aspb newsletter - january/february 2002 - volume 29, number 1

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ASPB News THE NEWSLETTER OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANT BIOLOGISTS Volume 29, Number 1 January/February 2002 InsideThisIssue New Column! Membership Corner Bush Welcomes Arntzen to Council of Science Advisors NSF Awards Plant Genome Research Grants Acquiring Information continued on page 3 President’s Letter As many of you know, a major issue facing our Soci- ety this year is the proposal by the editor-in-chief of Plant Physiology, Natasha Raihkel, to change the name of the journal. I want to use this letter to up- date you on steps the Executive Committee will use to address this issue. I also want to clarify the orga- nizational structure of the Executive Committee, which has primary responsibility for governing the Society. In the September issue of Plant Physiology, Natasha Raihkel wrote a letter outlining her reasons for proposing a name change for the journal (http:// www.aspb.org/plantphysnamechange/letter.cfm). She provided an e-mail address to which the readership could provide comments. In case some members did not see this letter, the Executive Committee notified all members via e-mail and put this discussion on the ASPB web site. We felt that through this mecha- nism all interested members could share their opin- ions with others. After reading through the comments I have arrived at three major conclusions. First, this is clearly a very emotional issue for many members. Second, members can and do disagree on the need for a name change for Plant Physiology. Third, whether the final decision is for or against a name change for the journal, some people will be disap- pointed. In addition to being an important business decision for our Society, this is a controversial issue with the potential of affecting the attitude of mem- bers toward the Society and its leadership. I would like to emphasize that the leadership intends for the name change to be decided openly and only after careful consideration. As discussed above, we have begun to solicit input from the membership. In addi- tion, the Publications Committee has been charged by the Executive Committee to evaluate the proposal. This work involves obtaining additional information to address questions raised by members of the Publi- cations and Executive Committees. Some of the ques- tions being addressed include impact on finances, library subscriptions, readership, manuscript submis- sions, and membership, as well as legal ramifications. Data are also being gathered on the impact of a name change on other journals that have taken that step. The Publications Committee will submit a written report and make a recommendation to the Executive Committee. I think it is important for everyone to understand that although we need to move through this process in a timely manner, we need to make sure that all aspects have been carefully considered. It is difficult at this writing (mid-December) to pro- vide a timeline for the decision. The process may be iterative. Questions may arise as the reports are be- ing prepared and discussed, questions that may only be answered with more study and by seeking input from others. For me, one of the most disturbing aspects of read- ing through members’ comments on the web site was the “conspiracy” theory that surfaced more than once. I suspect one reason for such distrust of the leadership comes from a lack of understanding of how the Society is governed. Those of you already familiar with how the Society is governed can skip the paragraph below, but I think it may be useful to oth- ers for me to review the makeup and roles of the Executive and the Publications Committees. I certainly was not aware of the governing structure of our So- ciety until I was elected to serve on the Executive

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Page 1: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 1

ASPB NewsTHE NEWSLETTER OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANT BIOLOGISTS

Volume 29, Number 1

January/February 2002

Inside This Issue

New Column!

Membership Corner

Bush Welcomes

Arntzen to Council

of Science Advisors

NSF Awards Plant

Genome Research

Grants

Acquiring Information

continued on page 3

President’s Letter

As many of you know, a major issue facing our Soci-ety this year is the proposal by the editor-in-chief ofPlant Physiology, Natasha Raihkel, to change thename of the journal. I want to use this letter to up-date you on steps the Executive Committee will useto address this issue. I also want to clarify the orga-nizational structure of the Executive Committee,which has primary responsibility for governing theSociety.

In the September issue of Plant Physiology,Natasha Raihkel wrote a letter outlining her reasonsfor proposing a name change for the journal (http://www.aspb.org/plantphysnamechange/letter.cfm). Sheprovided an e-mail address to which the readershipcould provide comments. In case some members didnot see this letter, the Executive Committee notifiedall members via e-mail and put this discussion onthe ASPB web site. We felt that through this mecha-nism all interested members could share their opin-ions with others. After reading through the commentsI have arrived at three major conclusions. First, thisis clearly a very emotional issue for many members.Second, members can and do disagree on the needfor a name change for Plant Physiology. Third,whether the final decision is for or against a namechange for the journal, some people will be disap-pointed. In addition to being an important businessdecision for our Society, this is a controversial issuewith the potential of affecting the attitude of mem-bers toward the Society and its leadership. I wouldlike to emphasize that the leadership intends for thename change to be decided openly and only aftercareful consideration. As discussed above, we havebegun to solicit input from the membership. In addi-tion, the Publications Committee has been charged

by the Executive Committee to evaluate the proposal.This work involves obtaining additional informationto address questions raised by members of the Publi-cations and Executive Committees. Some of the ques-tions being addressed include impact on finances,library subscriptions, readership, manuscript submis-sions, and membership, as well as legal ramifications.Data are also being gathered on the impact of a namechange on other journals that have taken that step.The Publications Committee will submit a writtenreport and make a recommendation to the ExecutiveCommittee. I think it is important for everyone tounderstand that although we need to move throughthis process in a timely manner, we need to makesure that all aspects have been carefully considered.It is difficult at this writing (mid-December) to pro-vide a timeline for the decision. The process may beiterative. Questions may arise as the reports are be-ing prepared and discussed, questions that may onlybe answered with more study and by seeking inputfrom others.

For me, one of the most disturbing aspects of read-ing through members’ comments on the web site wasthe “conspiracy” theory that surfaced more thanonce. I suspect one reason for such distrust of theleadership comes from a lack of understanding ofhow the Society is governed. Those of you alreadyfamiliar with how the Society is governed can skip theparagraph below, but I think it may be useful to oth-ers for me to review the makeup and roles of theExecutive and the Publications Committees. I certainlywas not aware of the governing structure of our So-ciety until I was elected to serve on the Executive

Page 2: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

2 • ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1

1 President’s Letter

4 Membership Corner

5 ASPB International Committee

6 World’s Worst Diseases Face

New Foe: Biotechnology

8 Public Affairs

15 Education Forum

17 Obituaries

20 Gatherings

24 Jobs

Deadline for May/June 2002

ASPB News: April 10, 2002

CONTENTS

ASPB Officers & Staff

Headquarters Office

15501 Monona Drive

Rockville, MD 20855-2768 USA

Phone: 301-251-0560

Fax: 301-279-2996

Executive director John Lisack, Jr., ext. 115 [email protected]

Executive assistant Donna Gordon, ext. 131 [email protected]

Director of finance and administration Susan K. Chambers, ext. 111 [email protected]

Accountant Sondra A. Giancoli, ext. 140 [email protected]

Network administrator Burton Nicodemus, ext. 146 [email protected]

Webmaster Wendy Salhi, ext. 123 [email protected]

Membership and marketing manager Kelley Noone, ext. 142 [email protected]

Subscription and fulfillment assistant Mary Bush, ext. 141 [email protected]

Accounts receivable specialist Stephanie Liu-Kuan, ext. 143 [email protected]

Accounts payable specialist Stefanie Shamer, ext. 144 [email protected]

Administrative assistant Carolyn Freed, ext. 122 [email protected]

Director of public affairs Brian M. Hyps, ext. 114 [email protected]

Education Foundation director Robin Lempert, ext. 110 [email protected]

Foundation assistant Paula Brooks, ext. 116 [email protected]

Director of publications Nancy A. Winchester, ext. 117 [email protected]

Publications assistant Sylvia Braxton Lee, ext. 133 [email protected]

Managing editor, Plant Physiology Melissa Junior, ext. 118 [email protected]

Science writer, Plant Physiology Peter Minorsky, 914-437-7438 [email protected]

Production manager, Plant Physiology Lauren A. Ransome, ext. 130 [email protected]

Manuscript coordinator, Plant Physiology Leslie Malone, ext. 124 [email protected]

Manuscript coordinator, Plant Physiology Leslie Csikos, ext. 125 [email protected]

Managing editor, The Plant Cell Beth Staehle, ext. 121 [email protected]

News and reviews editor, The Plant Cell Nancy Eckardt, 970-495-9918 [email protected]

Production manager, The Plant Cell John Long, ext. 119 [email protected]

Senior manuscript coordinator, The Plant Cell Annette Kessler, ext. 120 [email protected]

President Vicki L. Chandler 520-676-8725

President-Elect Daniel R. Bush 217-333-6109

Immediate Past President Daniel J. Cosgrove 814-863-3892

Secretary Roger Hangarter 812-855-5456

Treasurer Mark R. Brodl 210-999-7246

Chair, Board of Trustees Ken Keegstra 517-353-7874

Chair, Publications Committee Krishna K. Niyogi 510-643-6602

Chair, Women in Plant Biology Committee Elizabeth Hood 979-690-8537

Minority Affairs Committee Robert Vellanoweth 323-343-2148

Educaton Committee Eric Davies 919-515-2727

Elected Members Rebecca S. Boston 919-515-2727

Joe Chappell 606-257-4624

Adrienne E. Clarke +61-38-344-5043

Sectional Representatives

Midwestern Steven Rodermel 515-294-8890

Northeastern Carol Reiss 401-863-3075

Southern Joyce G. Foster 304-256-2809

Washington, DC Janet P. Slovin 301-504-5629

Western Dina Mandoli 206-543-4335

ASPB News is distributed to all ASPB members and is published six

times annually, in odd-numbered months. It is edited and prepared

by ASPB staff from material provided by ASPB members and other

interested parties.

Copy deadline is the 10th day of the preceding even-numbered

month (for example, December 10 for January/February publication).

Submit copy by e-mail whenever possible; submit all other copy by

mail, not by fax.

Contact: Nancy A. Winchester, Editor, ASPB News, 15501 Monona

Drive, Rockville, MD 20855-2768 USA; e-mail [email protected]; tele-

phone 301-251-0560, ext. 117.

ASPB News

Page 3: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 3

continued from page 1

Committee. In my opinion, our Societyfounders designed a committee hierarchy withelection and appointment structures thatgreatly limits the ability to conspire and pre-vents anyone from railroading important So-ciety decisions. In fact, one could argue thatthe structure forces decisions to be made at apainfully slow pace.

The Executive Committee, which is com-posed of both elected and appointed person-nel as detailed in the Bylaws, is the primarygoverning body of the Society. The nationallyelected members include the president, imme-diate past president, president-elect, the sec-retary, and three at-large members. At leastone candidate for each of these elected posi-tions must come from nominations by mem-bers-at-large and the other comes from theNominations Committee. This structureprevents either the current leadership or a fac-tion of the membership from stacking the elec-tion slate. Each section within ASPB also elects

a representative (current sections are Mid-western, Northeastern, Southern, Washing-ton, DC, and Western). The appointed mem-bers of the Executive Committee are thetreasurer and the chairs of the following com-mittees: Board of Trustees, Education, Minor-ity Affairs, Publications, and Women in PlantBiology. The president-elect is charged withmaking committee appointments to replacethe people whose terms expire and appoint-ing committee chairs. All the committees con-tain multiple members with staggered termssuch that no one person can dramaticallychange the makeup of any committee. Formost of the committee and chair appoint-ments, the nomination by the president-electhas to be ratified by the Executive Commit-tee. The Publications Committee has five ap-pointed members with staggered terms. Itsmandate is to supervise and report to theExecutive Committee on all non-editorial as-pects of the Society’s journals and other pub-

lications. Details on each committee’s makeupare provided in the membership directory, asis the Constitution and Bylaws of the Soci-ety. Recent committee reports can be foundon the ASPB web site.

I truly believe that the goal of all members,the editors-in-chief, the editorial boards, andthe Society leadership is the same: to have thebest possible journals in which to publish ourscience. At the moment, we do not all agreeon how best to achieve this goal. It is impor-tant as the debate and discussion continuethat we keep the journal name change issuein perspective and not let this issue becomedivisive. One way to achieve this is to respecteach other’s position and recognize that oneof the strengths of our Society is the right todisagree. �

Vicki ChandlerUniversity of Arizona

[email protected]

The Fulbright Scholar Program is offering lecturing/research awards in some 140countries for the 2003–2004 academic year. The competition opens March 1.

Traditional Fulbright awards are available from two months to an academicyear or longer. A new short-term grants program—the Fulbright Senior SpecialistsProgram—offers two- to six-week grants in a variety of disciplines and fields.

Application deadlines for 2003–2004 awards are

• May 1 for Fulbright Distinguished Chair awards in Europe, Canada, and Russia

• August 1 for Fulbright traditional lecturing and research grants worldwide

• November 1 for the summer German Studies Seminar and for spring/summerseminars in Germany, Korea, and Japan for academic and international educa-tion administrators

• Fulbright Senior Specialists Program—rolling deadline

For information, contact the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES)at 3007 Tilden Street, NW, Suite 5L, Washington, DC 20008-3009. Telephone:202-686-7877; e-mail: [email protected]. Information and an online appli-cation are also available on the Web at www.cies.org.

The Fulbright Scholar Program is sponsored by the United States Departmentof State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Fulbright Offers Lecturing/Research Grantsin 140 Countries

Thank you to all the students and

advisers who applied for the

ASPB Summer Undergraduate

Research Fellowships.

The closing date for applications

was January 15, 2002. The

names of students selected to

receive this fellowship�will be

announced near the end of

February.

Visit the ASPB web site for

further updates.

Page 4: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

4 • ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1

science are not equipped to do so be-cause they do not have a scientific back-ground.

3. Was anyone instrumental in getting youto join ASPB?Dr. Mel Oliver and Dr. John Burke ofthe USDA/ARS as my bosses between1995 and 2000 encouraged me topresent results at the annual ASPBmeetings and thus become a member.

4. What would you tell a nonmember toencourage them to join?If they are serious about plant biology,then ASPB is a good source of infor-mation and contacts that can help thembecome a leader in their discipline.

5. What are you reading these days?In my current position I have to keepabreast of national (Irish) and interna-tional legislation relating to food andfood production, and thus I do read alot of legal-type documents. I also readnews articles that I receive through thevariety of e-mail news sources daily, andthis keeps me up-to-date on topical is-sues relating to food, food production,and the evolving technology involved.I sometimes get a chance to read scien-tific journals like Plant Physiology, Sci-

ence, TIPS, and others, but not as of-ten as I would like.

6. What do you think is the next big thingin plant biology?The next big thing in plant biology willbe providing developing countries withthe means to produce sufficient cropsto sustain their own population. Thiswill probably happen through donationof technology rights in a number ofyears when much more is known about

the biology of plants through genomics/proteomics/metabolomics.

7. Do you still read print journals? Wheredo you usually read them: work, home,library, in the car, on the bus?We have a small library at my work-place that I browse from time to time.

8. Do you have any hobbies (outside plantbiology)?I play racquet sports such as tennis andracquetball, but mostly squash.

9. What is your most treasured posses-sion?My good health.

10. What person, living or dead, do youmost admire?The person I admire most was not ascientist. It is my father, and he is de-ceased.

11. What do you still have left to learn?I have more to learn than I havelearned, but I would really like tolearn how to get the general public tobe more aware and even appreciatewhat science has done and can do forsociety. The general public, unfortu-nately, is too easily misinformed, andgetting the right message out subse-quently becomes very difficult. Also,scientists are not good communicatorsoutside their own realm, and thus if Icould learn to change their ethos inthat respect, it would also help thepublic become more aware and lessvulnerable. �

ASPB members share a common goal ofpromoting the growth, development, andoutreach of plant biology as a pure andapplied science. This new column will fea-ture some of the dedicated and innovativemembers of ASPB who believe that mem-bership in our Society is crucial to the fu-ture of plant biology.

If you are interested in contributing tothis feature, please contact Kelley Noone,ASPB membership and marketing man-ager, at [email protected].

