President's Letter

Inside This Issue The Newsletter's New Look

NEW FEATURESI You all know by now that the nam e of our Society in Vietn am , and the attendant probl ems with dio xin Bioethics has changed to the American Society of Plant Biolo­ contaminati on) . gists. To accompany the new name , we have added Today, it seems like another world. Basic discover­ Perspecti ves from Industry some new features to the newsletter (now the ASPB ies in plant biology can now be transferred into pr ac­ Cool Things to Do N ews) and have revamped its app earance. Take a tical uses in a much briefer time. Partly this is due to with Plants look inside and you'll find new columns dealing with the acceleration of basic discoveries in many areas of perspectives of graduate students and industry sci­ cellular and molecular biology and genomics, but a Grad Stud ent Perspectives entists, as well as a new feature on ethical dilemmas contributing factor is our newfound ability to intro­ Talos that may con front our members. Read "Stalking the duce novel genes into plants and to modify the ex­ Electric Polkw eed " by our very own, but mysteri­ pression of endogenous genes thro ugh antisense or ous, "Tales." Roger Hangarter has contri buted an other tran sgenic methods. With this power, plant article on an easy method for making time-lapse biotechn ologists foresee that many formerly intrac­ movies of plants using an inexpensive webcam. If table problems are within reach of a solution, at least you have ideas of coo l things that can be done with a possible solution. We foresee cro ps with resistance plants, please let me kno w. Also, we are looking for to viruses, bacteria, fungi, insects, and other agricul­ additional contributors for a section on new books tural pests. Crops that store well and travel better, and a section on Web sites of interest to plant biolo­ that tas te better and are more nutritious, that mak e gists. Contact me if you are interested in these latent more resilient fibers and stronger building materials, sections or have additional ideas for enlivening your that can reduce soil erosion and even help clean up newsletter. contaminated soils. Crops that will improve the hu­ man condition and turn a profit at the same time. Does ASPB Need a Statement on the Responsi­ Plant biotechnology is now in the limelight. Or, bilities ot Plant Biologists? perhaps " headlight" is the more appropriate wo rd. Once upon a time, not very long ago, plant biolo­ The New York Times, National Pub lic Radio, and gists had relatively few professional enta nglements television programs like 60 Minutes present sketches in complex societal issues. Most of us worked on of plant biotechnology firms, their products, and their advancing the front iers of knowledge in our own colorful adversaries. People dressed up as giant corn­ specialty, and real-w orld applications either lacked cobs role over children dress ed as Monarch butter­

l t· /' much social cont roversy or were so far off in the flies. "Bt " rolls off the tongue of newscasters, and

C\ .1" future that it was premature to fret seriously about Starlink corn is recognized by anyone who keeps up the ir conse quences. The identification of plant hor­ with current events. Resear ch plo ts containing mones is one issue that comes to my mind where transgenic plants are targets of ceo-terrorist threats, scientific developments in plant physiology soon led as are biotechnology centers, academic laboratories, to thorny and controversial societal issues (e.g., the ....:.... development of Agent Orange defoliation programs continued on p age 3 Pre sid e nt's Le tter President Daniel J. Cosgrove 814-863-3892 Presid ent-Elect Vicki L.Chandler 520-676-8725 Bio ethic s Immediate Pa st Pre sident Deborah P. Delmer 530-752-7561

Perspe ctive s trom Industry Sec reta ry Daniel R. Bush 217-333-6109 Treasurer Mark R. Brodl 309-341-7477 Cool Thing s to Do w ith Plants Chair. Board o f Trustees Donald R. Ort 217-333-2093 Cha ir. Public ati on s Committee Krishna K. Niyogi 5 10-643-6602 G rad Studen t Persp e ctive s Chair. Committee on the Sta tus Ta lo s o f Women in Plant Physiology Ann M. Hirsch 310-206-8673 Chair. Committee o n Minority Affai rs Robert Vellanoweth 323-343-2148 ASPB-URF Awards Elected Members Rebecca S. Boston 919-515-2727 Joe Chappell 606-257-4624 Journals Announce Be st Pa p e r Roger Hangarter 812-855-5456 Award Winne rs Sectiona l Representatives Midwestern Steven Rodermel 5 15-294-8890 ASPB Sponsors A IBS Exh ibit Northeastern Carol Reiss 401-863-3075 People: Vi ctor Ra b o y Southern Joyce G. Foster 304-256-2809 Washington. DC Janet P. Siovin 301-504-5629 M aria Elena Zava la Western Dina Mandoll 206-543-4335

Executive director John Lisack, Jr., ext, 11 5 jlisack@aspp,org Indra K. V a sil Executive assistant Donna Gordon, ext, 131 dgordon@aspp,org Sectio n Ne w s Director of finance and administration Susan K.Chambers, ext, 111 c ha mbers@aspp ,org Ac c ountant Sondra A. Glancoli, ext, 140 giancoli@aspp,org Pu bl ic A ffairs Network administrator Burton Nicodemus, ext, 146 burton@aspp,org Webmaster Wendy Salhl, ext, 123 wendys@aspp,org Educ a ti o n Forum Membership and mar keting manager Kelley Noone, ext . 142 knoone@aspp,org Subscription and fulfillme nt assistant Mary Bush, ext , 141 ma rybush@aspp .org Accounts receivabl e specialist Stephan ie Liu-Kuan, ext . 143 sliu@aspp,org Administrative assista nt Carol yn Freed, ext . 122 cfreed@ aspp ,org Director of public a ffairs Brian M. Hyps, ext . 114 bhyps@aspp,org Foundat ion assista nt vacant Director o f publica tions Nancy A. Winchester, ext . 117 nancyw@aspp,org Public ati onsassistant Sylvia Braxton Lee, ext. 133 sbraxton@aspp .org D e adline tor Jul y/August 2001 Managing ed itor. Plant Physiolog y Melissa Junior, ext. 118 [email protected] SCience w rite r. Plant Physiolog y Peter Minorsky, 914-437-7438 peminorsky@aspp .org ASPBNews: June 10. 2001 Production manager. Plant Physiolog y Lauren A. Ransome, ext. 130 Iransome@aspp. org Ma nuscript coordinator. Plant Physiolog y Stephan ie M. Butte, ext. 125 [email protected] Manuscript coordina tor. Plant Physiology Leslie Malone, ext. 124 [email protected] Managing editor. Th e Plant Cell .Beth Staehle, ext. 121 [email protected] News and reviews editor. The Plant Cell Nancy Eckardt ,970-495-9918 [email protected] Product ion co ordinato r. The Plant Cell Jennifer Fleet, ext . 119 [email protected] rg Senior ma nuscript coordinator. The Plant Cell AnneHe Kessler, ext . 120 [email protected] i - .-; ------, ASPB News is distribu ted to a ll ASPB mem be rs an d is p ublishe d six , ~S P B I times annually. In odd-numbered months. It is edited an d prepared J'\Jews~ , , - ..-- .,. . -' . - - by ASPB sta ff from mate rial provided by ASPB members an d other interested parties. Headquarters Office Copy deadline Is the 10th day of the preceding even-numbered 15501 Monona Drive month (fo r example. Dec ember 10 for January/February publlcotlon). Rockville. MD 20855-2768 USA Submit copy bye-ma il wh enever possible; submit all other copy by Phone: 301-251-0560 mail. not by fax. Fax: 301-279-2996 Contact: Nan c y A. Winch ester. Editor. ASPB News. 15501 Monona Drive. Rockvil le. MD 20855-2768 USA: e-mail [email protected]; tele ­ phone 301-251-0560. ext. 117. continued from p age 7 gies, with strikingly different po ints of view. I foresee that these issues and con troversies will and even individual university scient ists. A be more commo n and perhaps more compli­ friend at my local yoga cent er rants to me cated in the future. Wo uldn't it be good for abo ut the awful things that are being done us to develop a sta tement of some guidi ng to soybeans, altho ugh she is not sure wha t is principles to remi nd us of our responsibi lities Fulbright Opportunities in being done to the soybeans or even how it to use our know ledge and discoveries about the Biological Sciences might be detri mental. Plant genetic engineer­ plants for the benefit of humanity? I think ing has gotten a bad name in some circles we shou ld go beyond the Hippocratic O ath The Fulbright Scholar Progra m isoffer­ an d is mixed up with globalization of the of "Do no harm" and affirm a view that plant ing 76 lecturing/ research awards in economy, industrializat ion of agr iculture, biologists have an ob ligation to work toward the Biological Scienc es for the 2002­ Worl d Trad e Organization meetings, and the benefit of the society that educated us and 2003 academic year.Aw ards for both an ti-technology campaign s by the Green gave us the resources to discover how plants faculty and professionals range from Party. Yes, plant biotechnology has beco me work their magic. two mo nths to an academic year or lon ger. While foreign-language skills co ntroversia l, and even within our own So­ are needed in some countries, most ciety, members raise questions a bout the wis­ Top 10 Revisited Fulbright lec turing assignments are in dom of specific developments an d trends. In my column for the Novem ber/Decem ber English. These developments mak e me wo nder if it 2000 issue of the newsletter, I posed the ques­ is time for ASPB to ad op t a statement on the tion s: W hat are the top 10 unsolved prob ­ Application deadlines for the 2002­ respons ibilities of plant biologists to the lems in plan t physiology and development ? 2003 awards are larger society that supports us. ASPB ha s W hat are the great success stor ies in our field? pub lished its official stance regarding gene ti­ I promised to summarize the ideas I received May 1. 2001. for Fulbrig ht Dis­ cally engineered plan ts (look at the Web site in a later issue. Well, to da te I have received a tinguished Chair a wards in under "H ot News" or go directly to htt p:// total of two replies. O ne person mentioned Europe, Canada, and Russia www.aspp.org!aspb_sta teme ncon_genetic in a passing con versa tion that he meant to August 1. 2001. for Fulbright _modi fi.htm). The edit ors of our journals respond. So that makes three, out of nearly Traditional Lecturing and Re­ search Grants worldwide have pub lished statements about the respon­ 6,0 00 membe rs, who appear to hav e consid­ sibilities of res earchers to make ava ilable ered my challenge. One might dr aw som e For information, visit our Web site at clones and other materials necessary to rep­ negat ive concl usions fro m this low rep ly ra te. www.c les.orq : Or co ntact The Co un­ licate an d extend the work publi shed in Plant But before I do that, I wan t to give you an­ ci l for Inte rnatio nal Exchang e of Physiology and The Plant Cell. Other socie t­ other chance to reply. If you meant to reply Scholars, 3007 Tilden st, NW, Suite 5­ ies like ours have adopted statements about but did no t get aro und to it, here's a second L Washington, DC 20008; telephone the expecta tions and soc ial responsibilities chan ce. Send me yo ur nom inati ons. lrt 202-686-7877, e-mail apprequest@ that come with being a memb er of their or­ cies.iie.org . ganizations. In the past couple years, I've Daniel Cosgrove heard many heated discussions about the ethi­ Penn State University dcosqrovewpsu.edu cal mer its of vari ous plant-based technolo-

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Please tell us what YOU 'D like to see in YOUR newsle tter. We' d appreciate your tho ughts an d have suggested a few questions to jump­ start your thinking. All feedback is welcome and can be e-ma iled to nan cyw@aspp. org. Let us hear from you!

•How useful do you find the job ads and meet ing notices? • Would you prefe r that job ads and meeting announcements be posted online only and no longer included in the print publicat ion ? • Wha t informa tion in the current newslett er would you like to see retained ? • What wou ld you like to see in the newsletter that has not been covered in the pas t? • Would you like to see the news letter posted online ? If so, would you still opt to receive the prin t newsletter in the mail?

Send your answers and suggestions to nan [email protected]!

ASPS News. Vol. 28. No , 3 • 3 [oin us in PROVIDENCEl ". Plant Biology 2001 Providence, Rhode Island-July 21-25, 2001

Register NOW- Pre-Registration Deadline Is July 6!

Don't miss the many special and unique events planned for the quadrennial joint annual meetings of the American Society of Plant Biologists (formerly the American Society of Plant Physiologists) and the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists. All of the scientific program and exhibits, and most of the social and networking events , will be held in the Rhode Island Convention Center, located in Providence.

The Scientific Program andExhibits willinclude • Six major symposia focused on leading topics, including a special President's Symposium on "Gene Silencing," organized by Daniel Cosgrove, and a special Plant Physiology ts: Anniversary Symposium titled "2000 and Beyond: Breaking the Mold," organized by Natasha Raikhel •Eighteen minisymposia exploring Plant Biology's "Hot Topics" • 1,000+ posters: Full Sunday afternoon session and Monday evening "Posters & Beer" session • Education, Careers, and Public Affairs workshops • Minority Affairs Committee-sponsored luncheon featuring Professor C. S. Prakash, Tuskegee University • Committee on the Status of Women in Plant Physiology-sponsored luncheon featuring Dr. Nancy Hopkins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology • Plant BiologyJob Fair & Placement Service-Viewjob opportunities and make contacts! • Meet exhibiting vendors and learn about the most recent publications, services, techniques, and equipment

Network with oldfriends andnew acquaintances at PlantBiology2001's Special Events: ;- UndergraduateNetworking Pre-Mixer and Poster session-prior to Opening Night Mixer-Saturday, July 21 ;- Opening Night Mixer/Reception-at the Rhode Island Convention Center-Saturday, July 21 ;- Plant Runner's Stampede Sk and 10k Fun Run at a convenient Providence location-Tuesday, July 24 ;- "Rhode Island Clambake" & Dance at Providence's Station Park-Tuesday, July 24

Providence has undergone a multi-million-dollar facelift that began in the early 1980s. Centered around the city's maritime heritage, Providence 's downtown revitalization has focused on the waterfront. Rivers have been rerouted to reveal waterways edged by beautifully landscaped riverwalks. Venetian-style bridges now connect downtown Providence to the College Hill and historic East Side areas. The result is a thriving Renaissance city in the heart of New England.

The Rhode Island Convention Center is beautiful, modern, and perfectly sized for Plant Biology 2001. All four hotels in our convention room block-the Westin, Biltmore, Courtyard by Marriott, and Holiday Inn-are within two blocks of the Convention Center. The Westin is the headquarters hotel and connected via enclosed walkways to both the convention Center and the new Providence Mall. Inexpensive dorm rooms have been reserved for students and postdocs at Brown University. Dining opportunities are plentiful in Providence. Choose from homemade pasta in Providence 's Little Italy on Federal Hill, or dine on the many varieties of fresh New England seafood. Unique and cozy restaurants, cafes, and brew pubs abound nearby the Convention Center and hotels. And before or after the conference, be sure to take the opportunity to explore many of New England 's other treasures only a short distance away-Newport, Cape Cod, Boston , Mystic Seaport, and more! See you in Providence in July!

• Discounted hotel .rooms, airfares, and rental cars.have.been specially negotiated for Plant·Biology2001 attendees, • A child care subsidy of up to $200 pel: clti}d',is avau.iible to PlantBiology 2001 a~endees~' ,'. • An Internet Cafe will be available ferattendees to keep up with their e-mail, .' .fIBB.L------

The Bioethics Imperative resources and sha re some of the am azin g the materials th ey have developed (June learning, events, and conversations that have 2001), materials I refer to in this column will ensued from my participation in this series. be temporarily posted on the ASPB Web site "Mokita": T he truth we all know an d agree Mandated and funded by the National In­ at http://www.asp p .org/p u blic_affai rs/ not to talk ab out. Papua New Guin ea. stitutes of Health,T he Bioethics Research moreplantj nform ation.htrn. Scenario: Your postdoc is angry about Initiative (BRI) at the University of Washing­ So I read the mat eria l, which was bless­ his posit ion as second author on a ton (UW) is a serie s of lectur es and sma ll edly short and actu ally interesting. M y first paper. He thinks he should be first group discussions centered on a variety of session was on mentoring, We introduced ou r­ author. Unbeknownst to you , he be­ top ics from autho rship to the use of human selves and began to discuss the first case, gins to bad-mouth the lab and you in subjects in research. The lectures ar e video­ which involv ed a conflict between a pr inci­ your department and at national meet­ taped, and lunch is served at each of the dis­ pal investigat or who wanted a student to ings. You hear from colle agues that cussion groups run by selected faculty . Every work during the day and a student wh o pre­ other postdocs are now hes itant to postdoc or student funded by NIH at UW ferred to wo rk at night. come to yo ur lab. must attend three lectu res and three to five of "Dan, what did your gro up discuss?" "Why is it imperative that I have experi­ the discussion groups. "Well, a similar situation actuall y happened ence dealing with bioethics? I don't even know To edu cat e its faculty, UW hands out four in my department so we talked about that ." what they ar e!" T his was the conversation in brief docum ents of two to four pages eac h. "How was the issue resolved ?" my head as the staff member representing the These give very helpful suggestions about how "The student committed suicide." dean of the medical school asked me to lead to lead a discussion, how to use the case stud­ To be continued:., l(~ a series of discussions on bioethics. Wh at was ies (like the one I made up at the top of this I going to do, turn down the dean?! column) to incite a discussion of bioethical Dina Mandoli In this column I will try to tell you wh y, issues, The H astings Center model for help­ University of Washington. Seattle two years lat er, I am ever so glad that I sa id ing a gro up reach an ethical decision, and [email protected]. edu yes. Rather than presume to teach you abo ut "Ethics: A Prim er for Non-Ethicists" (The bioethics, I will use this column to provide Genetic Resource, 10(1):5-8). Until UW posts

An Industrial View of Plant allel approaches in gene sequencing, mapping, of agricultural imp ortance are complex, re­ Biology Research expression profiling, mutant generation, and sulting from the interac tion of thousands of analyses. For example, all major companies genes with the env ironment. have extensive EST collections for their pri­ One of the pr imary features of these new This is an exciting time for plant biologists in mary crop plants. For bench-top scientists genomic tool s is the change in scale they pro­ industry. The commercial success of trans­ these collections sa ve an immeasu rable vide. Instead of measuring alterations in gene genic herbi cide- and insecticide-resistant cro ps amount of tim e, since the acquisiti on of a expression of on e or even several genes at a has encouraged pla nt biotechnology compa­ described gene is now often just a matter of time, one can now simultaneously exami ne nies to invest heavily in plant biolog y research. searching an electronic database and request­ thousands of genes for changes in expression. This investment ranges from the use of re­ ing the DNA fro m a cent ralized facility. Co m­ This enhancement in scale not only incre ases mote sensing methodology to the integrati on panies have also invested in multiple func­ throughput, but also creates novel approaches of genomic tools. tional genomic tools, ranging fr om ge ne to both basic and applied questions. For in­ Nowhere is this endeavor more apparent kno ckout systems to various gene expression stance, it is now possible to clu ster gene than in the area of plant genomics. Techn ol­ profiling platforms. In industry, these tools ogy imp rovements have led to massively par- are particularl y imp ortant becaus e most traits co ntinued on page 6

ASPS News. Vol. 28. No. 3' 5 co ntinued from page 5 exp ression pro files across experiments and re­ neer, we have scientists ra nging in expe rtise Co mpanies have realized that to meet goal s, classify kno wn genes or fun ction ally anno­ from genetics to molecular biology to whole th ey mu st employ crea tive scient ists and pro­ tate previously unde scribed genes. Beyond just plant physiology. Given the com plexity of the vide them with tools to develop and use cut­ the imp rovement in o ur basic knowledge , problems and the very nature o f creating ting-edge techn ology. In the past, for indu s­ these tools and results from them are funda­ products useful to society, there is little op­ trial scient ists to be promo ted, they often had ment ally changing the na ture of problems we po rtunity for individuals to build larg e, insu­ to effectively abandon their science career and can address in plant biology. lar groups. Technology has been on e of the ad vance through the business side of a com­ I have been asked about what kinds of jobs significant drivers in the evolution of th is or­ pan y. However, it is now being recog nized tha t are needed in ind ustry. T here is a con tinuo us ganizationa l approach, and gene exp ression to retain experie nced scientists within research need for skilled, bench-top molecular biolo­ pro filing is one example. We have developed program s, a different kind of advancement gists; how ever, cur rently one of th e biggest an d conducted multiple pro filing exp eriments, system is needed. For exa mple, at Pioneer, a dem ands is in the area of bioinformatics. In and it has taken the con cert ed effo rt of physi­ two-t rack promotion system is now in place particular, there is a call for ind ivid uals who olog ists, molecul ar biologists, sta tisticians, th at offers not on ly advancement through a can work not only wi thin th e computationa l and bioin forrn aticists to generate rep eat able, business track, but also progression via a re­ side of bioinformat ics, but wh o also under­ believable data. In addition to the imm ediate search track, rewarding scientific meri t. stand bas ic plant biology. Conversely, there research group that I am part of, I also work Industrial research effort in plant biotech­ is also a need for whole plant biologists, those within a product goa l team. T his team in­ nology has significantly expan ded in the past who have a "fe eling for the organism. " As cludes plant breeders, agron omists, physiolo­ decade. Evo lving technologies have driven we test transgenic events that are efficacious gists, and mo lecular biologists, all working much of this expa nsion, an d it is clear th at in the green ho use but ineffec tive when grown to ap ply acquired knowledge direc tly to prod­ by merging use of these new tools with more in the field, there is a need for scientists who uct development. With this diverse gro up it established meth od ologies, researchers no w kn ow ho w plants gro w and ho w they respond can be challenging at tim es to communicate hav e an unparalleled op port unity to develop in varying enviro nments. Of cou rse, these in­ effec tively and app recia te differen t view ­ a bro ad er appro ach to learning about and im­ dividuals, like everyone else in industr ial plant points. H owever, it is implicitly understood proving cro p perform ance. l(l,. research, must be conversant in th e lan gua ge th at the best, and perh aps only, way to make of molecula r biology. progress is for each indi vidual to contribute Jeff Habben Unlike the requirements of academia, in­ toward the group's goals by participating in Pioneer Hi-Bred International dustr y puts a high premium on hiring peo ple the design an d execution o f ex periments. Johnston. Iowa w ho can work within a n interdisciplina ry When this happens, the mu ltidisciplina ry ap­ habbenje@phibred,com environment. In my pa rticular group at Pio- proach ha s proven to be qu ite productive.

