News Archives

2014


Bin Yu Lab reports more microRNA clues.

 Dr. Bin Yu(April 2014) Tiny molecules called microRNAs are powerful agents in regulating gene expression, but the mechanisms that regulate them aren’t well understood. UNL plant scientist Bin Yu and his team have uncovered important clues about how plant cells control microRNA function, a step toward better understanding crop development and stress response.

Read more at Today@UNL.


Weeks receives the Outstanding Research and Creative Activity award.

 Dr. Don Weeks(April 2014) Donald Weeks has received the Outstanding Research and Creativity Activity award from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The ORCA recognizes faculty for outstanding research or creative activity of national or international significance.

Read more at Today@UNL.

2013


Weeks named Fellow to National Academy of Inventors

Dr. Donald Weeks (December 2013) Donald Weeks has been named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, an honor given to esteemed innovators and inventors. Weeks, the Maxcy Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources, was recognized for distinguished contributions in plant and algal biotechnology and efforts to translate research discoveries into solutions that benefit society.

Read more at Today@UNL.

Holding earns research awards
Dr. David Holding

(November 2013) Assistant professor David Holding received a Junior Faculty for Excellence in Research Award. The awards are provided through the Branham Endowment Fund. Given annually by the Agricultural Research Division, the award is for tenure-track assistant professors with an ARD appointment with five or less years of professional service at UNL. The award is based upon publication record, evidence of external funding activity and peer recognition.

Holding is an assistant professor with the Center for Plant Science Innovation and Agronomy and Horticulture. He has published research papers in journals including Nature Communications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Plant Cell and Plant Physiology and recently received extramural funding from USDA-NIFA and ConAgra. His research program aims to identify and functionally characterize genes involved in kernel maturation in corn and sorghum. He is particularly interested in understanding and exploiting the complex relationship between kernel texture and protein quality.

Researchers expand understanding of microRNAs

Bin Yu Lab Members

(October 2013) Discovered just two decades ago, tiny molecules called microRNAs are now known to be powerful agents in regulating gene expression. Yet they aren’t well understood. A team of UNL biologists has uncovered important clues about how plant cells regulate microRNAs, a step toward better understanding how crops respond to stress, such as droughts.

Bin Yu, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences and member of UNL’s Center for Plant Science Innovation; Shuxin Zhang, post-doctoral research associate; and their colleagues made their discoveries in Arabidopsis, a well-known plant model. But their findings also could be important to understanding microRNAs in humans and other organisms. The team’s findings were published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Read more at Today@UNL.

Biofuels research clears hurdle

Camelina

(September 2013) UNL plant scientists Ed Cahoon and Tom Clemente aim to super-charge plants like Camelina for biofuel production. DOE requires Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy program recipients to demonstrate progress to continue receiving funding, and the UNL Center for Plant Science Innovation researchers recently cleared that hurdle.

Read more at Today@UNL.


Mackenzie named 2013 ASPB Fellow

Dr. Sally Mackenzie (April 2013) Dr. Sally Mackenzie has been named a 2013 Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB). The Fellow of ASPB award was established in 2007 to recognize distinguished and long-term contributions to plant biology and service to the Society by current members in areas including research, education, and professional and public service. Dr. Mackenzie has served on numerous ASPB committees including the Executive Committee (2007 to present), the Public Affairs Committee (2009-present), and the Publications Committee, which she has chaired since 2006 and also on the editorial board of Plant Physiology.

Special Recognition

Special recognition to Dr. Ray Chollet, Professor Emeritus, who was also named a 2013 Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) and to Dr. Brian Larkins, Associate Vice Chancellor for Life Sciences, who is the recipient of the 2013 Stephen Hales Prize.

Lorenz is a DuPont Young Professor

Dr. Aaron Lorenz

Aaron Lorenz, assistant professor of agronomy and horticulture, is one of nine professors in the nation to be honored by the DuPont Young Professors program.

The awards are given to advance key research that is relevant to DuPont. Lorenz is part of the 2012 class of honorees.

Lorenz has been at UNL since 2010. He was honored for his work in the optimization of genomic selection for plant breeding. The award is $25,000 per year, renewed for up to three years.

Lorenz received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture-plant science from the University of Minnesota, a master’s in plant breeding from Iowa State University and a doctorate in plant breeding and genomics from the University of Wisconsin.

