May/June 2014 • Volume 41, Number 3 p. 4 p. 5 p. 30 Sabeeha Merchant ASPB 2014 Award SURF’s Up for 2014! Named Next Winners Recipients of the ASPB Editor-in-Chief ASPB awards those indi- Summer Undergradu- of The Plant Cell viduals who promote the ate Research Fellowship mission of our Society (SURF) Sabeeha begins her term January 1, 2015 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANT BIOLOGISTS President’s Letter See You Your New Society Celebrates in Portland! an Old Tradition July 12–16! Meeting the Needs of the Plant Science Community! BY ALAN M. JONES ASPB President, University of North Carolina Inside you’ll find inety years ago, the remains today, to publish high- An up-to-date list of American Society of quality science covering the minisymposia NPlant Physiologists breadth of plant biology. The (now ASPB) began with journal has evolved constantly Top attractions its Constitution and 104 to meet that obligation and the in Portland members (http://my.aspb. needs of a large global commu- org/?page=history). Largely nity of plant scientists. In fact, spearheaded by founders it is this ethos of “meeting the Information on Charles A. Shull and Rodney needs of plant scientists” that Portland’s MAX Light Rail B. Harvey, the Society emerged has shaped our Society for near- (get your free pass at from a growing dissatisfaction ly a century. Alan Jones Registration!) that the Physiological Section Twenty-five years ago, ASPB of the Botanical Society of America was not made some bold investments to meet another meeting the needs of its members. One of need of the plant science community. By those needs turned out to be a journal dedi- the 1980s, the fields of plant molecular and cated to plant physiology, which at the time cellular biology had matured to a point where was a rapidly expanding subdiscipline of their discoveries merited audiences beyond Coverage starts botany. plant physiologists; however, the premier Our Society created its first publica- general science journals were not able to on page 10 tion, Plant Physiology, in early 1926 and keep up with publication of groundbreaking has enjoyed many successes ever since. “plant” papers. For example, I discussed a The mandate for Plant Physiology was, and continued on page 3 Contents ASPB staff are dedicated to serving our members. We welcome your questions and feedback. For quick response, e-mail us at [email protected] or visit our FAQ at www.aspb.org/faq. ASPB Executive Committee 1 President’s Letter President Alan M. Jones Immediate past president Peggy G. Lemaux 3 Donna Gordon President-elect Julian Schroeder 4 Sabeeha Merchant Named Next Editor-in-Chief of Secretary Karen Koch The Plant Cell Treasurer Karen Koster Chair, Board of Trustees Richard Amasino 5 ASPB Announces 2014 Awards Chair, Publications Committee Sally Mackenzie Chair, Women in Plant Biology Committee Kateri Duncan 9 ASPB’s 2014 Women’s Young Investigator Travel Award Chair, Minority Affairs Committee John Harada Winners Announced Chair, Education Committee Kathleen Archer Chair, International Committee Tuan-Hua David Ho Chair, Membership Committee David Horvath Plant Biology 2014 Chair, Committee on Science Policy Patrick Schnable Elected members Elizabeth (Lisa) Ainsworth 10 It’s all About the Science—Previews of Minisymposia Richard Vierstra 12 Top Attractions in Portland MariaElena B. Zavala Sectional Representatives 14 Portland’s MAX Light Rail Midwestern Sarah E. Wyatt Northeastern Om Parkash Dhankher Southern Kent Chapman Section News Mid-Atlantic Hemayet Ullah 15 ASPB Midwestern Section Annual Meeting Report Western Camille Steber 16 78th ASPB Northeastern Section Annual Meeting Report ASPB Staff 18 ASPB Southern Section Annual Meeting Report Executive director Crispin Taylor, [email protected] Director of finance and administration Kim Kimnach, [email protected] Where Are They Now? Executive and governance affairs administrator Sylvia Lee, [email protected] Accounts receivable and payable specialist Stephanie Liu-Kuan, [email protected] 18 Machi and Gregory Dilworth Senior staff accountant Jotee Pundu, [email protected] Director of digital marketing strategy Susan Cato, [email protected] Director of meetings, People marketing, and membership Jean Rosenberg, [email protected] Membership manager Shoshana Kronfeld, [email protected] 20 From Around the Web Meetings, marketing, and membership assistant Melanie Binder, [email protected] Legislative and public affairs director Tyrone Spady, [email protected] Science Policy Education coordinator Katie Engen, [email protected] Director of publications Nancy A. Winchester, [email protected] 21 Science Policy Committee Meets in Washington, D.C. Publications assistant Diane McCauley, [email protected] Subscriptions manager Suzanne Cholwek, [email protected] 22 Policy Update Subscriptions assistant Linda Palmer, [email protected] Managing editor Patti Lockhart, [email protected] Education Forum Science writer, Plant Physiology Peter Minorsky, [email protected] Production manager, Plant Physiology Jon Munn, [email