Time-Lapse Movies the of a pla nt, and they usually can't help becom­ research tool, time-lapse movies can be effec­ Inexpensive Way ing interested. Of course, tim e-lapse analyses tive teaching to ols that can "forever change" are also of grea t research value, since they the wa y students view and th ink about plants. reveal processes that may otherwise have been Fort una tely, digital imaging techn ology has inferred, often incorrectly, from sta tic obser­ made it poss ible for nearly anyone to ma ke With few exceptions, plant s mo ve and grow vations. The po ten tial imp act of time-lapse time-lapse movies easily and cheaply. M any to o slowly for instr uctive real-time obse rva­ movies of plants is attested to in the follow­ of the inexpensive "webcarns" can readily be tion s. As a consequence, ma ny people view ing qu ote from someone who reviewed The used for time-la pse imaging a t the level of plan ts as inanimate ob jects rather than living Private Life ofPlants by David Attenboro ugh: whole plants. Mor eo ver, many of the things. T his bias is hard to overcome and " I never ima gined that th ese videos would webcams are a ble to focus as close as one cen­ ma kes it especially difficult to interest studen ts forever change the way I view plants, their timeter, providing eno ug h mag nification to and yo ung chi ld ren in th e plant sciences. relationship with anima ls, or our place in the film sma ll seedlings like Arabidops is. Such H owever, show someone a time-lapse movie world. Thus, in addition to being a powerfu l webc ams can be obtained through onlin e

6 • ASPB News. Vol. 28. No , 3 resellers for under $100. A com puter is also ness." T he low cost of the webcams makes you have the necessary hardware, mistakes needed, but since most schools already have them particularly we ll suited for use in teach­ are not cos tly. In genera l, with a little experi­ them, to become time -lapse-ready req uires ing laboratories, wh ere they ca n be used to ence it is quite easy to make interes ting movies little additiona l expense. Although more ex­ study tropisms, circa dian rhythms, and other tha t arc info rma tive and that inspire students pens ive cameras with higher resolution and plant growth processes. to take an interest in plants as living things. bette r optics are availab le, with a little prac­ With an inexpensive webcam and a com­ We have developed a Web site that con­ tice th e inexpensive webcam s can be effec­ puter, maki ng time-lapse mov ies is easy, re­ tains a collection of digit al time-lapse mo vies tively used to produce time-lap se movies suit­ qui ring little hands-on time. Basica lly, aim the (most made with a Q uick Ca rn'") of var ious ab le for instructional purposes. webcam at the plant or wha tever part of the aspects of pl ant develo p men t (select th e Our experience has been with th e Color plant you're interes ted in, focus, activa te the "Plants-In-M ot ion" link at http://sun flower. QuickCam" cam era, curre ntly manufactu red time-lapse software, and wait.O f course, it bio.indiana.edu/-rhangartl). T he site contains by Logit ech. H owever, mos t other webcams will help to do a little background work with movies of tropisms, leaf movements, flow ers sho uld a lso work reasonably well. The basic the plan t of interest to determine what time opening, and va rious growth pro cesses in software pro vided with the Q uickCam" in­ interva l will be best for capturi ng the process Arabidopsis and other plants. In addition to cludes time-lapse capabilities, as does the soft­ of interes t. Using Arabidopsis as an exa mple, serving as a so urce of time- lapse movies for wa re provided wi th ma ny of th e o ther la-minute interva ls will work well for a movie teaching, the site contains informatio n for webcams. In addition, var ious freew are and of hypocotyl phototr opism in see dlings, modifying a Color QuiclcCam" for use with shareware pro grams are available that can w hereas fou r-hou r intervals may be bett er lR irradiat ion and some basic information for provi de time- lapse func tions tha t will work suited for a mo vie of rose tte growth. It is also making time-lapse movies that sho uld apply for just ab out all webcams. For exa mp le, the helpful to set up the camera so that the plan t to the use of ot her webcams. Links to some free imag ing program, NI HImage, works fine or plant part will rem ain in the field of view other sites that have plant-related time-lapse with most webcams, at least on Macintosh for the duration of the mo vie. It may be use­ movies are also inclu ded. t(~ computers. It is also possible to modify ful to anticipate changes in light ing req uire­ webcams to work wi th infrared irradiat ion ments as might happen when imaging the Roger P. Hangarter (easily and cheaply provided from inexpen­ ope ning of a whi te flower. Thus, some pre­ Indiana University, Bloomington rhangart@bio ,india na ,ed u sive IR-LEDs), thu s allowi ng one to " watch" liminary observatio ns are beneficial. However, plan ts while they are in physio logica l "dark- since digital images are essen tia lly free once

Who Will Be the Plant the audience with the question, "Who will be sidering that we are an import ant component Physiologists of the Future? th e plant physiolog ists of th e future?" N o of the current and futu re membership. It is ma tter what answers you will give, ma ny of not uncommon to see a professor's op inion the future's plant physio logists are pro babl y printed in these pages, but ra re to read one T he final presentation gradua te stude nts no w. H ow their perspec­ from a grad uate student. W ha t co uld ASPB during last year's an­ tives on broad scientific an d social issues tak e do differently to make the Society more rel­ n ual meeting in San form will largely determine the qua lities of evant to graduate stude nts ? My hope is that Diego was h a r d to tom orrow 's p lant physio logists . For exa mple, we will use this column to give voice to the beat. After ex plaining the opi nions we are now formi ng on the so­ thoughts and concerns of gra dua te stude nts. how plant research has cial and et hica l impacts of genetica lly mo di­ Perhaps ideas about how the Socie ty cou ld benefited society and fied crops will undoubtedly have an impor­ be made more importan t or relevant to grad how it may do so in the tant effect on the nature of future research. students will emerge if we make this column future, Professor Bob Zhi Qi Unfort unat ely, not enough attention is Goldberg cha llenged given in the Society to gra duate studen ts, con- continued on page 8

ASPS News. Vol. 28, No.3 · 7 co ntinued from page 7 an easy and visible place for gra d students to Stalking the Electric on the electric pok eweed was the only extr ava­ share their ideas and experiences on issues Pokeweed gant claim of his car eer and his app roach to related to the Society. this anoma ly was rati on al and scientific. Af­ If you are pursuing a graduate degree in a by Talos ter a few moments more reflection, howe ver, plant science, you are urged to sh are your I am an easy mark for any peddler wh o rings I thou ght of a more likely explanation and opinions on things that matter to you . Maybe my doorbell with a magazine subscription to imm ediat ely fired off an e-mail to Scientific you would like to write about the excitement sell, but a few weeks ago wh en my scurfy cat American that the edit ors declined to print, of your first discovery, your opinion on so­ induced a magazine avalanche of no sm all claim ing that the matter was no longer top i­ cial issues related to plant science, your idea s dimensions, I decided that the time had com e cal! In that letter I pointed out that under an on how plant phy siology is currently tau ght, to act. I resolved that beginning the next day electric field, a discharge cu rrent flows up­ wh at direction research in your field should I wo uld begin to read through these back is­ ward fro m the (pos itive) earth thr ough trees tak e, or how plant research is goin g in your sues. True to my word, the next morning I and other pointed obj ects. Wh en accompa­ country. Perhaps you recently found a job randomly grabbed a back issue-the June 2, nied by light and a cra ckling sound, this cur­ after being a graduate student in plant sci­ 1877, issue of Scientific American as it turns rent is ca lled St. Elmo's Fire .Accor ding to ence and would like to share yo ur job-hunt­ out-and began to read. The re, I wa s treated Schonland (1950) in his The Flight of Thun­ ing experiences. The co lumn is tot ally op en to a brief descr ipt ion of a mir aculous plant, derbolts, "a less obvious, because invisible to you, no matter whe re in the world you are du bbed Phytola cca electrica by its discovere r, and silent, form of disch arge is taking place read ing this. lr?- the ex plorer Paul Levy. I repro duce here in its all the time a thu ndercloud is active a bove entirety a translation of a slightly more de­ the earth. Each projecting po int, bush or tree, Zhi Qi tailed description of this Ni caraguan plant, or building is silently discharging electricity Graduate Student pu blished in th e Ham burger Gar ten-und upward s in the form of ions, like an ear thed Department of Botan y Blum enzeitung (vol. 33, 29, 1877 ): rod .... Some years ago the author cut down University of Wisconsin-Madison [email protected] "The curious fact a bout thi s pla nt is its a sma ll thorn-tree ... and mount ed it on in­ strongly marked electro magnetic pr operties. sulators.. . . Measur ements were mad e of the On breaking off a twig, a sensation is pro ­ cur rent passed upwards during thunderstorms duc ed in the hand like that given off by a wh en the tree was connected to th e eart h Ruhmkorff induction coil. Th e sensatio n wa s through a micro-ammeter. Wh en it was not Grad students and postdocs, we want to so mark ed that I began to experiment with a so connected it cha rged up like a Franklin Rod hear from you! If you are interested in small compass. T he compass began to be af­ and gave most unpl easant sparks if tou ched submitting to this column, we encourage fected by it at a distan ce of seven or eight by ha nd." Perhaps Levy's specime n of you to contact Edgar Spalding bye-mail paces. The needl e vibr at ed on approaching Phytolacca was growing in a burst bu bble of at [email protected]. nearer to it, and finall y began to revolv e rap ­ volcan ic glass and , thu s, insulated enough to idly. On receding, the phenomena wer e re­ ch arge up like a Fra nklin Rod .T he fact that peated in reverse order. In the soil where this Levy's plant pu rportedly caused the magnetic plant grew, ther e was not a trace of iron or compass not just to align itself with the plant other magnetic meta l like nickel or cob alt, and but to spin is peculiar indeed. Such anoma­ there is no doubt that the plant itself possesses lou s magnetic beh avior, however, has been these pecul iar properties. The strength of the noticed before in are as of active seismic ac­ ph enomenon varied with the time of day.Dur­ tivity and may arise from a nu mber of causes ing the night it is almost nothing, and reaches including erra tic magnetic fields arising from its maximum about 2 p.m. Wh en the weather the release of ionized gases or piezoelectric is sto rmy the energy increases st ill more, and effects. Thus, Talos does not regard Levy's wh en it rains the plant appears withered. I Phytolacca electrica to be a species distinct never saw any insects or birds on or abo ut from other kno wn members of its genus in this plant." Ni caragua. The specimen observed by Levy Yes, I am genera lly given to believing one was unu sual only in its locati on in space and impossible thing before breakfast, but this was time . To be sur e, however, Talos is seeking too much. At first, I thought that Levy may gradu ate students to clim b down into act ive hav e been a charlatan or mad with fever when volcanoes to measure the electr ical currents he wrote this report, but his single acco unt in plants. V~

8 • ASPS News. Vol. 28. NO. 3 ASPB-URF Awards for 2001

Eight students have been awarded American and Ethylene-Mediated Disea se Resistance Tracey Mill ard, Michigan State University­ Society of Plant Biologists Undergraduate Re­ through dnd Mutants." Dep artment of Energy Plant Research Labo­ search Fellowships to conduct independent Stephen Schilling, ratory, East Lansing (Dr. Pam Gr een, men­ investigation s w ith ASPB mentors. The fol­ Dartmouth College tor)." Investiga tin g the Biological Role of lowing student s were selected: Department o f Bio­ RNSI in Arabidop sis thaliana," Alison Eggert, Pur­ logical Sciences, H an­ Kristy Wilson, University of South Dakota due University Depart­ over, New H ampshire Department of Biology, Verm illion (Dr. Zoran ment of Agron omy, (Dr. C. R obertson Ristic, ment or). "Chloro plast Protein Synthe­ West Lafayette , Indiana McClung, m ento r ). sis Elongati on Factor an d Heat Tolerance in a (Dr. Daniel Szyman ski, " Characterizati on and Maize EF-Tu Mutant." mentor). "Localizatio n Mapping of Two Phot o- Jeffrey Wright, Californ ia State University and Identificati on of percepti on Mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana," Department of Biological Sciences, Long the DIS1 Gen e in lIleana Sil va, Ric e Beach (Dr. Judy Brusslan, mentor). " Identifi­ Arabidop sis. " University Department cati on of the cch2 Gene via TAIL-PCR."

Abbie Grosselin k, o f Biochemi stry a nd I Thi s is the inaugural year for the program. Ca lvi n College De ­ Cell Biology, Hou ston, The goa l is to provid e oppo rtunities for stu ­ partment o f Biolog y, Tex as (D r. Bonnie dent s to pursue meaningful research in plant Gr and Rapids, M ichi­ Bartel, mentor). " Ge­ biology at the ir hom e institutions early in their gan (Dr. David Koetje, netic An alysis of lBA college years. The program targets students mentor). "Pro tease Ac­ Meta bol ism in the who have just completed their sophomore tivity of jrpl in Re­ Plant Ara bidopsis thaliana," year of und ergraduate studies. But exception­ sponse t o Methyl John Snedd on , Uni­ ally well-prepared students who have just jasrnonate." versity o f Ne br aska completed their first year are also considered, Nathaniel Jeanson , Department o f Bio­ as ar e students wh o have completed their jun­ University of Wiscon­ chem istry, Lincoln (Dr. ior year and prov ide evidence of a strong com­ sin D epartmen t o f Lor i Allison, ment or ). mitment to plant biology. Recipients are ex­ Biol ogi cal Sci en ces , " T he Expressi on o f pected to present their results at the ASPB Parksid e (Dr. David Nucl e a r- Encod ed annual meeting the follo win g summer (with Higgs, mentor) . "Chlo­ M aize Sigma Fact ors funding provided by ASPB tra vel grants). ropla st mRNA Stab ility 2a and 6 in To bacco Plastid s." With such an oppo rtunity, ASPB hope s to en­ and Translation ." In addition to the students selected for fel­ courage students to pursue careers and ad­ Del Luc ent, Wilkes lowships, the follow ing students were noted vanc ed degrees in plant biology. University Department for hon or able mention: The fellow ships prov ide a $3 ,000 stipend, of Biolo gy, Wilkes­ Laura Black, University of Massachusetts $500 for supp lies, and a one -year mem ber­ Barre, PennsyIva nia Department of Biology, Boston (Dr. Ad an ship in ASPB. There were a total of 53 appli­ (Dr. William Terzaghi, Co len-Carmo na , mentor). "Identifying Pho­ cants, 35 from Group A institutions (doct or al mentor). "The Effect of toreceptors Responsible for Cell Division Ac­ universities) and 18 from Group B institutions Mitochondri al M em ­ tivati on in A rabidopsis thaliana," (non-doctoral universities and coll eges). A brane Lipid Composi­ Jeffrey Butl er, Virginia Tech Department of tot al of eight awards were made, five from tion on Respirati on in Biochemi stry, Blacksburg (Dr. Glenda Gillaspy, gro up A and three from group B. Add ition al Ara bidopsis." mentor). "Su bstra te Specificity of Putative informati on about the ASPB-URF Pro gram Amy Rettle r, Univer­ At5 PTase in Arabidopsis tbaliana," can be found a t http://www.aspp .o r g/ sity of Wisconsin De­ M erici Evan s, Edgewo od College, Depart­ hot _news/urLannounce.htm. The deadl ine partment of Plant Pa­ ment of Natural Science, Madison , Wiscon­ for applicati on s for the next round of ASPB­ thology, Madison (Dr. sin (Dr. Sharon Thoma, mentor). "Cloning URFs will be Ma rch 1, 2002. r~ Andrew Bent, mentor). and Sequ enc ing o f the Polyphenol Oxid ase Look (or posters (rom this group o( bud­ " Elucida ting the Role Gene(s) in Alfalfa." ding plant biologists at Plant Biology 2002 of HR a nd SA-, JA- in Denver, Colorado!

ASPB News. Vol. 28. No. 3· 9 Journals Announce Best Paper Award Winners New Book from The Plant Cell

The editors of Plant Physiology and Th e Plant Dr. Batok o will give a 30 -minute presenta­ Plant Genomics: Cell have selected the winners of their first tion during the Organelle Biology mini sym­ Emerging Tools annual Best Paper Award. Thomas Girke has posium on July 25. tr~ won for his article in the December 2000 is­ March 2001 sue of Plant Physiology, and Henri Batoko Girke, T., Todd, J., Ruuska, 5., White J., (code 30044) for his paper in the Decem ber 2000 issue of Benning, C., Ohl rogge, ]. (2000) Micro array The Plant Cell. Both authors will receive a analysis of developing Arabid opsis seeds. $1,000 cash prize and a subsidy of up to Plant Physiol 124: 1570-1581. To order, visit https://www. $1,500 to attend Plant Biology 2001 in Provi­ Batoko, H., Zheng, H-Q., Haw es, C., Moore, I. aspp.ore/secure_forms/ deuce, Rhode Island , Jul y 21-25. (2000) ARabJ GTPase is requi red for trans­ publications.htm Thomas Girke, a re­ port between the endopl asmic reticulum and Golgi app aratu s and for nor mal Goigi move­ searcher at D ow or call AgroSciences, won for ment in plant s. Plant Cell 12: 2201-2218. research he performed while a postdoctoral 301-251-0560, ext. 142. fellow in the labora­ tor y o f John Ohlrogge at Mi chigan State Uni­ versity. Th e purpose of ASPB Sponsors AIBS Exhibit his research initiative was to elucidate which genes In th e Arabidopsis genome are expressed in seeds. ASPB sponsored an exhibit at the 52"d an­ Adele Kupfer, director of Proje ct-STIR (Sci­ Girke et al.'s (2000) work goes a long way nual meeting of the American Institute of Bio­ ence Teachers in Indu stry and Research), in­ toward filling the gap s in our knowledge con­ logical Sciences (AIBS) in Arlington, Virginia, quired about additional ASPB educa tional cerning the molecular biology of Arabidopsis on March 24-26, 2001. materials for an upcoming teach er's workshop seeds. He and his colleagues prov ide many The conference was organi zed around the for New York City high school science teach­ fascinating insights concerning meta bolic theme "From Biodiversity to Biocornplexit y." ers. "The high school students will benefit routes for the conversion of photosynthate Th e new form at provides a more intimate and greatly from an y learning materials you have into oil in developing Arabidopsis seeds. smaller meeting of discussions for attendees availabl e to donate ," said Kup fer. Project­ Dr.Girke will give a 30-minute presenta­ with researchers and edu cators in the biol­ STIR responds to the needs of metropolitan tion du ring the Functional Genom ics ogy field. Some 300 teachers, scient ists, and New York City urban and inner-c ity schools minisy mposium on Jul y 25. investigators attended the meeting from all to obtain up-to-date science equipment and Henri Batoko is cur­ over the United States, traveling from as far supplies, encouraging a hands-on atmosphere rentl y a postdoc in Ian away as Hawaii. in high school science classes. ASPB donated Moore's laboratory in Attendees told ASPB staff working at the books, posters, bookmarks, copi es of Prin­ the Department of Plant Society's booth that the y were very inter ested ciples of Plant Biology-Concepts for Science Sciences, Oxford Un i­ in the March special issue of Plant Physiol­ Edu cation, and additional educ ati onal mate­ versit y. His profession al ogy on The Grass es; The Plant Cell and Plant rials for the conference. l(~ interest is the regulation Physiology posters; and the Society's new text­ of protein trafficking in book, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology of Lauren A. Ransome plant cells. He and his Plants, by Buchanan, Grui ssem, and Jones. Production Manager. Plant Physiology coauthors (2000) con­ The brochures about plant science studies Iransome @aspp,org clude in their article that AtRab1b function were also a big hit, generating huge inte rest is required for transport from the endoplas­ am ong educ ators. mic ret iculum to the Go lgi apparatus and sug­ gest that this process may be coupled to the control of the Golgi movement.

