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ASPS call for nominations

30 September 2016

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

Dear ASPS members,

It seems that we have not received nominations for all the positions that fall vacant this year. In particular, we need to have nominations for Honorary Treasurer, Discipline rep for Plant Microbe Interactions and student representatives. You may recall we had the good fortune of needing to hold an election last year for one of the Discipline areas.

I would like to thank Brent Kaiser for his efforts as ASPS Honorary Treasurer and urge you to consider helping the society by nominating for this position which is generally held for a 3 year term. The nomination form is attached and it needs to reach the Secretary by October 3.

Thanks
John

Professor John R Evans FAA
Head, Division of Plant Sciences
Research School of Biology
The Australian National University
134 Linnaeus Way
Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia

T: 61 2 6125 4492
M: 0477 777132
W: http://biology.anu.edu.au/john_evans/
E: John.evans@anu.edu.au
President, Australian Society of Plant Scientists

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ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis

About

RN Robertson Travelling Fellowship – Report by Millicent Smith

27 September 2016
RN Robertson Travelling Fellowship
Millicent Smith riding around Jülich

Millicent Smith riding around Jülich

Using P. vulgaris (common bean) as a model system my PhD research has focused on the impact of abiotic stress, particularly drought and phosphorus deficiency, on photosynthetic capacity and the translation of resources into a developing seed.

Initial discussions with my PhD supervisor, Dr. Andrew Merchant, kept coming back to the same problem of our inability to fully understand source-sink dynamics if we couldn’t measure sink strength. This eventually led us to a portable NMR sensor, developed by Dr. Carel Windt and others at the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-2) at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ). FZJ is a large interdisciplinary science research centre set in a beautiful forest close to a town called Jülich, in the west of Germany.

The mobile nuclear magnetic resonance sensor (NMR) allows for the non-invasive, real-time measurement of water status and dry matter accumulation over seed development. Due to the portable and compact nature of the sensor it may be used to analyse components of a whole fixed plant, for instance a developing fruit (see Windt et al. 2011).

Portable NMR sensor developed at FZJ that non-invasively measures water and dry matter in real-time

Portable NMR sensor developed at FZJ that non-invasively measures water and dry matter in real-time

During the first year of my PhD, I worked closely with Dr. Carel Windt to assess the suitability and application of the NMR sensor in common bean. This initial visit to Jülich was the first time the NMR sensor was applied to a biological question. It was an important first step as we were able to complete a calibration and an experiment during this time.

I have learned a lot since that initial visit and thanks to the support from the Australian Society of Plant Scientists R.N Robertson Travelling Fellowship I was able to return to Jülich this year. Having previously visited for a short time in 2014 made it a little easier this time around. Not only did I have the knowhow for navigating the huge “SeeCasino” cafeteria, so lunchtime wasn’t as confusing, I also had a better understanding of the NMR methodology that we were able to apply to our experiments and answer some new questions.

We planned two separate experiments both aiming to manipulate source strength and observe whether we are able to detect a change in pod loading rates. One experiment was completed in a small climate chamber where we altered lengths of light-dark periods in an attempt to assess whether changes in starch cycling would impact on the developing grain, in particular the timing and magnitude of such an effect. The other experiment completed in the glasshouse using a multiplexed NMR system (6 NMR sensors all attached to the 1 spectrometer so we can measure lots of plants at once and keep measurements consistent) altered source strength of plants by pruning to investigate whether we could detect changes in loading rates within the sink tissue compared to plants that weren’t pruned.

While the glasshouse experiment didn’t go exactly as planned towards the end when a European “heat wave” stopped measurement time, what we found from both experiments was exciting and unexpected. Our results showed that under a range of conditions where source strength was manipulated, for instance a week in the dark and/or significant pruning (80% leaf area removed), loading of dry matter into the pod stayed the same as prior to the treatment or relative to the control. This result has sparked my interest and made me consider whether pods are more independent of leaves than we had previously thought.

Overall my time in Jülich was amazing. It was nice to have a taste of European life; I enjoyed riding my bicycle to the institute (on the days when it wasn’t raining) through the fields and forest, I loved trying different unpronounceable German bakery treats and sitting in the town square having a beer from the pub. It was great to be in Jülich for the biannual open day Tag der Neguier where I could join thousands of others when FZJ stopped their strict security checks for 1 day for citizens to come and discover the interesting research that they do and share in the excitement and passion that everyday Germans have for science.