Name: Patrick O’MahonyPlace of work: Food Safety Authority

of IrelandASPB member since:

1996

1. Has being a mem-ber of ASPB helpedyou in your career?If so, how?I was a bench scientist until October2000, and as a plant biologist, being amember of ASPB (ASPP then) was es-sential to my research in that I keptabreast of the discipline in general. Theexpertise I gained as a scientist in plantbiology and in particular with plantbiotechnology is the reason I was of-fered my current position.

2. Why has membership in ASPB been soimportant?Being a member of ASPB as a scientistis critical to being an erudite and re-spected research scientist. Being a mem-ber of ASPB now is important as itshows that I have the ability and will-ingness to keep up-to-date with scien-tific advances, even though I am nolonger directly working as a scientist. Ifind that many of those who regulate

Membership Corner

Page 5: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 5

The ASPB International Committee wasformed in 1998 to meet the needs of our grow-ing overseas membership (now 40 percent ofthe total Society membership). The commit-tee strives to effectively integrate the activi-ties of the Society in the international arena.The committee, originally ad hoc, is currentlybeing formalized and will soon be given regu-lar standing status. It makes recommendationsto the Executive Committee on a range of in-ternational issues, such as how ASPB publi-cations are allocated to needy institutions orcountries. Its current membership representsArgentina, Australia, France, India, Japan,Taiwan, and the United States. Since its in-ception, the committee has

• Developed a need-based policy for dis-tributing journal subscriptions andthe Society’s textbook, Biochemistry &Molecular Biology of Plants.

• Recommended that ASPB join the OpenSociety Institute’s Electronic Informationfor Libraries (eIFL) Science and Technol-ogy Project under development by OSI(part of the Soros Foundations Network)and EBSCO Publishing. eIFL represents amechanism for distributing ASPB journalsto under-subscribed countries consideredeither very poor or of lower-middle orhigher-middle income. In addition to in-creasing outreach, the eIFL project bringsnew revenue opportunities for our publi-cations as a result of differential pricingfor target countries, as well as new mar-keting opportunities.

• Provided guidance to the Program Com-mittee on meeting sites, including the 2003annual meeting in Hawaii, and on arrang-ing contact with relevant societies in keyPacific Rim countries (Australia, China, In-dia, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan).

• Made recommendations to the ExecutiveCommittee on a variety of other issues,such as support for symposia and work-shops in developing countries.

• Advised the Society through representa-tion on the Membership and ExecutiveCommittees.

At present, the committee is

• Engaged in ongoing discussions with theFederation of European Societies of PlantPhysiology on holding a joint future meet-ing in Europe, perhaps Lisbon.

• Drafting a general policy for grantingfunds for support of meetings in develop-ing countries and related activities in thenations represented by ASPB members.

In addition to its more formal activities,the committee provides a way for interna-tional members to participate in activities ofthe Society. Several of our international mem-bers will be presenting their views in futurearticles in the ASBP News.

In the few years since its inception, theInternational Committee has become anintegral part of our Society. It acts as a con-duit to test new ideas, develop new policies,and respond to the needs of our members fromabroad. International members of ASPB areinvited to provide input by contactingcommittee members. Visit our web site athttp://www.aspb.org/committees_societies/international.cfm for the names and affilia-tions of committee members and to learnmore about the committee and its vitalwork. �

Bob BuchananChair, ASPB International Committee

University of California at Berkeley

[email protected]

ASPB International Committee

Call for 2002

Nominations for

ASPB Awards

will be sent to all

members in February.

Nominations are due at

ASPB headquarters by

Wednesday, March 27.

Questions should be

addressed to

John Lisack, Jr.,

executive director, at

[email protected].

Page 6: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

6 • ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1

World’s Worst Diseases Face New Foe: Biotechnology

By Jeremy Smith

LONDON (Reuters)—Genetic engineering,often slammed by environmental and con-sumer groups for its role in altering staplefoods, may have found a niche where it canhelp save the lives of millions from the world’smost endemic diseases.

By using biotechnology to incorporate use-ful genes into an almost limitless variety ofcommon plants, from rapeseed and tobaccoto potato, tomato and banana, scientists aimto produce cheap and stable vaccines in anedible form—and beat disease.

Scourges such as cholera, tuberculosis andhepatitis, all responsible for the deaths of mil-lions every year including many children indeveloping countries, have been targeted ascandidates for vaccines which can be engi-neered from plants.

And in another use of biotechnology, thereis now some realistic hope that mankind’s cen-turies-old battle against malaria may soon benearing its end due to a breakthrough last yearin producing the world’s first transgenic mos-quito.

So far, there seems to be no obvious end tothe sheer variety of biotechnology’s potentialapplications in the fight against disease. Eventhe roots of the humble tobacco plant are be-ing used to mass-produce a vaccine againstscorpion stings in Brazil, which may eventu-ally be incorporated into fruit.

“It’s a relatively recent technology and Idon’t know when we would ever see commer-cially available vaccines. But it’s quite excit-ing,” said Mike Steward, immunologist at theLondon School of Hygiene and TropicalMedicine (LSHTM).

“It doesn’t matter in what plant you insertthem [genes] as the molecular biology prin-ciples are identical. The versatility is amaz-ing,” he said.

Genetic modification (GM) involves ex-changing or splicing genes of unrelated spe-cies that cannot naturally swap with eachother, and the species can be as different aschalk and cheese.

Scientists have spliced spider venom genesinto maize and other food crops as a “natu-ral pesticide” to deter insects and birds fromfeeding on the plants, and inserted fish anti-freeze genes into tomatoes to extend theirgrowing season into winter.

VACCINES FIND NEW HOME IN

VARIETY OF COMMON FOODS

The first human clinical trial of an edible vac-cine took place in 1997 when volunteers ateraw potatoes which were genetically engi-neered against the common E. coli bacteria(http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news?p=%22E.%20coli%20bacteria%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw and http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=E.%20coli%20bacteria&cs=nw).

Since then a whole range of plants, mostoften vegetables, has come under thebioscientist’s knife for adaptation as a pos-sible host for vaccines. Foods under studyinclude bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce,rice, wheat, soybeans and corn.

“One day children may get immunized bymunching on foods instead of enduring shots.More important, food vaccines might savemillions who now die for lack of access totraditional innoculants,” said leading jour-nal Scientific American in an article last yearon edible vaccines.

“The advantages would be enormous,” thearticle said. “Nothing would be more satis-fying than to protect the health of many mil-lions of now defenseless children around theglobe.”

Last year, the spotlight fell on hepatitis B, avirus which can cause high fever, lifelong in-fection, cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.More than 60 percent of liver cancers world-wide have been linked to hepatitis B.

Mice were fed with modified potato, con-taining an oral vaccine for hepatitis B whichpassed through the animals’ stomachs with-out being broken down and stimulated theproduction of antibodies against the disease.

Scientists now say tomatoes and bananas ge-netically modified to contain such a vaccinemay be able to eradicate the virus.

Clinical trials have been conducted on pigsusing an edible vaccine for transmissible gas-troenteritis in corn, while work is continuingon a vaccine using tomatoes for RSV, a respi-ratory virus which can be fatal for infants lessthan six months old.

One recent offbeat development was theisolation in a British laboratory of a non-toxicprotein within the venom of a tiny yellow scor-pion which is common in parts of Brazil.

When injected into animals, the proteinproved to be a good potential vaccine as it setup a strong immunity to the venom. But theproblem was that only very limited amountsof the protein could be obtained, just enoughfor a handful of people.

Scientists managed to crack the protein’sgenetic code—and used the roots of the to-bacco plant to purify the home-grown geneinto larger amounts of protein vaccine, withno risk of the scorpion gene getting out intoplant species.

Stings from scorpions, which tend to live inshoes, clothing or bed-linen, or under surfacedebris such as leaves, represent a significantmedical problem in many of the world’s tropi-cal areas. Mortality rates can be high and thou-sands die every year.

LIGHT AT END OF TUNNEL IN FIGHT

AGAINST MALARIA?

So far, the most trumpeted success story ofbiotechnology’s use in medicine probablycame last year when an Anglo-German teamof scientists inserted a foreign marker geneinto the mosquito genome, allowing the pos-sibility of genetic alteration.

While recognizing that the breakthroughwas not yet a cure for malaria, the team hailedthe achievement as their “holy grail” and amajor advance in malaria control—after 15years of efforts to create the world’s firsttransgenic mosquito.

Page 7: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 7

At the time, the team said it might now bepossible to create a mosquito that was stable,safe and physically unable to transmit themalaria-causing parasite, maybe within sixyears.

Now, according to one of the team’s lead-ers, there may be reason to rejoice sooner asthe battle nears its end against malaria, a tropi-cal disease responsible for more than a mil-lion deaths every year, mainly among youngchildren in Africa.

“Progress has been incredible in this fieldand probably it may take less time,” saidAndrea Crisanti at the Department of Biol-ogy at London’s Imperial College. “Progresshas been very fast during the last year, fasterthan anticipated.

“More release trials will be carried outon islands where malaria is endemic. If this

proves successful, then a different and moresophisticated approach will be undertaken,”he said. “The idea is to introduce a mosquitowhich is then able to breed with indigenousmosquitoes and so spread the resistancegene.”

GM’S USE IN MEDICINE STILL HAMPERED

BY POLITICS, CRITICS

The world biotech industry is no stranger tocontroversy and comes under regular attackfrom environmentalists and concerned con-sumers, mainly on account of its work inmodifying food crops for what its critics seeas purely commercial motives.

Although still in their infancy, edible vac-cines which are man-made using bioengineer-ing are unlikely to avoid this debate and will

in any case be subjected to years of rigoroustesting before commercial licensing can begranted, experts say.

“Even if we all got all the science right andproduced an edible vaccine . . . I can’t imag-ine it would be less than five or 10 years be-fore it got through all the hoops,” saidLSHTM’s Steward. “Those are the scientificand clinical hoops. Then there are the politi-cal ones.

“It’s pretty low key at the moment. When itwas first discussed at an immunology con-gress, people were rather amused by the wholething. It’s still pretty much in its infancy.” �

Reprinted with permission from Reuters Lim-

ited, November 13, 2001. ©Reuters Limited

2001.

A Special Collection of Articles from The Plant CellSeptember 1999–January 2001

A s we enter the new millennium, the age of genomics is in full swing.

Much more than the study of individualgenes and their functions, genomicsimplies the study of the interacting net-works of genes, proteins, and metabolitesthat make up a whole organism. Large-scale genome sequencing projects formthe base of all genomics studies, but radi-ating out from this base is a host of othertools that allow us to figure out the biolo-gy that is governed by DNA sequence.

Between September 1999 and January2001, The Plant Cell published a series ofarticles on genomics technologies and

Plant Genomics: Emerging Tools

approaches specially written for the plantscience community. These articles, togeth-er with a number of research papers onplant genomics published during this peri-od, have been bound into a volume calledPlant Genomics: Emerging Tools. This com-pilation provides readers interested in theapplications of genomics to plant sciencewith a single resource covering the mostrecent developments in this emerging field.

Plant Genomics: Emerging ToolsISBN 0-943088-42-9. Item 30044. Price $25.00

For ordering information go to

www.aspb.org

Published by theAmerican Societyof Plant Biologists

(Formerly theAmerican Society

of PlantPhysiologists)

Page 8: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

8 • ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1

Public Affairs

President Bush Personally Welcomes Arntzen toPresident’s Council of Science Advisors

Charles Arntzen, past president of ASPB, hasbeen selected by President Bush to serve onthe President’s Council of Advisors on Sci-ence and Technology (PCAST). Arnzten andothers selected to the council met privately inthe White House with President Bush onDecember 12 for about one hour.

Arntzen, chairman of the Department ofPlant Biology at Arizona State University, isthe one active laboratory scientist on PCAST.Arntzen is joined on PCAST by a numberof university administrators and industryleaders.

Issues that will be addressed by the councilinclude whether the federal governmentshould alter its pattern of spending on re-search projects and emphasize scientific ap-plications that could help stimulate theeconomy; more effective ways to combat ter-rorism; how to improve energy efficiency; andhow to enhance the nation’s broadbandInternet links.

PCAST was originally established by Presi-dent George Bush in 1990 to enable the presi-dent to receive advice from the private sectorand academic community on technology,scientific research priorities, and math and sci-ence education.

The organization follows a tradition ofpresidential advisory panels on science andtechnology dating back to PresidentsEisenhower and Truman. Since its creation,PCAST has been expanded and currently con-sists of 18 members from the private sectorplus the assistant to the president for scienceand technology, who serves as the committee’sco-chair. The committee members, all distin-guished individuals appointed by the presi-dent, are drawn from industry, education, andresearch institutions and other nongovern-mental organizations.

News of the announcements and, earlier,advance speculation on appointments wererun by major news wire services. Following isan Associated Press story that was publishedon the PCAST appointments:

Wednesday December 12 8:02 PM ET

BUSH ASKS TERROR FIGHT

STRATEGIES

WASHINGTON (AP)—At the first meetingof his science and technology advisers, Presi-dent Bush (news - web sites)asked panel membersWednesday to recommendlong-term strategies forcombatting terrorism.“Technology is a movablefeast, as they say, and itkeeps improving. We real-ize we have to stay ahead ofthose who would oppose uswith their tools,” said FloydKvamme, co-chairman ofthe President’s Council ofAdvisors on Science andTechnology.

Other subcommittees ofthe 24-member council are to give Bush ad-vice on what kinds of basic science the gov-ernment should invest in; ways to improveenergy efficiency; and communications infra-structure for the 21st century, focusing on howto make broadband technology available toall Americans.

The counterterrorism panel will addressquestions such as how to develop better de-tectors for anthrax and other biological weap-ons, better baggage scanners. . . and bettersystems for sanitizing contaminated mail, saidJohn Marburger, director of the White HouseOffice of Science and Technology Policy. He

also is council co-chairman.That panel also will wantto gather the best availablecivil engineering informa-tion on the World TradeCenter’s twin towers de-signs in order to make rec-ommendations on “how todesign buildings that won’tcollapse in the future,” saidMarburger, council co-

chairman. The inaugural meeting, billed as anadministrative session, was held behind closeddoors. But the council’s regular meetings,which will be held once every three months,are to be open to the public and the press.

Just one of the president’s appointees to thecouncil is an active laboratory scientist—Charles Joel Arntzen of the Arizona StateUniversity Department of Plant Biology. Thecouncil primarily intends to get its technicalexpertise from outside sources, Marburgersaid. Asked in a conference call with report-ers about priorities in funding basic science,Marburger replied: “There are more things

Charles Arntzen, adviser

to President Bush.

Arntzen, chairman of

the Department of

Plant Biology at

Arizona State

University, is the one

active laboratory

scientist on the

President’s Council of

Advisors on Science

and Technology.

Page 9: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 9

Public Affairs

than we can possibly do at once. The presi-dent has asked the panel to advise him in howto make those priorities.”

Dr. Bernadine Healy, outgoing president ofthe American Red Cross (news - web sites)and former director of the National Institutesof Health (news - web sites), was among thecouncil appointees announced Wednesday bythe White House.

Also named to the council were: NormanR. Augustine, former CEO of LockheedMartin; Carol Ann Bartz, CEO of Autodesk inCalifornia; M. Kathleen Behrens of the Cali-fornia investment management firm of

NSF Spending Boosted 8.4 Percent;Plant Genome Research Up15 Percent to $75 Million

Fiscal year 2002 funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF)under Public Law 107-73 is $4.789 billion, an 8.4 percent increaseover FY2001.