10 • ASPB News. Vol. 28. NO. 3 Victor Raboy Nutritious Pollution-Fighting Corn Wins Honor for Idaho Scie ntist

For developing new kinds of corn that help "Dr. Raboy's unique, low-phytate grains in­ Raboy was commended at an awards cer­ people, animals, and the environment, U.S. crease the amount of phosphorus that pigs, emony held recently at the ARS Henry A. Department of Agriculture researcher Vic­ poultry, and fish can absorb from grain-based Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research tor Raboy of Aberdeen, Idaho, has won a feed. That reduces phosphorus loads in their Center in Beltsville, Maryland. Raboy has national technology-transfer award. manure and helps minimize leaching and pol­ been with the ARS since 1987, working first A research geneticist with USDA's Agri­ lution." Phosphorus pollution is thought to in Bozeman, Montana, then transferring to cultural Research Service (ARS), Raboy was playa role in algal blooms and fish kills. Aberdeen in 1997. honored by the ARS Office of Technology "In addition," Horn noted, "Dr. Raboy's He earned his bachelor of science degree Transfer for developing a patented tech­ low-phytate grains may battle iron-deficiency in plant and soil science from the Univer­ nique that yields corn and other grains with a anemia in humans by making iron, an essen­ sity of Massachusetts in 1978, a master of lower amount of a compound called phytate. tial mineral, more available to our bodies. science in horticulture in 1980 from the Uni­ "Phytate interferes with the ability of We've already seen that happen in prelimi­ versity of Illinois, and his doctorate in hor­ some animals to absorb phosphorus," ex­ nary studies with volunteers who ate tortillas ticulture in 1984, also from the University plained ARS administrator Floyd P. Horn. made with flour from the low-phytate corn." of Illinois. l",

Maria Elena Zavala A plant biologist butions and achievements in their academic who has taught at disciplines and areas of assignment." CSUN Biolog y Profe ssor CSUN since 1988, Among her varied honors, Zavala last C hose n fo r Exc e lle nc e Zavala said she is hon­ September received White House recogni­ Award ored to be chosen for tion for helping build the CSUN Biology the award. "But really, Department's Minority Access to Research it is the students who Careers (MARC) and Minority Biomedical Cal State Northridge biology professor and deserve the recogni­ Research Support (MBRS) programs. She ASPB member Maria Elena Zavala has tion. I just try to give received the National Science Foundation's been chosen to receive a Wang Family Ex­ them an opportunity, and they are the ones 2000 Presidential Award for Excellence in cellence Award from the California State who take advantage of it," she said. "It's like Science, Mathematics, and Engineering University system for her outstanding work planting trees.You can't make an elm into a Mentoring. with students. pine tree. But you can shape a pine tree into Those two CSUN programs involving Zavala is one of five award recipients this the best tree it can be. I try to provide the Zavala, and a new one called Bridges to year from the 23-campus Cal State system. students an environment where they can do the Ph.D., have received more than $2 mil­ She will be presented with the award, which well." lion in grant funding since 1999. Zavala includes a $20,000 payment, during the The CSU award was established in 1998 also was honored with CSUN's 2000 Award CSU Board of Trustees meeting May 15­ when CSU trustee Stanley T. Wang gave the for Outstanding Achievement in Equity and 16, 2001, in Long Beach. Cal State system a $1 million gift-the larg­ Diversity. Off-campus, she was elected "Dr. Zavala's important contributions to est donation to the CSU system by an indi­ president of the Society for the Advance­ the fields of botany and cell biology, her vidual-to reward outstanding service. The ment of Chicanos and Native Americans in commitment to her students, and her annual awards "celebrate those CSU faculty Science. mentoring of minority students and teachers and administrators who through extraordi­ have made her an exemplary member of our nary commitment and dedication have dis­ faculty," said CSUN President Jolene Koester. tinguished themselves by exemplary contri- continued on page /2

ASPB News. Vol. 28. NO.3' 11 III !' ..... :

co ntinued from page 77 Southern Section Zavala has ment ored more than 125 minority science stu dents at CSUN since T he Southern Section of ASPB met over the Wall Archit ecture and Integrity: Effects of 1993. Those students have succeeded weekend of March 24-26 in Raleigh, North Abiotic and Biotic Stress." Presentations with com pletion rat es exceeding 90 per­ Carolina. A total of 27 talk s/posters were incl uded Dr. Debra M oh nen (Co mplex cent and have been nine times more presented to the 68 people in attendance. Carbohydra te Research Cente r, University likely to adva nce to Ph.D. progra ms. Two awa rds were presented to grad uate of Georgia), "Pectin Biosynthesis and Func­ Zavala received her un dergradua te de­ students for outstan ding oral prese ntations: tion "; Dr. Andrew Mort (Oklahoma State gree from Pomona College and her doc­ Jason Sterling (Department of Biochemis­ University), "Pectin Structure and Function torate fro m the University of California try and M olecular Biology, Comp lex Car­ in Sickness and in Health "; and Dr. Ronald at Berkeley. V~ bohyd rate Researc h Center, Th e University Sederoff (North Carolina State University), of Georgia) and Michael J. Wheeler (De­ "Genomic Approach to Wood Forma tion partment of Biology, Louisiana State Uni­ in LobloJly Pine." versity-Shreveport ). An award was also Gifts from Phillip M orris, Pioneer Hi­ Indra K. Vasil presented to Robin Gaines (Departm ent of Bred Int ern ational, N orth Caro lina Bio­ Biology, Eas t Ca rolina University, technology Center, and ASPB helped make University of Florida Gr een ville) for the best un dergradu at e these meetings possible. T he Southern Sec­ and Monsanto Honor pos ter presentat ion. tion greatly appreciates the generosity of ASPB Member Thi s year's annual symposiu m addressed these orga nizations. V~ Indra K.Vasil " Components Involved with Plant Cell

T he Un iversity o f Florida a nd th e Monsan to Company have established an endo wed professorship, th e Vasil­ M onsan to professorship, in honor of Ind ra K.Vasil, who recently retired from the University of Florida after 32 years. Wilhelm Pfeffer Book Mark Settles, wh o works on the func­ Available Free from ASPB tional genomics of maize (endos perm mu tants) in Rob M artienssen's lab at ASPB has received 50 copies of Ahead of His Time: Co ld Spring Harbor Lab oratory, ha s Wilhelm Pfeffer, Early Advances in Plant Biology, to d is­ been appointed the first Vasil-Monsanto tribute free of charge, Written by Erwin Bunning and trans­ professor. Vasil, known for his wo rk on lated by Helmut William Pfeffer, this150-page book, origi­ th e mol ecul ar biol ogy a nd bio tec h­ nally published in Englishby Carleton University Press (now nology of cereals, continues as a gradu­ part of McGill-Queen's University Press), conveys a te research professo r em erit us Bunning's impression of Pfefferrhe man, the teacher, the ([email protected]) at the University writer, and the experimental biologist. Some 110 years of Florida. As pr esident of the Interna­ ago, Pfeffer costuloted the structure and functions of the tional Association for Plant Tissue Cul­ pla sma membrane and expressed the opinion that all ture &Biotechnology (IAPTC & B), he physiological properties of higher organisms depend on currently is directing most of his effort cell functions that are already present in single-celled toward the organizat ion of the 10th organisms, IAPTC& B Congress-Plant Biotechnol­ ogy 2002 and Beyond (www.hos .ufJ. Interested readers should contact the publications ed u/iaptcb), to be held June 23 -28, director at nan [email protected]. 2002, in Or lando, Florida . \(~

12 • ASPB News. Vo l. 28. No , 3 September 1999-January 2001

Plant Genomics: Emerging Tools

s we enter the new millennium, genomics technologies and Athe age of genomics is in full approaches specially written for swing. Much more than the study of the plant science community. These individual genes and their functions, articles, together with a number of genomics implies the study of the research papers on plant genomics interacting networks of genes, pro­ published during this period, have teins, and metabolites that make been bound into a volume called up a whole organism. Large-scale Plant Genomics: Emerging Tools. genome sequencing projects form This compilation provides the base of all genomics studies, but readers interested in the radiating out from this base is a host applications of genomics of other tools that allow us to figure to plant science with a out the biology that is governed by single resource cov­ DNA sequence. ering the most Between September 1999 and recent develop­ January 2001, The Plant Cell pub­ ments in this lished a series of articles on emerging field.

Plant Gcnomics : Emerging Tools ISBN 0-943088-42-9. Item 30044. Price $25.00 For ordering information go to www.aspp.org

Put/trshor! IJy the Arnoo con Soc .ot» of Plan t Br% orsl .'> (f'orrll er/y (l ro Amoocan Societv of Plant I 'hysiologrst s) Bond, Mikulski Seek Doubling of NSF Budget Over Five Years

Senators Christopher Bond (R-MO) and Bar­ March 12,2001 catio n- the building blo cks of th e new bara Mi ku lski (D-MD) are leading efforts to economy. Just as we hav e work ed collectively Dear Colleague: increase fund ing for the National Science to doub le the National Institutes of Health Founda tion (NSF), Dep a rt m ent of Energy Last year, 41 senat ors agreed to co-sign a (NI H) budget over five years, we believe that (DOE), and National Aero nautics a nd Space letter to Majority Leader Lott and Democratic we must continue a parallel effort to double Administration (NASA) w ell above the Leader Daschle proposing that the budget of the budget of the National Science Founda­ adm inistratio n's budge t request. th e National Science Foundation (NSF) tion (NSF) over five years. It is our strong Bond and Mikulski recently won support should be doubled over a five-year period. In beliefthat the success of NIH's efforts to cure by the Sena te for their amendment to the the fiscal year 2001 app ropriation, this im ­ deadly diseases such as cancer depends heavily budget resolution that would increa se portant agency received a significant increase on the underpinn ing research supported by research funds for all three age ncies , incl ud­ that could start it down the road toward dou ­ N SF. Th e N SFsuppo rts fund amental research ing a 15.3 percent increase for NSF. An in­ bling its budget. that contributes to the nation's health and crease a t or near 15.3 percent in fiscal year well-being. In the fiscal year 2001 appropria­ We continue to believe that inv esting in 2002 would cont in ue NSF on a doubling path tion, th e Co ng ress provided th is cruc ial basic research should be a keystone of our o ver five years th at Bon d initiated for NSF in agency with the largest budget increase in its strategy for eco no m ic gro w th, a better­ fiscal year 2001. (Under the mathematica l ru le hist ory, which put the agency on the path of educated wo rkforce, technological leadership , of 72, divide 72 by the number of years [five] doubling its budget in five years. improved public health, prevention of disease, to get the avera ge percentage increase needed As th e Council on Com petitiveness has and nati onal securit y. As th e only fed eral each year for a doubling [14.4 percentj.) Sena­ noted: "For the past 50 years, m ost, if not agency wh ose primary mission is to supp ort tors jo ining Bond and M iku lski in offering all, of the techn ological advances hav e been fundamental scientific research, NSF is best the succ essfu l amend ment were Geo rge Allen directly or indirectly link ed to improvements positioned to adva nce this strategy. For these (R-VA), Jo sep h Lieberman (D-CT), and Jeff in fundamental understanding. " Busin ess reasons, we are asking once again for your Bingaman (D-NM). Week adds: "What's needed is a serious stimu­ signature on the enclosed letter to the two In offering the amendment April 5, Bond lant to basic research, which has been lag­ Senate leaders. explained th at it would increase support over ging in recent years. Without continued gains To sign the letter, or if there are any ques ­ FY2001 by $6 74 mill ion for NSF; $469 mil­ in education and training and new inn ova­ tions, please contact Cbeh Kim of Senator lion for DOE's science accounts; and $518 tion s and scientific find ings-the raw mate­ Bond's staff . . . or Paul Carliner ofSenator million for NASA. Combined, these inc rea ses rials of grow th in the N ew Econo m y- the Mikulski's staff . . . would add $1.44 billion to th e ad m ini ­ techn ological dynamic w ill stall." Th ank yo u for considering this. stration's FY2002 budget request for research . NS F's impact over the past halfcentury has In additio n to offering th e successful Sincerely, been monumental- especially in the field of amendment to the budget resolution, Bon d medical techn ologies and research. Th e invest­ and Mi ku lski are leading a campaign to se­ Christopher S. "Kit" Bond, U.S. Senator ments have also spawned not only new prod­ cure the sign-on by othe r senato rs to a letter Barbara A. Mikulski, U.S. Senat or ucts, but also entire industries, such as bio­ urging the Sena te leadership to join in co n­ techn ology, Internet provid ers, Escommerce, tinu ing a five-year goa l of doubling the bud ­ L ETTER TO BE CO SIGNED and geog raphic information systems . Medi­ get for NSF by FY2005. ASPB Ca mpus Con­ cal techn ologies such as magnetic resonance Dear Majority Leader Lott and Democratic tacts and their co lleagues ha ve been su pport­ imaging, ultras ound, digital mammograph y Leader Daschle: ing this effort. Following is the text of the and geno m ic mapping could not have oc­ Bond-Mikul ski lette r seeking a doubling of We are writing as longtime supporters of in­ curred, and cannot now imp rove to the next the NS F budget: vestments in fundamenta l research and edu- lev el o f proficiency, withou t underlying

14· ASPBNews. Vol. 28. NO.3 knowledge from NSF-supported work in bi­ ology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, engi­ neering, and com puter sciences. In 1993, NS F support made it possible to detect the cause of a deadly hantavirus out­ break in the American Southwes t. NSF­ supported research on plants led to the dis­ covery of Tax ol, a derivative of Yew trees that is effective against certain cancers. Th e ben­ efits of NS F research to medical science and technology has been recognized by leading doctors such as the former heads ofthe NIH, Harold Varmus and Bernadette Healy, and the President of th e Institute of Medicine, Kenneth Shine. New NSF support for research in nan otechn ology, high-speed computing, Senators Christopher Bond (R-MO) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) plant genome research, biocomplexity, and accepted the 2001 George E. Brown, Jr.. Award on May 1 in recognition of their leading support in Congress of science. cognitive neuroscience will further advan ce the state oftechnological change and improve our quality of life through creation of new Research Community Recognizes products, a better understanding of how hu­ Senators Bond, Mikulski as Champions of mans behave, and how our ecological systems can survive. Furthermore, every generation re­ Science in Congress quires a group of skilled and innovative sci­ entists and engineers to make the new discov­ A broad coa lition of science, engineeri ng, and to do uble the budget of the National Science eries that propel society into the futur e. .. . technology associations, inclu ding ASPB, that Foundat ion . The stunning success of Bond Senators may disagreeabout the precise mix sponsored the Science, Engineering and Tech­ and Mikulski in achieving an increase of 13.6 of fiscal and monetary policies that will en­ nology Congressional Visits Day (SETCVD), percent for NSF for fiscal year 2001 puts the sure a continuation of America's current eco­ present ed the George E. Brown, Jr., Award to agency on a co urse tha t could result in dou- nomic prosp erity. But there is a growing con­ Sena tors Ch ristopher Bond bling its budget in just five sensus that investing in fundam ental scien­ (R- MO) a nd Barbara years . The successful bipar­ tific research is one of the best things we can Mikulski (D-MD) Ma y l. . :..... tisan efforts of the two sena­ do to keep our nation econo mically strong. The awar d recognized tors on beh alf of NSF re- This fact has been recognized by Federal Re­ Sena tors Bon d and Mikul­ suIted in the record increase • .- serve Chairman A lan Greenspan, N ASDAQ ski for their- of $529 million for NSF in President Alfred Berk eley, the Committee for • strong public advo­ FY2001 , propelling the Economic D evelopm ent, and many other cacy in support of a role for • agency over the $4 billion widely respected exp erts. For all these rea­ the federa l govern ment in ma rk to $ 4 .426 billion. sons, we hop e you will join us in continuing research .- Wit hout the efforts of Bond a five-year goal of doub ling the budget of the • spec ific actions ta ken and M ikul ski, the increase National Science Foundation by fiscal year to adva nce science, engi- for NSF wo uld ha ve been 2 00~ ~ neering, and technology policy significantly lower. • active leadersh ip in the determ inatio n of Senators Bond and M ikulski are relentlessly science, engineering, and technology p ublic pursuing the dou bling effort again this year policy. while facing an ever-mor e constricted overall Senator Bond was joined by Sen ato r M ikulski last year in announcin g a campaign co ntinued on page 16

ASPB News. Vol. 28. No. 3· 15 continued from page 15 Administration 's Proposed Research BUdget Seeks Generally Level Funding federal budget. Key budget committee staff have cited the continued suppo rt for NSF by Senator Bond, joined by Senator Mikulski, The research budgets for the U.S. Department amount of $7.5 million in the ARS budget as crucial to hopes for higher spending levels of Agricultu re (USDA), the Department of related to biot echn ology go ing to "develop­ for the agency. Energy (DOE), an d th e N at ion al Scien ce ing the und erlying datab ase and information In accep ting the awa rd, Sen ator Bond Foundati on (NSF) are generally level with the anal ys is to o ls needed to sup po rt ARS thanked the science community for its sup­ current year in the administrat ion's fiscal year genomics research and to assess risk associ­ port and urged scientists to work with their 2002 request. However, bipartisan efforts in ated with biot ech crops. Fund s will support members of Co ngress in support of a dou­ Congress to br ing substan tial increases for development of da ta bases used to stor e, ana ­ bling of the NSF bud get over five years. For resear ch, especia lly at NSF, are being led by lyze and interpret the sequencing, mapping man y years the champion in Congress of the Senator Christopher Bond (R-M O). Follow­ and function al geno mics dat a for plants, ani­ plant science community, Bond noted in his ing is a summa ry of portions of the admin­ mals and microb es. Increased research on risk acceptance remarks the imp ortance of th e istration's prop osed budget for USDA, DOE, assessment will focus on resistance manage­ NSF-sponsor ed plant genom e research pro­ and NSF. ment, including preventing buildup of resis­ gram and the completion of the sequence of tant pest populati ons, minimizing effects of the Arabid opsis genome. He enco urage d sci­ USDA non -target species from pest and disease tol­ entists of all disciplines to exp lain the impor­ The request for the National Research Initi a­ erant transgenic plants, and decreasing aller­ tance of plant biotechnology to the public. tive Competitive Grants Pro gram (NRI) gens of biot ech food products." The ARS bud ­ His com ments in support of plant science were within the Cooperative State Resea rch, Edu­ get also includ es $15 million for the priority one of the two major topics of his acceptance ca tion and Extension Service (CSREES) is at area New Uses for Agricultural Products an d remarks. Senator Bond led successful efforts $106 million-the same as last year. The bud ­ $12 million for resea rch on Emerg ing and Ex­ in Congress over the past fou r years for $230 get requ est for formula funds is level with the otic Diseas es and Pests. million in additional fund s for plant genome current year at $544 million . The Initiative research sponsored by N SF! fo r Future Agriculture a nd Food Syste ms DOE In her accep ta nce rem arks, Senato r would agai n receive $120 million as provided Although funds are up $13 mill ion in the Mikulski recalle d her lon g career in address­ by statute. Overall, CSREES-p rop osed fund s overall DOE Basic Energy Sciences (BES) bud ­ ing science issues. She singled out current and for fiscal year 2002 are at $994 million com­ get to nearly $1.005 billion, much of the in­ past colleagues she has worked with in Co n­ pared to $1. 13 8 billion for fiscal year 2001. creas e goes to cons truction , which is up $21.4 gress wh o have contributed to her knowledge Specia l gra nts approved for the cur rent year million. A number of other programs within of science age ncies, includ ing the Nati on al by Congress but not so ught by the adminis­ BES are down slightly in the pro posed bud ­ Aeronautics a nd Sp ace Administration tration make up much of the reduction in the get. Energy Biosciences is at $32.4 million in (NASA). She cited her stro ng working rela­ CSREES requ est. However, it can be expected the proposed fiscal 2002 bud get co mpared tionship with Senator Bond and rema rked th at Congress will put the spec ia l gr ants to $33.2 million in the cur rent year. M ateri­ that she "treasur es" her relat ionship with him. mone y back into the fiscal year 200 2 budget als Sciences is down $8.9 million to $43 4.4 Senator M ikulski is the ranking Dem ocrat on in spending bills. This could put incre ased million. the Appropriat ions Sub committee on VA, pressure on fund s for the NRI. HUD and Ind ependent Agencies (including The request for the Agricultural Research NSF NSF). Senat or Bond chairs th is key commit­ Service (ARS) Research and Information bud­ T he FY2002 request for NSF is up 1.3 per­ tee. Togeth er, with the support of the science get fo r fiscal 20 02 is at $91 6 mill ion, up cent to ove r $4.472 billion. Th e req uest for community, they overcame many obstacles to $1 million over the cur rent fiscal year bud­ NSF research an d rela ted acti vities is down successfully launch the first year of the five­ get. The ARSPlant Science budget line in the 0.5 percent to $3.327 billion, Th e request for year doubling effort for N SF in FY2001. l(~ request goes up $20 million over the current Edu cation and H uma n Resources is up 11 year bud get to $325 million . A priority area percent to over $872 million . Major Research listed in the budget is Biotechnology, with an and Equipment is down 20.6 percent to $96 .3

