Recent Posts

From Data to Discovery: The Power of Statistics in Research

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The Crimean War was brutal on the soldiers and caused high mortality rates. It was believed that battle wounds were the leading cause of death. But the ‘lady with the lamp’, who was a nurse and also a gifted statistician, proved that unhygienic living conditions, not battle wounds, led to the increased…

Engaging Undergraduates in Plant Science Research Groups

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Plant Science: The Science of Life, The Future of Life Despite plants being everywhere, we often ignore their importance. They are crucial for life on Earth, supporting ecosystems, providing the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat, and renewable resources for our society. Climate change, food shortages,…

The Garden You Choose: A Post-PhD Career Guide for Plant Scientists

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The journey so far You finish high school, then a bachelor's degree, then a master's, and eventually a PhD. Each step can feel like the natural continuation of the one before it. Along the way, you collect the moments that remind you why you chose science: the smell of a greenhouse after watering,…

Four Things Wrong with How We Teach Plant Science

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In 2011, with funding from the NSF, ASPB and the Botanical Society of America convened a workshop to work out how the Vision and Change recommendations might be put into practice in plant biology. The concern that emerged most was not a gap in research or in funding. It was that undergraduate curricula…

How to Construct a Teaching Portfolio

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A job application asks you to provide a teaching portfolio, and you are stumped. Never fear! This short blog will walk you through the basics of compiling your very own teaching portfolio, provide links to additional resources, and offer helpful tips to make this process as pain-free as possible. (Note:…