Vol. 21, No.5 September IOctober 1994 NEWSLETTE American Society of Plant Physiologists Inside This Issue .... ASPP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE APPROVES CREATION 3 OF EDUCATION FOUNDATION Zavala Honored Jones Urges ASPP Members To Place Priority on Education 5 Many things conspired to make our 70th foundation to raise funds that the Society ASPP Educ ation Foundation annual meeting in Portland a tremendous could use to support worthy activities success. Don Ort and his program com­ other than managing its day-to-day affairs 6 mittee and Ken Beam, Susan Chambers, and publishing its journals. Kende's idea Education Forum and other headquarters staff planned an was not actively taken up until I as presi­ almost flawless meeting that was made an dent and Jim Siedow as president-elect of 8 even greater success by a week of won­ your Society decided to make the estab­ Minority Affa irs derful weather and a setting that will be lishment of a foundation a major goal. hard to match Planning for the foundation began in 9-11 The Portland meeting was also a great January 1994 when the operations sub­ Public Affairs scientific success with attendees giving committee (comprising the chair of the • USDA high marks to the symposia as well as the board of trustees, the past president, presi­ • NSF, DOE Funding new minisymposia. We look forward to dent-elect, and sitting president of ASPP, • Pl a nt Biotechnology your evaluation via the survey of meeting and the executive director) met in • Containment Guidelines participants that Don Ort and the program Rockville with three individuals who were • White House Science Report committee distributed. knowledgeable about foundations and Several administrative milestones were fund raising. With this start and more 12 reached at the Portland meeting. The ex­ research, Ken Beam, Jim Siedow, and I Letter to Membership/ ecutive committee supported the proposal met in June of this year to plan the specif­ Fellowships and Traineeships that the committee on the status of women ics of the foundation and to prepare a in plant physiology be made a standing proposal that we brought to the execu­ 13 committee of the Society. The new ad hoc tive committee in Portland. This proposal NSF Dea dlines committee on minority affairs was also was approved by the executive commit­ endorsed by the executive committee, and tee, and the text is published in its en­ 14 this committee's plans to raise money from tirety on page 5 of this newsletter. ASPP Award Winners federal sources to encourage participation After considerable discussion, the ex­ by underrepresented minorities were en­ ecutive committee agreed that the foun­ 17 thusiasticall y endorsed. The executive dation should be called the American Gatherings committee agreed to increase the Society's Society of Plant Physiologists Education efforts in education by approving an in­ Foundation (ASPPF.F). It was generally 23 crease in the size of the education com­ agreed that the primary function of the Jobs mittee from four members to six. Last, but Foundation would be to raise money from assuredly not least, the executive commit­ corporate and private donors to support tee approved establishing an education its mission-education-and its goal-to foundation. promote knowledge about plant sciences The notion that ASPP should establish in schools and in the global society. a foundation is not new. When Hans One of the most important challenges Kende was a member of the board of trust­ that ASPP faces is society's general igno­ ees, he proposed that ASPP establish a continued on page 2 Deadline for the J November/December issue Text of Proposal to Create an ASPP Education Foundation of the A.SPP Newsletter Appears on Page 5 of This Newsletter. is October 15, 1994. I L----_ 2 ASPP Newsletter continued from page I have been established by our sister bio­ are involved and how those issues are rance about plant biology. The teaching logical science societies, and many of our critical to their own well being? of biology in elementary and secondary members have been actively involved in The proposal to establish the Founda­ schools is generally poor, but the quality these programs. For example, the Ameri­ tion includes the transfer of $1 million of education in plant biology is even can Society of Biochemistry and Molecu­ from the Society'S general endowment worse. Gauged by the preparation that lar Biology (ASBMB) has an active edu­ fund of about $3.5 million to the ASPPEF college freshmen have received in plant cation committee that oversees an intern­ endowment. The importance of this trans­ science, the situation could be described ship program for high school biology fer of part of our