16· ASPS News, Vol. 28, No. 3 million in the budget request. An incre ase of Five Plant Research Breakthroughs 5.9 percent is sought for salaries and exp enses. Co nsistent with the overall NSF resear ch Among NSF's "Nifty Fifty" Explained in budge t, the NSF Dir ect orate for Biological Siedow's Congressional Testimony Sciences bud get request is down less th an 1 perc ent to $483.1 milli on . The decrease is $2.3 million or 0.5 percent co mpared to th e ASPB Co mmittee on Publi c Affairs member calls this list the "Nifty Fifty" in hon or of current yea r. An incre ase of $5 million for James Siedo w, vice pro vost for research and the agency's an niversary. Following are ma ­ the 2010 Pro ject to determine the function s profe ssor of biology (bo tany) at Duke Uni­ jor porti on s of the comments: of 25,000 genes in Ara bidopsis is requested versity, presented testimony M arch 21 to the th at would bring th is program to $20 mil­ H ouse Approp riat ions Subcommittee on VA, Arabidopsls-A Plant Genome Project lion . Th e Plant Genome Research program is HUD an d Ind ependent Agencies seeking a Th anks to th e support of th e subcommittee, funded at $65 million under the bud get re­ doubling of support for the National Science NSF ha s been ab le to sponsor genomic re­ quest for fiscal 2002, which is up 0.2 per­ Fou nd ation over five years. Siedow com­ search on the m od el p lant Arabido psis cent. Nearly $17 million is being requested mented that ASPB stro ngly supports and ap­ thaliana. Th e entire genome seq uence was for the Biocomplexity in the Environment ini­ preciates the efforts of this subcommittee and completed at the end of 2000, well ahea d of tiativ e, whi ch includes the Microbial Genome of Senators Kit Bond and Barbara Mikulski schedule. Now th at the sequence has been Sequencing Project with USDA and the Tree to dou ble sup port for NSF over five years. completed, NSF is proceeding with the 20 10 of Life research project. The 2010 Proj ect re­ Siedo w cited plant resea rch breakthroughs Project to determ ine the funct ion of every quest is separate from the Biocomplexity re­ su ppo rted by NSF that were included in the gene in th is mod el plant. Arabidopsis is so quest this year. M ajor budget lines with in the NSF Resource Guide 2000. This resource similar to most other plan ts that knowledge Direc torate for Biological Sciences fiscal 2002 gu ide featur es "50 discoveries or ad vances of its comparati vely simple genome will speed req uest in addition to Plant Geno me Research that NSF believes have had the most impact are Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, down or influence on every America n's life." NSF continued on page 18 2.4 percent in the request to $12 1.24 million ; Integrati ve Biology and Neuroscience, up 0.9 percent to $1 12.64 milli on; Environmental Biology, up 1.7 percent to $11 1.74 million ; and Biological Infra structure, down 3.1 per­ cent to $72 .49 million.

BUdget Moves to Congress Sena tor Bond is leading efforts to increase funding for NSF, DOE, and the National Aer onautics and Space Administration (NASA) well above the administration's bud­ get request. He recently won support by the Sena te for his amendment to the budget reso ­ lution th at would increase res earch fun ds for all three agencies, including a 15.3 per­ cent increase for NSF (see related sto ry on page 14). ~ Representa tive David Price (D-NC) (right) pose s a question to Ja mes Siedow (far left) of Duke University and ASPB at a House Subcommittee hearing Marc h 21 on a ppropriati ons for NSF. Representa tive Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) is seated ac ross from Siedow. Representative Carrie Meek (D-FL) is sta nding between Frelinghuysen a nd Timothy Pet erson (also seated) of the subcommittee staff. Pric e. a long-tim e colleague of Sledow's at Duke University, gave a warm welcome to Siedow when introd ucing him to the sub committee,

ASPS New s, Vo l. 28. No, 3 • 17 co ntinued from page 17 known co mmerc ial ap plication at the time. the soi l and water-a process called phyto­ Howe ve r, Buch a na n th eorized th at remediat ion . T here are also some beneficial the way to discovery of genes and their func­ thioredoxin, with its ability to break up di­ metals such as iron that are found in the soil. tions in other flowering plants, including valu­ su lfide bonds to help seeds germinate and also One-third of the world's soils are iron-defi­ able agricultural and energy crops. to act ivate photosynth esis, could also cha nge cient . [ron def iciency is the most prevalent the shape of a llergen pro­ nutrition al problem in the world today, af­ Edible Vaccinations teins co nta ining di­ fecting an estima ted 2.7 billion people, nearly Ano ther major discovery sulfide bonds. His theory half the ear th's population. Plants are a ma ­ sponsored by NSF will lead ••• • pr ov ed corr ect, opening jor source of iron for most of the world's to edible vaccinati ons that •• th e door to a pro misin g people. Understa nding how to mod ify plants - e will be more affordable and .- ... new food technology for that take up higher amo unts of iron will help • -.. ; . mo re access ible to people .; . allergy sufferers and their solve the widespread hum an nu trition al prob­ worldwid e. Researchers in fami lies. lem of anemia. .; Ithaca, N ew York , led by NSF noted that e ASPB member C ha rl es • :. vegetables enginee red with Overcoming Salt Toxicity ..-. --.. Almost one-third of the irrigated land on earth Arn tzen, are genetica lly en­ higher vitamin E co nte nt gineering pot atoes and ba­ • •• are ex pected to help figh t is not suita ble for grow ing crops because it is nan as that produce antigens hea rt di sea se. An im ­ contamin at ed with high levels of salt. More fo r use against di arrhea p ro ve d stra in o f r ice , farmable lan d is lost annually through high ca used by the E. coli bacteria. Substa nt ia l called "golden rice," with enhanced levels of salt levels in soil than is gained thro ugh the savings could result fro m growing green phar­ pro vitam in A and iro n, will help battle nutri­ clearing of forest resou rces. maceutical plants that produce edible vaccines tion aI deficiencies in the diets of million s of M ost plants are highly sensitive to salty witho ut the need for refrigerat ion, syringes, people. Go lden rice could have pro foun d re­ cond itions that cau se stress and significan t or other costly items that deny necessary care sults in developing nati ons, where more than bioch emical cha nges due to absorption and to millions of young children in the develop­ half a million child ren a year go blind from influx of sod ium from the sa lty soil. NSF­ ing world wh o die each year fro m unt rea ted vitamin A deficien cies in their diet and ma ny funded scientists are studying approaches that diarrhea. Th e support of this subcommittee more people suffer fro m anemia due to iro n will lead to plants that ca n tolera te salty grow­ for NSF that has propelled plant science into deficiencies. ing conditions. By understand ing the signa l­ the age of genomics will result in ma ny more The bark and needles of the Pacific Yew ing system that allows a plant to sense excess lifesaving medicines for people here and tree have for year s been a source of taxol, sodium in the enviro nment and then make a broad. which is an effective pharmaceutical treatment necessary adjustments, pla nt biologists will aga inst certa in types o f ca ncer in humans. be able to influence the growth of cro p plants Genomics Bio-Pharming with Plants Advances in research will allow production und er arid conditio ns. T he third member of the Nifty Fifty, Geno mics of much larger quantities of taxol while re­ Siedow concluded by say ing tha t "In my Bio-Pharming with Plants, goes beyond ed­ ducing damage or destruction to Pacific Yew 31-year career in plant biology, J have never ible vaccines. Lactose intolerance, allergic re­ trees. seen a more exciting time for research in the actions to wh eat pro ducts, and other food­ field. Plant genomics and biot echn ology have related ailments co uld becom e a thing of the Overcoming Heavy Metals revolution ized the way scientists can improve past, NSF notes, if allergens in foods such as Up to 12 percent of soi ls under cultivation plan ts that provide the world's supply of food, milk and wheat are elimin ated. Plant scien­ aro und the world contain metals that stunt much of the world's energy, indu strial feed­ tists who have been supported by NSF are plant gro wth and development and result in stocks, clothing and build ing materials, and ma king great strides in thi s research. NSF poor harvests. NSF-fu nded resea rch ers are lifesaving medicines. The basic researc h break­ funde d ASPB member Bob Bucha na n at the using genet ic engineering to develop plants th rou ghs with plants mad e poss ible by this University of Ca lifornia at Berkeley for a num­ that flou rish on meta l-rich soils. O ther spe­ co mmittee 's support for NSF also pro vide ber of years to study the protein thioredoxin cially selected and eng ineered plants will per­ extremely valuable information to research­ in plants. Buch anan's res earch ad dressed form an environmenta l cleaning fun ction by ers sponso red by the federa l mISSIOn questions of bas ic plant biology with no remov ing heavy meta l co nt aminants from agencies." l(~

18 • ASPB News. Vol. 28. NO. 3 ASPB, Corn Growers, and Plant Pathologists by the DOE Ene rgy Biosciences pro gram . Plant-produced products can also provide the Join in Support of DOE Energy Biosciences chemical industry with much grea ter diver­ sity than availabl e from the com parat ively ASPB, representing nearly 6,000 plant scien­ troleum engineer ing resulted in a ma jor shift limite d struc tures found in crude oil. tists, was joined by the Nat ional Corn Grow­ to reliance on fossil sources of orga nic feed­ The comments noted that the lab of Mi chi­ ers Associatio n (NCGA), represent ing more stoc ks such as pet roleum . gan Sta te University Professor John O hlrogge , than 30,000 members, and the Amer ican Phy­ ASPB, NCGA, and APS said opportunities wh o has been sup porte d by the Energy Bio­ topathological Society (APS), repr esenting offered by mod ern plant research are leading sciences pro gram , is now working to develop 5,000 scientists, in su bmitting comments April to home- grown genetica lly engineered plan ts plants that will provide the feedstocks for new 9 to the H ou se Appropria tions Subcommit­ that produce commercia lly valu abl e chemi­ types of pol yureth ane, nylon with stronger tee on Energy and Wa ter Development sup­ cals. Enhanced energy crops woul d help di­ and more flexibl e fibers , and biodegradable portive of basic plant and microbi al research versify crop production in th e United States lubricants. These are not niche mark ets. The sponsored by the Dep artment of Energy by producing high-valu e chemicals and other United States now pr oduces nylon, polyure­ (DOE) Energy Biosciences program in fiscal technical materials. These enha nced crops thane, and other pl astic s to supply m ulti­ year 2002. could create potentially large new markets for billion-dollar markets. Genetica lly mo dified The program supports basic research th at excess production of American agriculture . crop plant production of nylon alone could makes use of the sun's energy and atmospheric Plants engineered to be chemical feedstocks create more than $2 billion in new incom e carbon dioxide to produce in pla nts renew­ would also address the long-term goa l of de­ for Amer ican farm ers. America n farmers will ab le so ur ces of energy including fuels an d veloping more susta inable and enviro nme n­ benefit from these enhanced plants becau se industrial products. Promising research on tall y benign method s of meet ing nat ional the y will have new markets for their prod­ plants in the area of ph ytoremediation spon­ need s for chemicals and other mat erials that ucts. The American chemi ca l industry will sored by the program is leading to enha nced are currently produced by chemica l synthesis ben efit becau se it will have new stru ctures plants that can be used to clean heavy metal from declining petrol eum or coal feedstocks. on which to build improved plastics and other contaminants from soil and water. In addition, it is possible to envision the pro ­ products. American co nsumers will benefit The comments not ed th at ASPB mem ber duction in plants of novel biologically inspired because more of th e nat ion 's products will Chris Somerville, whose research has been materials with properti es no t easi ly simulated be based on ren ew a ble an d biod egrad able supported by the Energy Biosciences progra m, through chemical synthesis. resources that do not cont ribut e to landfill and Dario Bonetta provided th e hist orical Two major factors suggest th at the trend overflow or higher atmospheric car bon di­ background and proj ected futu re advances in toward use of petroleum- derived products oxide levels. The nation would also beco me energy-related plant research in the January over plant-based pro duct s can be reversed . less dependent on foreign oil for produc tio n 2001 issue of Plant Physiology. These scien­ First, the cost s of agricultur al pla nt pro ducts of these p roducts. tists identified a number of opportunities of­ have declined steadily over the past 75 years, ASPB, N CGA, and APS com ment ed th at fer ed by advances in pla nt geno mics and whereas oil pric es have genera lly increa sed. th e Energy Biosciences program is an exa mp le mod ern transformation techn ologies such as Second, th rough geno mics and genetic engi­ of the optimum way basic science can be used biotechn ology that will lead to the develop­ neerin g, we can now tap into th e vast chemi­ to solve some of our country's most challeng­ ment of novel plant products to rep lace pe­ cal divers ity produced biologically. Within the ing ene rgy and environmental problems. tro leum -deri ved chemicals. Research in this plant kin gdom alone, more than 50,000 dif­ ASPB, N CGA, and APS urged the committee area ha s been identified by Plant Physiology ferent organic chemical structures are pro­ to increase support for Energy Biosciences as on e of the greatest advances in plant sci­ duced biologically. The micro bial world pro­ and the Office of Science by 15 percent in ence of the past 25 years. Th e DO E Energy vides many additional op portunit ies. A prac­ fiscal year 2002 to help the nation more ef­ Biosciences program is the key so urce of sup­ tical example of the possibilities offered was fectively meet its enormous energy needs. port for this basic energy research. demonstrated by the use of a bac teria l gene This is the first year that ASPB, N CGA, As recently as 1930, 30 per cent of indus­ to modify a plant to produce a biod egrad­ and APS have joined together to su bmit co m­ tri al organic chemicals were derived from able plastic at levels up to 14 percent of the men ts in sup port of the DOEEnergy Bio- plants. The discovery of extensive petroleum dr y weight of the plant's leaves. Basic researc h sciences pro gram . reserves and ad vanc es in chemis try and pe- leading to this example was ma de possib le

ASPB News. Vol. 28. NO. 3· 19 ASPB Comments to House and Senate Committees on Need to Support NRI, IFAFS, ARS

ASPB submitted comments April 9 to the The NRC committee recom mended tha t a ARS cont inues to address effectively ma ny House App ropriations Subcommittee on Ag­ major emphasis of the NRI continue to be import ant research qu estions for American riculture supporting fiscal year 2002 appro­ the support of high-ri sk research with poten­ agricu lture, ASPB commented. Am erican priations for the Department of Agricu lture tial lon g-term payoffs. Much of th is research farmers and consumers are well served by the National Research Initiative Competit ive would be classified as fundamental in the tra­ large nu mber of successful research effor ts of Grants Program (NRI), the Initiative for Fu­ ditional use of th is term. The NRC commit­ ARS scientists, the Society said.Continued ture Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS), tee concluded that "Without a dramatically support for a balanced research portfolio in and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). enhanced commitment to merit-ba sed peer­ the department, inclu ding intramural and ex­ ASPB also submitted comments support­ reviewed, food, fiber and natural resources tr amural research, is needed to address the ing these important research programs to the research, the nation places itself at risk." man y and sometimes devasta ting problems Senate Committee on Agriculture for its con­ In add ition to the direct benefits to farm­ farmers face in gro wing crops. sideration of the Research Title of the Farm ers and consumers th at result fro m the lead­ ASPB noted its su pport for the request of Bill. ASPB noted that the National Research ing research di scoveries sponsored by the th e National Coa lition for Food and Agri­ Council Board on Agriculture and Natural NRI, increased support for th e program cultural Research (National C-FAR) to double Resources Committee report on the NRI last would help maintain the strength and vigor support for agricultural research over five year strongly endorsed support for this com­ of the nation's agricultura l research commu­ years-a rate of increase aver aging more than petiti ve grants program. The NRC commit­ nit y, ASPB comment ed. ASPB urged the sub­ 14 percent a year. tee "found the NRI to have financed high­ committee to increase support for the NRI, ASPB noted that in the plant science area qua lity scient ific work within con gressional including NRI-sponsored plan t research to al one, ex trao rd inary ad vances could be guidelines. .. . The committee reiterates the help meet th e important long-term research achievable with sufficient support and time. extraordinary importance o f public merit­ needs of America 's farmers. Increased funding can be expected to acceler­ based peer-reviewed research in foo d, fiber IFAFS has provided grants at levels that en­ ate the time in which advances could be made. and natur al resources. In the committee's able scientists of different institutions and dis­ The age of genomics and biotechnology has opinion, past public research and current pri­ ciplines to wor k together in addressing im­ brought revolutionary new tools to plant sci­ vate activities cannot meet the need s that ar e portant research que stion s, ASPB said. The entists to better serve th e needs of agriculture, being created by population growth, climate Society urged the subcommittee to continue ASPB noted. The Society's comments included change and natural resource deterioration or support for IFAFS in the fiscal year 2002 ap ­ projections of wh at ma y be expected to be the challenges re lated to food safety and nu­ propriation at the level authorized by sta tu te achi eved earlier or later in th is new century trit ion and to the growing convergence of ($120 million ). depend ing on levels of support for research.s foods and medical research."

ACTIVATE YOUR FREE ONLINE ACCESS TO THE ASPB JOURNALS!

Don't forget that ALL Society members receive FREE access to the electronic versions of both Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell. You do not have to subscribe to the printed journals to access Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell onl ine. Activation is easy! Go to www.plant.org to get started!

