2008

Dueling skeptics Andy Leakey and Don Ort

Not mannequins, but Ray Zielinski, Chance Riggins and Cody Markelz

David Rosenthal sets Govindjee straight on a fine point

The Spring 2008 Plant Biology Department Colloquium series concluded on April 25 with a stimulating talk by Feng Sheng Hu entitled "Investigating boreal-forest response to past climatic change: from DNA input to solar output". Many thanks to Justin McGrath and his PBAGS co-conspirators for organizing this semester's Colloquium series!

CONGRATULATIONS to Plant Biology Graduate Student Chance Riggins on his Ph.D. and successful defense of his thesis entitled "Molecular Phylogenetic and Biogeographic study of the genus Artemisia (Asteraceae), with an emphasis on section Absinthium" under Dave Seigler.

CONGRATULATIONS to Plant Biology Graduate Student Vernie Sagun on his Ph.D. and successful defense of his thesis entitled "Systematics of Malesian Acalypha (Euphorbiaceae)" under INHS affiliate Geoff Levin.

Why is Plant Biology Graduate Student Sharon Gray smiling? Perhaps because she was awarded a Graduate Research Environmental Fellowship (GREF) from the Global Change Education Program of the U.S. Department of Energy. Sharon joins colleague Kelly Gillespie as Plant Biology grad students receiving this prestigious award. Congrats Sharon!

CONGRATULATIONS to Plant Biology Grad Student, Meta-Analyst Extraodinaire, and PBAGS Revolutionary Victoria Wittig on her Ph.D. and successful defense of her thesis entitled "Impacts of elevated carbon dioxide and tropospheric ozone on the growth and productivity of trees" under Stephen Long.

An IMPORTANT NEW JOURNAL debuts this year, Tropical Plant Biology, edited by Plant Biology faculty member Ray Ming and co-editor-in-chief Paul Moore (Hawaii Agriculture Research Center). The lead article in the journal's first issue comes from Ray's lab, presenting an analysis of floral MADS box genes in (what else?) papaya.

We are saddened to report the passing of our former colleague, Fakhri Bazzaz, on February 6 at the age of 74. Fakhri earned his Ph.D. in Plant Biology at UIUC in 1963 and went on to join the faculty of Plant Biology, later becoming department head and acting director of the School of Life Sciences.  He later moved to Harvard as Mallincrodt Professor of Biology.  An ecologist, Dr. Bazzaz was broadly interested in how plants adapt to natural and anthropogenic disturbances.  He was among the first ecologists to recognize not only the spectre but also the complexities of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide and the threat it represents to the human population and the ecosystems upon which we depend.  He was a renowned and beloved teacher and trained a generation of young scientists now at the leading edge of physiological, population and community ecology.  The author of 18 invited chapters, 6 books and almost 300 publications, Dr. Bazzaz was awarded the UIUC College of LAS Alumni Achievement Award in 2003.

Plant Biology grad student (and "U. of I. Biomass Energy Coordinator") Frank Dohleman and his work with Stephen Long on developing Miscanthus x gigantea as a (liquid) biofuel crop made the 10 o'clock news on Chicago's ABC affiliate on Jan 22, 2008. Missed it? No problem! Click on Frank.

CLIMATE CHANGE is everywhere, in more ways than one. On January 30, Plant Biologist Andrew Leakey joined other local climate change experts in a Panel Discussion sponsored by the UIUC Center for Global Studies, as part of Focus the Nation: Climate Change, a national teach-in coordinated locally the UIUC Environmental Council.

 
Jeff Dawson and Dave Seigler; Steve Huber introduces his colloquium talk

2007

Plant Biology faculty member Stephen Long was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Lancaster, NorthWest England's leading institution of higher education. Read More about this honor and about Dr. Long and his research program. (Nice hat Steve. Did you get to keep it?)

Carol Augspurger gets the group talking at her Colloquium

David Rosenthal and Victoria Wittig

We are pleased to announce the debut of this, the NEW PLANT BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT WEBSITE. Many thanks to Webmaestro Lee Bynum for his patience and coding wizardry, and Phil Pochrzast (ATLAS) for his invaluable design input, in producing this long-awaited update to Plant Biology's web presence. Some "gray areas" remain in the menu to the left, but we will be working to nudge those links out from the shadows as soon as possible.

SoyFACE hit the INTERNATIONAL AIRWAVES on Nov 8, 2007, in the form of a 30 minute feature on BBC World Service. You can hear Plant Biology's Don Ort, Stephen Long, Lisa Ainsworth talk to the BBC's Sue Broom about SoyFACE, ozone, soya beans (that's British for soybean) and projected future trends by downloading the podcast here.

Many thanks to Ray and Ann Zielinski for hosting, and PBAGS for organizing, the 2007 Plant Biology Department PLANT BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT HOLIDAY POTLUCK this year. A festive time was had by all, including furry co-host Lucky, who was treated to some nice looking leftovers on the dessert table, assuming Frank et al. didn't polish them off before they (finally) left. Happy Holidays to All!

Another BRUSH WITH CELEBRITY for Plant Biology students and faculty. On Nov. 15, the Big Ten Network taped a segment for their Friday Night Tailgate program that included interviews with Plant Biology grad students Ashley Spence and Charles Chen in Stephen Long's Lab and at the Conservatory. Unfortunately, Ashley and Charles will have to wait another day for their shot at stardom, as BTN chose to run alternative footage, as seen here (click on "Week 12").

Kelly Gillespie, Clark Danderson, Katherine Chi at Happy Hour; Katherine again, Eli Schwarz, Ed Dole, John Cheeseman and Cecile Sano discuss phenology at Carol Augspurger's colloquium.