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Oct. 1, 2020
 
 
 
 
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ASPB SPOTLIGHT
 
 
Seeking Community Comments on a Proposal for Revising the Nominations and Ballot Process
ASPB has developed two different nomination processes that are now open for comment. We welcome input on the relative merits of each option, feedback that you may offer via a survey. Your comments will help us develop a more robust process in which we can all participate and support. The nominations process that emerges following community input will be put to the membership for formal approval in the 2021 election as proposed changes to the Society's constitution. Deadline to respond is October 11.
 
 
EDIC Workshop: Effecting Institutional Change — Discussion on Institutional Racism
Promoting a culture that values diversity and inclusion (D&I) has become a goal shared across the scientific community. During the 2020 Plant Biology Summit, the ASPB Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee (EDIC) hosted a workshop on July 29 discussing institutional racism. The panel was chaired and moderated by Dr. Cris Argueso, Associate Professor at Colorado State University and Dr. Miguel Vega-Sanchez at Bayer and the incoming ASPB EDI committee chair.
 
 
 
 
FROM ASPB & PLANTAE
 
 
Taproot S5E0: Join Us for Season 5 and Let Us Know How You've Been Navigating These Chaotic and Unusual Times!
It has been quite a few months since our last episode! We intended to have a new season out by now, but as you might imagine, a few things got in the way. We are, however, back to working on topics and guests for Season 5, so stay tuned for new episodes this fall! In the meantime, we want to hear from you! Tell us how you're navigating these chaotic and unusual times. Or, if what you're doing can't really be characterized as "navigating," tell us about that instead!
 
 
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Plant Physiology Is Recruiting Assistant Features Editors for 2021
We are now recruiting a new cohort of Assistant Features Editors to join the Plant Physiology editorial board, replacing some of the current members who will step down from their roles with the journal. This new cohort will work with the journal for 24 months beginning in January 2021. If you are interested in becoming an Assistant Features Editor, we are welcoming applications through Monday, October 5.
 
 
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    We're Back! #PlantaePresents Webinar Series Returns
    After a brief hiatus, the popular Plantae Presents research webinar series has resumed. We have a fantastic set of talks lined up and are adding more all the time. We all miss "live" departmental seminars, but this series provides you and your team access to scientists from across the globe, with a much smaller carbon footprint!
     
     
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    Plantae Presents: Claudia Köhler and Sunil K. Kenchanmane Raju
    Join us October 14 for this live webinar. Claudia Köhler, Professor of Molecular Cell Biology in the Department of Plant Biology and Forest Genetics at the The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, will speak on "Epigenetic regulation in the endosperm drives plant speciation." Sunil K. Kenchanmane Raju, postdoc at MSU and ASPB Ambassador, will speak on "DNA methylation signatures of duplicate gene evolution in angiosperms." Moderated by Matthias Benoit, a Plant Cell Assistant Features Editor and a postdoc at Cold Spring Harbor Lab working with Zach Lippman.
     
     
    SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
     
     
     
     
    Do You Evo-Devo? Open Call for Plantae Presents Short Talk Submissions
    In an effort to provide more speaking opportunities in the Plantae Presents virtual seminar series, we've scheduled four "open calls." Anyone can submit a seven-minute video on the designated research topic, and four speakers will be selected to contribute to a panel discussion. The next submission deadline is Monday, October 19, on the topic of Evo-Devo as a discovery tool. The live event will take place on Wednesday, October 28, at 10 a.m. EDT.
     
     
     
     
    Funding Opportunity: NSF Announces Two Lead Agency Opportunities in Collaboration with International Partners
    The National Science Foundation announced, via two Dear Colleague Letters, new opportunities to support international collaboration that will enable collaborative projects in specific research areas with the UK and with France to undergo a single review under lead agency agreements. Deadlines vary for each lead agency opportunity. More information is available on the ASPB blog.
     
     
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    Policy Update: President Trump Releases Executive Order on 'Race and Sex Stereotyping' Impacting Federal Grants and Contractors
    On September 22, President Trump released an Executive Order (EO) entitled "Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping." The purpose of the executive action is to "combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating," and "divisive concepts." The EO charges that workplace diversity trainings and efforts to address bias and privilege are not to be supported with federal funding. ASPB and other STEM societies are pushing back hard against the EO and the flawed and offensive concepts it promulgates. Read more on the ASPB blog, Plant Science Today.
     