20 • ASPB News. Vol. 28. No , 3 Special Recognition for Friendship Train Takes Biotech Program Conductor Dr. Ingo Potrykus at ASPB Siedow to Congressional Retreat at the Greenbrier Annual Meeting Although vigorous debate by elected repre­ deb acle. His response that production of co rn Dr. Ingo Potryku s will receive the ASPB Lead ­ senta tives of the peopl e with sincere differ­ not ap prov ed for human use was clearl y an ership in Science Publi c Service Award for his ences of opinion over maj or issues of the da y ill-ad vised cor porate decision met with voiced outstanding contributio ns to science and hu­ is a hallmark of our free and demo cra tic so­ agreement. Som e of the other question s fo­ manity at 6:00 p.m., Saturday, Jul y 21, at the ciety, it sometimes contributes to bru ised re­ cused on the safe ty of modified cro ps and the ASPB ann ual meeting in Providence. Aft er lati ons am ong the pa rticipan ts. Historically, la beling of genetically modified org anisms. receiving the awa rd, Dr. Potrykus will be the severe breakd owns in relations in Co ngress Thi s retreat was a rare oppo rtunity to ad­ featured speaker at th e Persp ectives of Sci­ have contributed to the Civil War, with ha lf dres s many members of Congress at the same ence Leaders program beginning at 6:15 p. m. a mil1ioncasualties, and deadl y duel s between time on the issue of modified foods. It was that same day. members of Co ngress . Siedow's third scheduled congressional brief­ Dr. Potrykus's rese arch interests incl ude Today's Congress is a model of harmony ing on plant biotechnology in the past year. contr ibutions to food securi ty in develop ing compa red to th ose earlier-day respon ses to Th e week before the Greenbrier retreat , he countries through develop ing an d applying serious disagre em ents. H owever, re la tions participated in a symposium on modified genetic engineering technology to crop plants generally are viewed as being less congenial food s at the University of New H am pshire such as rice, w heat, sorghum, and cassava. than the y we re some 20 years ago, when party that was attended by severa l hundred stude nts He has been a ble to use biotechnology to leaders would emph atically state their differ­ and teachers fro m the university, surround­ address problems th at have often been diffi­ ences on the House Floo r during th e day an d ing high schools, and community. Th e pro­ cult to treat with tradition al techni ques in the then join in a friendly rou nd of go lf in the gram ran the full da y, fro m 9 a.rn. to 4 p.rn., areas of disease- and pest-resistance, improved evening. with virtually all the atte ndees stay ing for the food qu ality, increased yield, better use o f To help improve wo rking relations between entire event. ASPB memb er Subhash M inocha natura l resources, and improved biosafety. the parties, mem bers of th e House of Repre­ of the University of N ew Hampshire helped In recen t years, Dr. Pot ryku s's research on sentatives hold a weekend retreat for each new organize and coordinate the program . t~ go lden rice with higher levels of beta caro­ Congress. On M ar ch 9,H ouse Republic an s ASPB Book Program tene has gene rated sign ificant int erest in the and Democrats boarded a train from Wash ­ science co mmunity and in th e develop ing ingto n, DC, to West Virgin ia for the Hou se ASPB welcomes proposals for its book program. Books typically published by world as a promising, cost-effective way to retreat at the Gre enb rier H ot el and Resort in the Soc iety are edited. peer-review ed White Sulphur Springs. prevent millions of cases of blind ness among works based on symposium proc eed­ poor children with Vitamin A-deficient diets. Hopping right on board with th em was ings an d collections of mini-reviews. In the course of his distinguished career, Dr. ASPB Committee on Public Affairs mem ber Topic s inc lude plant physloloq v, mo­ Potr yku s has pu blished well over 30 0 articles Jim Siedow of Duke University, Steve Case, lecular biology. environme ntal biology, in refereed journals and has con tri buted to CEO of America O nline/Time Warner, Bill bioche mistry. cell biology, biophysics of plants, reg ulation of gene exp ression, some 30 patents. H e is a me m ber of th e H azeltine, cha irma n an d CEO of Human moleculor a nd genetic basis of pla nt Aca de mi a Euro pa ea and recipient o f th e Geno me Sciences, and others. Case's assign­ development, plant- microbe inte rac ­ Kurnho Science Internati onal Award in Plant ment was to discus s govern ance in the age of tion s, a nd molecular aspects of plant Mo lecular Biology and Biotechno logy 2 0 0 0 X~ information technology. Ha zeltin e ad dressed cell orga nization an d function . Books geno mics. And Siedow's assignment was to must be timely and focused on a sing le discuss and respond to que stions concerning topic , Proposals mu st demon strate scholarship, good writing, and the po­ cr op bi o technol o gy. H e ad d ressed tw o ten tial to fill an existing need in the field. workgroup sessions on Saturday, Ma rch 10. To obta in more information on publish­ Two groups of ab out members of 15-20 ing books with ASPP, contact the pub­ Co ngress pa rticipated in the agr icultura l bio­ licatio ns dir ector at 15501 Monona technology sessions. One of the questions con­ Drive, Rockvill e, MD 20855-2768 USA or cerned Siedow's view of the Sta rLin k co rn e-mail nan cyw@aspp .org.

ASPBNews. Vol. 28, No. 3' 21 ASPB at National Science Teachers Convention

Compiled and edited by Gary Kuleck,Biology Department, Loy ola Marymount University, 7900 L oyola Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045, e-ma il [email protected]

ASPB and its membersh ip continue to make rien ce with one or both exhibits. Excited eluding the ever-po pular " bo ttle-ca p" minia­ a strong effo rt to reach o ut to K-12 teachers teachers flocked to the Wisconsin Fast Plant ture gardens. ASPB had a stro ng presence, and in a number of venues. Perh aps one the most (WFP) exhibit to build a butterfly emergence hundreds of o ur Principles of Plant Biology successful has been the ASPB pre sence at the ch amber in which th ey could o bserve th e brochures, bookm arks , and posters were annua l Nat ional Science Teachers Associat ion em ergence of a cabbage white butterfl y from given away.Teachers were also directed to National Co nvention. The 2001 meetin g was its chr ysalis during the conventi on. This fea­ the Web si tes o f ASPB, Fast Plants, a nd held in St. Louis from M arch 22 to March ture was presented in conjuncti on with the C- Fern s for ad ditio na l inform a tio n a nd 25. In attend ance were 11,000 of the bright­ newest Fast Plants activity, "F ast Plants and resources. est and best of our K-12 science teachers from Its Butt erfly," a n ex per imental system featur­ It ca n be difficult to assess the imp act of a acro ss the nation. Also present and, just as ing both organisms. One encouraging devel­ program o n its intended target audience. Yet, important for our outreach efforts, were re­ opment was the presence of butterfly pilot clearly, at th e NSTA convention, the co nta­ gional and na tional scien ce administrators teachers who disp layed their students' work gio us enthusiasm of the teach ers for the ASPB­ and representatives. Conract with these en­ as they ass isted at the booth. spo nso red Educa tion Booth bears witness to thusiastic teachers and administrators has a C-Fern visitors walked aw ay with a mini a­ a strong, successful outreach effor t. M oreover, profound impact on the nature and content ture germination and growth cha m ber where the impact of this ASPB o utreach ca n be of science education in our schools. th ey co uld follo w the devel opment of judged by the number of teachers, sch ool sys­ Indeed, co ntact wa s the name of the ga me Cerato pteris garnetophytes and also ob served tem s, and administrators th at have ad opted as the Educ at ion Boo th shared by C-Fern and a live demo of fern sperm mo tility and the a nd ad apted th ese pl ant sys tems for th eir Wisconsin Fast Plants hosted well over 1,000 effect of chernoattractants. Both ex hibits fea­ K-12 science education p rograms. Th e sco pe visitors during the three days of the conv en­ tured other activities and dem onstrations to an d breadth of the contacts and the mu ltipli­ tion, mo st of wh om had an interacti ve expe- entice and interest the visiting teachers, in- ca tive effect of interacting w ith so man y of the " movers an d shakers" in K-1 2 ed uca tion at this con vention cannot be underestimated. ASPB and th e WFP and C-Fern folks are to be applau ded for supporting and pr esenting these ex hibits, wh ich have go ne a lon g way to ensure that plants playa m ajor role in K-12 science education, and should be en­ couraged to continue su pport fo r th is very successful o utreach effort. \!I,.

Many thanks to the W FP staff for providing photos and background information for this story.

Dan Lauffer of the WFP sta ff demonstrates a "Brassic a barn" to an interested teacher.

22 • ASPB News. Vol. 28. No.3 A Novel Approach to Incorporating Biotechnology in the Undergraduate Curriculum

On e of the exciting possibilities affor ded by can be loaded onto a cart. As such, the cart exercise, with each part of the exercise set up advances in biot echn ology is the opport unity appropriately load ed for a particular step in a cafeteria-like manner with sta tions for to introduce this techn ology acr oss the spec­ serves as the module for that step. T his mod ­ eac h step. The steps ar e reinforced by facult y, trum of fields in the undergraduate biology ule then can be wh eeled to the laboratory­ teaching assistants, and informat ional guid­ curriculum. From testing for the presence of wh ether biochemistry, crop science, fisheri es, ance . Given these practices, over 90 perc ent genetically modified organisms (GM Os) in or cell biology-where it is to be used. The of the students are successful in determining products, to marker-assisted selection in plant most complex is the electrophoresis module, their genotype. N ext year the laboratory is breed ing, to dete rmining genetic var iability consisting of six gel boxes, three power sup­ expected to expand to more than 2,5 00 non ­ in salmo n populat ions, a number of oppo r­ plies, an imagine capture system, pipet ors, science and science maj ors. T his laboratory tu nities exist for bringing this technology into tips, a balance, a micro wave oven, gloves, eye expe rience, espe cially for the non-science the curr iculum. pro tection, and solutions on two carts. It major, removes the mystique associated with M y colleagues and I in the College of Sci­ serves class sizes of 24 students. Mobi le mod­ biotechnology a nd promotes a science­ ence and Mathematics at Cal Poly San Luis ules, as opposed to the common situatio n literate citizenry. Obispo have, with the support of a gra nt from wh ere all the eq uipment is locat ed in a single The second exa mple wa s develop ed work­ th e N ational Science Foundati on and the lab or atory, permits simultaneo us usage by ing with Dr. Steinm aus in the Crops Sciences Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Im­ different classes, makes equipment readily Department at Ca l Poly. His weed science provement (N SF-CCLl) grant, developed a available, and ma kes more efficient use of course was able to demonstrate that a recentl y novel way to distribute the techn ology where both equipment and facilities . discovered herbic ide-resistant rye gras s popu­ a trad iti onal single molecular la boratory lation was the result of a naturally occurring doesn't work so well. With the goa l of facili­ Development of Course-Specific gene tic variation and not a gene transfer from tatin g the incorporation of biotechnology into Exercises an herbicide-resistant transgenic plant con­ the und ergraduate classrooms of diverse dis­ Given our teaching loads, other obligations, taining a CaM V-dr iven EPSPS gene. Thi s was ciplines, we have crea ted a novel Und ergradu­ and limited resources, it is often difficult for a powerful exercise for the 35 und ergraduate ate Biotechnology Laborato ry (UBL). Its in­ faculty to develop laboratory exerci ses with students enrolled in the weed science course frastructure consi sts of an administrator, mo­ wet lab biotechnology applications, even if and could not have been easily accommodated bile labor atory, stati on ar y laboratory, an d un­ the y have biotech experience. Thus, beyond in the traditional lab oratory set-up. derg radu ate student technicians. Using this equipment availab ility, faculty require assis­ T he stati onary laboratory maintains a du­ infras tru cture, UBL develops specific exer­ tance. UBL satisfies this need by ada pting pub­ plica te set of ba sic equipment such as a cises, trains facult y and students, and facili­ lished protocols so as to create course-spe­ th ermocycler, im age capture system , and tates undergraduate research. Stu dents are cific exercises for faculty. The following ex­ microfuge, as well as othe r equipment includ­ bett er prepared to enter this rapidly expa nd­ ampl es illustra te the utility of this appro ach. ing a fluorescence imager and DNA sequencer. ing area. And, because biotechn ology contin­ The in trod uctory biol og y course serves This eq uipment, in co ntrast to the mobile ues to have an increasing impact on society both majors and non-science majors, a large laboratory equipment, always rem ains in the as a whole, non-science majors benefit as well target audience of students. By ad apting an stationary laboratory and supports exercise from this exposure. Th e following is an over­ exp eri ment in human DNA polymor phi sm development and traini ng . The sta tiona ry view of the proj ect. detection, we have introduced these students lab or atory is staffed by train ed und ergradu­ at the beginning of their college experience ate students wh o, und er the sup ervision of Mobile laboratory to the use of biot echnology in a direct way. UBL's administrator, develop course-specific Since many diverse biotechnology applica­ Th e exercise has been ada pted for simplicity exercises. These student technicians also train tions have common prot ocols and can often a nd strea mlining to ac commod at e large both faculty and teaching associates. So far be divided into distinct steps, all the equip­ gro ups of students. It tak es porti ons of four ment and reagents necessary for a given step different laboratory sessions to complete the continued on page 24

ASPB News. Vol. 28. No. 3· 23 con tinued from page 23 tion has made a commitment to support the staffi ng of the stationary lab or atory and con ­ New Book from this year, they have trained seven faculty and tinued commitment to biotechnology suppo rt. Plant Physiology 18 gra duate students. For lon g-term susta inability, a student fee­ based suppo rt mechanism has been approved 75th Anniversary­ Undergraduate Research that is based on the co mplexity of the par­ Conceptual Breakthroughs Th e undergraduate student technicians and ticula r molecular app lications carried out. in Biology th e sta tionary laboratory also pro vide th e Although the impl ement at ion and logistics (code 30045) equ ipment and assistance for protocols th at are still under develop ment, it is clear tha t und ergraduate students use in th eir research the UBL is a nove l approach to broaden the proj ects. There is quite a diversity of und er­ outreach and appeal of science by crea ting To order, visit https://www, graduate research projects currentl y making new and exciting ways to establish, promo te, aspp.org/secure_forms/ use of UBL's facilities. Examples of such ac­ and disseminate biotechnology education to publlcotlons.htm tivity include monitoring global mar ine bac­ students from all disciplines on a university terial/algal communities through time, detect­ campus. ing an d characterizing a neurotroph in recep­ or call to r gene in sea urchins, and tra nsfo rming Peter Jankay poplar tre es with a mon ooxygena se gene. California Polytechnic State University 301-251-0560, ext. 142. Co ntinued funding is critical for the suc­ San Luis Obi spo cess of the VEL. The enlightened adrninistra-

See You in Providence! July 21 -25, 2001

Waterplac e Parkand Riverwalk. Credit: Prov idenc e Warwick CVB. Wat erFire Providence . Cred it: Providenc e Warwic k CVB.

24 • ASPB New s, Vol. 28, No , 3 Folke SI

ASPBNews. Vol. 28. No. 3 · 25 continued from page 25 tiator and prime mover in the esta blishment scattered around the wo rld, many of wh om of the Biotron for the study of plants and were trul y close friends. Th e Skoogs treasured Ephrussi, and Sir Rutherford Robertson , to anima ls under contro lled environments. He their friends and kept in frequ ent touch by nam e several from the early years. was also the driving force behind the estab ­ letter and phone. Both on and off campus, Folke's acti vities lishment in the mid-I960s of the highly suc­ Folke was exceedingly careful and rigo r­ were extr aordinarily varied and productive. cessful Biocore pro gram at Wisconsin. He ar­ ous in examining expe rimenta l data, using the He wa s on nume ro us nat ional pa nels and gued persuasively that biology majors wo uld data from his own lab and sensitivity to the study sections and was active in several sci­ be much better ed ucated if they first received growth of his tissue cultures to detect impor­ entific socie ties, serving eventua lly as presi­ a grounding in physics and chemistry, and tant clues for further resear ch. As he himself dent of five of them. With respect to ASPB, then, building on this fou nd a tion, took put it mod estly in an interview late in life, he he was awarded the Steph en H ales Prize in co urses in biology in logical sequence. had "a fairl y long nose in smelling ou t pro b­ 1954 , served as president of the Society in In personality, Folke was a perce ptive and lems, and blind perseverance in trying to bring 1957-1958, and received the Cha rles Reid stimulating compa nion, wh ose remarks even matt ers to a concl usion." Owing to his widely Barnes Life M embership Award in 1970. He in casu al conversation conveyed clarity and ackn owledge d insight into biological ph e­ was elected to the National Academy of Sci­ depth of thought. He was also known for his nomena, high professional standards, incisive ences in 1956. Many oth er hon ors were to quick rep art ee and mordant com ments. Thus, views, and leadership qualities, he exer ted an follow in later years, includ ing memberships the reade r may find it surprising that Folke, exceptiona l impact on the co urse and qu ality in foreig n aca demies and severa l honorary considering his ow n intellectual powers, was of research in the plant sciences internation­ degrees, culmi nating in the award of the Na ­ extraordinarily patient with and considerate ally for 50 years. ~~ tional Medal of Science during a ceremony at of those occasion al students of his who were the Wh ite House in 1991. only of modest a bility. Folke's students bore Eldon H. Newcomb Folke Skoog Professor of Botany H is leadership on the UW-Mad ison cam ­ a deep affection for him, and a large number Emeritus pus was man ifested in ways that have had a of them wrote, called, or visited him and Birgit University of Wisc onsin-Madison lasting impact. For example, he was the ini- later in life. He and Birgit had scores of friends enewcornb es tocstott. wlsc.eo u

Sir Rutherford Ness Robertson

ASPB me m ber Sir Ru th erford (Bo b) Professo r Robertson w as born in with CSIRO scientists to stud y the storage and Robertson, AC, KCMG, CMG, FAA, FRS, Melbourne in September 1913. H is father was handling of fruit, combining basic plant physi­ DSc, died on Ma rch 5, 200 1. The president a Bapti st minister and his mother a science ology research with practical ap plications. In of the Australian Academy of Science, Brian gra duate with a natural curiosity. Bob suf­ 1946, he transferr ed to CSIRO an d negoti­ Anderson, said " On behalf of the Australian fered from po lio in childhood . H e attended ated with the Botany Depa rtm ent to pool re­ Academy of Science, I express the sadness we schools in Melbourne and Christchurch, and sources; he esta blished a joint Plan t Physiol­ all feel at the loss of a most distinguished col­ in 1930 went to the Unive rsity of Sydney, ogy Unit within that depa rtment in 1952. league and friend. Professor Ro bertson played where he studied chemistry and bota ny. Af­ The basic aspect of active tran sport of a leading role in the development of Austra­ ter graduation, a science research scho larship charge d molecules into plant cells was domi­ lian science in the post-war period, throu gh and a Linnean MacLeay Fellowship allowed na ting his thinking, and he expl ored the con­ his research and personal leadership. He was him to continue research for three years. He nections between respiration and the active an inspiring leader and colleague and will be wo n an 185 1 Exhib ition Scholarship to Cam­ transport processes. He was convinced that greatly missed." Bob Robertson was knight ed bridge University, where he studied ion ab­ charge separation across membranes was the in 1972 and became a compa nion of the Or­ so rption by plant tissues. Du ring this period manner in which the energy of respiration was der of Australia in 19 80. He was already a he married Mary Rogerson, and in 1939 he store d. This basic idea has been developed fellow of The Royal Society (London) and a was awarded his Ph.D. further and has been esta blished as the mecha­ foreign associate of the U.S. National Acad­ Robertson joined the Botany School of the nism of energy conservation in respira tion and emy of Sciences. University of Sydney in 1939 and collaborated photosynthesis (Rob ertson, 1955).

26· ASPS News. Vol. 28. No , 3 After a period (1959-1 962) as a member and as pro-chancellor of A.N.U. He also con­ lege to have been a student of such an inspi­ of the executiv e of CSIRO , he returned to his tinued his research at the University of Sydney rati onal an d humane scientist. He is survived own res ea rch as p rofessor of botany at and at CSIRO. He made lasting contributions by his wife, M ary, and his son, Robert. ~ Adelaide University. In 1965, he wa s asked to Australian science through his own re­ to esta blish an d be part-time chairma n of the search and his leadership of other research­ J. 1. Wiskich, FAA Austral ian Research Gra nts Co mmittee. He ers and by the influence he was able to exert The Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide recognized th e importa nce of the success of within university and government adminis­ this commi ttee to Australian science. trations. Robertson, R. N. (1995 ) Charge sep ar at ion: A He was tempted back to Ca nberra in 1969 Bob Robertson played hockey as a youth person al involvement in a fundamenta l biologi­ to become master of University House, pur­ and squash (before breakfast) in his lat er cal process. Comprehensive Biochemistry:A His­ suing his research by coll ab orating with years. He enjoyed reading, horseback riding, tory of Biochemistry, edited by E. C. Slater et A.N.U. scientis ts and becom ing director of the and painting in watercolor. He wrote "How al., vol. 38, pp . 303-348. Research School o f Biolog ica l Sciences in should I like to be remembered? Perhaps, if it Robertson, R. N. (1992) A dile ttante Australian 1973. He became pres ident of the Academy is not too much, as a generous man, who, plant physiologist. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol, of Science in 1970, having been elected a fel­ despit e human failings, talked sense and oc­ Molec. Biol., 43: 1-24. low soon after its forma tion in 1954. casiona lly showed signs of wisdom Aft er his re tire men t in 1978, Pro fessor (Ro bertso n, 1992 )." Rob ertson continued as deputy chair of the It was a pleasure and an hon or to have Australian Science and Technology Co uncil know n Bob Ro bertson and an absolute pr ivi-

...... #:....i.;.:··..••.. ~ • .:.:;:. .-:~:..:. · :~:?!:::.~:J F-J E ...... AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY 41 st Annual Meeting December 8-12, 2001 • Washington Convention Center. Elaine Fuchs, President; Joan Brugge, Program Chair; Yixian Zheng, Local Arrangements Chair

Keynote Symposium Genomlcs, Slem Cells and Functional Approaches toCell Biology oflhe New Century Saturday, December 8, 6:00 PM Shirley Tilghman, Craig Venter, Irving Weissman and former Congressman John Porter

Symposia Genotype/Phenotype Plaslicity In The Cell Biology of Sensation Cytoskeletal Mechanisms and the Cell Cycle Differentiation and Cancer David Corey, Catherine Dulac, Charles Zuker Anthony Hyman, Rong Li, Edward Salmon Mina Bissell, Gerard Ev an, Kenn eth Kinzler Regulation ofChromosome Functions Understanding Signaling Networks Tatsuya Hirano, Barbara Meyer, Carl Wu Henry Bourne.joanne Chory,Michael Dustin Cellular Processes That Regulate Membrane Processing The Molecular Basis of Disease Cell Polarity and Development Frances Brodsky, Ira Mellm an, Randy Stanley Falkow,Jon athan Seidman, Bruce Kenneth Kemphues, Matthias Peter, Schekman Spiegelman Eric Wieschaus

Plus eight minisymposia each afternoon, award lectures, and sessions on careers, education, grantsmanship, publicpolicy and issues ofspecial interest to minorities and women.