NSF award aids Basset's coenzyme Q research

Dr. Gilles Basset

Nearly all organisms — from animals and plants to many bacteria — require the micronutrient ubiquinone, or coenzyme Q, for survival. Humans produce it in their bodies and consume it in their diets. But scientists don’t understand how cells produce this vital compound.

Gilles Basset, an assistant professor of agronomy and horticulture, is using a new approach to study this elusive nutrient. His research may lead to improving human health. A faculty member in UNL’s Center for Plant Science Innovation, Basset studies how plants synthesize and metabolize chemicals beneficial to health.

He’s expanding his ubiquinone research with a five-year, $784,820 Faculty Early Career Development Program, or CAREER Award, from the National Science Foundation. This prestigious award helps outstanding pre-tenure faculty develop as teacher-scholars and researchers.

“We know that they are very important, but we don’t understand how living organisms make these compounds,” Basset said of ubiquinones. “Understanding how they are made will allow us to, for instance, improve plant-based food.”

Read more about Dr. Basset's ubiquinone research at Today@UNL.

Alfano named AAAS fellow

Dr. James Alfano

Three UNL professors have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science — the world's largest general scientific society. The tradition of naming AAAS Fellows goes back to 1874. It is a peer-designated selection based on scientifically or socially distinguished efforts among scientists to advance science or its application.

This is the first time three UNL scientists achieved the honor in the same year.

UNL's new AAAS Fellows are L. Dennis Smith, for distinguished contributions to developmental biology and leadership and advocacy on education; James Alfano, for distinguished contributions in research of plant pathogens; and Mike Nastasi, for contributions in energy, manufacturing, nanotechnology and microelectronics.

This year, 702 members are awarded this honor by AAAS, and will be presented with a certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Feb. 16 during the 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston.

Alfano, Charles Bessey Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, has been at UNL since 2000. He said he was flattered when he learned he had been named to the esteemed list after being nominated by UNL plant pathology professor James Van Etten, who also is an AAAS Fellow and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

"It feels great, and it's nice to be recognized by such a prestigious organization," Alfano said. "It was an honor just being nominated, a recognition of our hard work, and we're going to continue to work hard."

Alfano researches how bacterial pathogens cause disease in plants and how their strategies differ from the strategies employed by the bacterial pathogens of animals.

His seven-member lab, which is associated with the Department of Plant Pathology and the Center for Plant Science Innovation at UNL, focuses on the pathogen Pseudomonas syringae and its interaction with plants. The pathogen's key feature is a bacterial protein secretion system that injects bacterial proteins into plant cells, which allows it to grow in plants and eventually cause disease. Alfano's research delves into plant cells to determine precisely how the bacterial proteins modify them to favor disease.

"We’re working to understand how and what (P. syringae) is targeting inside plant cells," he said. "Our ultimate goal is to identify new components of plant immunity. We've learned a lot about this plant-pathogen interaction — now we want to transform that knowledge into improvements in agriculture."

2012

Plant Science Retreat Presentation and Poster Winners

The Plant Science Retreat, a biennial event for members of the University of Nebraska (UNL) Plant Science Community, was held at Arbor Lodge in Nebraska City on October 19 & 20, 2012. Dr. Patrick Schnable, Director of the Center for Plant Genomics at Iowa State University, gave the keynote address, "Structural Variation in Maize: Consequences and Opportunities." Dr. Brian Larkins, Associate Vice Chancellor for the Life Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was a special guest speaker, presenting "A Vision for Coordinating the Life Sciences at UNL." Faculty members, post docs and graduate students gave talks and presented posters on the latest in plant science research, with prizes awarded to each of the top two oral and poster presenters. Congratulations to graduate students Adam Voshall, Athen Kimberlin, and Meng Xie on top placement of their oral presentations. Congratulations also to graduate students Kyla Ronhovde and Kamaldeep Virdi on the top selection of their posters.

Assistant Professor Jeffrey Mower named recipient of the Branham Endowment Junior Faculty for Excellence in Research Award

 

Dr. Jeffrey Mower

Jeffrey Mower, with the Center for Plant Science Innovation (CPSI) and Agronomy and Horticulture Department has been named as recipient of the Junior Faculty for Excellence in Research Award provided by the Branham Endowment Fund for 2012-2013.  The Award is given annually by the Agricultural Research Division to up to two tenure-track Assistant Professors with an ARD appointment who has five or less years of professional service at UNL and is based upon publication record, evidence of external funding activity and peer recognition. 