total endowment is that as critical. As professional plant biologists, teachers. Jack Preiss from the Department potential donors will see that the mem­ we must accept some of the blame fo r this of Biochemistry at Michigan State Uni­ bers of ASiJP place a high priority on the situation. Although there are members of versity is a member of ASBMB's educa­ ASPPEF. The use of the ASPPEF endow­ ASPP who have been particularly ac tive tion committee, and Ken Keegstra, now ment fund will be subject to the same in promoting the teaching of plant sci­ from the Plant Research Laboratory at restrictions as exif' t for the ASPP endow­ ences in schools, there has not been a Michigan State, acted as a mentor in the ment. Thus, the 5% spending limit will concerted effort by ASPP to promote plant summer of 1992 at the University of Wis­ remain in effect for this portion of our biology teaching. One of the goals of the consin-Madison for a teacher enrolled in endowment funds, meaning that no more ASPPEF is to help rectify this situation. ASBMB's internship program. Such ven­ than $50,000 of the ASPPH endowment !L ike all worthwhile ventures, ASPP's tures are costly, however. By establishing may be spent annually. The endowment goal of improving the teaching of plant the ASPPEF, the Society hopes to raise fund will continue to grow at an annual science in our schools will require the in­ funds from new and different sources to rate of about 8% if investment returns of vestment of time and money. I am asking s upport this and other types of ed uca­ the past five years hold. ASPP members to become involved in our tional activities. As members of ASPP, you can show teaching effort at the grass-roots level by The ASPPEF should also take the lead your support for your Society's efforts in involving themselves with teachers in in promoting public understanding of the education in two ways. The first demon­ their local school systems. For example, plant sc iences. Advances in agricultural stration of support will be to vote for the by acting as mentors to high school biol­ biotechnology have raised public aware­ ASPPEl: when it appears on the annual ogy teachers, ASPP members can promote ness of plant biology, but it is clear that ballot in the spring of 1995. You will be pla nt biology as a valid and worthwhile public understanding of the issues sur­ asked to approve the establishment of the discipline. ASPP should also consider es­ rounding biotechnology is modest. How ASPPEr as Article XII of the Society'S con­ tablishing an internship program whereby can we as plant scientists expect the ~titution and bylaws, which are printed at K-12 teachers can spend time in the labo­ public's continued support of research in the back of your 1994 Membership Direc­ ratories of ASPP members. plant biotechnology if we do not help tory. Several successful internship programs them understand the scientific issues that The second way you can demonstrate your support for the goals of the Founda­ tion is by donating whatever you can af­ ford to the Foundation when a solicita­ tion is sent. I encoura ge ASPP members to be generous in their dona hons to ASPPEF. As president I shall donate to the Founda hon the honora ri um tha t is given this position. The success of the ASPPH w ill depend on the commitment of ASPP's member­ ship and on the vision and lead ership of the individual who agrees to serve as its chair. I ask for your help in identifying possible candidates from among our mem­ bership and from the community of plant biologists at large. [his will be my last letter as your presi­ dent. Lt has been a privilege to serve ou r Society, and the experience is one I shall not forget. I know that my colleagues Jim Siedow and Bob Buchanan will continue the thrust in education that we have ini­ tia ted, and I look forward to working with them to achieve the goals that have been East met West at the ASPP annual meE:ting in Portland. Oregon, when the president of set. the Ru ssian Society of Plant Physiologists joined the three ASPP presidents for this Russell L. Jones photograph. From left: ASPP Post President Rolph Quatrano, President Russell Jones, ASPP President, 1993-94 Russian SOCiety President Valentin Kefeli , and President-Elect Jim Siedow. Cniversity of California, Berkeley September/October 1994, Vol. 21, No.5 3 ASPP Officers and Staff Zavala Is Outstanding Professor 1993-1994 Officers The California State University at President Northridge in May of this year awarded Russell L. Jones (510-642-1486) the title of Outstanding Professor to ASPP President-Elect member Dr. Maria Elena Zavala. Dr. ; ames ~ : . ~iedow (919-684-6573) Immediate Past President Zavala, a professor of biology, has been Ralph S.