The NSF Biological Sciences Directorate appropriation for FY2002includes a $75 million designation for the Plant Genome ResearchProgram. This is up from $65 million in the NSF budget request forthe Plant Genome Research Program. The FY2001 level was also $65million. This brings to $290 million the total in new funds that Con-gress has provided for the NSF Plant Genome Research Program be-ginning with its inception in FY1998.

Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO) championed the Plant GenomeResearch Program each of the past four years, and he again led ef-forts with Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and their colleaguesthis year to increase funds for plant genome research. ASPB supportedefforts this year and in years past led by Senator Bond to increasesupport for plant genome research and NSF overall.

For NSF Research and Related Activities, FY2002 funding is at$3,598,340,000 instead of $3,642,340,000 as proposed by the Houseand $3,514,481,000 as proposed by the Senate. Biological Sciencesresearch support is at $509 million.

With the urging of NSF Director Rita Colwell, Congress providedadditional funds to allow for increases in the graduate stipend levelto $21,500. �

Robertson, Stephens & Co.; Erich Bloch,former head of the National Science Founda-tion (news - web sites); Stephen B. Burke,president of Comcast; Gerald Wayne Clough,president of the Georgia Institute of Technol-ogy; Michael S. Dell, CEO of Dell Computers;Raul Fernandez, founder of Proxicom; MaryeAnne Fox, chancellor of North Carolina StateUniversity; Martha Diane Winters Gilliland,chancellor of the University of Missouri, Kan-sas City; Ralph E. Gomory, president of theAlfred P. Sloan Foundation; Robert JohnHerbold, former executive vice president ofMicrosoft; Barbara Kilberg, president of the

Northern Virginia Technology Council; WalterEugene Massey, president of Morehouse Col-lege; Gordon E. Moore, chairman emeritus ofIntel; Kenneth Nwabueze, CEO of Sagemetrics;Steven Gerald Papermaster, chairman ofPowershift Group; Dr. Luis M. Proenza, presi-dent of the University of Akron; George Mar-tin, president of the Semiconductor IndustryAssociation; and Charles M. Vest, presidentof the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(news - web sites). �

Reprinted with permission of The Associated

Press.

Important Dates in 2002

March 1: Abstract submission deadline for

Plant Biology 2002

March 15: Application Deadline—ASPB Travel

Award Program for Plant Biology 2002

March 15–16: Midwest Section/ASPB meeting at

Marcum Conference Center, Miami

University, Oxford, Ohio. Contact

John Z. Kiss at [email protected].

See also the Midwest Section home

page at http://www.aspb.org/

committees_societies/midwestern/

index.cfm.

May 3–4: Northeast Section/ASPB meeting at

Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massa-

chusetts. Contact Gary Harris at

[email protected].

May 31: Plant Biology 2002—Early bird

registration cutoff

July 1: Plant Biology 2002—Housing

registration cutoff

August 3–7: Plant Biology 2002—Denver, Colorado

Page 10: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

10 • ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1

Public Affairs

NSF Awards Research Grants to Explore Plant Genomes

The National Science Foundation (NSF) hasawarded 24 new grants totaling more than$71 million over the next five years for plantgenome research. These awards will beshared by 109 investigators at 39 institutionsin 27 states.

ASPB members made up a number of therecipients of awards from the National Sci-ence Foundation in the intense competitionfor plant genome research grants.ASPB members who won plant genomeresearch awards as principal investigators in-clude Douglas Cook, $5,803,691; ClaudeDePamphilis, $7,399,286; Debby Delmer,$471,134; Gary Drews, $1,564,877; SarahHake, $5,343,199; Jan Leach, $500,000; PeggyLemaux, $1,532,663; Rob Martienssen,$1,990,821; Kathleen Newton, $2,339,810;Thomas Peterson, $648,549; Lee Pratt,$3,576,195; Steven Tanksley, $6,499,895;Michael Thomashow, $5,072,963; and KanWang, $4,227,981. The grant awards aregenerally shared with partners.

The latest grants bring NSF’s total invest-ment in the Plant Genome Research Programto more than $215 million. Many of these newprojects build on research success from the pre-vious three years of the program. For example,when NSF began this program in 1998, onlyabout 3,100 segments of DNA, known as ex-

pressed sequence tags (ESTs), were identifiedin corn and available in the public databases.Now 106,595 ESTs are identified in corn andanother 285,925 in soybeans.

“There has been an enormous growth ininformation on plant genomes. The newawards are building on these recent accom-plishments and will help increase our under-standing of the basic life processes in plants,which can, in the long term, provide the un-derpinning for advances in plant biotechnol-ogy,” said Dr. Mary E. Clutter, NSF assistantdirector for biological sciences.

The overall plant genome research programwas designed to build an understanding ofthe structure and function of plant genes im-portant to agriculture, environmental man-agement, energy, and health. Individual re-search projects seek to understand, at thewhole genome scale, how plants grow andwhat controls important plant traits. The re-search awards support studies of economi-cally important crops like barley, cotton, corn,rice, sorghum, soybean, and tomato.

Some of the new projects will focus on in-novative methods for gene discovery and char-acterization. These include the developmentof homologous gene replacement, massivelyparallel signature sequencing, and mutationsinduced by transposons.

Scientists will investigate the genetic con-trol of form and function in flowers, fromflowering to seed production. Projects willcharacterize the genes controlling the differ-entiation of flower cells and examine genesthat play a central role in development of plantfeatures.

Other research will investigate the complexgene networks that regulate plant responseto environmental conditions such as drought,disease, temperature, and flowering time.

The growing field of bioinformatics will becritical to processing the volumes of data fromthe Plant Genome Research Program. Twonew NSF awards are focused on developingtools to accurately manipulate the data andmake the data accessible to the wider commu-nity. Researchers will develop new computeralgorithms to process data and new interfacesfor scientific manipulation of the data.

Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO) cham-pioned the creation of the Plant Genome Re-search Program in coordination with NSF.Senator Bond, joined by Senator BarbaraMikulski (D-MD) and their colleagues, ledsuccessful efforts for an increase in supportfor plant genome research of $10 million forfiscal year 2002. As a result, the plant genomeresearch program grows to $75 million in fis-cal year 2002. �

Submit e-Letters to Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell

ASPB has added a new feature to Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell Online to make it easy for readers to comment on published papers.e-Letters is a monitored forum for letters to the editor about papers published in the two journals. A menu box at the beginning of eachresearch article now includes a link to e-Letters. By clicking on this link, readers can easily e-mail a letter to the editor for possiblepublication online. All letters are monitored by the editorial office and are circulated to editorial board members for review.

Readers can follow the correspondence regarding any paper by clicking on a link on the opening page of the electronic journal.Letters are indexed by published article and can be viewed according to author, time submitted, and title.

The editors hope that this feature will encourage thoughtful and constructive dialogue on the scientific advances published in ThePlant Cell and Plant Physiology. They want to hear from you!

www.plant.org

Page 11: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 11

Public Affairs

House Science Subcommittee Approves Bill Supporting PlantBiotechnology and Genomics Research

The House Science Subcommittee on Researchapproved by voice vote December 12 a bill tobolster research in plant biotechnology andgenomics. H.R. 2051, sponsored by Subcom-mittee Chairman Nick Smith (R-MI), wouldestablish a program at the National ScienceFoundation (NSF) to develop plant genomeresearch centers. The subcommittee approveda manager’s amendment by voice vote, whichincluded provisions authored by rankingmember Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) to de-velop research partnerships focusing on plantbiotechnology in the developing world. Anumber of ASPB members have testified be-fore Smith and Johnson and their colleagueson the subcommittee on matters that relateto the legislation.

Smith said, “A better understanding of geneexpression will eventually allow researchers

to develop an array of new beneficial plantvarieties that will only be limited by the re-sourcefulness and imagination of our scien-tists. The research centers will help extend plantgenomics research and accelerate the devel-opment of new beneficial plant varieties.”

“Unless food production is dramaticallyincreased in the regions where it is mostneeded, persistent hunger will become moreprevalent, and malnutrition will claim evenmore victims than it does today,” addedJohnson. “This legislation addresses this is-sue, along with a host of others, by providingfor the establishment of regional plant genomeand gene expression research and develop-ment centers. By authorizing NSF to establisha grant program for partnerships betweenU.S. research organizations and those in de-veloping countries for research on plant bio-

technology targeted to the agricultural needsof the developing world, we are addressingagricultural issues and problems worldwide.”

The research centers would boost basic re-search into plant genomics in such areas asmaking plants better able to survive extremeconditions. The bill authorizes $9 million forfiscal year 2002 and $13.5 million for each ofthe two following years.

Smith added, “I am confident the benefitsrealized through these Plant Genome Expres-sion Centers and Plant Biotechnology Part-nerships in the developing world will allow usto harness fundamental knowledge and solvemany different challenges.”

H.R. 2051 now heads to the full ScienceCommittee for consideration. �

NRI Up 14 Percent for Fiscal Year 2002

Under the fiscal year 2002 Agriculture Ap-propriations bill signed into law November28, the National Research Initiative Competi-tive Grants Program (NRI) receives an increaseof 13.9 percent or $14,685,000 for fiscal year2002. This also represents an increase of morethan $14 million over the department’s re-quest for the NRI.

Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) and his Senatecolleagues worked with Rep. Henry Bonilla(R-TX) and other conferees in the House tosecure this substantial increase for the NRI.Key ASPB Campus Contacts and their col-leagues sent letters to Congress in support ofthe NRI and contributed to the successful re-jection of an amendment that would have cut

funding for the NRI. NRI staff recently com-mented that ASPB members are among theNRI’s most active supporters.

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS)receives an increase of more than 9 percent to$979,464,000 this year under the spendinglaw. This is up from $915,591,000 requestedby USDA and is more than $82 million higherthan the FY2001 appropriation.

Funding was prohibited for the Initiativefor Future Agriculture and Food Systems(IFAFS) program as it had been in a previousyear. Those grants already awarded will con-tinue to be funded. The source of funding forIFAFS has been viewed as controversial bysome members of Congress because it uses

“mandatory” funds. Virtually all researchprograms are funded using “discretionary”funds that are under the jurisdiction of theAppropriations Committee. The IFAFS pro-gram will come up again for considerationnext year (FY2003) as an authorized manda-tory program. The effort to allow fundingfor IFAFS in FY2003 will likely face opposi-tion again by some in Congress. In the past,some in Congress have discussed funding forIFAFS and the NRI as an either/or proposi-tion. (Public Law 107-76 providing appro-priations for the Department of Agriculturecan be found at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c107:H.R.2330.ENR.) �

Page 12: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

12 • ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1

$32.4 Million for DOEEnergy Biosciences

Public Affairs

The Energy and Water Development appro-priations signed into law for fiscal year2002 provide $32.4 million for the Depart-ment of Energy (DOE) Energy Biosciencesprogram. This is the same level as the DOEbudget request. Appropriations for otherBasic Energy Sciences programs such asmaterials sciences, chemical sciences, andengineering and geosciences were alsoapproved at the budget level requested byDOE. The conference-approved DOEbudget request for Energy Biosciences isdown $1.3 million or 3.8 percent from$33.7 million in FY2001. Conference-approved budget requests for other BasicEnergy Sciences programs are also downfrom FY2001. The overall budget requestreflected the administration’s priorities inthe areas of spending on education, bio-medical research, and defense.

ASPB worked with its Campus Contactsand jointly with the National Corn Grow-ers Association and American Phytopatho-logical Society in support of the Energy Bio-sciences program. The Senate earlier votedfor an increase in spending on Basic EnergySciences programs including Energy Bio-sciences before reaching the agreement withthe House in conference. �

Seeds of Health Explains Use of PlantResearch to Improve Human Nutrition

Seeds of Health, a newsletter recentlylaunched by the International Food PolicyResearch Institute (IFPRI), features plantresearch that will lead to more nutritionalfood crops.

IFPRI notes that Seeds of Health is “anewsletter for practitioners in agriculture andhuman nutrition.” ASPB member DeanDellaPenna wrote an ar-ticle for this premiere is-sue titled “NutritionalGenomics: Using Mo-lecular Biology to Im-prove Human Health.”Ingo Potrykus, recipientof the 2001 ASPB Lead-ership in Science PublicService Award, co-authored an article en-titled “Golden Rice:Proof of Concept andBeyond.”

IFPRI’s acknowledgment of the importanceof this area of research with a newsletterspecially dedicated to the subject could con-tribute to further public recognition of theopportunities plant research offers to improvehuman nutrition. IFPRI describes the news-letter as presenting “scientific findings andissues relevant to agricultural strategies,

and in particular plant breed-ing, for improving micronutri-ent nutrition in developingcountries.”

The first issue of the news-letter can be found at http://www.ifpri.org. �

Dean DellaPenna

IFPRI describes

Seeds of Health as

presenting “scientific

findings and issues

relevant to agricultural

strategies, and

in particular plant

breeding, for

improving

micronutrient nutrition

in developing

countries.”

Our Bioethics column, edited by Dina Mandoli, will return in

the March/April 2002 issue of the ASPB News. In the meantime,

Dina urges interested readers to take a look at the article

“100 Percent Safe? GM Foods in the UK,” by CropGen.

http://www.aspb.org/downloads/GMFoodRpt.pdf

Page 13: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 13

International Society of African Scientists StronglyEndorses Agricultural Biotechnology

Public Affairs

The International Society of African Scientists(ISAS) held a technical conference on Octo-ber 5, 2001, on the “Potential Benefits of Bio-technology to Agriculture in Africa and theCaribbean.” The following position statementon agricultural biotechnology applications inAfrica and the Caribbean is based on the de-liberations at this conference.

The International Society of African Scientists(ISAS) believes that agricultural biotechnol-ogy represents a major opportunity to en-hance the production of food crops, cashcrops, and other agricultural commodities inAfrica, the Caribbean and other developingnations.

Application of modern biotechnology toagriculture in the advanced countries has al-ready made possible significant crop improve-ments including insect-resistant corn andcotton; herbicide tolerant soybean; virus-resistant potatoes; delayed ripening tomatoes;and soybeans and corn with higher qualityand content of oil and other food components.Africa and the Caribbean cannot afford to beleft further behind in acquiring the uses andbenefits of this new agricultural revolution.

Developing nations, and the African conti-nent in particular, face acute needs to increasefood production. These countries stand toderive great benefits from increases in agri-cultural productivity. Although most biotech-nology research to date has focused on agri-culture in the advanced nations, ISAS stronglyadvocates that future research and applica-tions of agricultural biotechnology shouldplace particular emphasis on food produc-tion and agricultural needs of developingnations.

Governments and civil society in Africa andthe Caribbean nations must actively partici-pate in the worldwide debate on the use of

agricultural biotechnology. African scientistsneed to be at the forefront of this researchand debate to help clarify the issues to theircommunities. African governments must de-velop policies and programs to foster rapiddevelopments in agricultural biotechnologyas an adjunct to other agricultural techniques,in order to ensure a safe and sufficient supplyof food for their populations. In addition,the production and marketability of impor-tant cash crops must be promoted to enableAfrican farmers to raise their standards ofliving.

As a matter of priority, African and Carib-bean governments must establish adequateregulatory oversight and appropriate scien-tific protocols for agricultural biotechnology.Such regulatory protocols are essential for theintroduction of agricultural biotechnology ina manner which does not pose unacceptablehealth and other environmental risks.

ISAS further recommends the followingspecific priority measures for implementationof effective agricultural biotechnologypolicies and programs in Africa and theCaribbean:

• Educate African and Caribbean policy-makers regarding the opportunities, as wellas the potential risks, associated with ag-ricultural biotechnology.

• Increase biotechnology research on foodcrops important in Africa and other tropi-cal nations including cassava, cowpea,maize, millet, sorghum and sweet potatoes.

