The American Society of Plant Biologists has conferred upon Plant Biology faculty members Hans Bohnert and Steve Long the distinctions of 2009 ASPB Fellows. This honor recognizes members who have made "major contributions to the discipline".
Plant Biology Department Head Feng Sheng Hu as been  designated a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement
of Science. In presenting this honor, AAAS recognized Feng Sheng for his distinguished contributions to the fields of
paleoecology and paleoclimatology, notably for deepening our understanding
of the development of boreal ecosystems through the Holocene epoch.
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Happenings
 WHAT CAN PAST CLIMATE CHANGES TELL US ABOUT THE FUTURE? Plant Biologist Surangi Punyasena is taking a paleobotanical approach, learning how plant distributions responded to Earth’s climate shifts 10-20,000 years ago. But how can anyone possibly know which species grew where that long ago? Well, the plants may be long gone, but their pollen survives, collected annually by rivers and layered gently onto South American lake bottoms. The key to Surangi’s deciphering the pollen/climate code was documenting the temperature and precipitation conditions under which related species grow today. Surangi's meticulous calibration of that relationship revealed that not only individual species, but entire plant families show consistent environmental preferences. Thus, where they grew 10-20,000 years ago tells us what the climate was like, there and then. Read more here.
 CONGRATULATIONS to Plant Biology grad student Justin McGrath for winning the 2009 American Society of Plant Biologists-Pioneer Hi-Bred International Graduate Student Prize. This very presitigious award "recognizes and encourages innovative graduate research and innovation in areas of plant biology that relate to important commodity crops."
 PLANTS ARE GOBBLING UP THE EXCESSIVE CARBON DIOXIDE NOW ENTERING OUR ATMOSPHERE. After all, that’s what plants do best. But Plant Biologists Andrew Leakey and colleagues wondered how much of that gas plants are returning to the atmosphere by respiration, a process they perform 24/7, not just when the sun shines. Sure enough, when Andy et al. monitored the genes of soybean plants grown under current as well as year 2050 predicted levels of carbon dioxide at SoyFACE, they found that >90 genes that control carbohydrate catabolism were more active in the high, future gas regime than in today’s. Their report has drawn considerable attention, as it will enable scientists to more accurately predict the consequences of climate change for agriculture, and potentially breed crop plants accordingly.
  THE HARDER A PLANT SPECIES IS TO GROW, THE GREATER THE (unexpected!) REWARDS. Just ask intrepid Plant Biology Greenhouse Manager Deborah Black. Asiatic poppy afficianado Bill Terry's recent book, Blue Heaven: Encounters with the Blue Poppy, is devoted to the delicate, exquisite, mountain-adapted Himalayan Blue Poppy (Meconopsis x sheldonii, 'Lingholm') and includes a two-page tribute to Debbie's reknowned success at growing and showing this extraordinarily lovely and challenging plant at her ever-popular biennial Blue Poppy Show at our Plant Biology Greenhouse.
 WELCOME to 2008's entering class of Plant Biology graduate students, gathered here at our 2008 Fall Welcome Reception at the Bread Company: Back row: Kathy Richter, Matt Siebert, James Walsh, Danielle Ruffatto, Matt Nantie; Front row: Becky Arundale & Anna Locke (AWOL: Miranda Segura) (click for all).
Browse our Scrapbook for past Happenings.
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