I have come away from my visits to Jülich with lots of exciting data for my thesis (and some papers) but most of all I left knowing that I had made connections with leaders in my field, been exposed to interesting and novel ideas and technologies that I might have considered impossible before and confidence in my ability to collaborate, communicate and initiate my ideas.

I am incredibly grateful to the ASPS for awarding me an R.N Robertson Travelling Fellowship, to Carel Windt for inviting me to FZJ and the many others in the Emerging Technologies group for the lunchtime conversations and help, and finally to my supervisors Andrew Merchant and Tom Buckley who have encouraged me to collaborate and pursue interesting scientific questions.

 

Phytogen Blog: RN Robertson Travelling Fellowship – Report by Millicent Smith

27 September 2016

Phytogen Blog: RN Robertson Travelling Fellowship –

Report by Millicent Smith

Millicent Smith riding around Jülich

Millicent Smith riding around Jülich

Using P. vulgaris (common bean) as a model system my PhD research has focused on the impact of abiotic stress, particularly drought and phosphorus deficiency, on photosynthetic capacity and the translation of resources into a developing seed.

Initial discussions with my PhD supervisor, Dr. Andrew Merchant, kept coming back to the same problem of our inability to fully understand source-sink dynamics if we couldn’t measure sink strength. This eventually led us to a portable NMR sensor, developed by Dr. Carel Windt and others at the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-2) at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ). FZJ is a large interdisciplinary science research centre set in a beautiful forest close to a town called Jülich, in the west of Germany.

The mobile nuclear magnetic resonance sensor (NMR) allows for the non-invasive, real-time measurement of water status and dry matter accumulation over seed development. Due to the portable and compact nature of the sensor it may be used to analyse components of a whole fixed plant, for instance a developing fruit (see Windt et al. 2011).

Portable NMR sensor developed at FZJ that non-invasively measures water and dry matter in real-time

Portable NMR sensor developed at FZJ that non-invasively measures water and dry matter in real-time

During the first year of my PhD, I worked closely with Dr. Carel Windt to assess the suitability and application of the NMR sensor in common bean. This initial visit to Jülich was the first time the NMR sensor was applied to a biological question. It was an important first step as we were able to complete a calibration and an experiment during this time.

I have learned a lot since that initial visit and thanks to the support from the Australian Society of Plant Scientists R.N Robertson Travelling Fellowship I was able to return to Jülich this year. Having previously visited for a short time in 2014 made it a little easier this time around. Not only did I have the knowhow for navigating the huge “SeeCasino” cafeteria, so lunchtime wasn’t as confusing, I also had a better understanding of the NMR methodology that we were able to apply to our experiments and answer some new questions.

We planned two separate experiments both aiming to manipulate source strength and observe whether we are able to detect a change in pod loading rates. One experiment was completed in a small climate chamber where we altered lengths of light-dark periods in an attempt to assess whether changes in starch cycling would impact on the developing grain, in particular the timing and magnitude of such an effect. The other experiment completed in the glasshouse using a multiplexed NMR system (6 NMR sensors all attached to the 1 spectrometer so we can measure lots of plants at once and keep measurements consistent) altered source strength of plants by pruning to investigate whether we could detect changes in loading rates within the sink tissue compared to plants that weren’t pruned.

While the glasshouse experiment didn’t go exactly as planned towards the end when a European “heat wave” stopped measurement time, what we found from both experiments was exciting and unexpected. Our results showed that under a range of conditions where source strength was manipulated, for instance a week in the dark and/or significant pruning (80% leaf area removed), loading of dry matter into the pod stayed the same as prior to the treatment or relative to the control. This result has sparked my interest and made me consider whether pods are more independent of leaves than we had previously thought.

Overall my time in Jülich was amazing. It was nice to have a taste of European life; I enjoyed riding my bicycle to the institute (on the days when it wasn’t raining) through the fields and forest, I loved trying different unpronounceable German bakery treats and sitting in the town square having a beer from the pub. It was great to be in Jülich for the biannual open day Tag der Neguier where I could join thousands of others when FZJ stopped their strict security checks for 1 day for citizens to come and discover the interesting research that they do and share in the excitement and passion that everyday Germans have for science.