For more information, conlact Ihe MeB 01301·347·9300; [email protected]; www.ascb.org

ASPS News. Vol. 28, NO.3 · 27 Impeccably organized, visually stunning... and a great teaching text and reference Biochemistry & Molecular Biology of Plants Buchan an • Gruissem • Jones Th e combination of superb n 24 structu red chapters (over 1,400 pages and more than 1, 100 or iginal dr aw­ ing s plus 500 photo graphs), Biochem istry & Mo lecular Bi ology of Plants authors for each chapter, I provides a boldly contemporary review of its subje ct, incl uding molecu lar biology, cel l biol o gy, and plant physiology, integrate d a ro und the th em es of and very complete coverage co mpartmentation, cell reproduct ion , energetics, metabolism, and deve lopment. Th e CD-ROM of the illustrations increases its utility for teaching. ofthe topics ofplant Pu blished by th e American Society of Plant Biologists (formerly the American Society of Plant Physiologists), th is major text is the resul t of years of plann ing and bio chemis try and m olecular meticulo us development an d editing fro m th e top tier of plan t bio logists working around the wo rld . It is an essential addition to your library and to the ava ila ble bio logy, make thi s a volume resources for teach ing a co mp lex and dyna mic su bject. that sho uld be used in a Ordering Informat ion O rder on the Web at aspp.org/biorexr wide range of courses and • by phon e at (800 ) 447-3143 or (301) 374-9730 • by fax at (30 1) 843-0159 • bye-mail at asppts' tasco L com 0 11 the bookshelf of every • by ma il with check or purchase ord er to : ASPB, P.O.Box 753 , Waldorf, MD 20604-0753 serious plant biologist. Prices do not include shipping & handling. Contact ASPB at the phone numb ers or e-mai l address - Charles Arntzen above for information. Preside nt and CEO Hard bound: BIOTXT-Ol Boyce Thompson (ISBN: 0-9 43088-37-2, $119.95 ASPB mem bers; Institute for Plant $149.95 libraries and nonmem bers) Research, Inc, Softb ound: BIOTXT-02 (ISBN: 0-943088 -39-9, $89.95 ASPB membe rs and stu dents ; $99.95 non members) CD-RO M : BIOTXT-CD (ISBN: 0-943088-40-2, $29.95 ; free with book orders of at leas t five copies)

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology ofPlants- a major publishi ng even t for and from the community of pl ant biologists ASPB N ews publishes dates, titles, locations, and contact names and addresses for meetin gs, courses, seminars, and the like that are of inte rest to ASPB members. Submit announcements via e-mail to [email protected] or mail to Sylvia Braxton Lee, ASPB N ews, 15501 Monona Drive, Rockville, MD 20855-2 768 USA. Faxed transmissions are not accepted.

Ju ly 10- 14 2001 : Providence, Rhode Island 2003: Honolulu, HawaII 10th International Congress on Molecular Plant- Mi crobe Inr era ctions Saturday,July 21. through Saturday, July 26, through Memorial Un ion of the University of Wednesday, July 25 Wednesday,July 30 Wisccu sin-Madison For more inform ation , co ntac t the local host/ chair, Sally Leon , at sal@p lantpath.w isc.edll or visit the Web site at hrtp.z/www.planrparb.wisc. edu/rnpmi /. 2002: Denver, Colorado 2004: Orlando, Florida Saturday, August 3. through Soturday. July 24. throug h J uly 2 1-2.S Wednesday. August 7 Wednesday. July 28 The Quadrennial Joint Annual M eetings o f the Am erican Society of Plant Bio logis ts and the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists (Societe Canadiennc de Phys iologic Vcgcta lc) The Rhode Island Convention C enter 200 J july 1-6 Providence Gordon Research Confer ence on " M olybdenum For more information, see http ://aspp .org/ JU NE and Tungsten Enzy mes" annuaLmeeti ng/pb-200l/index .h tm or con tact Queens Co llege, O xford, United Kingdom American Socie ty of Plant Biologists, telephon e June 19- 29 Chairs: D ave Garner and Ra lf Mendel. Detailed 301-251-0560, fax 30 1-279-2996, e-ma il Short C ou rse: I'ostharvest Te chn ology of information a bou t th e co nference can be found [email protected] g. Horticultural C ro ps at http://www.grc.uri.edu. Fo r further informa­ Univers ity of California, Davis tion, co ntact D r. Ra lf M endel a t r.rncndeltictu­ For informat ion , con tact Ms . Sharon Munowich, bs.de. Ju ly 22- 24 Un iversity Ex tension, University of Ca liforn ia, Int ernational Symposium on Eco logical and Da vis, CA 95616 ; telep hon e 530-757-8899, fax Societal Aspects of Transgenic Forest Pla ntations 530-757-86 34, e-mail sm unowit@unex mail. july 1-6 Skamania Lod ge, Stevenson , Washington ucdavis.cd u, Gordon Co nference o n "Gravitational Effect s on Columb ia River Gorge Livin g Systems: Mcchanoscnsing" Pac ific N orthwest U nit ed States Connecticut Coll ege, Ne w London For information, co ntact Sreve.Stra ussrs'ors t.edu june 2 1-23 C ha irs: Ruth Anne Eatock and Mike G ustin. o r visit http://www.fsl.or st .ed llltgerc/illfro 200l/ First European Allelopathy Symposium Detailed inform ation about the co nfere nce ca n eco_sy m p_i ufro .ht m. Physiolog ical Aspects of Allclopathy be found at http://www.grc.uri .edu/pro gram s/ Vigo, Spain 2 00 l/gravliv.htm. Fo r fur ther informa tio n For more information, e-mail usat [email protected] co ntact M ike G usti n at gusti [email protected] . j uly 22- 27 or visit us at http://www.uvigo .es/feas. Tree Biot echnology in the Nex t M illenniu m Skamania Lod ge, Stevenson, Washington July 8-1 2 June 23 -27 Columbia Rive r Gorge, T he 6t h lntcrnation al Symposium on Inorganic XII International Co nference on Pac ific N orth west United Stares N itrogen Assimil at ion Ar abidopsis Research For informat ion, contact [email protected] The Cham pagne Congre ss Centre Madison, Wisco nsin or visit http://www.fsl.o rst .edultgerc/iu fro200l/. Rcims, Fra nce Contact details to be provide d by the North American Arab idopsis Steer ing Committee and Information is ava ila ble at http://www.inr a.fr/ Intern etlP roj ets/reims2001l or e-m ail hirel@inra. po sted at th e TAI R Web site at www. Jul y 25- 30 versailles.fr and Iea@la ncas ter.ac. uk. ar abid op sis.org. T he Fifth Int er national Con ference on Te trapyrrole Photoreceptor s in J ULY Photo synthetic Orga nisms July 8-2J Brown Un iversity, Providence, Rhode Island Plant Biochemistry Sum mer Course 200 1 July 1-4 The meeting w ill follow th e ASPB ann ua l Institute of Bio logical Chemistry Plant Growth Regu lati on Societ y of America meeting, which is also being held in Pro videnc e. W:lshington State University, Pullman Wyndham Miami Beach Resort, M iam i, Florida T he chair for the co nference is Sam uel I. Beale, For info rmatio n, co ntac t Karen M aerten s Conta ct Dr. Gary Stutte, Pro gram Cha ir, and the vice cha ir is Alfred H olzwarth . For mo re (maertens@wsu .edu) or visit the Inst itute o f D ynamac Corporation, M ail Code DYN-3, information, see http://www.brown. edu/ Bio logica l Chemistry Web site at www.wsu.edu. Ken ned y Space Ce nter, FL 32899; telephone 321­ Dep a nments/Moleclll ar_B iol ogyn CTPPOI. 476 -43 19, fax 321-853-2859, e-mail ga ry.stutte­ [email protected] sa .gov, Web site http://www.griffin. peachnet.edu/ pg rsa .

ASPS News, Vo l. 28. NO. 3· 29 July 28- August 2 O rganizers: Sjef Smeeke ns, Ma rcel Proven iers, See the Web site at http://www.at.em bnet. org/ XIV Int ernational Plant Nu trition Coll oquium Rens Voesenek, an d Pieterse Co rne . See the Web gem/p lantlcongress.htm for details. University of Hannover, H nnnover, Gcrm an y page for information and registration: http:// H osted by th e Int ern at ional Council on Plan t www.bio.uu.nl/EPS-summerschool!. N utrition, President W. J. Horst. Th e meeting September 17- 18 will be followed by a two-day field tr ip. SEI'TEJ\lBER M edicinal Compounds fro m Plants: Information on th e progra m and how to regis ter Age-Related Disorders ca n be o btained from www.ipnc200 1.uni­ September 2- 7 Plant Protein Club hannover.d e. 9th Cell Wall M eetin g University of Yor k, United Kingdom Toulouse, France For more information, see the Web site at http:// Contac ts PI' Marie-T herese Esquerre-Tugaye, Pr www.york.ac.uk/org/ppc/events.htm#latest or AU G UST Rafael Pon t-Lezica, UMR 5546 CNRS/UPS, Pole contact th e adm inistra tor at [email protected] k. de Biotechnologie Vegetalc, BP 17 Auzeville, August 4- 8 31260 Castanet-Tolosan, Fra nce; teleph one +33 ­ Phytochemical Society of North America 5-62- 19-35-24 or +33- 5-62 -19-35-16, fax +33-5­ Septembe r 26-30 " Phytochemistry in the Gcnomics and 62- 19-35-02 or +33-5-62-19-65-25, e-mail WSES World Conferen ce of Bioscicnces l'ost-Ccnomics Eras" Oklah oma City, Ok lah om a [email protected], Web site http:// MCBCOl Cont act th e organizer, Dr. Rick Dixon , at www.smc v.ups-tlse.fr/ang/congress .htm. Koukounaries, Skiathos Island, Greece [email protected] or see the Phytochem ical Organized by H IEST, Department of Electrica l Socie ty of North America's Web site (www.psna­ Engineering and Comp uter Science (http :// online.org) for details of th e progra m and Sep tember 2-7 www.worldses.o rg/wses/conferences/sk iathos/ registra tion and a bst ract submission deadli nes. VIII Hrazilian Congress of Plant Physiology mcbc!). For mo re informat ion , e-mail (Vlll CI3FV) sk iathos200 1@worldses .o rg or skiatho s2001@ " Physiology of Plants in the N ew Mill enium: groupmail.com. August 6-10 Ch allen ges and Perspect ives" 7th lnt crnational Congress on llh eus, Bahi a State NOVEMI3ER Amino Acids and Proteins For fur th er details, contact Dr.Paulo Alvim Vienna, Au stria (chair), vm CBFV, telep hone +55-73-214-32 37, November 11- 15 Fo r information, contac t Bijay K. Singh, BASF e-mail cbfv @cepec.gov.br. Also visit the Web site 6th ISSR Sympos ium " Roots: The Dynamic Corporation, PO Box 400, Princeton , NJ 0 854 3­ at ww w.uesc.br and www.cepec.gov.br. Inte rface Between Plants and the Earth " 0400; teleph on e 609 -443 -83 4 1, fax 609-275­ N ago ya, j ap an 52 16 , e-ma il singhb @pt.cya na mid.com. O rganizers: Jap anese Society for Root Research September 5-8 (JSRR) and International Society of Root The Fourteenth john Inn es Symposi um Research (ISSR). For information, e-mail D r. S. August 13- 15 Ch rumosome Dynamic s & Expression M orita at an [email protected] .jp or Int ernational Satellite Conference on j ohn Inn es Centre visit the Web site at http://www.soc.nacsis.ac.jp/ "Chloroplasts: Development and Fun ction" Norw ich, Norfolk , United Kingd om jsrr/isrr/. New Delhi, India For information, co ntact Samantha Lingwo od , T he meeting is in conjunction with th e X II Symposium Secretary, Joh n Innes Centre, DEC EM BER Int ernational Photosynthesis Congress to be held Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich, NR4 in Brisbane, Au stralia, August 18-23, 2001. 7UH,United Kingdom; teleph one +44-1603­ Decemher 4-6 Contact: Professor A. S. Raghavendra, Depa rt­ 450000, fax +44-1603- 450045, e-mail International Symposium ment of Plant Science s, School of Life Sciences, sa [email protected] .u k, Web site htt p:/ " Irriga tiun and Water Relations in Gra pe vine Uni versity o f H yderabad , H yderab ad 50 0046, /www.jic.bb src.ac .uk/event s/symposium/. and Fruit T rees" Ind ia; telepho ne +91 -40-30106 30, fax +91 -40 ­ Meudoza, Argentin a 3010145, e-mai l asrs [email protected], Web site For inform at ion, co nt act Facultad de Ciencias http://www.geocities.com/satellitedelhi. September 7-12 Agrarias-UNCu yo, Alte. Brown 500, Cas illa de Biology of T ype IV Secretion Processes Correo N ° 7, Chacras de Coria, Mendoza­ EuroConfcrcncc on the M edic al and Argentina CPA M5528AHB. Teleph one +54 ­ August 19- 24 Ecol ogical Implications 26 1-496-0004, ext. 2023 or 101 9, fax +54-261­ PLASMODESMA 200 1 Ca stel vecchio Pascoli, Italy 496-0469, e-ma il secretariat@ Capc Town, South AFrica Deadline for applications is April 30, 2001. For irrigation syrnposium.co rn.ar, Web site http:// Registra tion by June 2001 informa tion and application forms , contact the www.irrigati onsymposium.com.ar. Loca l conference org an izers are Ted Borha an d head of the EURESCO Un it, Dr. J. Hendenk ovic, Ed Rybicki. Send e-ma ils to [email protected] .za. European Science Foundat ion, 1 Quai Lezay­ 2 002 Web site for inform ation: http:// Marnesia, 67080 Stra sbou rg, cedex, France; fircbawk.ru .ac.za/p lasmoznu l /. To register, go to telep hone +33-388- 76-71- 35, fax +33 -388-36­ MAY htt p://www.uct.ac .za/d ep ts/pgc/plas mo.htm l. 69-87, e-mail euresco@esLorg, Web site http:// M ay 20-22, 2002 ww w.esf.org/euresco. Urban Agriculture: Emerging Opportunities in Science, Education, and Policy August 27-29 Dall as, Texas Symposium: Env ironmental Signalling: September 12- 15 Contact 972-231-5362 for more information or Arabidopsis as a Model Plant Protein Phosp horylation visit http://urbanag.tamu.edu. Utrecht University, Utrecht, T he I cthcrlands Vienna, Austria

30 • ASPB News. Vo l. 28. NO. 3 ASPB Placement Service

Thisfo rm may be used on ly by membersof the American Society of Plant Biologists. Pl ea se print or type yo ur pla c em ent informati on on thisform (curriculum vitae will not be accepted) and send to DonnaGordon,ASPB Headquarters, 15501 Monona Drive, Rockville, MD 20855-2768USA; e-mail dgordon©aspp.org

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References (names, addresses, and telephone numbers): I. Registerin g with the ASPB Placement Service and • Academic/GovernmentlIndustry Permanent Positi ons (Ph.D . level): Obtaining Placement Files Fee: $1 50 . Includ es listing in one issue of the ASPB News and 12 weeks on the ASPB onli ne Job Bank. ASPB operates a placement service in which are ke pt active Word Limit: 200 for print ad; no limit for online ad . two files of resumes of individuals wh o ar e seeking employ­ ment. Employers are urged to survey the resume files for • Postd octoral Positions those seeking permanent positions and those seeking Fee: N o charge for universities, non-profit organizations, and govern­ postdoctoral or similar positions. The files cost $25 each ment installations; $150 for co mmercial companies. Includes listing in and may be ordered from Don na Gordon, ASPB Placement one issue of the ASPB News and 12 weeks on the ASPB online Job Bank. Service, 15501 Monona Drive, Rockville, MD 208 55-2768 Word Limit: 200 for pr int ad; no limit for online ad . USA. Those seeking employment should complete the Place­ • Resea rch/Technical Positions (non-Ph.D.) ment Service Form on the previous page to be included in Fee: No charge for universities, non -profit organi zations, and govern­ the service. ment installations; $150 for commercial companies. Includes listing in one issue of the ASPB News and 12 weeks on the ASPBonline Job Bank. II. Placing a Position Ad in thc ASPB News and on the Word Limit: 200 for print ad; no limit for online ad . ASPB Homepagc • Assistantships, Fellowships, Internships Subm it all ads bye-mail to Sylvia Braxton Lee at sbrax ton Fee: N o charge; ad will appear in two issues of the ASPB News-the @aspp.org (or by mail to Sylvia Braxton Lee, 15501 Monona first time at full length and the second time in an abbre viated form­ Drive, Rockville, MD 20855-2768 USA). If you are submit­ and 12 weeks on the ASPB online Job Bank. ting a chargeabl e ad, plea se include billing informati on when Word Limit: None. you send the ad.

ACADEMIC/GOVERNMENT / Utah State University seeks an individual to solicitin g appli cations from outstanding INDUSTRY PERMANENT conduct research, mentor students, and teach in candidates for faculty and staff scientist the area of plant-water relations. Whole-plant, positions in plant genomics. Th e appointees are POSITIONS (Ph.D.) biochemical, or molecular approaches may be expect ed to part icipate in a universit y-wide used to carry out externally funded research, an d interactive team utilizing genomic approaches Research Scient ists/Laboratory Leaders some collabora tion with existin g programs will and, as appropriate, the latest techniques in HASF Corporation be expected. Teach ing will includ e a graduate biochemistry, genetics, analytical chemistry, and Research Triangle, North Carolina course in plant- wa ter relations. T his is an 11­ molecular and cell biolog y. Responsibilities: To (Received 03/06) month tenure-track position, requ iring a Ph.D. in develop an inn ovative pro gram in genom ics to Dynamic. Exciting. Innovative. BASF Plant Sci­ a relevant field. Review begins Jun e 15, 2001. examine the genetic and physiological bases of See http://personne1.usu.edu (2-105) for a full ences L.L. c. has brou ght the future of plant bio­ plant responses to their envir onment. Use of position description. Send cove r letter stating technology to Resear ch Triangle Park (RTP). appropriate state-of-the-art structural and research interests and goals, curriculum vitae, Join us in one of our exceptional car eer opportu­ functional genomi c, molecul ar, and biochem ical compl ete copie s of transcripts, cop ies of recent nities. Th e ideal cand idate will have a Ph.D. and tools is expected. The appointee will be expected publication s, and names, addresses, e-mail one to three years of exp erience in biological or addresses, and teleph one numbers of four to develop a program to examine the interaction agricultural sciences with a focus on plant mo­ references to Dr. Jennifer MacAdam, Department of plant resistance genes with pest organisms lecular biology or genetics and a backgro und in of Plants, Soils, and Biornereo rology, 4820 Old and/or plant responses to specific abiotic stresses plant physiology, plant abiotic stress, lipid me­ Main H ill, Utah State University, Logan, UT such as temperature extremes and adverse soil tabolism, genomics, or crop transformation. 84322-4 820. AAIEOE. conditions. This position should emphasize Postdoctoral research is desirable, as is research resea rch on topics relevant to fruit and/or from molecular to whole-pl ant level. Resume s vegetable crops important to New York. A Ph.D. can be faxed to 919-572 -2319 or mailed to 26 Assistant Professor and at least one year' postdoctora l experience Davis Drive, RTP, NC 27709. Cornell University, Geneva, New York emphasizing resea rch in genomics, molecular (Received 03/29) biology, or similar disciplines are required as is a As part of a genomics initiative , the Geneva solid grounding in botany, horticulture, or a Assistant Professor campus of Cornell University in par tnership with similar field. Applicants should send curriculum Utah State University, Loga n the Itha ca campus, the Boyce Th ompson vitae, statement of research interests, and nam es (Received 03/22) Institute for Plant Research, and USDAIARS is of at least three references to Search Committee,

THE DEADLINE FOR ADS FOR THE JULY/AUGUST ISSUE OF ASPS News IS JUNE 30, 2001. Check ASPS 's Web site (http://www.aspp.org/Job_bank/index.htm) 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.