• Focus research on technologies that offerthe most immediate potential for substan-tial crop and yield improvement in Africaand the Caribbean. Among these technolo-gies are insect resistance, viral and fungaldisease resistance and improved nutritionalquality of foods.

• Strengthen the capacity for agriculturalbiotechnology in university and non-gov-ernmental research institutions in Africaand the Caribbean. Improve availabilityof scholarships, fellowships, and traininggrants to African and Caribbean studentsto learn the new science in order to facili-tate the transfer and application of thesenew technologies to Africa and theCaribbean.

• Increase support for agricultural biotech-nology research from both MultilateralDevelopment Organizations and ForeignAid Donors.

• Develop regulatory protocols suitable forAfrica and the Caribbean and provideappropriate training for regulatorypersonnel.

• Promote internationally accepted stan-dards for trade involving bioengineeredfoods, including considerations for poten-tial implications on export crops fromAfrica and the Caribbean such as bananas,coffee, tea, cocoa, etc.

• Develop mechanisms for the transfer oftechnology and intellectual property rightsfrom private biotechnology companies andadvanced nation research institutions toAfrica and other developing regions.

• Promote entrepreneurship and local privatesector participation in biotechnology inAfrica and the Caribbean.

“We cannot turn back the clock on agri-culture and only use methods that were de-veloped to feed a much smaller population. Ittook some 10,000 years to expand food pro-duction to the current level of about 5 billion

continued on page 14

Page 14: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

14 • ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1

Public Affairs

Deadlines for ASPB NewsWe invite you to submit articles and letters to the ASPB News.Deadlines for submission of copy follow:

Issue Deadline

May/June 2002 ....................................................... April 10, 2002

July/August 2002 ................................................... June 10, 2002

September/October 2002 ................................... August 10, 2002

November/December 2002 ................................ October 10, 2002

January/February 2003 .......................................... December 10, 2002

March/April 2003 .................................................... February 10, 2003

continued from page 13

tons per year. By 2025, we will have to nearlydouble current production again. This in-crease cannot be accomplished unless farm-ers across the world have access to currenthigh-yielding crop production methods as wellas new biotechnological breakthroughs thatcan increase the yields, dependability, andnutritional quality of our basic food crops.We need to bring common sense into the de-bate on agricultural science and technologyand the sooner the better!” Norman Borlaug,1970 Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

ISAS: The International Society of AfricanScientists (ISAS) is a tax-exempt, non-profitorganization founded in 1982 to promote theadvancement of science and technologyamong people of African descent. ISASprovides a medium through which scientistsand engineers can channel their skills to solvetechnical problems facing Africa and theCaribbean.

For more information, visit the ISAS website: http://www.dca.net/isas. Conferencerapporteurs: Victor Atiemo-Obeng, NeilBelson, Kodzo Gbewonyo. Source: [email protected]. �

ASPB Member Jane

Silverthorne of NSF (second

from left) responds to

questions on plant

research from students

who attend Calverton

High School, Huntingtown,

Maryland, on December 9

at the ASPB exhibit at the

American Society for Cell

Biology Convention in

Washington, DC. Teacher

Shannon Campbell (left) is

joined by Jane and students

Katherine Burton and Katie

Clancy.

Education Committee members joined by Past President Dan Cosgrove (center) met at

ASPB headquarters December 15 to plan exciting educational programs, then gatheredfor dinner.� From left are Sheila Blackman, Chair Eric Davies, Dan, Larry�Griffing, and GaryKuleck. (Not shown is Ken Nadler.)

Page 15: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 15

Compiled and edited by Gary Kuleck, Biology Department, Loyola Marymount University,7900 Loyola Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045, e-mail [email protected]

ASPB Education Forum

Project Kaleidoscope

Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) is an informalnational alliance working to build stronglearning environments for undergraduate stu-dents in mathematics, engineering, and thevarious fields of science. Worth taking a lookat is PKAL’s series of interviews with the newNSF 2001 Distinguished Teaching Scholars.DTS awardees describe how they maintain theenvironment in which their students learn—what their classrooms are like and the diffi-culties they have encountered in balancing andintegrating responsibilities for research andeducation. Details concerning this and otherNSF education programs can be found athttp://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/DUE/.

PKAL will also host Roundtables on theFuture, jointly sponsored by Sigma Xi at DukeUniversity on the topic of “Assessment in theService of Student Learning” March 1–2,2002. The PKAL 2002 Summer Institute willbe held from May 29 to June 5, 2002, inWilliamsburg, Virginia, and will feature work-shops addressing programs that cross tradi-tional disciplinary and institutional reform ofeducation. For more information on PKALand its activities, visit http://www.pkal.org/.

The Council on Undergraduate Research(CUR) is a national educational organizationsupporting and promoting high-quality un-dergraduate student–faculty collaborative re-search and scholarship. The 9th NationalCUR Conference, “Undergraduate Researchfor All,” will be held June 19–22, 2002, atConnecticut College in New London. Theconference will highlight undergraduate re-search and is a great opportunity for inter-ested faculty and administrators to share expe-riences and knowledge. More information onCUR and its activities can be found at http://www.cur.org/.

Plant Biology 2002

“Plant Biology 2002: Heightened Frontiers inPlant Biology” will be held from Saturday,August 3, through Wednesday, August 7,2002, at the Adams Mark Hotel in Denver,Colorado. As in the past several years, thePlant Education Committee will host the PlantEducation Booth at a prominent location withmember exhibitors. There are four ways totake part directly in educational activities atthe meeting: (1) submit an education poster,(2) attend the Education Workshop, (3) visit(or volunteer at—even better!) the Ed booth,and (4) submit an application to be an ex-hibitor at the booth. These are all fantasticopportunities to showcase your activities inthe education arena and interact with othermembers interested and active in educationin ASPB. Of course, we encourage you to par-ticipate at all levels. We especially urge youto contribute an education poster so that wecan celebrate your efforts and demonstratethe vitality of the educational communitywithin our Society. If you would like to vol-unteer to work in the booth or participate insome way, please e-mail me at [email protected].

This year’s Education Workshop will fo-cus on “Effective Participation in K–12 Out-reach.” Details concerning the organizationof the workshop and speaker(s) have yet tobe finalized.

3rd Annual ASPB Education Booth

Exhibitor Competition

Grants Available to ASPB Members in

Education Exhibit Competition

Have you developed new ways of carryingout hands-on science in your teaching labo-ratory or classroom? The Education Commit-

tee cordially invites you to share your activ-ity with the ASPB membership by hosting aninteractive exhibit/demonstration at the Edu-cation Booth at the annual ASPB meeting thissummer in Denver, August 3–7.

We are looking for new ideas and tech-nology that is being used in the classroom,and, as an incentive, we are offering a cashgrant of $500 and registration costs for up tothree presenters.

Your proposal should be no longer thanfour double-spaced pages. It should include atitle and the address and contact informationof the presenter. Please address the followingquestions in your proposal:

1. State clearly the rationale behind the ex-hibit. Highlight the use of new techniquesor technology. How is this presentation ex-citing and new?

2. Provide a clear, detailed summary of howthe exhibit will function. (A diagramwould be helpful.) In particular, it will beimportant to illustrate how the visitors caninteract with the exhibit.

3. Indicate the equipment that will be re-quired for the exhibit. Please indicatewhether a computer, Internet connection,or VCR and monitor will be needed. Wewill make every effort to meet your needs.

Note that awardees are expected to spendsome time hosting their exhibit and interact-ing with members at the booth each day.You’re welcome to choose the times most con-venient for you.

We can’t think of a better opportunity toshowcase your new approaches or new tech-nology for the plant biology classroom. Wehope that you will consider submitting a pro-posal and will join us at the booth for theseexciting exhibits!

Page 16: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

16 • ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1

Your proposal should be addressed [email protected] and submitted as an e-mailattachment (Microsoft Word) by no later thanApril 30, 2002. Winners will be notified byMay 10, 2002.

K–12

Know of an outstanding K–12 teacher? Anexciting opportunity exists for them to par-ticipate in the national public policy arena asan Albert Einstein Distinguished EducatorFellow in Washington, DC. Current public orprivate elementary and secondary mathemat-ics, technology, and science classroom teach-ers with demonstrated excellence in teachinghave an opportunity to provide practical in-

continued from page 15

Education

sight in establishing and operating educationprograms for Congress as well as organiza-tions such as the Department of Energy(DOE), the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration (NASA), and the NationalScience Foundation (NSF). Fellows serve toincrease understanding, communication, andcooperation between legislative and executivebranches and the science, mathematics, andtechnology education community. The Tri-angle Coalition, a Washington, DC–basednonprofit organization comprising membersfrom science, education, business, and gov-ernmental agencies, is administering the pro-gram. Visit its web site at http://www.triangle-coalition.org/.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

of Plants

Bob B. BuchananWilhelm Gruissem

Russell L. JonesIn 24 structured chapters (over 1,400 pages and more than1,100 original drawings plus 500 photographs), Biochemistry &Molecular Biology of Plants provides a boldly contemporary

review of its subject, including molecular biology, cell biology, andplant physiology, integrated around the themes of compartmentation,cell reproduction, energetics, metabolism, and development. TheCD-ROM of the illustrations increases its utility for teaching.

Order on the Web at aspb.org/biotext• by phone at (800) 447-3143 or (301) 374-9730• by fax at (301) 843-0159• by e-mail at [email protected]• by mail with check or purchase order to:

ASPB, P.O. Box 753, Waldorf, MD 20604-0753Prices do not include shipping & handling. Contact ASPB at thephone numbers or e-mail address above for information.

A major publishing event for and from thecommunity of plant biologists

Education Committee

The Education Committee welcomes newmembers Larry Griffing, associate professorfrom the Department of Biology at TexasA&M University, and Dr. Sheila Blackman,from the Biology Department of Grand Val-ley State University. Larry and Sheila bringtheir considerable expertise and interest ineducation, not to mention their boundlessenergy, to our committee. We look forwardto their contributions. �

Page 17: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 17

Obituaries

David Siminovitch

David Siminovitch, a longtimemember of ASPB and re-searcher on frost hardiness ofplants, passed away on Novem-ber 5, 2001, in Ottawa,Canada. He had not been ingood health for several yearsand was virtually bedridden.He sorely missed his wife,Helen, who had succumbed tocancer in 1986 at the same time that he him-self was recuperating from lymphoma. Davidclaimed that the treatments for this often-fatal disease had left his once brilliant mind“cloudy.”

Dave was born May 29, 1916. He receivedhis B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in his home-town of Montreal, Quebec, at McGill Univer-sity, finishing his Ph.D. under the prominentbotanist G. W. Scarth in 1939. His early work,published between 1938 and 1941 withScarth and collaborator and close friend JacobLevitt, formed part of the foundation of mod-ern plant stress physiology.

Following the suggestion made by theRussian scientist N. A. Maximov in 1912,Siminovitch, Levitt, and Scarth demonstratedthat disruption of the plasma membrane wasthe primary cause of freezing injury in plants.Dave showed that intracellular ice was uni-versally lethal to the plant cell and that suchfreezing did not occur in hardy plants. Heand Levitt showed the importance of plasmamembrane permeability in avoiding intracel-lular ice and showed how plasma membranepermeability increased during cold acclima-tion. More important, they showed that ex-tracellular ice caused cell dehydration, whichcould lead to disruption of the plasma mem-brane and “deplasmolysis injury” duringthawing. This is now recognized as one of thekey mechanisms of frost injury to cold hardyplant cells. Siminovitch, Levitt, and Scarthalso predicted that for the plasma membraneto survive expansion during thawing with

“constant thickness,” the incor-poration of membrane “mobilereserves” would be required.Their early insights into themechanism of freezing damagelinked to plasma membrane dis-ruption were remarkable for theirtime. They would wait almost40 years to be fully appreciated,when Peter Steponkus identified

expansion-induced lyses in isolated proto-plasts. Once, when asked how such progresscould be made with only a light microscopein a walk-in freezer chamber, Dave said, “Thelight microscope was a powerful instrumentin the 1930s for effective study of the dynam-ics of the cell and plasma membrane. In addi-tion, Scarth had a particularly good under-standing of protoplasmatology and JakeLevitt had a good grasp of chemistry andphysical chemistry.”

In 1940, Dave moved to the University ofMinnesota on a Royal Society Fellowship fortwo years and then returned to Montreal towork on penicillin for the remaining years ofWorld War II. He returned to Minnesota,where in 1948 he received a second Ph.D. inagricultural biochemistry with D. R. Briggs asadviser. There he initiated a series of studiesof the biochemistry of trees with particularemphasis on the plasma membrane duringwinter acclimation. He used black locust as amodel system, and this work continued longafter he joined the Canadian Department ofAgriculture in 1950 as a research scientist,ultimately heading the winter hardiness sec-tion of the Chemistry and Biology ResearchInstitute. There he focused on changes in pro-teins, ribonucleic acids, soluble carbohydrates,and phospholipids in response to cold accli-mation. Among the major finds with Ian dela Roche and Jas Singh was a thorough char-acterization of phospholipid unsaturation dur-ing cold acclimation. This work discountedone of the then-held simple ideas that lipid

unsaturation and plasma membrane fluiditywere responsible for winter hardiness inplants. Their later work involved use of lipo-somes and free protoplasts. Jas notes thatDave was the first to use free protoplasts tocharacterize the freezing and thawing process.This development helped lay the foundationof modern work characterizing the role ofmembranes in plant cold hardiness.

By today’s standards, Dave’s output of sci-entific publications was modest, about 50papers in all. He once confessed that it tookhim a long time to accept that the road tosuccess—that is, promotion—required a con-tinuous stream of published papers detailingstep-by-step progress. His preference was toimmerse himself in a problem and not to pub-lish until it was solved, no matter how manyyears it took. Nevertheless, even after his en-forced retirement at the age of 65, Dave con-tinued to paint the fine details so importantto the development of his chosen field of re-search. In the end, his work came at the righttime and the impact was great. Among themany awards Dave received in recognition ofhis work are the Gold Medal of the CanadianSociety of Plant Physiologists in 1972, elec-tion to the Royal Society of Canada in 1973,and the Board of Governor’s award from theCryobiology Society in 1987.

All who knew Dave well were aware of hisremarkable level of intensity, energy, and fo-cus, and he had to stand for a great deal ofkidding about these qualities. There were sto-ries about his girdling black locust trees inOttawa parks, gaining unfavorable attentionfor Agriculture Canada in Parliament. JakeLevitt’s favorite Siminovitch story describedintensity and forgetfulness: “Dave inadvert-ently locked himself in a freezing chamberduring one of those early freezing experi-ments—experiments which [are] now classics.It was late at night, he was alone, and it gotcolder and colder, Dave and his microscope

continued on page 18

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18 • ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1

continued from page 17 Elijah B. Romanoff

going to –5o, –10o, –15o. . . Centigrade. Theexperiment went uninterrupted. Finally, withthe microscope as his tool, he broke the cham-ber window and escaped.” So indeed, as Davehimself said, “The light microscope was apowerful instrument in the 1930s”!

Dave Siminovitch set the highest standardsfor himself, and his contributions are signifi-cant, not only at the theoretical, fundamentallevel but also from the practical point of view.In his Gold Medal address at the joint ASPP/CSPP meeting in Calgary in 1973, Dave de-scribed his work with J. W. Butler of theLaurentian Concentrates Company in devel-oping a protective foam that could be laiddown over tender plants when overnightfreezing temperatures were expected, therebylengthening the growing season.

