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A Difficult Decision July/August 2021 • Volume 48, Number 4 p. 5 p. 6 p. 9 Yunde Zhao to Plant Synthetic Plant Scientists Become the Next Biology 2021 Elected to the 2021 Editor-in-Chief Class of the U.S. of Plant Physiology® September 25–27 National Academy of Sciences THE NEWSLETTER OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANT BIOLOGISTS President’s Letter 2021 ASPB Election Results A Difficult Decision any thanks to those members who BY MAUREEN McCANN took the time to vote earlier this ASPB President, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Msummer, and hearty congratula- tions to our newly elected Board members! Their new service roles for ASPB will begin on October 1, 2021, and you can look for more major focus of ballots are certified and information about them in the next issue of ASPB is science applies limits on access the ASPB News. Apolicy and how it to voting that have been impacts research funding, widely interpreted to target the pipeline of talent into marginalized communi- our labs, and regulatory ties, most recently by the practices. In the United U.S. Department of Justice. States, our Science Policy The passing of this law Committee engages on our was a challenge for ASPB. behalf with federal fund- After staff members and ing agencies and legislators the Program Committee from both parties to raise visited the city in early awareness of, and advocate March 2020, the ASPB for, the critical importance Board of Directors (BoD) of plant biology. ASPB does voted to approve the Incoming President-elect Gustavo MacIntosh not and cannot engage in partisan politics. Program Committee’s recommendation that Iowa State University, Ames Nevertheless, ASPB encountered a significant we convene Plant Biology 2023 in Savannah, challenge earlier this year when the Georgia Georgia. However, the provisions of Georgia’s Incoming Elected Member state legislature passed the Election Integrity new voting law are completely counter to Elena Monti Act of 2021, originally Senate Bill 202. This ASPB’s stated objectives around equity, Centre for Research in Agricultural bill, which Georgia governor Brian Kemp diversity, and inclusion (https://bit.ly/ASPB- Genomics, Barcelona, Spain signed into law March 25 beneath a paint- Position-Statement-Diversity). The difficult Congratulations, too, to our newly elected ing of a plantation and flanked by only white decision to be made was whether ASPB Enid MacRobbie Corresponding Members: men, changes the mechanism by which continued on page 3 Naomi Ori and Shu-Hsing Wu! Contents Council members highlighted in blue ASPB Council also serve on the Board of Directors. President Maureen McCann Immediate Past President; Chair Judy Callis President-elect Katayoon (Katie) Dehesh 1 President’s Letter Secretary Wayne Parrott Treasurer; Chair, Board of Trustees Kent Chapman 1 2021 ASPB Election Results Elected Members Christine Foyer Clint Chapple 4 Centennial Challenge Corner Gustavo MacIntosh Chair, Membership Committee Ruth Welti 5 Yunde Zhao to Become the Next Editor-in-Chief of Chair, Equity, Diversity, and Plant Physiology® Inclusion Committee Miguel Vega-Sanchez Chair, Publications Committee Steve Theg 6 Plant Synthetic Biology 2021 Chair, Women in Plant Biology Committee Eva Farre Chair, Education Committee Erin Friedman 7 New White Paper on Innovative, Integrative, and Chair, International Committee Anja Geitmann Inclusive Outreach in Plant Science Chair, Science Policy Committee Tessa Burch-Smith Sectional Representatives 8 Plant Virtual Minisymposium Brings Scientists Mid-Atlantic Section Mike Axtell Together in the Mid-Atlantic Region Midwestern Section Gustavo MacIntosh Northeastern Section Carolyn Lee-Parsons Southern Section Nihal Dharmasiri Western Section Judy Brusslan People Mexico Section Rubén Rellán Álvarez Early Career Plant Scientists Section Rishi Masalia 9 Plant Scientists Elected to the 2021 Class of the Environmental and Ecological U.S. National Academy of Sciences Plant Physiology Section Emily Heaton Primarily Undergraduate 14 Amy Marshall-Colon Receives Friedrich Wilhelm Institutions Section Leeann Thornton Bessel Research Award Ambassador Alliance Katy McIntyre 15 Niba Audrey Nirmal, 2021 ASPB/AAAS Mass Media ASPB Staff Science & Engineering Fellow, to Spend the Summer Chief executive officer Crispin Taylor, [email protected] at Complexly Chief financial officer Clara Woodall, [email protected] Executive and governance affairs administrator Sylvia Lee, [email protected] 16 Haley Dunleavy Awarded 2021 AAAS Ralph W. F. Accounting manager Teressa Leath, [email protected] Hardy Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship Senior staff accountant Jotee Pundu, [email protected] Senior staff accountant Francky Rakotomanana, [email