Letter: Extrinsic and intrinsic contributors to identity in cells and people
Plant Science Research WeeklyIn this interesting Letter to the Editor, Drew and Nagel explore the concept of how identities are established, and draw a comparison between the scientific identity of a person and the cellular identity of a developing guard cell. The article starts by briefly describing the cell autonomous and non-cell…
Perspective: Crediting Indigenous Knowledges
Plant Science Research WeeklyThis is a very interesting Perspective article by Barry et al. that should be of interest to anyone who has benefitted from Indigenous Knowledges or who teaches about scientific writing. The authors, a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars in Australia, explore how Indigenous Knowledges should…
Viewpoint: Unheard voices from the Global South speak up
Plant Science Research WeeklyFor many reasons, the voices of researchers from the Global South often go unheard. Many of these reasons are financial; big international conferences are frequently held at places that require distant travel, and registration and travel fees can be beyond the reach of modestly-funded scientists. Visa…
Letter: Finding umbrella trees: Cultivating inclusion and more than survival in a post-affirmative action academy
Plant Science Research WeeklyIn this Letter to the Editor, Dr. Beronda Montgomery discusses umbrella trees (Musanga cecropioides) as metaphors for how to sustain progress after disruption, specifically the decision by the US Supreme Court to ban the use of race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions. Umbrella trees spring…
Removing systemic barriers to equity, diversity, and inclusion: Report of a 2019 workshop “Inclusivity in the Plant Sciences” (Plant Direct)
Plant Science Research WeeklyIn January 2019, a workshop was convened to explore strategies to address inclusivity in the plant sciences, and the recommendations emerging from this workshop are presented in a new report by Henkhaus et al. The authors recognize that this is an expansive challenge and requires action on many fronts,…
Inclusive restoration: Ten recommendations to support LGBTQ+ researchers in restoration science (Restoration Ecology)
Plant Science Research WeeklyRestoration ecologists seek to repair damaged environments, and as Toone et al. write, “the same principles that shape ecosystem restoration also provide a blueprint for cultivating inclusion in science”. Here, a group of mostly early-career restoration ecologists use their professional lenses and…