I have come away from my visits to Jülich with lots of exciting data for my thesis (and some papers) but most of all I left knowing that I had made connections with leaders in my field, been exposed to interesting and novel ideas and technologies that I might have considered impossible before and confidence in my ability to collaborate, communicate and initiate my ideas.

I am incredibly grateful to the ASPS for awarding me an R.N Robertson Travelling Fellowship, to Carel Windt for inviting me to FZJ and the many others in the Emerging Technologies group for the lunchtime conversations and help, and finally to my supervisors Andrew Merchant and Tom Buckley who have encouraged me to collaborate and pursue interesting scientific questions.

Women’s Leadership Development Scholarships

24 September 2016

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

 

Dear ASPS member,

Women & Leadership Australia has just launched a third program in our portfolio of women’s leadership development programs.

With this third program we now have an unprecedented line up of leadership programs specifically designed for women:

·         Advanced Leadership Program  – Aimed at senior managers, directors and executive level women

·         Executive Ready  – Aimed at mid-level managers and leaders looking to take the next step into an executive role

·         Accelerated Leadership Performance Program – Aimed at aspiring talent and women starting their journeys in managerial roles.

We have secured scholarship funding for the All Industry sector across all three programs. To ensure as many women in the All Industry sector are aware of this funding opportunity, we are inviting respected associations such as Australian Society of Plant Scientists to share this information with your members.

To assist you in disseminating the information to your members, I have attached a short message and a scholarship Expression of Interest form.  If you need the message in a different format please let me know.

Association Partner Program
Further to our request that you kindly make your members aware of this opportunity, we are also introducing an Association Partner Program, meaning that your members would be exclusively eligible to apply for scholarship funding throughout the year, along with having your logo’s, web-links and information about how you are supporting the initiative (and gender equality in general) on the WLA website.

To help us track when information is distributed and to respond to enquiries promptly, it would be greatly appreciated if you could let me know if and when you are able to send out the information.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity and or the partner program in more detail, I would be delighted to arrange a time to talk.  Please feel free to contact me directly on (03) 9270 9016, or contact me via return email.

Many thanks and best regards

Ian Johnson

National Program Liaison Manager

Women and Leadership Australia

P 03 9270 9016
W www.wla.edu.au| E ijohnson@wla.edu.au

A  Level 9, 607 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

 

 

 

Women’s Leadership Development Scholarships

24 September 2016

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

 

Dear ASPS member,

Women & Leadership Australia has just launched a third program in our portfolio of women’s leadership development programs.

With this third program we now have an unprecedented line up of leadership programs specifically designed for women:

·         Advanced Leadership Program  – Aimed at senior managers, directors and executive level women

·         Executive Ready  – Aimed at mid-level managers and leaders looking to take the next step into an executive role

·         Accelerated Leadership Performance Program – Aimed at aspiring talent and women starting their journeys in managerial roles.

We have secured scholarship funding for the All Industry sector across all three programs. To ensure as many women in the All Industry sector are aware of this funding opportunity, we are inviting respected associations such as Australian Society of Plant Scientists to share this information with your members.

To assist you in disseminating the information to your members, I have attached a short message and a scholarship Expression of Interest form.  If you need the message in a different format please let me know.

Association Partner Program
Further to our request that you kindly make your members aware of this opportunity, we are also introducing an Association Partner Program, meaning that your members would be exclusively eligible to apply for scholarship funding throughout the year, along with having your logo’s, web-links and information about how you are supporting the initiative (and gender equality in general) on the WLA website.

To help us track when information is distributed and to respond to enquiries promptly, it would be greatly appreciated if you could let me know if and when you are able to send out the information.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity and or the partner program in more detail, I would be delighted to arrange a time to talk.  Please feel free to contact me directly on (03) 9270 9016, or contact me via return email.

Many thanks and best regards

Ian Johnson

National Program Liaison Manager

Women and Leadership Australia

P 03 9270 9016
W www.wla.edu.au| E ijohnson@wla.edu.au

A  Level 9, 607 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

 

 

 