32 • ASPB News, Vol. 28, NO.3 Attn: Gary Harman, Sturtevant Hall, Cornell biochemistry and molecular biology. Applicants Facu lty Position University, Geneva, NY 14456, telephone 315­ should submit a curriculum vitae, a description Clemson University, Clemson 787-2452, fax 315-787-2320, e-mail geh3@ of past research and teaching activities, a list of South Carolina cornell.edu. Position open until filled; review of recent funding sources, a description of proposed (Received 04/06) applications to commence on June 1, 2001. future research activities, and the names and The Department of Horticulture at Clemson addresses of three referees to Dr. Stanton B. University invites application for a tenure-track Gelvin, Chair, Plant Genetics Search Committee, position, 50% teaching and 50% research, in Research Chemist (Plant Biochemist) Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue turfgrass physiology and management. This USDA!ARS, Madison, Wisconsin University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1392. For nine-month tenure-track position will be at the (Received 04/02 ) more information about the department, please assistant professor level. A Ph.D. in plant The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural visit our Web site at http://www.bio.purdue.edu. physiology, horticulture, agronomy, botany, Research Service, Cereal Crops Research Unit in Purdue University is an equal opportunityl molecular biology, or closely related area of Madison, Wisconsin, is accepting applications affirmative action employer. We especially invite plant science is required. Teaching responsibili­ for a research chemist (plant biochemist) to in­ applications from underrepresented minorities. ties will include shared responsibilities for vestigate phytochemicals in cereal grains that undergraduate Turf internship and seminar may have health-promoting or disease-prevent­ Environmental Physiologist program and graduate courses in research ing properties. The successful candidate will be The Cranberry Experiment Station systems and one in the candidate's area of able to extract, identify, and characterize biologi­ University of M assachusetts, Eas t Wareham expertise (e.g., turfgrass physiology). The cally active phytochemicals, such as antioxi­ (Received 04/06) successful candidate will develop an aggressive, dants, using modern biochemical techniques, and The Cranberry Experiment Station at the grant-driven research program. Salary is will be able to characterize enzymes and path­ University of Massachusetts located in East comrnensurate with experience, and a full range ways involved in synthesis of these compounds Wareham is seeking an innovative research of benefits is available. The position is available in developing or germinating grain. The incum­ scientist to provide research and extension starting August 15, 2001. Applicants should bent will collaborate with unit scientists and oth­ support to the Massachusetts cranberry industry submit a letter of application describing ers working to improve cereal germplasm for hu­ in the area of plant-environment interactions. interests, experience, and qualifications; current man food. A Ph.D. in biochemistry or a related Position is for assistant extension professor (non­ curriculum vitae; transcripts; and names and field or equivalent experience is required. Salary tenure track; five-year renewable, 12-month contact information of three references to Dr. range: $43,326 to $67,500 per year is commen­ appointment). Emphasis should be on whole­ Ted Whitwell, Search Committee Chair, surate with experience. Candidate must be a U.S. plant physiology, which may include one or Department of Horticulture, Box 340375, citizen. For more information about the research more of the following areas in cranberry Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0375; program, contact Dr. David M. Peterson, 608­ production systems: winter hardiness and cold­ telephone 864-656-4971, fax 864-656-4960, 262-4482, [email protected]. For a stress physiology, dormancy, water management e-mail [email protected]. Applications must copy of the vacancy announcement and applica­ and quality, factors limiting fruit set, anaerobic be received by June 2, 2001, to receive full tion forms, contact Jean Weinbrenner, 608-264­ stress physiology, and rhizosphere physiology. consideration. However, the position will remain 5357, [email protected] or visit Web site Responsibilities include developing and open until a suitable candidate is found. at http://www.ars.usda.gov/opportun.htm. Appli­ maintaining an active research program, securing Clemson University is an EO/AA employer. cations should be marked ARS-X1W-1228 and extramural funding, communicating effectively must be postmarked by June 4, 2001. USDA is with diverse audiences, and producing extension an equal opportunity provider and employer. and scientific publications. The successful Regio nal [PM Advisor- IPM Wccd Ecologist Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. applicant will have (1) a Ph.D. in plant University of C aliforn ia, Parlier physiology, horticulture, biochemistry, or related (Received 04/ 18) field and (2) postdoctoral and extension The University of California, Division of Faculty Position experience (preferred). Salary is competitive and Agriculture & Natural Resources, Cooperative Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind iana based on experience and qualifications. For more Extension is seeking a career-track academic (Received 04/ 02) information contact Hilary Sandler candidate to initiate, coordinate, and/or conduct The Department of Biological Sciences invites ([email protected] or 508-295-2212, adaptive research projects and educational applications for a position in the area of plant ext. 21). Application materials should be sent to programs with the goal of implementing IPM for genetics. We are especially interested in the chair of the Search Committee with a priority vegetation management systems on targeted applicants who use functional genomic, deadline of July 1, 2001. Applicants should send crops. IPM programs will be conducted in the proteomic, or bioinformatic approaches to letter of application, curriculum vitae, tran­ Central Valley Region on commodities where investigate exciting problems in plant cell and scripts, and the names, addresses, fax, phone both significant knowledge and regional needs developmental biology. We will consider numbers, and e-mail addresses of three refer­ exist. Special emphasis will be given to enlisting applications at all ranks; however, we prefer to ences to Chair, Environmental Physiologist the support of and coordinating pest manage­ fill this position at the associate professor or search committee, Cranberry Experiment ment activities of UCCE Advisors and of Pest professor level. We seek applicants with an Station, PO Box 569, East Wareham, MA Control Advisors. A master of science degree is established record of extramural funding, 02538. The University of Massachusetts is an required, and a Ph.D. is desired in plant ecology, outstanding research, teaching, and training. The AA/EO institution. Women and members of horticulture, weed science, botany, agronomy, successful candidate will have access to graduate minority groups are encouraged to apply. plant physiology, or other plant science students from the Department of Biological discipline, with emphasis in weed science. Sciences as well as several interdisciplinary Several years of practical experience in pest programs including plant biology, genetics, and management is desired. Beginning salary in the

ASPB News, Vol. 28, NO.3· 33 CE assistant advisor rank,Step I, up to associate biology. A Ph.D. is requ ired. T he position will be excellent communication skills. E-mail app lica­ adv iso r rank, Step III ($38,400-$52,800). For sited in the new Delaware Biotechnology tions to info@novaflora .com or mail to complete position vaca ncy an nounce ment and Institute, Newark. Th e OBI will co ntai n state-of­ NovaFlora, Inc., 3401 Market Street, Suite 350, required app lication, visit our Web site at http:// the-art genomic, proteom ic, and bioinformatic Philadelphia, PA 19104. Teleph one inq uiries cvr.ucd avis.edu or contact Cindy Inouye, UC capabilities, and it is expected that the candidate welcom e at 215- 387-5060, ext. 204. See our Cooperat ive Extension, Central Valley Regi on, will develop a rigorous, externa lly funded Web site at www.novaflora .com . 9240 S. Riverbcnd Ave.,Par lier, CA 93648; research program that uses the new techn ologies e-mail cinou [email protected] or call 559-646-6535. in marine systems. Th e candidate will also For full con sidera tion , complete application develop close ties and collabo rations with other Research Scientist packets must be rece ived by Jul y 2, 2001; open mem bers of the CMS faculty in Lewes,Dela­ Valent BioSciences Corpora tion until filled . Refer to position #ACV-01-03. AAI wa re. Teaching responsibilities include con tr ibu­ Libertyville, Illinois EO E. tions to integra ted marine molecular biology/ (Received 04/30 ) bioch emistry courses and develop ment of Valent BioSciences Corporation is seeking a specia lty courses within the cand idate's field of scien tist to perform research tha I' leads to the Assistant Professor interest. T he star t date for the position will be iden tification of new plant growth regulators University of lllinois at Urbana- Champaign early 2002 and will include a competitive salary, and the imp rovement of performance of current (Received 04/27) start-up package, and new laboratory facilities. plant growth regulat or pr oducts. T he principal Em p hasis is on innovative extension and applied Review of applications will begin June 15, 2001 , responsibilities of this position are to (1) research. A nine-month tenure-track 70 % and continue until the position is filled. determine the effects of plant grow th regulators extension/ 30% research position is available Applicants should submit curriculum vitae, on plant growth and cro p prod uctivity, (2) with opportunity for summer appointment. statement of resea rch goa ls and teaching charac terize uptake and tra nsport of active Deve lop na tionally recog nized extension/applied philosop hy, and full contact information for ingredients, (3) develop meth od s to identify new research program o n management of weeds in three references to j. S.Boyer, Chairman of uses and improve per form ance of products, and field crops with empha sis on weed biology/ Search Committee , College of Marine Studies, (4) prepare and present technical presen tations ecology. Develop extern ally fun ded applied Univer sity of De laware, 700 Pilottown Road, and reports on research. Qualifications for this research program on integrated weed man age­ Lewes, DE 19958. The curriculum vitae and include a Ph.D . or an M .S. with two or more ment strategies that are econom ically and letters of reference sha ll be shared with depa rt­ years of postgraduate exper ience in plant env ironmentally sound . Co llabor ate with facu lty, men ta l faculty. T he University of Delaware is an sciences such as hor ticulture, agro nomy, or indu stry, and direc t gra d uate student researc h. equa l opportunity employer that enco urages bota ny; a stro ng background in plant physiology, Ph.D. in weed science or closely rela ted applications from minori ty group members and biochemistry, and instru mental analysis; discipline is required. Research expe rience in a women. demonstr ated experience in experimental design weed science specialty is highly desirable. Must and analysis of plan t systems; and creat ive and po ssess excellent interpersonal and com munica­ innovative problem-solving skills. Experience in tion skills; demonstra te ability an d desire to Plant Tissue Culture Scientist physica l che mistry and indu stri al R&D is develop and deliver excellent extension Novaf'lora, Inc., Philadelp hia, Penns ylvania desirable but not req uired . Th e position is programs; and demonstrate ability to co nduct (Received 04/30) located in the Chicago suburb of Long Grove, and repo rt resea rch. Salary is commensurate A Plant Tissue Culture Scientis t is sought to Illinois. Contact Valent BioSciences Corporation, with training and exp erience. Sta rting date is develop and opti mize regenerati on protocols. H uman Resources, 870 Technology Way, January 1, 2002. Appli cati on dea dline: Septem­ Experience with recalcitran t and /or woody Libertyville, IL 60048; fax 925 -817-5075, e-mail ber 15, 2001. Send cover letter, curricu lum vitae, species desir ed . NovaFlora, Inc., is focusing on vbc.hurnanre sou [email protected]. and statement of extension and research goa ls to the development of orna menta l plants throu gh Professor G. H . Heichel, Head, Depa rt ment of biotechn ology. With a powerful toolbox of trait Facult y Positions-Plant Biology Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana­ an d enabling gene technology, we are well Don ald Danforth Plant Science Center Cham paign, 1102 Sou th Good win Avenue, positioned to develo p and commercialize a St. Louis, Missouri Urb ana, IL 61 801; telepho ne 21 7-333-94 80. unique range of ornamenta l prod ucts. Through a (Repeat) Appl icants also must arrang e to have a com plete licensing arrangeme nt with Plant Bioscience Ltd. The Da nfo rth Cente r announces positions for set of certified university tran scrip ts an d three (John Innes Centre, UK), NovaFlora owns faculty at full, associate and assistant member letters of reference sent to address. Web site at commercial rights for orna menta l plants to GAl, levels to direct fundamental research programs. htt p://www.cropsci.uiuc.ed u. Please cite Co nstans, and TFL genes from Ara bido psis, Seeking scientists with broad interestsltraining in anno uncement number 04/01B -7673 when N ovaFlora is using these genes to create no vel at least tw o scient ific disciplines and well-formed applying. EEO/ADAlAA emp loyer. dwarf orn amentals (GAl), plants with early research pro grams tha t will benefit from floweri ng cha racteristics (Constans), as well as interactions with scientists of other disciplines. plants with altered plant arc hitecture (CEN). Demonstration of prio r/cur rent support and of Marin e Molecula r Biologist Estab lished in 1993, NovaFlora is a privately interd isciplinary resea rch beneficial. Up to 10 University of Delaware, Lewes held co mpa ny with a strong entrepreneurial facu lty appointments will be con sidered in (Received 04/27) spirit. As a pa rt of our team, the app licant is structural biology, biochemistry, phy toc hemistry/ Th e Graduate College of M arine Studies and the expected to contribute to the scient ific develop­ nutriceuticals, genetics, cell biology, gene Center of Marine Enviro nmental Genomics at ment and co mmercial success of NovaFlora. In regulat ion, root-soil interactions, molecu lar the University of Delaw are invite applicat ions addition to expertise in plant tissue culture and physiology, mo lecu lar plant pathology, an d for a tenure-track ass istan t professor or associate plan t transformation, the applicant sho uld be a abiotic stress bio logy. Successful can dida tes are professor in the broad area of marine molecular multifaceted, highl y mot ivated individua l with expected to develop co llabora tive research

34 • ASPS News, Vol. 28, No. 3 programs within the Danforth Center and/or is highly desirable. Resumes can be faxed to 919­ Particular attention will be given to the role of with scientists at partner institutions. Send 572-2319 or mailed to 26 Davis Drive, RTP, NC calcium and protons using intracellular ion resume, brief description of research interests, 27709. imaging and extracellular ion flux analysis. reprints of three key publications, and names of Successful candidate will be expected to work three references to Ms. Billie Broeker, Human independently but will have close colleagues with Resources, Donald Danforth Plant Science Postdoctoral Position whom to interact. In addition, excellent Center, 7425 Forsyth Boulevard, Campus Box University of Guelph, equipment is available, including a fluorescence 1098, St. Louis, MO 63105. Visit our Web site, Guelph, Ontario, Canada ratio imaging microscope and an ion selective www.danforthcenter.org, for more information. (Received 03/22) vibrating microelccrrodc apparatus. Minimum The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is an A postdoctoral position is available immediately qualifications: Ph.D. in cell biology; experience equal opportunity/affirmative action employer in the Department of Plant Agriculture to in fluorescence light microscopy; and an and encourages applications from under­ develop a plant mitochondrial transformation understanding of membrane physiology. Salary is represented groups, including minorities, system. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in plant commensurate with experience. Please send women, and people with disabilities. biology, molecular genetics, or related fields. resume and three letters of recommendation to Experience in plant tissue culture or molecular Search #R12519, clo Lisa Barry, Biology genetics is required; demonstrated ability in both Department, Morrill Science Center, University POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS areas is preferred. Background in transformation of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-5810. systems, protoplast culture, mitochondrial Review of applications commences April 23, Postdoctoral Positions genetics or LSCM is desirable. The position is 2001, and will continue until position is filled. Universit y of Montreal and for one year, renewa ble for a total of three years. The University of Massachusetts is an affirma­ Concordia U niversity, Montreal, Canada Please send (preferably bye-mail) curriculum tive action/equal opportunity employer. Women (Received 03/(2) vitae and contact information for three refer­ and minorities are encouraged to apply. Two postdoctoral positions are available ences to Dr. David Wolyn, Department of Plant immediately to work on genomic analysis of Agriculture, Bovey Building, University of signaling during embryogenesis and defense Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, NIG 2Wl; Postdoctoral Position response in potato. The project involves the telephone 519-824-4120, ext. 3092, fax 519­ University of Arkansas, Fayctt evillc development of DNA microarrays for genes 767-0755, e-mail [email protected]. (Received 04/05) involved in the regulation of embryogenesis and A postdoctoral position is available immediately for genes controlling the establishment of the to study rice functional genomics related to defense response during P. infestans infection. Postdoctoral Pos ition disease resistance. The project will focus on Preference will be given to candidates having Salem International University, Salcm dissecting jasmonic acid- and salicylic acid­ experience in DNA sequencing, gene cloning, or West Virginia mediated defense signaling pathways using bioinformatics. The annual salary will be from (Received 03/28) stress-related cDNA microarrays and transgenic $27,000 to $32,000 (CDN) depending on A postdoctoral position is available to transform rice mutants. Candidates should have a Ph.D. experience, and the initial appointment will be wetland species with cloned genes to develop a with a strong background in plant molecular for one year with a possibility of renewal for one model for the study of transgenic plant systems biology and/or molecular plant pathology. additional year. Please send (preferably via e­ for enhanced phyrorernediation of heavy metal Previous experience in cDNA microarray mail) your application with curriculum vitae contamination. The individual will develop technology is desirable. Please send a letrer of including the names, phone numbers, and e-mail Agrobaaerium transformation and selection application, curriculum vitae, and names of three addresses of three references to Dr. Daniel P. systems, regenerate rransforrnants, assay for references to Dr. Yinong Yang, Department of Matton, Institur de Recherche en Biologie expression, and verify gene integration. Plant Pathology, 217 Plant Science Bldg., Vegerale, Department of Biological Sciences, Experience with Agrobacterium transformation University of Arkansas, Fayetreville, AR 72701; Universite de Montreal, 410] Sherbrooke Street is required. Strong background in molecular fax 50]-575-7601, e-mail [email protected]. East, Montreal, QC, Canada, HIX 2132; e-mail biology is preferred but not required. Send [email protected]. curriculum vitae including phone and fax numbers and e-mail address, English reprints of Postdoctoral Position : Molecular Biologist publications, unofficial transcripts, and the University of Connect icut,StOITS Postdoctoral Scientists names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail (Received 04/ 09) BASI' Corporation addresses of three references by mail or e-mail to Our current, NSF-funded research program Research Triangle, North Carolina Dr. Suzanne Rogers, Department of Bioscience, primarily focuses on the molecular (Received 03/(6) Salem International University, Salem, WV (structure:function) analysis of cloned ion Dynamic. Exciting. Innovative. BASF Plant 26426-0500, telephone 304-782-5585, fax 304­ channels. We have recently cloned members of a Sciences L.L.c. has brought the future of plant 782-5579, e-mail [email protected]. EOE/AA. newly discovered class of plant transport biotechnology to Research Triangle Park (RTP). proteins: cyclic nucleotide-gated K(Ca) channels. Join us in one of our exceptional career These ligand-gated channels are involved in opportunities. A Ph.D. in biological or agricul­ Postdoctoral Research Associate signal transduction pathways. We have in hand tural sciences with specia I experience in plant University of Massachu setts, Amh erst several clones (there are 11 putative sequences physiology, plant biochemistry, or plant (Received 04/02) identified in the Arabidopsis genome) that we molecular biology is required. In order to A full-time, temporary, non-benefited express in both oocytes and HEK 293 cell complement the individual research laboratories, postdoctoral research position is available to cultures for e1ectrophysiological analysis. Our experience in oil biosynthesis or stress tolerance study the control of pollen tube growth. structure.function work involves site-directed