     
    SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
     
     
     
     
    Plant Physiology Article of the Week
    The spotlight is on Jose Pedro Fonseca, Hee-Kyung Lee, Clarissa Boschiero, Marcus Griffiths, Seonghee Lee, Patrick Xuechun Zhao, Larry York, Kirankumar S. Mysore. Their article "Iron-sulfur cluster protein NITROGEN FIXATION S-LIKE 1 and its Interactor FRATAXIN Function in Plant Immunity" has an Altmetric score of 12 and 18 mentions last week.
     
     
    The Plant Cell Article of the Week
    The spotlight is on Derui Liu, Rahul Kumar, Lucas A.N. Claus, Alexander Johnson, Wei Siao, Isabelle Vanhoutte, Peng Wang, Kyle W. Bender, Klaas Yperman, Sara Martins, Xiuyang Zhao, Grégory Vert, Daniel Van Damme, Jiří Friml, Eugenia Russinova. Their article "Endocytosis of BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1 is Partly Driven by a Canonical Tyrosine-based Motif" has an Altmetric score of 17 and 33 mentions last week.
     
     
    Plant Direct Article of the Week
    The spotlight is on Teruhisa Fujimatsu, Keiji Endo, Kazufumi Yazaki, Akifumi Sugiyama. Their article "Secretion Dynamics of Soyasaponins in Soybean Roots and Effects to Modify the Bacterial Composition" has an Altmetric score of 7 and 17 mentions in the past week.
     
     
    Agency Update: DHS Proposes Replacing Visa Duration of Status Policies
    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently proposed a rule that would replace the current duration of status policies for nonimmigrant visa holders, which offers individuals flexible time frames to complete educational programs, with a more limited and fixed period of admission to the U.S. Additionally, DHS proposes to further limit stays of visa applicants from some countries due to national security or fraud concerns. The deadline for public comment submissions is October 26. Read more on the blog.
     
     
    ARPA-E Announces Energy and Carbon Optimized Synthesis for the Bioeconomy Program
    The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) released a $25 million funding opportunity for new technologies to improve the carbon efficiency of bioconversion platforms. The Energy and Carbon Optimized Synthesis for the Bioeconomy (ECOSynBio) program seeks to establish pathways for low-, zero-, or negative-carbon fuels, chemicals, and materials for a robust and secure U.S. bioeconomy. Awards may range between $250,000 and $7 million with a period of performance not exceeding 36 months. Concept papers are required by October 26.
     
     
    Call for Papers: Plant Physiology Will Publish a Focus Issue on Transport and Signaling in May 2021
    This Focus Issue will highlight the recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind membrane transport, its integration with signaling, and its roles in homeostasis. A selection of Update Reviews, included within the Issue, will address new and transformative insights that are driving research beyond the traditional boundaries of transport physiology. We encourage submissions that address quantitative frameworks in understanding membrane transport, transport proteins, and the integration of transport and signaling across scales. Submission deadline: November 2.
     
     
    Call for Papers: Plant Physiology Will Publish a Focus Issue on Digital Agriculture in June 2021
    This focus issue will include reviews that synthesize the current state of the art and future prospects in sustainable precision agriculture, including but not limited to phenotyping, artificial intelligence and deep learning, robotics, databases and data sharing, pangenomics, genomic selection, and neodomestication. Submission Deadline: December 1.
     
     
    Call for Papers: Plant Physiology Will Publish a Focus Issue on Redox Biology in April 2021
    This Focus Issue will capture up-to-date views and perspectives of recent developments and will highlight important gaps in understanding the involved processes to catalyze future studies. Invited Updates will review areas that continue to add new and pertinent insights and highlight nascent and transformative areas of future development. Submission deadline: October 5.
     
     
    #WeAreASPB
     
     
    First Author Profile
    Recognizing Plant Direct author Alexandra Jammer, first author of Early-stage sugar beet taproot development is characterised by three distinct physiological phases.
     
     
    National Academy of Sciences 2020 Member Highlight — Kazuo Shinozaki
    This year, nine plant scientists were elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. We asked the newly elected plant scientists about how the news of their election to the NAS reached them, what inspires their research, and for their advice for early career researchers. Today, we feature Kazuo Shinozaki.
     