ASPS annual dinner

14 September 2016

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

Hello ASPS members,

Our annual dinner is being held during ComBio in Brisbane on Wednesday October 5 at 7pm. I would like to encourage all our ASPS members attending ComBio to come along and for those of you near Brisbane that may not be attending ComBio, you are invited as well. My Linh Hoang has arranged this year’s event and it will be slightly different because it comes with sponsorship! The dinner will cost $50 for members and students will be subsidised, so the cost for them is just $20, but there is a catch – the venue has only enough space for 10 tables with 8 people at each so you need to let My Linh lt.hoang@qut.edu.au know if you are interested by 25 September. Payment and ticket issue will happen at the ComBio registration desk from Tuesday lunchtime onwards (4 Oct). The dinner will be two courses with wine/soft drink/tea/coffee and be held in the panoramic Gibson room on the 10th floor of QUT, just across the river from the convention centre. For those of you who have come in previous years, you will know that it is a great event that brings our society together and catch up or get to know new members. Normally it is organised by our student representatives, but the sponsorship offer from  QUT-IFE https://www.qut.edu.au/institute-for-future-environments this year seemed a great opportunity.

 

I hope to see you there.

John

 

 

Professor John R Evans FAA President, Australian Society of Plant Scientists

E: john.evans@anu.edu.au

http://www.asps.org.au/

 

 

Science and Technology Australia-Aug newsletter, new Phytogen post and another employment opportunity

07 September 2016

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

Read the latest Phytogen blog : A moment of great bravery

View a new postdoctoral employment opportunity in plant physiology here.

Science & Technology Australia – August Newsletter
View this email in your browser

 

Dear colleagues,   It’s been a busy month for Science & Technology Australia as we work towards our second Science meets Business and welcome the 45th Parliament of Australia.   I’ve had the privilege over the last month to meet and speak with a number of the leaders of our member organisations. It’s clear there is much passion among our membership for the extraordinary work being done by Australia in science and technology, and a desire to better leverage our networks and connections to ensure issues of importance to the sector are heard, understood and acted on at the highest levels.   To that end, I’ve begun a program of meetings with federal parliamentarians and the business sector as well as leaders in science and technology.   As co-Chair of the National Research and Innovation Alliance along with Professor Les Field of the Australian Academy of Science, I was pleased recently to welcome the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, the Hon. Greg Hunt MP. At the Alliance meeting in Canberra last month, Minister Hunt made his first speech in the portfolio about science, announcing a boost to climate science capacity for CSIRO and a new program to foster international collaboration. The Minister invited STA to work with him and his team to help shape the future for science and technology in Australia. We also welcomed the Shadow Minister for Science, Senator the Hon. Kim Carr, who gave generously of his time and also indicated his desire and willingness to work with the sector towards long-term strategic support for Australian science and technology.   I’m also meeting in the early days of Parliament with the former co-convenors of the Parliamentary Friends of Science, who have indicated their keenness to continue to support STEM and build relationships across the sector and politics. And – along with a number of our member organisations – I participated in the Chief Scientist’s stakeholder consultation on the National Research Infrastructure Roadmap. Consultations and submissions close this Friday 9 September.   The Eureka Prizes in Sydney last week highlighted an astonishing range of outstanding work being done across science and technology research, application and public engagement – including by a number of people who are members of STA member organisations. It was an inspiring event and a great reminder of how important it is to tell our stories and celebrate the excellent and life-changing work being done by Australian scientists and technologists every day: warmest congratulations to all finalists and winners. The Eurekas were a fitting epilogue to a very successful National Science Week.   Please do read on for some opportunities to celebrate and further your work, and to build your network: I encourage you to also forward this newsletter to your colleagues and members and encourage them to subscribe for news and opportunities that are relevant to them. I hope to see you soon, and if I haven’t yet had chance to chat with you – please, call or email any time.   Cheers, Kylie

 

Science meets Business 2016 The second annual Science meets Business will take place on October 24 in Melbourne, with a range of outstanding speakers representing politics, industry and research. The Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Greg Hunt, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, Vice-President and Lab Director for IBM Research, Dr Joanna Batstone, and CEO of ANSTO, Dr Adi Paterson are just a few of the speakers who will join us for this forward-looking and engaging day of information, brainstorming and networking.   Member societies are eligible to send two delegates each, so if you are focused on building ties with the private sector, contact your society president to inquire about attending.   We’re grateful to the generous organisations whose support enables us to stage this event at no cost to delegates, including our Major Supporter the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, and Gold Sponsor, Defence Science and Technology. Sponsorship and partnership opportunities are still available: to inquire, please contact Gia Metherell on 02 6257 2891 or gia.metherell@sta.org.au.