protected] Director of meetings and marketing Jean Rosenberg, [email protected] Conference coordinator Teresa Myers, [email protected] Membership Corner Senior membership manager Shoshana Kronfeld, [email protected] Membership administrator Linda Palmer, [email protected] 17 Patrick Thomas Community engagement administrator Katie Rogers, [email protected] Web systems manager Mark James, [email protected] Education coordinator Winnie Nham, [email protected] Science Policy Publications assistant Diane McCauley, [email protected] Managing editor Chris Lowe, [email protected] Science writer, Plant Physiology Peter Minorsky, [email protected] 18 Policy Update Peer review manager, Plant Physiology Ashton Wolf, [email protected] Senior features editor, The Plant Cell Nan Eckardt, [email protected] Features editor, The Plant Cell Mary Williams, [email protected] Education Forum Peer review manager, The Plant Cell Annette Kessler, [email protected] 21 Plant BLOOME 2021 Winners The ASPB News is distributed to all ASPB members and is also available online. It is published 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 is edited and 22 Announcing the 2021 ASPB Summer Undergraduate produced by ASPB staff from material provided by members and other interested parties. Research Fellows Copy deadline is the 5th day of the preceding even-numbered month (for example, April 5 for May/June publication). Contact: Crispin Taylor, Editor, ASPB News, 15501 Monona Drive, Rockville, MD 20855- 2768 USA; [email protected]; 301-296-0900. © 2021 American Society of Plant Biologists 2 ASPB NEWS | JULY/AUGUST 2021 PRESIDENT’S LETTER was a difficult one. While compa- ing members from underrepre- In other words, ASPB should continued from page 1 nies were threatening boycotts, sented groups into plant biology, identify ways to expand its confer- should recommit to holding Plant voting rights activists were calling and enabling access to scientific ence footprint that allow members Biology 2023 in Savannah. for pressure to be put on legislators fora by all of our members. We to participate in direct engagement Planning for the annual meet- that would not adversely impact discussed whether ASPB’s with- with the communities in which ing and its satellite meetings the economic security of Georgian drawal would influence the think- we are meeting. For example, begins years in advance. Even communities. In one conversation ing of state legislatures or whether members might give a talk at a as we move on from the Plant with the Democratic and African working under an umbrella of local school or visit with colleagues Biology 2021 Worldwide Summit, American mayor of Savannah, he scientific societies would be more at minority-serving institutions in venues for 2022 and for 2024, conveyed what withdrawing our productive. On balance, this deci- the vicinity of conference venues. ASPB’s centennial celebration, conference would mean for local sion came down to a recognition The BoD plans to assemble a task are already secured. For 2023, businesses and communities and that choosing not to convene in force to identify specific activities the contracts with the Savannah reiterated his personal commitment Savannah—or, for that matter, any that we might undertake at future convention center and hotels were to upholding voting rights in his city in a state that has passed or conference venues, beginning largely ready, but they remained city (https://bit.ly/3eKOBBx). is considering restrictive voting with Portland, Oregon, in 2022 unsigned as we all—staff, gover- Georgia is only one among laws—is unlikely to bring about and continuing with Savannah the nance, and convention centers dozens of states that have already positive change and would have a following year. In addition, we will everywhere—were reimagin- passed or are considering laws negative impact on this and other develop, and share with conference ing how conferences would be that restrict voting rights. Indeed, minority-majority cities. attendees, lists of minority-owned convened in a postpandemic according to the Brennan Center Second, we evaluated what restaurants and other relevant world. It would have been diffi- for Justice (https://bit.ly/2V1e96h), pathways exist to effect positive businesses in the cities where we cult, but possible, to find an alter- by July of this year, legislators had change consistent with our values meet. Meanwhile, a second task native 2023 conference location. introduced more than 400 bills of diversity and inclusion in our force will develop a robust rubric The city of Savannah had put with restrictive provisions in 49 own research community. With that will establish criteria for venue tremendous effort into attract- states. Many of the states with respect to
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