ASPS News. Vol. 28. No.3· 35 mutagenesis followed by electrophysiological transduction genes in plant embryo and vascular mutant rcdl. (Over myer et al.,Plant Cell 12, (voltage clamp) analy sis using heterologous development. Review of applications will begin 1849- 1862; 2000). A two-year postdoctoral exp ression systems .I seek a scientist trained in in May 2001. A strong background in mo lecular pos itio n is available to investigate the mo lecular sta ndard mo lecular biology protocols. Others in biology, gene tics, and particularly microarray basis of RCDl functio n an d to participate in the the lab will emp loy voltage clamp methods and transcript profi ling is highly desirab le. Please screening and genetic anal ysis of rcdl suppressor use of PClamp for curren t ana lysis of the send curriculum vitae, publicat ion list, and three mutants. Ph.D. degree from a suita ble field an d a channels. The scientist joini ng our gro up can be letters of reference to Dr. Th omas Berleth, strong backgrou nd in molecular biology, trained here in oocyte preparation and use and Depart ment of Botany,University of Toro nto, 25 biochemistry, and plan t physiology are requ ired. an ima l cell cultu re an d tra nsformation. We have Willcocks Street, Toronto M5 S 3B2, Ca nada; Prior experience with Arabidopsis is preferred. a state-of-the-art lab in our university's new e-ma il berlet h@bot an y.utor on to .ca. Th e position wiu be filled at the ear liest August Agricu ltural Biotechno logy Researc h Co mplex 1, 200 1, and at the latest January 1, 200 2. The and have ongoing collaboration s with faculty in salary is between 2000 and 2500 Euros/month neurobiology and pharmacy. Co ntact Dr. Gerry Postdoctoral Associate/Assoc iate Scientist depending on qualifications and previous Berkowitz, Depar tment of Plant Science U-67, Torrey Mesa Research Institut e expe rience. To apply, please send curriculum 1376 Storrs Rd ., University of Connecticut, San Diego, Californ ia vitae, descript ion of research expe rience, and the Storrs, CT 06269-4067; telephon e 860-486­ (Received 04/25) na mes and ad dresses (including e-mail addresses) 59 40, e-mail gera ld.berkowitz@ uco nn.edu. Torrey Mesa Researc h Institu te (form erly of three refer ences to Prof. j aakko Kanga sjarvi, Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute, Inc.), a Laboratory of Plant Physi ology and Molecular research institute of Syngent a Resear ch & Biology, Department of Biology, University of Postdoctoral Position: Elcctrophysiologist Technology, is one of the largest, single, fully Turku, FIN-20014 Turku, Finland. More University of Co nnecticut, Storrs funded research endeavors dedicated to information is availab le at www .biocen ter, (Received 04/09) agric ultura l genom ics, cons umer health , and helsink i.fi/Bl/koiv u, bye-mail jaakko. O ur curren t, NSF-funded resea rch program post-geno mics technology. As an innova tive an d kangasjarvi@helsink i.fi, or by phone +358 -40­ primarily focuses on the mo lecular team-oriented company, we develop an d ap ply 720-8995. (structure :function) anal ysis of cloned ion cutting-edge biotechnology to ma tch genes with channels. We have recently cloned members of a traits for improved agribusiness prod ucts, newly discovered class of plant trans po rt includ ing consumer and animal health pro ducts. RESEARCHITECHNICAL pro teins: cyclic nucleo tide-gated K(Ca ) chan nels. We curre ntly seek the followi ng qua lified POSITIONS Th ese ligand-gated cha nnels arc involved in individuals: A position is avai lable immediately signal transduction path ways. We have in ha nd to study host- virus interactions and functional (Non-Ph.D.) several clones (there are 11 pu tative sequences genomics. Requires Ph.D. and up to two years' identified in the Ara bidopsis genome) that we postdoctoral experience emphasizing molecular Research Associates express in both oocytes an d HEK 293 cell plant virology. Exper ience with recom binant BASF Corporation cu ltures for electrophysiological ana lysis. Our plasmi d construction, nucleic acid isolation and Research Triangle, North Carolina structure:function work involves site-directed analysis, protein expression and purification, (Received 03/06) mutagenesis followed by e1 ectrophysio logica l yeast two-hybrid screen, and Agrobaeterium­ Dynamic. Exciting.Innovative. BASF Plant (voltage clam p) an alysis using heterologous mediated transformation required. Mu st be able Sciences L.L. c. has brought the fut ure of plant expression systems. I seek a scientist trained in to work in a ream environmen t. Excellent biotechnology to Research Triangle Park (RTP) . voltag e clamp methods an d use of PClamp for communication an d organization al ski lls are Join us in one of our exceptional care er current analysis. The scient ist joining our group essential. Job Code: PDASIYH OU-ASPB. TMRI op port unities. AB.S. or an M.S. in bioche mistry, can be trained here in molecular methods for offers excellent compensation and a grea t mo lecular biology, or an agr icultura l science is DNA ma nipulatio n, ooc yte preparatio n and use, benefits package, including 40 1(k) wit h match required. At least two years (M .S.) or four years patch record ings, and animal cell culture and an d imme dia te vesting. For confidential (B.S.) of relevant expe rience will be a plus. transformation. We have a state-of-the-art lab in cons idera tion, please send resum e and cover Experience in at least one of the following are as our university's new Agricultural Biotechnology letter indicating position of interest and sala ry is requ ired: growth and mai ntenance of plants in Research Complex and have ong oing collabora­ history an d expectations to Tor rey Mesa growth chamber/greenhouse, plant cell and tissue tions with faculty in neur obiology and phar­ Research Institut e, Attn: HR/(Job Code), 3115 cultu re, plant transformation , analysis of macy. Co ntact Dr. Gerry Berkowi tz, Depa rtment Merr yfield Row, San Diego, CA 92121-1102; transgene exp ression, RNA ext raction , cloning, of Plant Science U-67 , 13 76 Storrs Rd., fax 858 -812-1096. EOE . PCR, sequencing, prod uction of microarray University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269­ slides, data capture'and analysis, enzyme assays, 4067; telephone 860-4 86-5940, e-ma il gerald. protein analysis, imm unological techniques, berkow [email protected]. Postdoctoral Research Associate H PLC, liquid ha nd ling systems, high- thr ough­ T he University of Tu rku, Finland pu t biology wo uld be of pa rticular relevance. (Received 04/2 6) Resumes can be faxed to 919-572-2319 or Postdoctoral Position We are investiga ting the interac tio ns of mailed to 26 Davis Dri ve, RTP, NC 27709. University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada hor monal signali ng an d reactive oxygen species (Received 04/1 0) (ROS) in con trolli ng plant cell death and defense A postdoctoral position is ava ilab le in responses. We have dem onstrated the require­ High-T hroughput Process Developer Arab idopsi s functional geno mics at the Dep art­ ment an d interactions for ethylene, jasmonare, BASF Corporation ment of Botany, Universi ty of Toronto. Th e and salicylate signaling pathways in ROS­ Researc h Tr iangle, No rth Carolina project involves the identification of auxin signa l dependent cell dea th using an Arabid opsis (Received 03/ 06)

36 • ASPB News, Vol. 28, No. 3 Dynamic. Exci ting. Inn ovativ e. BASF Plant individual duties and particip ating in int erdi sci­ position of research assistant 1 is in the Sciences L.L. c. has bro ught the future of plant plinary projects in support of overa ll company Department of Horticulture and Crop Scien ce at biotechnology to Resear ch Triangle Park (RTP). objectives. Must possess accurate oral and The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Join us in on e of o ur excepti on al career written communication skills, math kn owl edge R&D Center located in Wooster, Ohio. Th e opportunities. A positi on is ava ila ble for a associated with technical problems , comp uter successful candidate will be a key player running laboratory leader and research associate with capability, and the ability to perform assigned a lab where the research goals are to understand experienc e relevant to engi neering high duties in varied environments including plant transcriptional activation and environmen­ th roughput molecular biology for implement a­ laboratory, greenhouse, and field. Respon sibili­ tal stress adaptation mechanisms. This is a tion of rob otic systems to achieve high levels of ties will include, but ar c nor limited to, conduct­ per manent, hard money-funded position; throughput and acc uracy. The engineer should ing assigned projects to meet depar tme nt goa ls sta rting salary range is $19,011-$23,856 with a have ex pe rience with liq uid handling systems, and providing ass istanc e to scient ist to initiat e full OSU benefits package. Higher salary programming o f au to mation, a nd high ­ new projects. We offer competitive wages, commens urate with the qualifications/exp erience throughput process devel opment and familiarity excellent company benefits, a nd the o ppo rtunity will be considered but will require pri or college with mol ecular processes. Resumes ca n be faxed to become part of a dynamic organizatio n. If you approval. Minimum qualifications are a B.S. to 919-572-23 19 o r mail ed to 26 Davis Drive, meet the above qualifica tions and wish to degree in molecular biology/genetics, biochemi s­ RTP, NC 27709 . explore thi s oppo rtunity further, please send your try, or relat ed field. Knowledge of, a nd pr oven resume with sal ar y history/ requ irements and lab ex perience with, molecular biological references to Human Resources Coordina to r, techniques are essential. A desire and willingness Bioinformatician GenApps, Inc., 4262 Co lby Road , Win chester, to learn unfamiliar techniques a re a lso critica l. BASF Corporation KY 40 391. EEO/MlFNID . This includes manipulation of DNA, RNA, and Research Triangle, North Carolina proteins fro m yeast, plants , an d E. coli and other (Received 03/ 06) bacteria; handling o f ph age and plasrnids; and Dynamic. Exc iting . Innovat ive. BASF Plant Resear ch Assistant creation/analysis of trans genic plants. O ther Sciences L.L. c. has brought the future of plant T he Samu el Roberts N ob le Foundation,Inc. responsibilities will include o verseeing an d biotechnology to Resea rch Tri an gle Park (RTP). Ardmore, O klahoma maintaining daily lab op erating fun ction s-i.e., Join us in on e of our exception al career (Received 04/ 19) ordering supplies, maintaining eq uipment, and opportunities. A co mputa tiona l biologist is Applications are sought to fill a research assisting students/other researchers . To ap ply, sought to min e and int egrat e gene sequence, gene assistant position with the Plant Biology Division send a cover letter, a detailed curriculum vita e or expression, gene mapping, and meta bo lite at the Noble Foundation, Inc. A B.S. or an M .S. resume, and the names and contact informati on profiling data for discovery of tr ait asso ciated in cell/molecular biology, plant sciences, or of three references to Dr. Eric Sto ckinger, Th e genes. Another co mputatio na l biolo gist is so ught related field is required. Experience in one or Ohio State University/OARDC, Dep artment o f who will develo p and man age systems for more of the following is desired: (1) Light and/or Horticulture and Crop Scienc e, 1680 M adi son tracking sam ple and data flow throu gh genomic electron microscopy, (2) confocal microscopy Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691; e-mail processes. The ca ndida te should have a B.S., an and computer-based image ana lysis, (3) [email protected]. The O hio State University M.S ., or a Ph.D . Successful ca nd ida tes will have molecular cloning and plant tran sformat ion is an equal opportunity/affirma tive action st rong communicati on skills, demon strated techniques, and (4) immuno logical techn iqu es. emp loyer. creativity and lead ership skills, and th e a bility to The successful ca ndidate will be involved in work with team s. Resum es ca n be fa xed to 9 19­ research that employs a wide ran ge o f m icros­ 572-2319 or mailed to 26 Da vis Drive, RTP, NC copy and imag ing techniques for basic stud ies in Research Specialist 27709. plant cell biology. Salar y ($2 8,000-$39,200) is University of Illinois, Chicago commensurate with ex perience and includes a (Received 04/ 30 ) comprehensive benefits pack age. Appli cati on and A research specialist is needed in a new sta ble Assistant/ Associate Scientist job description ar e o btai na ble from the Noble isotope laboratory at the Univ ersity o f Illinois at GenApps, Inc., Winchester, Kent ucky Foundation Web site, www.no ble.org. Send Chicago. Th e lab orator y, equipped with a (Received 04/05) complete curric ulum vitae (including education, Finnigan CF Delta +XL and all necessar y GenApps, a co mpany ded icat ed to serving the related-job ex perience, or list of co urses taken) supporting equi pment (EA, GC, Ga sBench II) is needs of agricultu re, has a position immediately and names and co ntact infor ma tion of three set for isotope applica tio ns in plant, ecosystem, available for an associat e scient ist located in our professional references to Jane N anc e Human and global change research. Th e successful Winchester, Kentucky, facility. The qualified Resources- PLTBI0 30700-EB147, The Noble candidate will assume man agement o f the IRMS applicant should possess an M.S . or a B.S. with Foundation, PO Box 21 80 , Ardmore, OK 73402; lab, operation, mainten ance, tr ain ing of users, three to five year s of relevant working experi­ telephone 580-223-5 810 , fax 580-221-7362, and quality control. O ppo rt unity exists to ence in biology/m olecul ar biology, agricultural e-mail NFHR@Nobl e.org. Informal inquiries can participate and develop resear ch projects related science, or a related field . Three years of be made to Dr. Elison B. Blanc aflor at 580- 221­ to the lab interests. Th e lab is included in a laboratory exp erience emphas izing molecular 7364 or eblancaflor@nobl e.or g. larger multidisciplinary IRMS facility providing biology required. Stron g knowl edge of and isotope ratio ana lysis of C, N, 0, H, CI, and S outstanding skill s in a w ide ran ge of recombi­ from biological, geological, and hydrological nant DNA techniques, gene expr ession systems, Entry-Level Technician samples. Qualificati ons are at least a B.S. in enzyme activi ty assa ys, and plant tissue cultu re is T he Ohio State University, Wooster biology, geology, chemi stry , environmenta l desired . Qualified ap plicant mu st be a ble to (Received 04/24) . science, or related discipline preferr ed with two prov ide techni cal suppo rt under minimum An Arabidop sis/plant molecular biolo gy lab is or more years of ex perie nce in IRMS. Salary is supervision by planning a nd implementing seeking an ent ry-level technician. Th e available negotiable and wi ll be commensurate with

ASPB News, Vol. 28. No. 3· 37 expe rience. To ap ply send a cover letter detailing Graduate Research Assistantship Ph.D . Gra duate Assistantship previo us experience and resea rch interests, Rutgers University, New Brunswick Purdue University, West Lafa yette, Indiana cur riculum vitae, and nam es and addresses New Jersey (Repeat) (include e-mail) of three references to Miquel (Repeal) Interested appli cants sho uld contact Angus Go nzalez-Meier, IRM S position, Department of For information , contact Dr. B. Huang, Murphy, Depa rtment of Hor ticulture, 1165 Biological Sciences, University of Illinois, 845 W. Depa rtment of Plant Science, Rutgers University, Horticulture Bldg., Purd ue University, West Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60607; telephone 312­ New Bru nsw ick, NJ 08901; telephon e 732-932­ Lafaye tte, IN 47907-1165; telephone 765 -496­ 355-3928, fax 312 -413 -2435, e-mail mmeler@ 9711, ext . 302, e-mail hu [email protected] tgers.edu. 7956, e-mail arnurphyts'hort.purd uc.edu. (Details uic.edu. Review of applications will begin Ju ne (Deta ils Ma rch/April ASPB NE WS) M arch/April ASPB News) 1, 2001, and contin ue until position is filled. UIC is an AAJEOE employer. Fellowships Ph.D. Graduate Researc h Assistantship The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel Purdue University, West Lafayette , Indiana Research Scientist (Repeat) (Rep eat) Valent BioScienees Corpo ration For informat ion, contact Dr. Susan Lurie, For information con tact Matt Jenks, Department Libertyville, Illinois Department of Postharvest Science, T he Volcani of Horticulture, 1165 Ho rticulture Bldg., Purdue (Received 04/ 30) Center, ARO, POB 6, Bet Daga n 50 250, Israel; Univers ity, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1165; See com plete descrip tion on page 34. fax +972-3-9683622, e-mai l zeslov@netvision. telephone 765-494-1332, e-mail net.il. Additio na l information about the jenks@hort .pu rdue.edu. (Detai ls March/April department can be fou nd at htt p://www. ASPB Ne ws) ASSISTANTSH IPS, fELLOWSHIPS, agri.gov.il/Depts/Postharvest.html. (Details INTERNSHIPS March/April ASPB N ews) Graduate Researc h Assista ntships Louisia na State Univers ity, Baton Rouge Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistantship (Repeat) Postdoctoral Fellow, Graduate Assistantsh ip Simon Fraser University Co ntac t Dr. Norimoto M ura i, Depa rtme nt of and Technician Positions British Columbia, Canada Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana Ru tgers University (Repeat) State University and LSU Agricult ural Center, New Brunswick, N ew Jersey Contact Dr. Aine L. Plant, Department of Baton Ro uge, LA 70803-1720; telep hone 225­ (Received 04/26) Biological Sciences, Simon Frase r University, 578-1380, fax 225-578-14 15, e-mai l nmura i@ In Vivo Imaging of Chromatin Organizatio n and 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British lsu.edu, (Details Ma rch/A pril ASPB News) Dyna mics by GFP-Tagg ing. Severa l postdoctoral Columbi a V5A 1S6, Canada; telephone 604­ fellow, gra du ate assistantship, and technici an po­ 291-4461, fax 604-291-3496, e-mail ap lant@ M .S. Graduate Positions sitions are immediately avail able to join a team sfu.ca, Web site hrtp.z/www.sfu.ca/biology/ Salem Internationa l University, Salem of resea rchers at Rutgers University and Cold faculty/planr/, (Details March/Apr il ASPB News) (Repeat) Spri ng Harbor Labora tory to study chro ma tin Co ntact Dr. S. Rogers, Departm ent of Bioscience, orga nization in Arabido psis. T his is an NSF Salem International Un iversity, Salem, WV funded project with five years of funding tha t Graduate Assista ntships University of Florida, Gainesville 26426-0500; telephone 304-78 2-5585, fax 304­ aims to com pletely chart the 3-D structure of in­ 782 -5579, e-ma il Rogers @Salemiu .edu. EO E! terphase nuclei in a living plant . By wide-field (Repeat) AA. (Details March/April ASPB News) fluo rescence deco nvol ution microscopy, we have Contact Dr. D. J. Hu ber, Gradua te Coo rd inator, Hor ticultural Sciences Department, PO Box successfully ada pted the Green Fluorescent Pro­ Research Assistantships tein to visually track specific insert ion sites that 11 0690, Univers ity of Flor ida, Gainesvi lle, FL 32611-0690; telephone 352-392-1928, ext. 216, University of Arkansas, fayetteville were introduced into the Arabidopsis geno me. (Repeat) Using mult iple spectral vari ants for GFP, we plan e-mail rgo [email protected]. (Details Ma rch/ April ASPB News) Contact Dr. Yinong Yang, Department of Plant to genera te a large number of dispe rse insertion Pathology, 217 Plant Science Building, University lines that shou ld allow us to produce a globa l Grad uate Research Assista ntsh ip of Arkansas, Fayettevil le, AR 72701; telephone cha rt of the relative position s between differen t 50 1-575-5635, fax 501-575-7601, e-ma il poi nts in the genome. More complete descript ion N orth Carolina State University, Raleigh (Repeat) [email protected]. (Details March/April ASPB of our proj ect can be found at the Web site News) https ://www.fas tlane .nsf.gov/s erv let/ For additional infor mat ion con tact Dr. John Williamson at 919-515-5366, e-mail john_ showaward?awa rd=0077617. Postdoc fellows hip Graduate Research Assista ntship ap plicants must be moti vated and have goo d williamsonesncsu.edu. Formal admission require ments , form s, and dead lines can be found Texas A&M University, College Station training in mo lecular techniques. Com puter ski lls (Repeat) and knowledge of microscopy are highly desir­ on the NCSU Graduate School Web site at http:// www2.acs.ncsu.edu/grad/. Additional depart­ Contact Dr. Keyan Zhu-Salzrnan, Department of able. We seek interac tive, self-motivated indi­ Entomology, Texas A&M University, Co llege vidua ls who work well in a team environment menta l admissions infor mation may be obtained by con tacting Dr. Stewart Warren, Grad uate Statio n, T X 778 43-2475; e-mail ksa lzman@ and are enthusiastic about interdisciplinary re­ tarnu.edu. (Deta ils March/Apri l ASPB News) searc h. Stipend is commensurate with experience Program Coordinator, Department of Horticul­ and demonstrated abil ities. Interested individu als tural Sciences, N orth Carolina State University, sho uld contact Dr. Eric Lam, Biotech Center, Raleigh, N C 27695-7609 or by visiting our Rutge rs University, New Brunswick, NJ 08903; departmental Web site at http.z/www.ca ls.ncsu. e-ma il Lam@aesop .rut gers.edu . edu/ho rtj sci/, (Details March/April ASPB News)

38 • ASPS News. Vo l. 28, NO. 3 Membership Application & Subscription Form

'! ' y -r.~ qUesti~g the special membership price and signing this form, you agree to the following: In consid­ . eration ofthe low member subscription rates ,I agree to retam my personal copies of Plant Physiology B. .- ~, . andThe Plant Cell for at least three years from the date of issue, not depo siting them in any library or institution before the end of this time. In consideration of the added benefit of electronic access to Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell, which is included with the price of membership, I agree not to release my personal access code, assigned by ASPB, to any other party for the duration of my membership in ASPB .

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