     
    Are you a member of ASPB, active on Plantae, and have something to celebrate in the #WeAreASPB Spotlight? Contact Shoshana Kronfeld (shoshana@aspb.org) and send her the details.
     
     
    PLANTAE JOBS
     
     
    UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
    AMHERST
    Post-doctoral Researcher
    Amherst, Massachusetts
    MORE INFO
    AUBURN UNIVERSITY
    Assistant or Associate Professor Plant Developmental Biology
    Auburn, Alabama
    MORE INFO
    USDA, ARS
    Interdisciplinary Scientist (Research Botanist; Res Plant Physiologist; Res Plant Geneticist)
    Houston, TX
    MORE INFO
     
     
    PLANT SCIENCE EVENTS
     
     
    JULY 17-21, 2021
    Plant Biology 2021
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
     
     
    For plant science events, make sure to check out the Global Plant Science Events Calendar. Also check the calendar for the latest cancellations and postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as webinars and online events you can join.
     
     
    FROM THE FIELD
     
     
    Best-Ever Lockdown Reading: Araucaria – The Monkey Puzzle by David Gedye
    From Plantae
    Book reviewed by Andrew D. Hanson. COVID-19 has bitten into health and healthcare, economies, education, social interactions, travel, and plans for the future. So nothing could be more welcome than a book that transports us to another world — especially to a forward-looking, plant-loving world from which we can bring back confidence, hope, and joy. David Gedye has written such a book.
     
     
    Growing Black Roots: The Black Botanical Legacy
    From Holden Arboretum
    Join the Holden Forests and Gardens and the Black Botanists Week Committee for a year-long lecture series. The lecture series will take place entirely online, with a new speaker on the second Wednesday of the month from October 2020 to September 2021. This 11-part lecture series will cover a broad range of botanical disciplines, delve into the historical legacy of formally trained and self-taught Black Botanists who inspired others to pursue a career in plants, and highlight pathways toward diversity and inclusion in botanical sciences.
     
     
    Diversity in Science: Next Steps for Research Group Leaders
    From Nature
    Many institutions publicly pledged their commitment to inclusion after Black Lives Matter protests this year. Researchers emphasize the need to maintain momentum.
     
     
     
     
    3-D Images Display Plant Organs Down to the Smallest Detail
    From Technical University of Munich
    Using artificial intelligence, researchers have developed a novel computer-based image processing method for plant sciences. The method enables the detailed 3-D representation of all cells in various plant organs with unprecedented precision.
     
     
    Flower Colors Are Changing in Response to Climate Change
    From Science
    As the world's climate changes, plants and animals have adapted by expanding into new territory and even shifting their breeding seasons. Now, research suggests that over the past 75 years, flowers have also adapted to rising temperatures and declining ozone by altering ultraviolet (UV) pigments in their petals.
     
     
    Copycat Plant Booster Improves on Nature
    From King Abdullah University of Science & Technology via EurekAlert
    A molecule that can mimic the function of zaxinone, a natural growth-promoting plant metabolite, has been designed and fabricated by an international team led by KAUST and the University of Tokyo. Their successful mimic may have wide-reaching applications in plant biology and agriculture.
     
     
     
     
    Study: Biodiversity and Plant Decomposition Should Be Factored into Climate Models
    From Yokohama National University via Phys.org
    The afterlife of plant matter plays a significant role in ecosystems, as a key processor and provider of key nutrients. The rate of decomposition for leaf litter, among other plant matter, heavily influences the health of animals and plants, and this rate is expected to significantly increase as Earth continues to warm. There is another factor that could hold impact these ecosystems even more than climate change: biodiversity.
     
     
    Machine Learning Identifies 4,300 Types of Endangered Orchids
    From Conservation Biology via Earth.com
    Scientists have demonstrated how artificial intelligence can be used to quickly identify endangered plant species. A team of researchers led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) used an automated technique to pinpoint more than 4,000 types of orchids that are threatened with extinction.
     
     
    Infected by a Virus, a Killer Fungus Turns Into a Friend
    From The New York Times
    A fungus known as white mold can kill a plant in days. Unless, that is, a virus is around to tame it.
     
     
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