 

 

National Science Week August really is becoming Science Month – more than 1,000 events were held across the nation during this year’s successful National Science Week. Citizen scientists helped to spot endangered animals by trawling through thousands and thousands of wilderness photos, helping to preserve our precious wildlife. Meanwhile, the SCINEMA International Film Festival was held in over 200 community venues: see the winning entries here. National Science Week 2017 will take place is from 12-20 August 2017 – the theme next year is Future Earth.

 

Life & Death As production partner for the Australian Academy of Science’s ‘Science of Life and Death’ national public event series, we are proud to help bring adult science events to five different Australian cities over the next six months. The series kicked off with ‘DEATH in Hobart’ in June and ‘SEX in Melbourne’ in July, both of which were subsequently featured on RN’s Big Ideas. Tickets are now available for the next event in the series: Brisbane – MURDER – 16 September.

 

 

MARS the live experience STA has partnered with the National Geographic Channel and Live on Stage Australia to bring to the stage ‘MARS the live experience’, featuring legendary astronaut, and research leaders from NASA and the European Space Agency. Tickets are now on sale.

 

 

Member News Women in Science AUSTRALIA is holding its first National Symposium on Connecting Women in STEMM on 13-14 September 2016 at RMIT University in Melbourne The Australian Psychological Society is holding their first ever conference with the theme of “United for the Future”. The conference will be held on 13-16 September at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists is holding its annual scientific meeting in conjunction the Molecular Pharmacology of G Protein-Coupled Receptors meeting in Melbourne 27-30 November. Registrations for MathsFest Australia 2016 are now open. MathsFest takes place between 28 November and 13 December with nearly 40 international speakers confirmed. The 23rd Australian Statistical Conference 2016 is on in Canberra from 5-9 December 2016. It will be held in conjunction with the 14th Australasian Data Mining Conference and the 9th Australian Conference on Teaching Statistics. The RACI National Centenary Conference 2017 is being held in Melbourne on 23-28 July 2017.

 

Opportunities   Grant applications are now open for the 2017 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry   Apply to take part in the 2016 Theo Murphy Australian Frontiers of Science – The Microbiome: Exploring the role of microorganism in ecosystem processes and health   Applications to attend the 9th JSPS HOPE Meeting in Tokyo, Japan with Nobel Laureates, are now open   The Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) programme is open for applications for funding to support projects for women   Nominations are open for the 2017 Clunies Ross Awards for contributions to the application of technology to benefit Australia Applications are open for early career researchers to attend the 67th Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting dedicated to Chemistry The Australian Academy of Science is now taking applications for the new Max Day Environmental Science Fellowship Award.
Copyright © 2016 Science & Technology Australia, All rights reserved.

ComBio 2106 program available, scholarship opportunity and GPC Aug e-bulletin

05 September 2016

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

New scholarship opportunity available here.

ComBio2016: 3 – 7 October 2016, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

ComBio2016 is a combined conference with the ASBMB, ASPS and ANZSCDB

 

We are pleased to advise that the final program is now available for perusal.

 

You can view the program at: http://www.asbmb.org.au/combio2016/program.html

 

There are four separate files which consist of:

 

The one page program timetable.

The full program timetable (9 pages).

The full program (including plenary, symposium and colloquium presentations).

The poster program.

 

All abstracts can also now be viewed at: http://www.asbmb.org.au/combio2016/abstracts.html

 

There are five separate files which consist of:

 

Plenary Abstracts

Symposium Abstracts

Colloquium Abstracts

Poster Abstracts

Author Index

 

The conference app will be available a few days prior to the conference.  The app will include the full program including posters, all abstracts, all companies exhibiting and a list of registrants (less those that have requested privacy).  We will send you a further email when the app is accessible.

 

Please note that registrations are still welcome and also “on site” poster abstract submissions are still welcome up until, and including, Monday 26 September. On site presentations will not be included in the hard copy of the program, on the website or on the conference app, but will be included on the conference program revisions board. On site poster abstracts can be submitted at: https://www.asbmb.org.au/Register/combio2016-abstract-form.cgi

and registrations can be made at: https://www.asbmb.org.au/Register/combio2016-registration-form.cgi

 

If you have difficulty accessing these pages, you should refresh your browser.

