career advice from meristems

© 2014 American Society of Plant Biologists

Learning from meristems

•Networks are essential – Connect, connect, connect!

•Totipotency is a virtue: Keep growing!

•It’s OK for your biggest contributions to come from your “progeny” Teaching, mentoring, and communicating are indispensable and important!

[email protected]@PlantTeaching


Your role as a hub in the science community network

Career advice from meristems

•Networks are essential

Dodsworth, S. (2009). A diverse and intricate signalling network regulates stem cell fate in the shoot apical meristem. Dev. Biol 336: 1-9.





•Totipotency is a virtue: Keep on growing

Long, J.A., Moan, E.I., Medford, J.I., and Barton, M.K. (1996). A member of the KNOTTED class of homeodomain proteins encoded by the STM gene of Arabidopsis. Nature, 379: 66–69.





•Totipotency is a virtue: Keep on growing

•It’s OK for your biggest contributions to come from your “progeny”

Bargmann, B. et al. (2013). A map of cell type‐specific auxin responses. Mol. Sys. Biol. 9: 688.


1. Networks are essential


You have a role in children’s networks and can influence them

Tap into pre-existing networks:University outreachTeaching / classroom visitsScience fairsASPB networks


Exposure to scientists transforms children’s perceptions

http://ed.fnal.gov/projects/scientists/

To me, a scientist is bald and has hair coming out of the sides of his head. . . . Scientists live in their own world and the rest of society puts them there.

PRE


Exposure to scientists transforms children’s perceptions

http://ed.fnal.gov/projects/scientists/

To me, a scientist is bald and has hair coming out of the sides of his head. . . . Scientists live in their own world and the rest of society puts them there.

I know scientists are just normal people with a not so normal job. . . . Scientists lead a normal life outside of being a scientist. They are interested in dancing, pottery, jogging and even racquetball. Being a scientist is just another job which can be much more exciting.

PRE POST


https://dpb.carnegiescience.edu/article/fascination-plants-day

FOPD 2013: “The Department of Plant Biology hosted students from the East Palo Alto Academy (EPASA), ….. Kelly Beck and Theresa Metz from Stanford worked with Jose Dinneny at DPB to organize an event centered on revealing the fascinating biology of plants using various microscopy techniques. “

FOPD Glasgow


You can make informative displays about plant science


Mary

Professional societies like ASPB can provide networking opportunities


ASPB outreach opportunities

Volunteer by emailing [email protected]

2015 National Conference in Chicago

March 12–15, 2015

November 12-15, 2014Cleveland Convention Center


How did your early educational experiences contribute to your

pursuit of science?

Primary / Secondary Teachers

Enthusiastic biology teacher

Precollege day

Many programs help PhDs get teaching credentials


Be a mentor - PlantingScience.org


http://swe.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/index.php/Programs/Public_Service

http://swe.stanford.edu

Offer your help to SWE-Stanford



Undergraduate teachers, mentors, research advisors

http://www.cur.org/publications/publication_listings/

How-to guides for undergraduate research mentors

Mentor an undergraduate researcher


Mentor an iGEM team


Research-led teaching opportunities for early career researchers

http://blog.aspb.org/2014/04/28/research-led-teaching-opportunities-for-early-career-researchers/

How to get opportunitiesHow to make sure they are effectiveHow to get credit for your efforts


2. Totipotency is a virtue: Keep your options open because everything

changes all the time….

Tonikian R, Xin X, Toret CP, Gfeller D, Landgraf C, et al. (2009) Bayesian Modeling of the Yeast SH3 Domain Interactome Predicts Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Endocytosis Proteins. PLoS Biol 7(10): e1000218. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000218


Example: How we sequence DNA


Example: Changes in how we communicate with each other

1981 HS1991 PhD

1985 BS

-1995 Post doc



Undergraduate teachers, mentors, research advisors

Graduate school teachers, advisor, labmates

Postdoctoral, advisor, labmates

~ 1992 I started using emailFirst saw Netscape 1994

Arabidopsis-l

Genbank submissions


http://www.bio.net/hypermail/arabidopsis/ Arabidopsis-l


Massive increase in connectivity


1 % of your time = A few tweets each dayA blog post each monthTwo outreach days per year


Follow Sarah Blackford (Society for Experimental Biology)

http://www.biosciencecareers.org/

@BiosciCareer

Things changeStay flexibleKeep doors openKeep growing…


3. It’s OK for your biggest contributions to come from your

“progeny”


“Highest percentage of graduates who go on to earn STEM PhDs of any institution”

Teaching is important (my career part 1)

(1995 – 2009)


My career part 2

Cathie Martin EIC The Plant Cell

Goal: To develop a resource to support scientists in their teaching, and to engage students in plant biology


Review article for undergraduatesPPT slidesReferences (hyperlinked)Teaching Guide

“From chemistry to current events”


HORMONES seriesIntroduction to phytohormones, auxin, cytokinin, gibberellins, brassinosteroids, ethylene, ABA, jasmonates, salicylates, strigolactones

BIOTIC INTERATIONS seriesPlants are not alone, microsymbionts, pathogens, arthropods, plant-plant interactions

PLANTS AND PEOPLE seriesPlants, food and human healthMedicinal plantsGenetic improvements in agriculture

In 13 languages (so far)!


How to be a plant

Mel Oliver and Steve Pallardy

Plant Nutrition 1: Membrane energetics and transport, potassium nutrition and sodium toxicity(With Mike Blatt, reviewed and being revised)

Plant Nutrition 2: Macronutrients

Plant Nutrition 3: Micronutrients

Photosynthesis 1: Light reactions

Photosynthesis 2: Carbon fixing reactions


http://www.aginternetwork.org/en/


Twitter@PlantTeaching


Opportunities for you

• Education and “publishing” both involve translating what scientists are saying into familiar language

• Start writing – blogs need guest writers, or start your own

• There is a real need for visual aids – photographs, diagrams, cartoons, videos!


Learning from meristems

•Networks are essential – Connect, connect, connect!

•Totipotency is a virtue: Keep growing!

•It’s OK for your biggest contributions to come from your “progeny” Teaching, mentoring, and communicating are indispensable and important!

[email protected]@PlantTeaching

career advice from meristems

Education

plant science

rest of society

meristems networks

teaching opportunities

essential totipotency

perceptions http

undergraduate research

research advisors http