He will be missed, not only by his children,David, Jane, and Michael, but also by hiscolleagues and friends. �

Michael J. BurkeProfessor and Associate Dean

Oregon State University

Constance NozzolilloRetired Professor

University of Ottawa

Eli was a man amongst men—a real mensch!Saying this brings tears to our eyes; there sim-ply is no replacement for this wonderful hu-man being, who died November 24, 2001. Eliknew feelings. He knew love and deep per-sonal loyalties. But he also knew science andbudget restrictions. He sweated and agonizedover each and every National Science Foun-dation panel decision, knowing full well howmuch each one meant for science and for theapplicant. Anyone holding the illusion thatgovernment workers are uncaring about thepublic welfare had best study the life of Dr.Elijah B. Romanoff.

A native of Massachusetts, Eli Romanoffwas born February 15, 1913. His childhoodand early school years were spent in Clinton,Massachusetts. He received a bachelor’s ofscience degree in chemistry in 1934 and amaster’s in engineering, both from the Worces-ter Polytechnic Institute. He received his doc-torate in biochemistry from Tufts Universityin 1949. His working experience was at theWorcester State Laboratories and then withthe U.S. Army from 1941 to 1945. He thenworked at the Worcester Foundation forMedical Research under Gregory Pincus. His

interests lay in steroid chemistry and physiol-ogy. Underlying this interest was his convic-tion that much human suffering could beavoided with better knowledge of methodsfor preventing unwanted conception. Thus,his work at the foundation, where the firstknowledge for prevention of unwanted preg-nancies was produced, held both scientific andhumanistic interest, as was true of all his in-terests and characteristic of his entire life.

Eli left the Worcester Foundation in 1968and accepted the position of panel director ofthe Metabolic Biology Section of the NSF,initially as a rotator and then later as perma-nent staff. He soon became known to princi-pal investigators and would-be PIs by his in-tense personal interest in their work, theirhopes, and their visions—and, of course, theirday-to-day results.

Inevitably, as in any large organization,there arose at NSF problems of bureaucracythat became especially intense as competitionfor the limited funds increased. Eli felt thiscompetition keenly and personally. Often hewould call a grantee and say simply, “talk tome.” He listened intently as the PI spelled outthe details of his or her research. For Eli, this

From left to right: Eli Romanoff, Henry Reeves, and Martin Gibbs at Deep Canyon, in the desert near

Palm Springs, California, 1982.

Obituaries

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ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 19

peaceful interlude with concentration on thescience, and the persona of science, restoredhis strength. He could then return to the in-evitable struggles of a large organization. Eliretired from the foundation in 1983.

The debt of the plant science community toEli is immense. There was a time in the post-Sputnik era when there was a huge escalationin federal funding for science. However, inbiology, it was microbial biochemistry andgenetics that totally swept the field. The ad-vantages of E. coli genetics seemed so hugethat there was no room for genetic studieswith higher plants. So true was this that atone time NSF was funding only one plant ge-netics proposal and that one grant was threat-ened. Eli recognized immediately that the vastpotential of plant biochemistry and geneticswas in danger of being lost. He was aware ofthe unique aspects of plant metabolism andof the vital need for promotion of plant sci-ence with the ultimate objective of feeding ahungry world.

There is little doubt that the growth of plantphysiology between 1968 and 1983 corre-lated with Eli’s tenure as a panel director forthe NSF. He diligently studied the workingsof the foundation so that he might have aninfluence on the various fields. He did this inmany ways, including the funding of the an-nual symposia in botany at Riverside, Cali-fornia, and the marine botany course atWoods Hole. He worked together with sev-eral dedicated co-workers such as VanRobertson, Jane Shen Miller, and CarterKimsey. He was aided greatly in this work bythe division director, Mary Clutter. In everyplant science initiative, one find’s Eli’s foot-prints.

How did he accomplish so much? Eli re-sponded to the field’s needs by contacting theleading researchers in plant science and started

Obituaries

them on a movement toward special consid-eration for plant science research proposals.There was much resistance to this notion ofan “affirmative action” movement for theplant sciences. With Eli’s persistence, though,and with the volunteers he gathered aroundhim, this near demise of plant science fund-ing was avoided.

Almost 10 years after Dr. Romanoff retiredfrom the foundation, the director of the NSFbiology division called him and said, “Wehave finally funded the last of your deferredapplicants.” One may only surmise that Elibreathed a sigh of relief at having saved theseworthy proposals. The proposals had beendeferred because Eli knew he did not havethe money to fund them but also knew thatthe work was excellent and that the appli-cants were excellent investigators and that arefusal would hurt them. Who says the gov-ernment is autocratic and unfeeling?

There is no doubt that the plant scienceswould not have enjoyed the enormous resur-gence of interest in the unique capabilities ofplants had Dr. Romanoff not intervened. Inrecognition of his unique contributions to theplant sciences, the American Society of PlantPhysiologists bestowed upon him the AdolphE. Gude Award in 1993, making him the fifthrecipient of that distinguished prize.

When Eli retired from NSF in 1983, he senta simple letter to his colleagues and PIs withthe words of the song “September” as themessage. In that spirit one may say that trulya golden leaf has fallen, fallen from the treeof life, with a loss for us all. �

Robert S. BandurskiProfessor Emeritus, Plant Biology

Michigan State University

Martin GibbsBurg Professor Emeritus

Brandeis University

ASPB makes it

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APRIL

April 8–12Society for Experimental BiologyAnnual Main MeetingSwansea, Wales, United KingdomContact the SEB office at: telephone, +44-207-439-8732, fax +44-207-7287-4786, [email protected]/. See web site atwww.sebiology.org.

April 11–145th Workshop on Sulfur Assimilation in HigherPlants: “Sulfur Transport and Assimilation—Regulation, Interaction, Signaling”Montpellier, FranceFor more information on the program and howto register, visit the web site at http://cost829.dhs.org/planned_meetings/. Workshop limited to120 participants. Contact Prof. Jean-ClaudeDavidian, ENSA-M / INRA (UMR 5004) 2,Place Viala, 34060 Montpellier, France,[email protected].

April 15–1717th Long Ashton International Symposium“New Frontiers in Plant Development: FromGenes to Phenotype”Bristol, United KingdomFor information contact Christine Cooke at +44-1275-549341, fax +44-1275-549397, [email protected].

April 17–21Evolution of Developmental DiversityCold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New YorkFor information contact Meetings Office, ColdSpring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Rd.,Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724; telephone 516-367-8346, fax 516-367-8845, [email protected], web site http://nucleus.cshl.org/meetings/2002Divers.htm.

April 23–27VI International Meeting on Biology andBiotechnology of the Plant Hormone EthyleneMurcia, SpainFor information contact Dr. M. Vendrell, [email protected], or Dr. F. Romojaro, [email protected]. Meeting Secretariat:CEBAS-CSIC, Campus Universitario deEspinardo, Apartado de Correos 4.195, 30100Murcia, Spain; telephone +34-968-396328, fax+34-968-396213.

MAY

May 9–17Analytical & Quantitative Light MicroscopyMarine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole,MassachusettsApplication deadline is February 6, 2002.Contact: Carol Hamel, Admissions Coordina-tor, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7MBLStreet, Woods Hole, MA 02543-1015; tele-phone 508-289-7401, [email protected].

May 16–18Plant Reproduction 2002: From Evolutionaryand Physiological Analyses to Molecular andCellular StudiesPennsylvania State University, University ParkContact Dr. Teh-hui Kao, 403 Althouse Lab,The Pennsylvania State University, UniversityPark, PA 16802; telephone 814-863-1042, fax814-863-9416, e-mail [email protected], web siteshttp://conferences.cas.psu.edu/ and http://www.lsc.psu.edu/phys/annualsym.html.

May 20–22Urban Agriculture: Emerging Opportunities inScience, Education, and PolicyDallas, TexasCall +972-231-5362 for more information orvisit http://urbanag.tamu.edu.

May 21–28Microinjection Techniques in Cell BiologyMarine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole,MassachusettsApplication deadline is February 6, 2002.Contact: Carol Hamel, Admissions Coordina-tor, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7MBL Street,Woods Hole, MA 02543-1015; telephone 508-289-7401, e-mail [email protected].

ASPB News publishes dates, titles, locations, and contact names and addresses formeetings, courses, seminars, and the like that are of interest to ASPB members. Submitannouncements via e-mail to [email protected] or mail to Sylvia Braxton Lee, ASPBNews, 15501 Monona Drive, Rockville, MD 20855-2768 USA. Faxed transmissionsare not accepted.

Gatherings

Future ASPB Annual Meeting Sites

2002: Denver, Colorado

Saturday, August 3, through

Wednesday, August 7

2003: Honolulu, Hawaii

Saturday, July 26, through

Wednesday, July 30

2004: Orlando, Florida

Saturday, July 24, through

Wednesday, July 28

2002

FEBRUARY

February 12–14Chemexpo 2002—Indian Chemistry forGlobal CompetitivenessMumbai, IndiaFor information visit us at http://www.chemexpo2002.com/ or [email protected].

MARCH

March 2–4Southern Section’s Annual MeetingGeorgia Center for Continuing EducationUniversity of Georgia Campus, AthensRuth Grene (formerly Alscher) is the organizer,working with Scott Merkle, local host. Forinformation contact Ruth Grene, Departmentof Plant Pathology, Physiology and WeedScience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0330; telephone 540-231-6761, fax 540-231-5755, e-mail [email protected].

March 15–16Annual Meeting of the Midwest Section of theAmerican Society of Plant BiologistsMarcum Conference Center, Miami UniversityOxford, OhioFor information contact John Z. Kiss, SectionChair, Miami University, Department of Botany,Oxford, OH 45056; [email protected]. See alsothe Midwest Section home page at http://www.aspb.org/committees_societies/midwestern/index.cfm.

March 23–266th International Conference on PlasmaMembrane Redox Systems and Their Role inBiological Stress and DiseaseRavenna, ItalyFor information contact Paolo Trost, Depart-ment of Biology, University of Bologna,telephone +39-051-2091329, fax +39-051-242576, e-mail [email protected], or visit theweb site at http://www.unibo.it/redox2002.

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ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 21

JUNE

June 2–6International Conference on Legume Genomicsand GeneticsMinneapolis-St. Paul, MinnesotaFor information see http://www.agro.agri.umn.edu/iclgg/.

June 3–818th North American Conference on SymbioticNitrogen FixationUniversity of Missouri, ColumbiaFor information contact Lorie Thunhorst,344 Hearns, University Extension ConferenceOffice, University of Missouri, Columbia,Missouri 65211; telephone 573-882-2429,fax 573-882-1953, e-mail [email protected].

June 20-234th Annual Plant Sciences Institute Symposiumon “Proteomes: Structure, Changes,Interactions and Functions”Iowa State University and the Plant SciencesInstitute, Scheman Building, Iowa State Center,AmesFor information, contact Gulshan Singh and TiniBajwa, Symposium Coordinators, SymposiumOffice, 3208 Molecular Biology Building, IowaState University, Ames, IA 50011; telephone 515-294-7978, fax 515-294-2244, [email protected], web site http://molebio.iastate.edu/~gfst/phomepg.html.

June 23–2811th International Symposium on IronNutrition and Interactions in PlantsUdine, ItalyContact: Roberto Pinton, DepartmentProduzione Vegetale e Tecnologie Agrarie,University of Udine, Via Delle Scienze 208I-33100 Udine, Italy; telephone +390432558641,fax +390432558603, e-mail [email protected], web site http://www.ironsymp2002.unimi.it.

June 28th–July 213th International Conference on ArabidopsisResearchSevilla, SpainRegistration deadline: April 15. Deadline forabstract submission: April 30.See http://www.arabidopsis2002.com for officialweb site and please visit http://www.arabidopsis.org/news for more informationon previous years’ conferences.

JULY

July 7–12XXIst International Carbohydrate SymposiumCairns, Queensland, AustraliaFor information, contact The Secretariat,Congress West, 12 Thelma Street, PO Box1248, West Perth, Western Australia 6872;fax +61-8-9322-1734, e-mail [email protected], web site http://www.ics2002.uwa.edu.au/.

July 14–19Gordon Research Conference on Cellular Basisof Adaptation to Salt and Water Stress in PlantsQueen’s College, Oxford, United KingdomFor information contact Mike Hasegawa,Center for Plant Environmental Stress Physiology,1165 Horticulture Building, Purdue University,West Lafayette, IN 47907-1165; [email protected] orsee http://www.grc.uri.edu/programs/2002/salt.htm or http://www.grc.uri.edu/.

July 21–26International Symposium on NitrateAssimilation: Genetic and Molecular AspectsCordoba, SpainOrganizers: Emilio Fernandez, Conrado Moreno,Aurora Galvan. For information, contact theseindividuals at the Department of Bioquimica yBiologia Molecular, University of Cordoba,Campus Rabanales, Edif. Severo Ochoa, 14071,Cordoba, Spain; e-mail [email protected] [email protected], or visit the web site at http://www.uco.es/vida/congresos/namga2002.

July 28–August 1Plant Growth Regulation Society of AmericaWestin Nova Scotian, Halifax, Nova ScotiaContact Dr. Wayne A. Mackay, Program Chair,Texas A&M University, 17360 Coit Road,Dallas, TX 75252-6599; telephone 972-231-5362, fax 972-962-9216, e-mail [email protected], web site http://www.griffin.peachnet.edu/pgrsa.

AUGUST

August 1–4Tissue RemodelingScheman Continuing Education BuildingIowa State University, AmesDeadline for abstracts is May 31, 2002.Registration deadline is July 1, 2002. Travelgrant application due May 31, 2002. ContactGrowth Factor and Signal Transduction

Gatherings

Conferences, Symposium Office, 3208 MolecularBiology Building, Iowa State University, Ames, IA50011-3260; telephone 515-294-7968, fax 515-294-2244, e-mail [email protected], web site http://molebio.iastate.edu/~gfst/homepg.html.

August 3–7The Annual Meeting of the American Societyof Plant BiologistsAdams Mark HotelDenver, ColoradoFor information see http://www.aspb.org/meetings/pb-2002/index.cfm.

August 11–14SOY 2002: The 9th Biennial Conference of theCellular and Molecular Biology of the SoybeanUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignFor information, please contact us via e-mail [email protected] or visit our web site atwww.soy2002.uiuc.edu.

August 11–16Gordon Research Conference on “CO2 Fixation& Metabolism in Green Plants”Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley,MassachusettsFor detailed information see http://www.grc.uri.edu/programs/2002/co2.htm, theFebruary 15th, 2002 issue of Science, and/orcontact one of the Co-Chairs, Ray Chollet([email protected]) or Christine Foyer([email protected]).

August 11–17XXVI International Horticulture Congress andExhibition“Horticulture: Art and Science for Life”Toronto, CanadaThe Toronto Knowledge & Scholarship Forum isplanned August 13, 2002. Offers of oral orposter presentation specifically intended for thisforum must be received by e-mail ([email protected]) by November 30, 2001. To see thethird announcement and call for abstracts,visit http://www.ihc2002.org/.

August 22–262nd Silicon in Agriculture ConferenceTsuruoka, Yamagata, JapanFor information, please contact ian Feng Ma,Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University;telephone +81-87-891-3137, [email protected], web site http://cpln.kais.kyoto-u.ac.jp/silicon.

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SEPTEMBER

September 1–613th International Congress of the Federation ofEuropean Societies of Plant Physiology (FESPP)Heraklion, Crete, GreeceFor information please contact ProfessorKalliopi A. Roubelakis-Angelakis; telephone+30-81-394073/304459, fax +30-81-394459, e-mail [email protected];[email protected]; web sitewww.biology.uoc.gr/meetings/fespp.

