice in this years ARC Linkage programs. Dr Jie Li and the team at RMIT are focused on the management of trees in suburban environments and the unique challenges faced by soil conditions in close proximity to building structures. Again with a focus on trees in urban landscapes, Dr Stephen Livesley and the team at the University of Melbourne are investigating the role that urban tree plantings have on biodiversity and strategically address the management challenges faced by local councils in maintaining them. Both of these projects reflect the increasing recognition that plants are a critical component for society outside of natural and food production systems.

Some of the most fundamental questions related to whole plant research pertain to the development of plant architecture. Professor John Bowman and the team at Monash University have secured ARC Discovery funding to investigate the development of plant architecture and how it is regulated. Also in the ARC Discovery scheme, Dr Gavin Flematti and the team at the University of Western Australia secured support to investigate the role of a yet to be characterised hormone in seed germination and seedling development whilst Dr Oliver van Aiken (also at the University of Western Australia) secured ARC Discovery funding to investigate the touch response in plants. Combined, these topics illustrate that there is still so much to learn about the fundamental nature of plants.

One of the most significant ways for researchers to develop their research activities is through the award of Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) also from the ARC. These awards enable early career researchers to pursue questions and foster research programs with long lasting repercussions. This year we have three DECRA awardees in the field of plant science. Dr Simon Williams (Australian National University) is working on protecting wheat from necrotropic fungi, Dr Reena Narsai (LaTrobe University) is working to improve germination rates in cereals and Dr Stefane Wege (University of Adelaide) is investigating how plants acquire and cope with chloride. Congratulations to Simon, Reena and Stefane on their achievement. The scope of the projects no doubt reflects the importance of plant health to our environmental, economic and social welfare.

There are many events on the horizon for ‘whole plant’ scientists. One of the best places to check for upcoming events is the ASPS website under the ‘events’ tab (https://www.asps.org.au/events). Of particular note for whole plant research is the upcoming phenotyping workshop being held in Canberra from the 18^th-23^rd September. In recent years, advancements in high throughput phenotyping have been rapid and there is no better place to learn about these developments than this workshop.

Overseas there are many upcoming conferences as usual during the northern hemisphere summer period. Of particular note is the 17^th International Photosynthesis conference held in Maastricht (Netherlands) this year from the 7^th -12^th August (http://www.ps2016.com). Also The European Plant Biology congress is in Prague (Czech Repuplic) from the 26-30^th June (http://www.europlantbiology2016.org) with a great array of topics on the agenda. Every year the ASPS support numerous scientists to attend conferences such as these, particularly useful for those ECR and PhD students seeking to broaden their profile and make links with international researchers.

On a final note, please let me know of any major achievements by whole plant researchers that might otherwise go unrecognised. I am particularly interested in hearing from achievements by PhD or early career researchers that may not get recognition via the regular avenues. I would be delighted to help raise the profile of people (or teams) who are making major achievements across any aspect of ‘whole plant’ research.

Dr Andrew Merchant

Australian Research Council Future Fellow

Senior Lecturer in Plant Metabolism

Faculty of Agriculture and the Environment

University of Sydney

(andrew.merchant@sydney.edu.au)

By Belinda Worland

PhD Candidate in the School of Agriculture & Food Sciences at The University of Queensland

ComBio 2015 was the very first scientific conference I had attended since starting my PhD at The University of Queensland in early 2015. I was able to immerse myself for a week in a diversity of lectures and symposia covering topics of both general and specific interest related to plant biology. Two symposia in particular caught my attention. Both were on nitrogen nutrition and crop genetics focussing on maize. My undergraduate research and my PhD relate to nitrogen use in sorghum, a close relative of maize. I was familiar with the published work of Dr. Darren Plett and Dr. Julie Dechorgnat, however their research overview added a new depth of understanding that will facilitate my own discoveries. It was also exciting to see some very interesting unpublished research being presented. During the poster sessions and social events, I was able to meet these speakers and ask many questions while discussing their work. This is just one example of my ComBio 2016 experience I shared with fellow ASPS students. It was a great event to meet and interact with some of the people who have inspired and continue to motivate my own scientific interests and investigations.

For further information please email: belinda.worland@uqconnect.edu.au