protected] Manuscript manager, Plant Physiology Ashton Wolf, [email protected] 23 “Wicked Good” Outreach in Boston Senior features editor, The Plant Cell Nan Eckardt, [email protected] 25 Walk the Talk Features editor, The Plant Cell Mary Williams, [email protected] 27 New ASPB Partnership: The Life Science Teaching Production manager, The Plant Cell Susan Entwistle, [email protected] Resource Community Manuscript manager, The Plant Cell Annette Kessler, [email protected] The ASPB News is distributed to all ASPB members and is also available online. It is pub- 28 PULSE: The Beat Goes On lished six times annually in odd-numbered months. Its purposes are to keep membership informed of ASPB activities and to reinforce the value of membership. The ASPB News 30 SURF’s Up for 2014 is edited and produced by ASPB staff from material provided by members and other interested parties. Copy deadline is the 5th day of the preceding even-numbered month (for example, Obituary December 5 for January/February publication). Contact: Nancy A. Winchester, Editor, ASPB News, 15501 Monona Drive, Rockville, MD 20855-2768 USA; [email protected]; 301-296-0904. 34 Sydney Kustu © 2014 American Society of Plant Biologists 2 ASPB NEWS | MAY/JUNE 2014 PRESIDENT’S LETTER broadly, more deeply, and more continued from page 1 efficiently. We will demonstrate many of the new services that relevant series of high-interest we are creating to support and papers on plant transformation engage the plant science commu- Donna Gordon in the March/April President’s nity at PB2014, but I would like Letter. Therefore, in 1989, ASPB to briefly describe your future 1949–2014 took a huge leap in the publica- ASPB here. Imagine a digital tion arena by investing in The ecosystem with the sophistica- Plant Cell as a publication home tion of ResearchGateTM and It is with very heavy hearts for major advances in topical LinkedInTM but customized that we notify our readers that plant cell and molecular biol- around your plant biology needs. our lovely Donna Gordon ogy. The experiment worked, the Imagine sharing your personal died April 4 after a long battle investments paid off, and this libraries of papers, collaborating with cancer. Donna was one year we are celebrating The Plant around a global research project, of the most visible ASPB Donna Gordon Cell’s silver anniversary. We are or even connecting with other staff members—always at also celebrating the selection of like-minded individuals in person the registration desk during jack-of-all-trades, Donna was Sabeeha Merchant as the journal’s and online year-round. How great Plant Biology meetings as our our friend. She was lovely sixth editor-in-chief (see story would it be to have tools that “go-to” person (“Ask Donna! inside and out, and we were on page 4); her term begins in help you stay on top of funding Donna will know!”)—and heartbroken to hear the very January. and research opportunities, and ably managed Executive sad news of her death from These journals are an integral then connect to other plant biolo- Committee meetings as our her family. part of your Society. To make this gists for collaboration around executive assistant until her Donations in Donna’s ever more obvious, the editors- them? Better yet, finding recently retirement in fall 2011. She memory can be made to in-chief of The Plant Cell and funded projects and applying for also was the Society’s gover- the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Plant Physiology, Cathie Martin a position on the team. When you nance affairs administrator, Cancer Center (http://tinyurl. and Mike Blatt, respectively, are apply, sending your CV will be as overseeing the voting and com/7vehl9r). conducting a new experiment at easy as exporting it to a prefor- awards operations. But more Read more at http:// Plant Biology 2014 (see page 7 in matted template directly from than just a crackerjack office- tinyurl.com/nc7q4kw. the January/February issue of the your online profile. ASPB News). They have devel- We are planning other tools oped a set of journal-organized to help you succeed, including a major and minisymposia and revamped career center, an online other activities centered on the poster creator, a FeedlyTM-style grand challenge of sustainably content library, professional feeding a growing human popula- development modules, TED-like tion. I look forward to seeing you plant science videos, and much in Portland and to enjoying these more. lectures and networking events Better connections, more that Cathie and Mike have care- professional training, cutting- fully organized for you. edge teaching resources, and rele- Times are a-changin’. More vant career advancement services than ever before, ASPB is now all will soon be available at your focused on serving the needs fingertips in the digital world. of plant biologists faster, more See you in Portland! n continued on page 4 ASPB NEWS | VOLUME 41, NUMBER 3 3 Sabeeha Merchant Named Next Editor-in-Chief of That’s the forecast if you use Model TSC33SD for your vernalization The Plant Cell studies.