September 9–12International Conference on PolyphenolsMarrakech, MoroccoSee http://www.ucam.ac.ma/fssm/jiep2002 orhttp://www.worlcalendar.com (keyword:polyphenols). For additional informationcontact Professor Ismaïl El Hadrami, Laboratoirede Physiologie Végétale, Département deBiologie, Faculté des Sciences Semlalia, BP. 2390,40 001 Marrakech-Maroc; telephone +212-44-439997/434649 poste 521, fax +212-44-439997/330251/436769, e-mail [email protected] [email protected].

September 15–196th International Conference on PseudomonasSyringae Pathovars and Related PathogensMaratea (PZ), ItalyFor information contact Nicola SanteIacobellis, Dipartimento di Biologia, Difesa eBiotecnologie Agro-Forestali, Università degliStudi della Basilicata, Campus MacchiaRomana, 85100 Potenza, Italy; telephone +390971 205498, fax +39 0971 205503, [email protected], web sitewww.unibas.it/utenti/pseudomonassyringae.

September 19–22Molecular Targets for Dietary Intervention inDiseaseScheman Continuing Education BuildingIowa State University, AmesAbstracts due July 19, 2002; registrationdeadline: August 19, 2002. Travel grantapplication due July 19, 2002. Contact GrowthFactor and Signal Transduction Conferences,Symposium Office, 3208 Molecular BiologyBuilding, Iowa State University, Ames, IA50011-3260; telephone 515-294-7968, fax 515-294-2244, e-mail [email protected], web sitehttp://molebio.iastate.edu/~gfst/homepg.html.

Gatherings

OCTOBER

October 7–9Biotechnolgie Vegetales: VIII JS-AUFMarrakech, MoroccoSee http://www.bioveg.refer.org. For additionalinformation contact Professor Ismaïl El Hadrami,Laboratoire de Physiologie Végétale,Département de Biologie, Faculté des SciencesSemlalia, BP. 2390, 40 001 Marrakech-Maroc;telephone +212-44-439997/434649 poste 521,fax +212-44-439997/330251/436769, [email protected] or [email protected].

October 10–19Optical Microscopy & Imaging in the BiomedicalSciencesMarine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole,MassachusettsApplication deadline is July 25, 2002. ContactCarol Hamel, Admissions Coordinator, MarineBiological Laboratory, 7MBL Street, WoodsHole, MA 02543-1015; telephone 508-289-7401, e-mail [email protected].

Three major technological advances stand out as crucial to plant science during the past 25 years: the development of molecular tools, the developmentof plant transformation, and the widespread adoptionof Arabidopsis as a model organism.

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Plant Physiology, the flagshipjournal of the American Society of Plant Biologists, 42 short com-mentaries were featured in the January 2001 issue that attempt to

summarize these and other conceptual breakthroughs. The authors, repre-senting various fields of study, compiled a concise overview of the impor-tant concepts and paradigms that have emerged during the past 25 years.These commentaries are fascinating taken one at a time, but together theydemonstrate just how far plant biology has come in a relatively short while.

Along with analysis of the three breakthroughs mentioned above, theremaining articles draw from research in the following areas: whole plantphysiology and biochemistry; signal transduction; developmental, cell, andmolecular biology; genetics; and biotechnology. They have been reprinted inthis special book to commemorate the enormous advances in plant science.

Plant Physiology 75th Anniversary Conceptual Breakthroughs in BiologyISBN 0-943088-41-0. Item 30050. Price $25.00

For ordering information, go to www.aspb.org

Plant Physiology 75th Anniversary

Conceptual Breakthroughs in Biology

Page 23: ASPB Newsletter - January/February 2002 - Volume 29, Number 1

ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1 • 23

This form may be used only by members of the American Society of Plant Biologists. Please print or type your placement information onthis form (curriculum vitae will not be accepted) and send to: Donna Gordon, ASPB Headquarters, 15501 Monona Drive, Rockville, MD20855-2768 USA; e-mail [email protected]

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24 • ASPB News, Vol. 29, No. 1

I. Registering with the ASPB Placement Service andObtaining Placement Files

ASPB operates a placement service in which are kept activetwo files of résumés of individuals who are seeking employ-ment. Employers are urged to survey the résumé files forthose seeking permanent positions and those seekingpostdoctoral or similar positions. The files cost $25 eachand may be ordered from Donna Gordon, ASPB PlacementService, 15501 Monona Drive, Rockville, MD 20855-2768USA. Those seeking employment should complete the Place-ment Service Form on the previous page to be included inthe service.

II. Placing a Position Ad in the ASPB News and on theASPB Homepage

Submit all ads by e-mail to Sylvia Braxton Lee at [email protected] (or by mail to Sylvia Braxton Lee, 15501 MononaDrive, Rockville, MD 20855-2768 USA). If you are submit-ting a chargeable ad, please include billing information whenyou send the ad.

• Academic/Government/Industry Permanent Positions (Ph.D. level):Fee: $150. Includes listing in one issue of the ASPB News and 12 weekson the ASPB online Job Bank.Word Limit: 200 for print ad; no limit for online ad.

• Postdoctoral PositionsFee: No charge for universities, nonprofit organizations, and governmentinstallations; $150 for commercial companies. Includes listing in one is-sue of the ASPB News and 12 weeks on the ASPB online Job Bank.Word Limit: 200 for print ad; no limit for online ad.

• Research/Technical Positions (non-Ph.D.)Fee: No charge for universities, nonprofit organizations, and governmentinstallations; $150 for commercial companies. Includes listing in one is-sue of the ASPB News and 12 weeks on the ASPB online Job Bank.Word Limit: 200 for print ad; no limit for online ad.

• Assistantships, Fellowships, InternshipsFee: No charge; ad will appear in two issues of the ASPB News—thefirst time at full length and the second time in an abbreviated form—and 12 weeks on the ASPB online Job Bank.Word Limit: None.

ACADEMIC/GOVERNMENT/INDUSTRYPERMANENT POSITIONS (Ph.D.)

Assistant Professor/Assistant PostharvestBiochemistUniversity of California, Davis(Received 11/09)The Department of Vegetable Crops at theUniversity of California, Davis, invitesapplications for a tenure-track academicposition that has 40% research appointment inthe Agricultural Experiment Station and 60%teaching and research appointment in theCollege of Agricultural and EnvironmentalSciences. Competence in modern physiological,biochemical and/or molecular techniques toinvestigate the fundamental bases ofpostharvest biochemistry of vegetables andseeds is expected. Possible program areasinclude functional genomics, proteomics, genediscovery, metabolic biology and/or cellularsignal transduction where fundamentaldiscoveries can be expected to impact nutri-tional value, flavor, quality, safety and/orpostharvest pathology of vegetables and seeds.The successful appointee will generate

extramural research funds and teach undergradu-ate and graduate level courses related tobiochemistry and postharvest biology. Applicantmust hold a Ph.D. and preferably havepostdoctoral research experience in anappropriate field such as plant biology,biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, plantphysiology, or related area. Send completedapplication including curriculum vitae,publication lists (both published and submittedincluding representative reprints), statement ofteaching and research interests and experience,official undergraduate and graduate transcripts(if within five years of graduation), and thenames and addresses of five professionalreferences to M.E. Saltveit, Search CommitteeChair, Department of Vegetable Crops, OneShields Avenue, University of California, Davis,CA 95616-8631; telephone 530-752-1815, fax530-752-4554, e-mail [email protected] position will remain open until filled, but toensure consideration applications must bereceived by March 1, 2002. The University ofCalifornia is an affirmative action/equalopportunity employer.

Ph.D. Research AssistantRutgers University, New Brunswick,New Jersey(Received 11/16)A research assistant is needed to study potentialweediness and fertility of hybrids betweencreeping bentgrass and related Agrostis species.This project will involve considerable field workcomparing the potential for weediness of thehybrids with that of the parental species. Theproject will also involve backcrossing thehybrids and progeny analysis investigating thepotential for gene flow to other species. Pleasee-mail curriculum vitae to Dr. Faith Belanger [email protected].

Assistant or Associate ProfessorGordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts(Received 11/26)The Department of Biology seeks candidatesfor a position in plant biology to begin August15, 2002. We are seeking an educator commit-ted to excellence in the integration of Christianfaith and the highest standards of teaching inthe only nondenominational, Christian, liberal

THE DEADLINE FOR ADS FOR THE MARCH/APRIL ISSUE OF ASPB News IS FEBRUARY 28, 2002.

Check ASPB’s web site (http://www.aspb.org/jobbank/) every Friday for new job listings.

Jobs with early application deadlines are listed on the web site but might not appear in the ASPB News.

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arts college in the Northeast. A Ph.D is required,and previous teaching and postdoctoral researchexperience is strongly preferred. PrimaryTeaching Responsibilities: botany, plantphysiology and genetics. Other courses that maybe required are crops and society and upper-levelcourses in an area of expertise. The position alsoserves as on-campus liaison and recruiter for theSustainable Tropical Agriculture course (Interna-tional Seminar). A letter of application, vitae atwo-page statement of educational philosophyand a statement of ongoing research focus shouldbe directed to Dr. Mark Sargent, Provost, GordonCollege, 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA01984; telephone 978-927-2306, ext. 4294, fax978-524-3726, e-mail [email protected].

Assistant or Associate ProfessorGordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts(Received 11/26)The Department of Biology seeks candidatesfor a position in biochemistry/molecular biologyto begin August 15, 2002. We are seeking aneducator committed to excellence in theintegration of Christian faith and the higheststandards of teaching in the only nondenomina-tional, Christian, liberal arts college in theNortheast. A Ph.D. is required, and previousteaching and postdoctoral research experienceis strongly preferred. Primary TeachingResponsibilities: biochemistry and molecularbiology. Teaching in immunology and a portionof the Introductory Biology series may berequired. Involvement in advising students inthe biotechnology concentration and guidancein student research and internships is expected.A letter of application, vitae and two-pagestatement of educational philosophy and astatement of ongoing research focus should bedirected to Dr. Mark Sargent, Provost, GordonCollege, 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA01984; telephone 978-927-2306, ext. 4294, fax978-524-3726, e-mail [email protected].

Assistant ProfessorTexas A&M University, College Station(Received 11/27)The Faculty of Molecular and EnvironmentalPlant Sciences (MEPS) invites applications for a12-month, tenure-track position in reproductivebiology of plants, primarily monocots. The areaof research interest is from early floralevocation to early embryo developmentincluding but not limited to gene regulationsignal perception and transduction, reproduc-tive differentiation, fertilization and apomicticdevelopment. The successful candidate will usethe modern tools of molecular biology, functional

genomics and plant physiology to develop anindependent, extramurally funded researchprogram. Willingness to augment research effortson apomixis and floral initiation will beexpected. A well-equipped laboratory, start-upfunds, access to major research facilities andequipment, technician support, and graduatestudent funding will be provided. Teachingresponsibilities will include one or two courses inthe MEPS interdepartmental program in the areasof plant development, plant biochemistry or plantphysiology. Salary is dependent on qualificationsand experience. Applicants must have a Ph.D.and postdoctoral training. Review of applicationswill begin March 1, 2002; position available June1, 2002. Send a curriculum vitae, transcripts,names of three references and a statement ofresearch interests and teaching philosophy to Dr.Mark A. Hussey, Professor and Head, Depart-ment of Soil & Crop Sciences, Texas A&MUniversity, College Station, TX 77843-2474;telephone 979-845-3401, fax 979-845-0456.

Faculty RecruitmentsUniversity of Illinois(Received 11/30)We offer two positions in Plant Bioinformatics,one assistant, and one assistant/associateprofessor funded by Post-Genomics Initiative toexpand bioinformatics and build a PostGenomics Institute. Candidates must beeducated in bioinformation sciences, computersciences, genomics, or related areas. Successfulapplicants will develop externally fundedresearch programs of international stature,collaborate with faculty within and outside ofthe UI, and teach well. Applications received byFebruary 26, 2002, will receive full consider-ation. Starting date is May 21, 2002. Candi-dates must have Ph.D.; post-Ph.D. experiencedesired. Candidates should assemble and submitan application packet with: cover letter;curriculum vitae; statement of research andteaching goals; plus arrange for complete set ofcertified academic transcripts and three letters ofreference to be received by: Professor G. H.Heichel, Head, Dept. of Crop Sciences, Universityof Illinois, 1102 South Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL;telephone 217-333-9480. Further informationcan be obtained from Professor Lila Vodkin,Chairperson, Bioinfor-matics Search, e-mail [email protected] See web site at http://www.cropsci.uiuc.edu for more informationabout department and complete job announce-ments. Please cite announcement numbers 1101a-8101(asst./assoc.) or 1101b-8102(asst.) whenapplying. The University of Illinois is anaffirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Minnesota, St. Paul(Received 11/30)A 12-month tenure-track teaching (75%) andresearch (25%) position; tenure-home inDepartment of Agronomy and Plant Genetics,University of Minnesota, St. Paul is availableJuly 1 and no later than August 1, 2002. Theposition is part of an educational partnershipbetween the University of Minnesota andSouthwest State University at Marshall, MN.Teaching at SSU includes courses (11-12semester credits) in intro crop science, weed/crop management, and inter-institutionalofferings, plus academic advising activities.Research on some aspect of sustainablecropping systems will be conducted at theSouthwest Research and Outreach Center,Lamberton, MN. Ph.D. required by date ofappointment in agronomy/crop science or aclosely related field, demonstrated teachingability with strong oral and written communi-cation skills, and documented ability to design,conduct and report independent research.Application review begins March 1, 2002, andcontinues until filled. Send resumé, copies oftranscripts, a one- to two-page statement ofpersonal teaching and research philosophy, andhave three letters of reference sent indepen-dently to V. C. Cardwell, Department ofAgronomy and Plant Genetics, University ofMinnesota, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul,MN 55108-6026. The University of Minnesotais an equal opportunity educator and employer.

Faculty PositionCentral Washington University, Ellensburg(Received 12/04)The Biological Sciences Department invitesapplications for a nine-month, tenure-trackassistant/associate professor botany position tobegin September 2002. We are searching for aplant scientist with a focus in plant physiology.The position requires a broad academicbackground in botany and a Ph.D. in anappropriate field. Candidates should beprepared to teach introductory courses as wellas advanced courses and demonstrate acommitment to teaching and research involvingstudents. Screening will begin January 21,2001. For position details and applicationprocedures, see our web site at http://www.cwu.edu/~biology/positions.html or contactSearch Committee Chair, Dr. S. Johnson;telephone 509-963-2300, [email protected]. Affirmative action/equalemployment opportunity/Title IX Institution.

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Visiting Land-Grant Chair for ResearchMinnesota Landscape ArboretumSt. Paul, Minnesota(Received 12/06)The Department of Horticultural Science and theMinnesota Landscape Arboretum (MLA) at theUniversity of Minnesota have established anendowed visiting chair to support researchpertinent to the genetic improvement, produc-tion, use, or maintenance of woody landscapeplants. The Chairholder’s research must be incollaboration with a faculty member of theUniversity of Minnesota, and must be definedas a discreet ending at one-year project.Chairholders will carry out a significant portionof their work at the Arboretum. Proposals mustbe jointly submitted with a faculty member ofthe University of Minnesota, preferably fromthe Department of Horticultural Science.Projects must be from six months to one year induration, with possibility of up to one-yearrenewal, and should include at least onesemester of residency at the Arboretum/TwinCities Campus. Funding from the endowment canbe used to supplement sabbatical salary and/orprovide research supplies and salary for supportstaff. To apply for the MLA Land-Grant Chairfor Research, please submit a concise descriptionof the project (five-page maximum), a letter ofsupport from the collaborating University ofMinnesota faculty member, a copy of yourcurriculum vitae, and names and addresses oftwo additional references to Paul Li, Professor,Department of Horticultural Science, Universityof Minnesota, 1970 Folwell Avenue, St. Paul,MN 55108; telephone 612-624-1757, fax 612-614-4941, e-mail [email protected]. TheUniversity of Minnesota is an equal opportunityeducator and employer.

