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2010 Annual Report Letter from the Director Interdisciplinary Plant Group University of Missouri ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Table of Contents Letter from the Director ................................................................................................................................ 2 2010 Executive Committee ........................................................................................................................... 4 Income/Expenditures 2010 ........................................................................................................................... 5 Faculty ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 Graduate Students ...................................................................................................................................... 15 Postdocs, Research Staff ............................................................................................................................. 18 Plant Talks ................................................................................................................................................... 21 Seminar Series ............................................................................................................................................ 22 Symposium on Plant Protein Phosphorylation............................................................................................ 24 Awards & Honors ........................................................................................................................................ 28 New Faculty................................................................................................................................................. 34 Retirements ................................................................................................................................................. 36 New Grants/Contracts ................................................................................................................................ 42 Publications ................................................................................................................................................. 46 Patents ........................................................................................................................................................ 66 1 2010 Annual Report Letter from the Director Dear Friends and Colleagues, The IPG has always been committed to graduate educa- tion and training. In 2008, we came together as a group to establish a core curriculum for first and second year gradu- volvement with its activities are directly related to how much ate students. The goals we set out to meet were to provide the student is linked to the IPG through, among other things, graduate students, no matter their home department, with their advisor’s own relationship to and enthusiasm for the a basic and interdisciplinary understanding of plant biology IPG, distance to the Life Sciences Center, and personal inter- and to provide them with a collegial and interdisciplinary ests. More advanced students highlighted the importance of support network. local and external networking and pointed specifically to the symposium and seminar series. A full report of findings from In 2010, the IPG underwent an external evaluation to assess this assessment will be available in 2011. if and how well we have met these goals. Preliminary findings from the assessment, which was conducted by MU’s Office Dr. Walter Gassmann spearheaded the effort to develop of Science Outreach, suggest that students find IPG courses the curriculum, to get courses cross-listed, and to promote useful for developing an understanding of plant science top- the curriculum. He also participated in the assessment. For ics in general. Students with less plant biology background these contributions, as well as for many others to the IPG, Dr. find IPG courses more useful than students with stronger Gassmann was awarded the first-ever IPG Excellence Award plant biology backgrounds. Awareness of the IPG and in- in 2010. Interdisciplinary Plant Group 2 Many of our students were also honored in 2010. Some This year, the IPG was instrumental in recruitment of Drs. of their awards are highlighted in this report. Julian Lenis, Paula McSteen and David Braun to MU. Both faculty joined a doctoral student in Dr. Kristin Bilyeu’s lab, was awarded the Division of Biological Sciences as associate professors. first place in the 2010 ASA-CSA-SSSA Graduate Student This “dynamic duo” bring with them tremendous research Poster Competition. Priya Voothuluru, a doctoral can- and training strengths in studies of plant physiology, devel- didate in Dr. Bob Sharp’s lab, received this year’s Best opmental mechanisms, and maize genetics. In addition to Student Paper Award at the 37th Annual Meeting of the exciting research projects, which are briefly described in this Plant Growth and Regulation Society of America. IPG report, both are enthusiastic and generous individuals. We undergraduates also shine. Three of Dr. Chris Pires’ un- look forward to a long and productive partnership. dergraduates — April Diebold, James Pflug, and Michelle Tang — received scholarships in 2010, including presti- As director of the IPG, I am grateful for the opportunity to gious Goldwater and McNair scholarships. facilitate, support, and promote the efforts of such an out- standing cadre of scholars. I look forward to a prosperous In 2010, three of our long-standing IPG members retired: 2011. Drs. Dale Blevins, Arun Chatterjee, and David Sleper. Dave and Dale were among the original core of plant biologists Sincerely, and agronomists that composed the IPG when it was es- tablished in 1981. Arun was one of the first seven plant faculty hired in 1986 as part of the Food for the Twenty First Century (F21C) to boost MU’s strengths in plant bi- John C. Walker, Ph.D. ology. Together, they helped to establish the strong re- Professor and Director search foundation in the plant sciences that we are now Interdisciplinary Plant Group known for worldwide. 3 2010 Annual Report 2010 Executive Committee John Walker, Ph.D. Walter Gassmann, Ph.D. Director, IPG Associate Professor Professor Division of Plant Sciences Divisions of Biological Sciences and Plant Sciences Scott Peck, Ph.D. Amy Replogle Associate Professor Graduate Student Division of Biochemistry Division of Plant Sciences Kathy Newton, Ph.D. Jeff Anderson, Ph.D. Professor Postdoctoral Fellow Division of Biological Sciences Division of Biochemistry Interdisciplinary Plant Group 4 Income/Expenditures 2010 Budget Expenditures Grants/Contracts Received Title: Symposium on Plant Protein Phosphorylation PI: John Walker Source: National Science Foundation Amounts: $10,000 Title: Symposium on Plant Protein Phosphorylation PI: John Walker Source: Department of Energy Amounts: $7,500 5 2010 Annual Report David Braun, Ph.D. Professor Faculty Division of Plant Sciences Heidi Appel, Ph.D. Senior Research Associate Division of Plant Sciences Dale Blevins, Ph.D. Professor Kristin Bilyeu, Ph.D. Division of Plant Sciences Research Molecular Biologist USDA-ARS Adjunct Assistant Professor Division of Plant Sciences James Birchler, Ph.D. Arun Chatterjee, Ph.D. Curators’ Professor Professor Division of Biological Sciences Division of Plant Sciences Interdisciplinary Plant Group 6 Jianlin Cheng, Ph.D. Ye Duan, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science Edward Coe, Ph.D. David Emerich, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus Professor & Associate Chair Division of Plant Sciences Director of Undergraduate Studies Division of Biochemistry Georgia Davis, Ph.D. James English, Ph.D. Associate Professor Professor Division of Plant Sciences Division of Plant Sciences 7 2010 Annual Report Deborah Finke, Ph.D. Felix Fritschi, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Assistant Professor Division of Plant Sciences Division of Plant Sciences Sherry Flint-Garcia, Ph.D. Candace Galen, Ph.D. Research Geneticist, USDA-ARS Professor Adjunct Assistant Professor Division of Biological Sciences Division of Plant Sciences William Folk, Ph.D. Walter Gassmann, Ph.D. Professor Associate Professor Division of Biochemistry Division of Plant Sciences Interdisciplinary Plant Group 8 Thomas Guilfoyle, Ph.D. Antje Heese, Ph.D. Professor Assistant Professor Division of Biochemistry Division of Biochemistry Perry Gustafson, Ph.D. Bruce Hibbard, Ph.D. Research Geneticist, USDA-ARS Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS Adjunct Professor Adjunct Associate Professor Division of Plant Sciences Division of Plant Sciences Gretchen Hagen, Ph.D. Timothy Holtsford, Ph.D. Research Professor Associate Professor Division of Biochemistry Division of Biological Sciences 9 2010 Annual Report Toni Kazic, Ph.D. Emmanual Liscum, Ph.D. Associate Professor Professor and Department of Computer Science Co-Director of Graduate Studies Division of Biological Sciences Dmitry Korkin, Ph.D. Bruce McClure, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Professor Department of Computer Science Division of Biochemistry Hari Krishnan, Ph.D. Michael McMullen, Ph.D. Research Molecular Biologist Research Geneticist, USDA-ARS USDA-ARS Adjunct Professor Adjunct Professor Division of Plant Sciences Division of Plant Sciences Interdisciplinary Plant Group 10 Paula McSteen, Ph.D. Melissa Mitchum, Ph.D. Associate Professor Associate Professor Division of Biological Sciences Division of Plant Sciences Jan Miernyk,
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