Today we've returned from #plantbio16 motivated to do ALL THE THINGS after being in the presence of so many amazing plant scientists! This meeting was jam packed with workshops and meet ups, but for us, there were a few really great highlights. Here's the top five from our time in Austin, at least as I see it:
1. The culmination of Melissa's SURF project. We were very grateful to receive one of these coveted grants from ASPB last year, and she presented an amazing poster showcasing her research on flowering time in sorghum using gene expression and protein interaction studies. You can get a pdf of her poster by contacting us!
2. A reunion with so many individuals who at one time had worked (or currently working) in the Mullet Lab at Texas A&M! Together we spanned over 25 years of plant science, including post docs, research associates, graduate students, and REU undergraduates.
3. So many great symposia! One of my favorites was Seeds of Hope from Bob Goldberg, which emphasized the need to increase food production for a growing population. His work focused on epigenetic regulation of developing soybeans, using laser microdissection to the tune of Gangnam Style! I even managed to capture some doodle notes from his presentation. Other favorites included the famous "blue tongue" talk given by Linda Bartoshuk, and learning about the effects of "evil lollipop" ingestion by Manduca sexta, and how their poop attracts predators from Ian Baldwin.
4. Focus on GMO and outreach. We heard from some amazing scientists including Kevin Folta, who spoke on his experience with outreach particularly about GMOs, and the panel on the National Academy of Science's GE Crop study (Robin Buell, Richard Dixon, and Neal Stewart) discussed the safety of GE crops and the future of this technology. (You can download the report here, but spoiler alert - they're safe).
5. The closing party! ASPB brought The Nines in from Seattle once again, and these guys never fail to be amazing! We claimed a spot right in front of the stage and stayed there all night. I even managed to catch a pick from the guitarist! We definitely look forward to these parties every year and hope to see them in Honolulu next summer!
This certainly does not capture all of the goings on at #plantbio16, but these were some of our favorites! What were some of yours?