Assistant ProfessorWashington State University, Pullman(Received 12/07)The Institute of Biological Chemistry atWashington State University invites applica-tions for a tenure-track assistant professorposition to begin August 2002. Applicants musthave a Ph.D., or equivalent, as well as a strongrecord of research and publications in plantbiochemistry, molecular genetics, genomics, oranother area of modern plant biology. Theability and commitment to build a dynamic,well-funded program of international stature isessential. The Institute (http://ibc.wsu.edu)

provides an excellent research environment withmore than 120 scientists, excellent equipmentand facilities, and ready access to specializedtechniques in biochemistry, cell biology, andgenomics. Candidates should submit a curricu-lum vitae, statement of research interests, and adescription of future plans. In addition,applicants should arrange for three letters ofreference to be sent to Dr. John Browse, SearchCommittee Chair, Institute of BiologicalChemistry, Washington State University, PO Box646340, Pullman, WA 99164-6340; telephone509-335-5496, fax 509-335-7643, [email protected]. Review of applications willbegin on January 15, 2002, and continue untilthe position is filled. EEO/AA/ADA.

Assistant Professor Crop ScientistUniversity of Missouri-Columbia(Received 12/19)A crop scientist for the Agronomy Department,Plant Sciences Unit, University of Missouri-Columbia is sought. Position is a tenure-track,11-month, 60% teaching and 40% researchappointment. The successful applicant will playa central role in undergraduate teaching,advising, recruiting, and student activities.Undergraduate teaching includes developmentof a lecture and laboratory course to provide afoundation in the plant sciences. Teaching willalso include a course in crop physiology,management, or ecology. Development of anextramurally funded research program thatcomplements ongoing research is required.Participation in graduate education is alsoexpected. A Ph.D. in Agronomy or a relatedarea is required; postdoctoral experience isdesirable. The successful applicant must haveteaching experience or a demonstrated interestin teaching, and the desire for student interac-tion. Written and oral communication skills areessential. Salary commensurate with experi-ence. EEO/AA/ADA Employer with ADA/TTYaccommodations. Applications from minoritiesare encouraged. Application screening willbegin March 1, 2002. Applicants should send acover letter stating goals, teaching philosophyand research interests, curriculum vitae, andofficial transcripts to Margie Anglen, 1-41 AgBuilding, University of Missouri, Columbia,MO 65211. Three letters of reference should besent independently. Direct questions to Dr.Anne L. McKendry at (573) 882-7708, email:[email protected].

Assistant Scientist PositionThe Connecticut Agricultural ExperimentStation, New Haven(Received 1/02)The Department of Biochemistry & Genetics in-vites applications for a 100% research position atthe assistant scientist level starting January 2002.The appointee is expected to develop an indepen-dent program of externally funded research thatcomplements ongoing plant molecular biology re-search in the department. New laboratories andoffice space for the department are scheduled forcompletion in June 2002. Proximity to Yale Uni-versity offers excellent opportunities for collabo-ration with a broad range of plant molecular bi-ologists. Qualified candidates must possess aPh.D. and relevant postdoctoral experience.Please submit a curriculum vitae, a statement ofprofessional goals and research interests, namesof five references, their addresses, e-mails, andtelephone and fax numbers to Dr. Neil, Depart-ment of Biochemistry & Genetics, PO Box 1106,The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Sta-tion, New Haven, CT 06504; [email protected]. CAES is an equal opportunity/af-firmative action employer with a strong institu-tional commitment to the achievement of diver-sity among its faculty and staff.

POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS

Postdoctoral PositionTexas A&M University, College Station(Received 11/09)Postdoctoral position in plant cell biology andcell biology education is open immediately. Thisis a research and education position in imagingthe 3D/4D dynamics of plant endomembranetraffic. Background in 3D imaging, softwareengineering, or molecular cell biology and aninterest in education and communicationstrategies (particularly grades 7–12) aredesired. The project will investigate plant cellendomembrane traffic using real time confocaland deconvolution-based data acquisition and3D form and motion analysis. The candidatewill help develop strategies for publishing anddelivering the data over variable bandwidth togrades 7–12 and undergraduate classrooms andlabs. Assessment strategies for how effectivelythe information can involve undergraduatesand grades 7–12 in research will be furtherdeveloped. An opportunity for experience inteaching senior-level undergraduate cell biologyis also available. This is a two-year appoint-

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ment, with annual review. It is part of the NSF-sponsored Information and Technology inScience (ITS) Center at Texas A&M University.Contact Larry Griffing, Biology Department,Texas A&M University, College Station, TX77843-3258; e-mail [email protected].

Postdoctoral Research AssociateUniversity of Minnesota, St. Paul(Received 11/19)A two-year postdoctoral position is availableimmediately to study the role and function ofcytokinins in maize kernels during the earlystages of development. Specifically, the researchwill focus on (1) characterization of thedevelopmental and temporal regulation ofcytokinins by identification of the full spectraof cytokinins (using HPLC/MS) and character-ization of the activity, expression, andlocalization of cytokinin synthesis andcatabolism genes, as basis for investigation oftheir metabolic regulation; (2) determining if thetransient accumulation of cytokinins in maizekernels and component tissues (i.e. endosperm,embryo and pedicel) early after pollination isassociated with local de novo cytokininbiosynthesis using in vivo incorporation of 15Nlabeled substrates and in vitro enzyme assays;(3) characterizing the effects of substrates andend products on regulation of cytokinin oxidaseand determination of its role in down-regulationof cytokinin levels in developing maize kernelsand component tissues. Molecular biologyexperience (northern and western blots, RT-PRC,in situ hybridization and immunolocalization) ispreferred. To apply, please send a brief descrip-tion of research experience, curriculum vitae(contain a list of publications) and threereferences to Dr. Robert J. Jones, Department ofAgronomy and Plant Genetics, University ofMinnesota, 411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 UpperBuford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108. Theinformation requested may also be sent as an e-mail attachment to [email protected]. The University of Minnesota is anequal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Two Postdoctoral PositionsMichigan State University, East Lansing(Received 11/21)Two positions are available in the area ofoilseed metabolism and genetic engineering.Postdoctoral candidates with strong back-grounds in biochemistry and/or molecularbiology are encouraged to apply. Additionalexperience in one or more of the following

areas would be advantageous: genetics, physiol-ogy, genomics, cell biology, lipid chemistry andthe engineering and/or modeling of metabolicnetworks. Plant metabolic engineering is agrowth area in biotechnology and these positionsoffer an excellent opportunity to explore theinterface between basic knowledge and its uses inthe area of renewable resource developmentwhile working in an academic environment.Attractive salary, benefits and interactions withthe Oilseed Engineering Alliance are available.See http://www.msu.edu/user/oilseeds/. Positionsavailable late 2001 or early 2002. Candidatesinterested in applying for these positions shouldsend a letter by e-mail to Mike Pollard([email protected]) or John Ohlrogge([email protected]).

Postdoctoral PositionUniversity of California at Berkeley(Received 12/05)Postdoctoral scholars are needed to participatein on-going research, seeking to developunicellular green algae into bio-product over-expression systems. The green algae Chlamy-domonas reinhardtii and Dunaliella salina arecurrently used as the model organisms formutagenesis/transformation and genetic,molecular and biochemical analyses. Over-expression of protein, pigment and hydrogenare currently of interest to the lab. Applicantsshould have a strong background in molecularbiology, genetics or biochemistry. Experiencewith unicellular microorganisms or green algaeis desirable but not essential. Beginning salary is$32,000/y plus benefits. Send inquiries to Dr.Tasios Melis, Plant & Microbial Biology,University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3102; e-mail [email protected]. TheUniversity of California is an equal opportu-nity/affirmative action employer.

Postdoctoral PositionMichigan State University, East Lansing(Received 12/11)A postdoctoral position is available immediatelyto study the molecular genetics of flowering.Highly creative person is invited to participate inthe advanced characterization of two specificgenes regulating flowering in Arabidopsis. Thisproject provides various opportunities compatiblewith a range of expertise/interests, includingprotein work (epitope tagging, purification,affinity chromatography), traditional genetics(mapping, enhancer/suppressor screens), andmolecular techniques (RNA interference, in situ

RNA analysis). There is a significant potential forclose interactions with some of the many plantscientists on the MSU campus. This is a two-yearproject, with opportunities for extension.Interested candidates should respond with a letterand curriculum vitae by e-mail to Dr. Steve vanNocker ([email protected]).

Postdoctoral PositionUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, Canada(Received 12/12)A postdoctoral position is available inArabidopsis functional genomics at the Depart-ment of Botany, University of Toronto. Theproject involves the identification of auxin signaltransduction genes in plant embryo and vasculardevelopment. Review of applications will begin inJanuary 2002. A strong background in molecularbiology, genetics, and particularly microarraytranscript profiling is highly desirable. Pleasesend curriculum vitae, publication list, and threeletters of reference to Dr. Thomas Berleth,Department of Botany, University of Toronto, 25Willcocks Street, Toronto M5S 3B2, Canada; e-mail [email protected].

Postdoctoral PositionsUniversity of Alabama, Tuscaloosa(Received 12/12)Two postdoctoral positions are available tostudy gene expression in basal angiosperms andgymnosperms as part of a multi-institutional,NSF-funded Plant Genome Research projectinvestigating the evolution of flowers. Thework at UA will involve development andimplementation of high-throughput in situ RT-PCR assays (see Plant Physiol. 123, 1203; 2000)for a variety of plant species. Applicants shouldbe interested in evolutionary aspects of plantdevelopment and hold a Ph.D. in plant molecularbiology or a related discipline. Experience with insitu hybridization techniques is preferred.Additional opportunities exist for collaborativeresearch with Dr. Victor Albert at the Universityof Oslo, Norway. Applicants should send a coverletter, curriculum vitae, copies of up to fiverelevant publications, and contact informationfor three references to Dr. David G.Oppenheimer, Department of Biological Sciences,University of Alabama, 301 Biology, Tuscaloosa,AL 35487-0344; e-mail [email protected] University of Alabama is an affirmativeaction, equal opportunity employer.

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Postdoctoral PositionUniversity of Maryland, College Park(Received 12/14)There is an opening for a postdoctoral position tostudy the responses produced by hypoxic stress indetached plant organs, such as fruits, leaves, andflowers. In particular we plan to identify a puta-tive oxygen “sensor” which appears to sense theoxygen concentration and when the latter dropsbelow a certain level, on the one hand it sup-presses the expression of genes involved in fruitripening and on the other it induces and/or en-hances the expression of anoxic proteins. Appli-cants for the position must have a Ph.D. in plantbiology. Good skills in molecular biology tech-niques are a requirement. Additional skills in pro-tein biochemistry are highly desirable. Send acover letter and a curriculum vitae to Dr. TheoSolomos, Department of Natural Resource Sci-ences and Landscape Architecture, University ofMaryland, College Park, MD 20742; [email protected]. Starting date is immediate.

Postdoctoral PositionEstación Experimental del Zaidín (CSIC)Granada, Spain(Received 12/15)A two-year postdoctoral position is offered to aEuropean Union non-Spanish national to work inan EU project at the Estación Experimental delZaidín, CSIC, Granada, Spain. Candidatesshould have experience in plant molecularbiology, and knowledge of plant cell biology andbiochemistry is desirable. The work will involvethe cloning, sequencing, and expression ofcDNAs of different antioxidative enzymes ofplant peroxisomes. Some cDNAs will be used tooverexpress antioxidative enzymes in E. coli inorder to obtain high amounts of recombinantproteins. The monthly net salary is Euros 2260.To apply, please send curriculum vitae, adescription of your research experience, and thenames and addresses (including e-mail) of threereferences to Professor Luis A. del Río, EstaciónExperimental del Zaidín, Depto. Bioquímica,Biología Celular y Molecular de Plantas,Apartado 419, E-18080 Granada, Spain; fax+34-958-129600, e-mail [email protected].

Postdoctoral Research AssociateUSDA/ARS Western Wheat Quality Lab,Pullman, Washington(Received 12/17)ARS invites applications for a research plantmolecular biologist/geneticist/biochemist(plants) position. Research objectives are toidentify and characterize molecular andbiochemical components of wheat endospermrelating to end-use quality. Topics include, butare not limited to, identification of potentialgenes/loci conferring the ‘Super Soft’ (SS)kernel trait and development of rapid methodsto recognize these genes. Ph.D. in biochemistry,molecular biology, plant physiology, foodscience, genetics, or a related field is required.Training and experience in molecular biology,genetics, plant transformation technology and/orenzyme biochemistry are desirable. Experience inmolecular genetics of wheat end-use quality isbeneficial. Salary is GS-11/12 position ($43,326–$56,322) will be based on qualifications andexperience. For more information, contact Dr.Craig F. Morris, Western Wheat Quality Lab,Box 646394, E-202 FSHN East, WSU, Pullman,WA 99164-6394; telephone 509-335-4062, fax509-335-8573, e-mail [email protected]. Arésumé or curriculum vitae, with references, isacceptable for application and should be mailedto Dr. Morris. The position will remain openuntil filled. Candidates will be considered asapplications are received. ARS is an equalopportunity provider and employer.

Postdoctoral Research Affiliate/AssociateUSDA/ARS, Western Wheat Quality Lab(Received 12/21)ARS invites applications for a plant molecularbiologist/geneticist/biochemist (plants) position.Research objectives are to identify andcharacterize molecular and biochemicalcomponents of wheat endosperm relating toend-use quality. Topics include, but are notlimited to: identification of quantitative genesand gene products relating to the quality ofwheat-based Asian foods such as noodles andsteamed bread and development of methods torapidly screen for these genes. Ph.D. inbiochemistry, molecular biology, plantphysiology, food science, genetics or a relatedfield is required. Training and experience inmolecular biology, genetics, plant transformationtechnology and/or enzyme biochemistry isdesirable. Experience in molecular genetics ofwheat end-use quality is beneficial. Salary forthis GS-9/11 position ($35,808–$56,322) willbe based on qualifications and experience. For

more information, contact Dr. Craig F. Morris,Western Wheat Quality Lab, Box 646394, E-202 FSHN East, WSU, Pullman, WA 99164-6394; telephone 509-335-4062, fax 509-335-8573, e-mail [email protected]. A résuméor curriculum vitae, with references, isacceptable for application and should be mailedto Dr. Morris. The position will remain openuntil filled. Candidates will be considered asapplications are received. ARS is an equalopportunity provider and employer.

Postdoctoral PositionUniversity of North Texas, Denton(Received 12/17)A postdoctoral position is open immediately inan NIH-funded interdisciplinary programaimed at identifying plant-derived lipids withpotential for development as analgesics. Thisresearch stems from the recent discovery of lipidcompounds in seeds of higher plants thatinteract with the endocannabinoid signalingpathways of vertebrates. This represents anexcellent opportunity to work at the interface ofphytochemistry and neuroscience (http://www.cnns.org/). A Ph.D. in plant biochemistryor related discipline with a strong backgroundin analytical chemistry is desired. Please sendcurriculum vitae and three letters of recommen-dation to Kent D. Chapman, University ofNorth Texas, Department of BiologicalSciences, PO Box 305220, Denton, TX 76203-5220; e-mail [email protected].