 

Kind regards

Sally

 

Sally Jay

ComBio2016 Secretariat

Email:  combio@asbmb.org.au

 

Global Plant Council E-Bulletin August 2016

 

Forward to a Friend | | View web version (also click here to translate to other languages!)
Email Us
GPC Website
GPC Blog
@GlobalPlantGPC
@GPC_EnEspanol
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E-Bulletin /  August 2016
Welcome to your August edition of the monthly Global Plant Council e-Bulletin! As the GPC is holding its Annual General Meeting in October, we’ve been starting to prepare our annual report. Updates from our Member Organizations have been flooding in, and it’s really heartening to read all about the great plant and crop science events and initiatives taking place all over the world. Don’t forget, if you have a plant science event, activity, job, student opportunity, or funding or award scheme that you’d like us to help promote, please just get in touch!  And if you’re looking for a conference to attend, a funding opportunity to apply for, policy documents to read or teaching resources to use, you can find lots of great information on our website, or of course by signing up for Plantae.org, the digital home for plant science on the web. If you’re looking for a new job in plant science, or a PhD position, try searching the hashtag #PlantSciJobs or #PlantSciPhD on Twitter or Facebook for the latest openings.

 

Latest News /  View more… If you have news you would like us to share on our website, please contact lisa@globalplantcouncil.org
This month 62 new breaking news stories were posted on the GPC website including…

In Journal of Experimental Botany: Drought Tolerance in Maize through Altered Root System Architecture JXB‘s Jonathan Ingram highlights a stand-out paper, and associated Insight article, that highlight why ‘steep, cheap and deep’ maize crown roots are best in drought conditions.  In New Phytologist: New Research Shows how Wine Gets its Nose French scientists have discovered a key enzyme that plays a leading role in the formation of the compounds that eventually give wines their sought-after aroma..  In New Phytologist: ‘Superstar’ rice reduces fertilizer loss and cuts pollution Agriculture is one of the biggest drivers of environmental pollution and climate change – yet research in New Phytologist reveals a ‘superstar’ rice variety that uses nitrogen more efficiently, thus reducing pollution caused by run-off.  Sunflowers are on the Clock UC Davis researchers can now explain how sunflowers turn their heads to the sun – it’s all associated with the circadian clock. Discovery in Wheat Turns Half a Century of Plant Biology on its Head Australian scientists have discovered that wheat seeds, as well as leaves, photosynthesize – and what’s more, despite wheat being a C3 plant, they express genes found in the C4 photosynthetic pathway.

 

 

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
ComBio 2016 – featuring the Global Plant Council! 03–07 October 2016. Brisbane, Australia.  Enhancing Photosynthesis in Crop Plants: Targets for Improvement 10–11 October 2016. London, UK.  International Symposium on Plant Transformation Biotechnologies 17–19 October 2016. Taipei, Taiwan. Auxin 2016 20–25 October 2016. Haitang Bay, Sanya, China 8th International Symposium on Plant Senescence 31 October–04 November 2016. Jeju, Korea.

 

 

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’.
Beverley Postma Joins HarvestPlus as Chief Executive Officer Beverley Postma, former Executive Director of Food Industry Asia, succeeds World Food Prize 2016 laureate Howarth Bouis as the CEO of HarvestPlus. New Data Examines Landscape of India’s Agricultural Research and Development The International Food Policy Research Institute has released data and a factsheet (PDF) outlining the challenges and opportunities for Indian agricultural research and development.  Climate change: Trade liberalization could buffer economic losses in agriculture Global warming could create substantial economic damage in agriculture, a new study conducted by a team of scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research finds.

 

 

Funding Opportunities / Spotted a funding opportunity we’ve missed? Please tell us about it by emailing lisa@globalplantcouncil.org
Check out our news article here to discover some of the latest funding opportunities for plant scientists from around the world. Thank you to Dr Matthew Hannah from Bayer CropScience for letting us know about two of these grant opportunities! If you know of any others we’ve missed, especially those that may be applicable to scientists outside of Europe and the US, please do get in touch so that we can share them to a wider audience. The Biochemical Society has announced that nominations for its 2018 awards are now open. Of the 13 award categories, 12 are relevant to molecular/biochemical plant and crop scientists, so please click here to find out more.  Please note that the Global Plant Council does not provide funding and is not directly associated with any of the awards we highlight on our website. For more information about individual awards and opportunities, please contact the awarding company or association.

 

 

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
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A moment of great bravery

05 September 2016

by

Joanne Ernest


2016-05-08 17.25.52I 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).

GIFS crewLike 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…”

2016-03-26 16.29.09Tim 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>

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