Postdoctoral PositionOklahoma State University, Stillwater(Received 12/21)A postdoctoral position is available atOklahoma State University in an NSF-sponsoredprogram (http://isotope.bti.cornell.edu) to workon genomic analysis of water-use efficiency intomato. The person will spend an initial period atBoyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY to developuniform protocols among several involvedinstitutions. Responsibilities include developmentof mapping populations, high-throughputgenotyping, fine mapping of chromosomalregion(s) containing QTL for water-use efficiencyusing existing and new markers, and generationof near-isolines containing the target QTL. Thesuccessful candidate should have a Ph.D. degreein a discipline related to molecular biology/genetics with substantial experience working withmolecular markers. The position is renewableannually for up to three and a half yearscontingent on funding and research progress.

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Screening of applicants will begin on January 31,2002 and continue until the position is filled. Theexpected starting date is March 1, 2002. Please e-mail or mail a letter describing researchexperience and interests, curriculum vitae,transcripts, and names, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of three references to Dr. BjornMartin, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences,Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK74078; telephone 405-744-9642, [email protected] or Dr. Charles G.Tauer, Department of Forestry, Oklahoma StateUniversity, Stillwater, OK 74078; telephone405-744-5438, [email protected].

Postdoctoral PositionsWashington State University, Pullman(Received 12/24)Applications are invited for two postdoctoralpositions to join a research program funded bythe NSF 2010 Project at the Institute of Biologi-cal Chemistry. This three-year study will establishthe physiological functions of 248 Arabidopsisenzymes and proteins presumed to be involved invarious networks of phenylpropanoid-acetatemetabolism. One position requires a Ph.D. inmolecular biology with expertise in protein over-expression in suitable hosts as well as inArabidopsis transformation and/or metabolicengineering and gene expression. The secondposition requires a Ph.D. with extensiveexperience in enzyme purification and character-ization. To apply, please send a brief descriptionof research experience and interests, curriculumvitae with list of publications, and three referenceletters to Dr. Norman G. Lewis, Institute ofBiological Chemistry, Washington State Univer-sity, Pullman, WA 99164-6340; fax 509-335-8206, e-mail [email protected].

Postdoctoral Research AssociateUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison(Received 01/02)A postdoctoral research associate position isavailable within the Maize TransformationConsortium (NSF grant #0110023). The overallgoal of the project is to establish robust maizetransformation technologies through thefollowing research: Development of a routine,standard binary-based, agrobacterium-mediated maize transformation system,enhancement of transgene integration andexpression, investigation of in planta germlinetransformation technologies, and extension ofprotocols to a wide range of genotypes.Candidate is to work as part of a team to

establish and optimize in vivo and in planta,Agrobacterium-based maize transformationsystems. Investigate effects of MARs andchromatin remodeling genes on transgeneintegration and expression. Conduct moleculargenetic and expression analysis on transgenicplants, progenies, and controls. Collect andsummarize data, submit reports, and prepareresults for timely publication. Basic qualificationsand requirements include a Ph.D. in genetics,plant biology, molecular biology, or related field.Experience with sterile cell culture required, andAgrobacterium-based plant transformationpreferred. Experience with cereal tissue culture aplus, but not required. Experience with Southernblot, Northern blot, and PCR assays required.Experience in molecular cloning techniques andprotein analysis preferred. Candidates must becurrently in the United States and availablefor interview. Send application to Dr. Heidi F.Kaeppler, Department of Agronomy, Universityof Wisconsin, 1575 Linden Drive, Madison,WI 53706. E-mail submission of application isalso acceptable and can be sent to [email protected].

RESEARCH/TECHNICAL POSITIONS(Non-Ph.D.)

Research Assistant PositionsPurdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana(Received 12/04)Several positions are available immediately fortechnical research assistants to work in a plantmolecular biology laboratory. The underlyingtheme of the laboratory is to understand themechanism of how Agrobacterium geneticallytransforms plant cells. We are currentlyemphasizing identification and characterizationof plant genes involved in the transformationprocess. In accord with these analyses, we needseveral additional technical research assistantsto help in running an Arabidopsis reversegenetics facility, vector design and construction,cloning of plant genes, and analysis oftransgenic plants. The successful candidatesmust have an A.B. or B.S. degree in some areaof biological sciences, plus two years researchexperience. A M.S. degree is preferred. Thepositions involve sterile growth of Arabidopsisplants and plant suspension culture cells, DNAextraction, PCR and RT-PCR, and DNAblotting techniques. The successful candidatesshould have experience in all of these areas.Experience in fluorescence microscopy, in situhybridization, and in situ RT-PCR is alsodesirable. Salary will be commensurate with

experience. All candidates, including interna-tional candidates, must currently be in NorthAmerica and available for a personal interview.Please send your curriculum vitae and threeletters of recommendation to Dr. Stanton B.Gelvin, Department of Biological Sciences,Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1392; telephone 765-494-4939, fax 765-496-1496, e-mail [email protected] University is an affirmative action/equalopportunity employer.

ASSISTANTSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS,INTERNSHIPS

Graduate Research AssistantshipsLouisiana State University, Baton Rouge(Received 11/06)Research assistantship positions to supportgraduate study leading to a Ph.D. degree inplant molecular biology will be availablestarting the fall semester of 2002 in theDepartment of Plant Pathology and CropPhysiology at Louisiana State University and LSUAgricultural Center. Particular areas of trainingemphasis include studies of gene regulation intransgenic rice, protein structure/stabilityrelationships and transcriptional regulation ofbean and rice seed storage proteins. Please referto our recent publications; Dyer et al., ProteinChem. 14, 665–678, 1995; Kawagoe et al., PlantJ. 5, 885–890, 1994; Zheng et al., Plant Physiol.109, 777–786, 1995; Sen et al., TransgenicResearch 2, 21–28, 1993. Research assistantshipsare available from the Department of PlantPathology and Crop Physiology. Other fellow-ships are available from the LSU Board ofRegents Graduate Fellowships in Agriculturaland the LSU Alumni Federation GraduateFellowships. Stipend ranges from $13,000 to18,000 annually. Research facilities include state-of-the-art equipment for molecular and cellularbiology, biochemistry, biophysics and computa-tion. Candidates should have a strong back-ground in molecular biology, genetics, plantphysiology, biochemistry, or related fields.Please submit a letter of interest, résumé,undergraduate and graduate transcripts, andGRE/TOEFL scores and arrange to have threeletters of reference sent to Dr. Norimoto Murai,Department of Plant Pathology and CropPhysiology, Louisiana State University and LSUAgricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-1720; telephone 225-578-1380, fax 225-578-1415, e-mail [email protected].

Job Placement Service

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Graduate Research AssistantshipThe Ohio State University, Columbus(Received 11/15)A research assistantship is available in theDepartment of Horticulture and Crop Science fora student pursuing a Ph.D. in the area ofphysiology and molecular biology of flowersenescence. The successful applicant will join aresearch team investigating the molecularmechanisms underlying flower senescence inpetunia. The goal of the research program is toidentify genetic targets that can be used to delayflower senescence and thereby increase thehorticultural performance of ornamentals.Research will utilize a genomic approach toidentify senescence up regulated genes that willsubsequently be characterized to determine theirrole in the initiation and execution of thesenescence program in flowers. Biochemical andmorphological characteristics of programmed celldeath will also be investigated in ethylenesensitive and insensitive petunia lines todetermine the role of the plant hormone ethylenein the regulation of senescence. The assistantshipis available for summer or fall 2002. Onlineapplications are available at http://gradapply.osu.edu/. Please send three referenceletters and letter of intent describing researchinterests and goals to Graduate Studies Chair,Horticulture & Crop Science, 216 Howlett Hall,2001 Fyffe Court, Columbus, OH 43210.Questions about the position should be addressedto Dr. Michelle L. Jones, telephone 330-263-3885, e-mail [email protected].

FellowshipsTexas A&M University, College Station(Received 11/28)Texas A&M University is pleased to announcenewly established fellowships in Plant Genomics,making possible the award of multiyear fundingopportunities for outstanding candidates forgraduate study. Plant Genomics is a graduatetraining program administered by facultymembers from seven departments emphasizingformal academic education and research trainingon contemporary topics ranging from geneexpression to quantitative biology using genomic

tools. Entering students are awarded programfellowships and rotate among laboratoriessharing their area of interest during the first yearto gain familiarity with faculty and ongoingresearch programs. Funding for subsequent yearscomprises a combination of fellowships andresearch and teaching assistantships to provide acomprehensive educational experience. Degreeprograms are developed jointly between studentsand their faculty advisory committee, affordingflexibility in academic preparation for profes-sional careers. Enrichment activities includeoutstanding seminar series in genetics, biology,and biochemistry and professional enhancementscholarships to attend scientific meetings. Thefinancial support package includes a year-roundmonthly stipend, waiver of out-of-state tuition,and comprehensive health care coverage forstudents and their dependents. Current stipendsare $20,000 for outstanding Ph.D. studentcandidates. The deadline for application is March1, 2002. For information about the trainingprogram, please contact Dr. Z. Jeffrey Chen c/oJudy Pruitt, Plant Genomics Graduate TrainingProgram, MS 2474, Texas A&M University,College Station, TX 77843-2474; [email protected] or [email protected] list of faculty participants and their researchinterests is shown below. Jeffrey Chen, Plantfunctional genomics, epigenetic regulation ofgene expression; Timothy Hall, Gene transfer andexpression in higher plants, rice biotechnology;Carol Loopstra, Tree genomics, gene expressionand function of wood development; ThomasMcKnight, Protein secretion in plants, plantgenome organization and evolution; John Mullet,Functional genomics of plant stress anddevelopment; William Park, Gene expression instorage tissues, rice genomics; Alan Pepper,Comparative genomics of plant development;Dorothy Shippen, Telomerase function andplant genome integrity; David Stelly, Molecularcytogenetics, comparative genomics in plants;Terry Thomas, Functional genomics of plantdevelopment and environmental controls; ClaireWilliams, Pine genome evolution, quantitativegenetics; Hongbin Zhang, BAC construction,genome assembly, and gene discovery.

FellowshipsTexas A&M University, College Station(Received 11/30)Texas A&M University is pleased to announcenewly established fellowships in molecular andenvironmental plant sciences, making possiblethe award of multi-year funding opportunitiesfor outstanding candidates for graduate study.MEPS is an intercollegiate program administeredby a 50-member faculty from nine departmentsemphasizing formal academic education andresearch training on contemporary topics rangingfrom gene function and regulation to ecology.Entering students are awarded programfellowships and rotate among laboratoriessharing their area of interest during the first yearto gain familiarity with faculty and ongoingresearch programs. Funding for subsequent yearscomprises a combination of fellowships andresearch and teaching assistantships to provide acomprehensive educational experience. Degreeprograms are developed jointly between studentsand their faculty advisory committee, affordingflexibility in academic preparation for profes-sional careers. Enrichment activities include anoutstanding seminar program, professionalenhancement scholarships to attend scientificmeetings, and a graduate student club. Thefinancial support package includes a year-roundmonthly stipend, waiver of out-of-state tuition,and comprehensive health care coverage. Currentstipends are $15,000 for M.S. and $16,500 forPh.D. students, with opportunities for additionalfunding and complete tuition offset for trulyoutstanding candidates. The deadline forapplication is March 1, 2002. For informationabout the MEPS graduate program, visit ourweb site at http://meps.tamu.edu/ or contactChair, MEPS Program, Department of Soil &Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, CollegeStation, TX 77843-2474. AA/EOE.

Job Placement Service

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Graduate Student OpeningsMcGill University, Montreal Canada(Received 12/05)Graduate student openings are available toinvestigate genome evolution in naturalpopulations and in model systems (Arabidopsisthaliana and rice). Ongoing projects include therole of transposable elements in genomeevolution and mutation, population level studiesof genomic diversity, and rice comparativegenomics. The Biology Department at McGillUniversity (Montreal, Canada) is especially wellequipped for studies in plant biology andmolecular genetics. The department has a state-of-the-art plant growth facility (the McGillPhytotron) and is the recipient of recentCanadian Foundation for Innovation awards forlaboratory facilities in plant genomics. Moreinformation is available on our web sites at http://www.mcgill.ca/biology/faculty/schoen and http://www.tebureau.mcgill.ca/. Interested studentsshould contact Dr. Daniel J. Schoen([email protected]) or Dr. Thomas E. Bureau([email protected]), Departmentof Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Dr.,Penfield, Montreal, PQ H3A 1B1 Canada.

Ph.D. Graduate Assistantship PositionMichigan State University, East Lansing(Received 12/11)Positions are available immediately to study themolecular genetics of flowering. Highly creativeperson is invited to participate in the advancedcharacterization of genes regulating flowering inArabidopsis. This project provides variousopportunities compatible with a range ofexpertise/interests, including protein work(epitope tagging, purification, affinity chromatog-raphy), traditional genetics (mapping, enhancer/suppressor screens), and molecular techniques(RNA interference, in situ RNA analysis). Thereis significant potential for close interactions withsome of the many plant scientists on the MSUcampus. Graduate students may enroll in theProgram in Genetics, Cell and Molecular Biology,Plant Breeding and Genetics, or Department ofHorticulture (more info: see http://www.msu.edu/user/gradschl/plantsci.htm). Interested candidatesshould first respond with a letter by e-mail to Dr.Steve van Nocker ([email protected]).

Graduate FellowshipsCity University of New York, Bronx(Repeat)For information, contact Dr. Eleanore Wurtzel,Chair, Plant Sciences Ph.D. Program, Departmentof Biological Sciences, Lehman College, CUNY,250 Bedford Park Blvd. West, Bronx, NY 10468;telephone 718-960-8643, fax 718-960-7348, e-mail [email protected]. (Details Novem-ber/December 2001 ASPB News)

Graduate Fellowships and AssistantshipsMichigan State University, East Lansing(Repeat)Contact Ms. Judy Ward, The Graduate School,Michigan State University, 118 Linton Hall,East Lansing, MI 48824; telephone 517-355-0301, e-mail [email protected], or visit the MSUPlant Science Web Page at www.msu.edu/user/gradschl/plantsci.htm. (Details November/December 2001 ASPB News)

Graduate Assistantship in HorticultureUniversity of Florida, Gainesville(Repeat)Contact Bala Rathinasabapathi, Ph.D., AssistantProfessor, Horticultural Sciences Department,University of Florida, PO Box 110 690,Gainesville, FL 32611-0690; telephone 352-392-1928 x 323, lab phone 352-392-3991, fax 352-392-5653, e-mail [email protected], web site http://www.hos.ufl.edu/sabaweb/. (Details November/December 2001ASPB News)

Job Placement Service

Graduate AssistantshipsUniversity of Florida, Gainesville(Repeat)Contact Dr. D. J. Huber, Graduate Coordinator,Horticultural Sciences Department, PO Box110690, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL32611-0690; telephone 352-392-1928, ext. 216,e-mail [email protected]. (Details November/December 2001 ASPB News)

Ph.D. AssistantshipsPennsylvania State University, University Park(Repeat)Contact Jonathan Lynch, Department ofHorticulture, Pennsylvania State University,University Park, PA 1680; telephone 814-863-2256, e-mail [email protected]. (Details November/December 2001 ASPB News)

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For your convenience, keep thislisting of extension numbers ande-mail addresses handy when youcontact ASPB headquarters so thatyou can reach the person best able toassist you.

Our office telephone number is301-251-0560

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ASPB News (ISSN 1535-5489) is published bimonthly by the American Society of Plant Biologists, 15501 Monona Drive, Rockville, MD 20855-2768 USA, telephone 301-251-0560,fax 301-279-2996. Members’ dues include a subscription price of $2 per year to ASPB News. Subscription price to nonmembers is $30 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Rockville,MD, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send address changes to ASPB News, 15501 Monona Drive, Rockville, MD 20855-2768 USA.

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