Jeff Mower received a BS in molecular biology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999. He worked for a year in the Human Genetics Center at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston before moving on to graduate school at Indiana University Bloomington, where he received a MS in bioinformatics in 2004 and a PhD in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology in 2005. After graduation, he spent two years as a postdoc at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He is currently an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Center for Plant Science Innovation and Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. He has published 17 research papers in journals including Nature and Science and two book chapters.  His research aims to address fundamental questions on the evolution of genome structure, function and content in plants using a combination of experimental and computational approaches which has applications to understanding disease resistance in crop plants and developing algae for biofuels. Mower takes an active role within his department, university-wide affiliations, teaching and mentoring, professional outreach activities and the Lincoln community.  His nominators stated that he is a highly valued colleague who has demonstrated great potential for making major advances in genomics research as well as innovations in the classroom.

2012 Plant Science Retreat

The Plant Science Retreat is a biennial event for members of the University of Nebraska (UNL) Plant Science Community. The forum provides a platform to hear and discuss the latest in Plant Science research activities both within and outside the State. This year’s Retreat will be held at Arbor Lodge in Nebraska City on October 19 & 20. Talks will be scheduled for members of the UNL Plant Science community, along with a presentation from our Keynote Speaker Dr. Patrick Schnable, Director of the Center for Plant Genomics, Iowa State University, and our Special Guest Dr. Brian Larkins, Associate Vice Chancellor for the Life Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Faculty members, postdocs and graduate students are encouraged to give talks and/or present posters. If you wish to present a poster or talk, please complete the information on the registration form and submit it no later than Friday, September 28, 2012. Oral presentations will be selected and a complete schedule of talks and a list of posters will be made available to those attending the retreat. Those post docs and students who are not chosen for oral presentations will be provided the opportunity to enter a poster competition for wonderful prizes given to first and second place winners.

Check-in at the meeting begins Friday, October 19 at 10:00 a.m. followed by lunch and talks in the afternoon given by members of the Plant Science community. The Poster session will take place following dinner on Friday evening in the Steinhardt Lodge. Talks will continue Saturday morning, October 20, followed by closing remarks.

Retreat Flyer

2012 Water for Food Conference

Water for FoodThe fourth annual global Water for Food Conference, May 30-June 1, 2012, brought together experts from around the world to discuss how advances in science, technology and policy will help rainfed and irrigated agriculture sustainably feed an increasingly hungry and thirsty world.

UNL Scientists Find Plants 'Remember' Drought, Change Responses to Survive

Plants subjected to a previous period of drought learn to deal with the stress thanks to their memories of the previous experience, University of Nebraska-Lincoln research has found. The findings could lead to development of crops better able to withstand drought. The research also confirms, for the first time, the scientific basis for what home gardeners and nursery professionals have learned, often through hard experience: Transplants do better when water is withheld for a few days to drought harden them before the move.

"This phenomenon of drought hardening is in the common literature but not really in the academic literature," said Michael Fromm, a UNL plant scientist who was part of the research team. "The mechanisms involved in this process seem to be what we found." The work is the subject of an article this week in the online journal Nature Communications.

2012 American Society of Plant Biologists Midwestern Section Meeting
ASPB Midwest Section Meeting 2012

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln hosted the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Midwest Section meeting March 24-25, 2012. Founded in 1924, the American Society of Plant Biologists promotes the growth and development of plant biology, encourages and publishes research in plant biology, and promotes the interests and growth of plant scientists in general. Membership spans six continents, and members work in such diverse areas as academia, government laboratories, and industrial and commercial environments. The Society also has a large student membership. ASPB plays a key role in uniting the international plant science disciplines.  

For more information about the event, please visit: http://my.aspb.org/group/midwestern.

2012 American Society of Plant Biologists

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will be host to the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Midwest Section meeting on March 24-25, 2012.  The American Society of Plant Biologists was founded in 1924 to promote the growth and development of plant biology, to encourage and publish research in plant biology, and to promote the interests and growth of plant scientists in general. Membership spans six continents, and members work in such diverse areas as academia, government laboratories, and industrial and commercial environments. The Society also has a large student membership. ASPB plays a key role in uniting the international plant science disciplines.

For more information about the event and to register, please visit:
http://my.aspb.org/group/midwestern.

Coyne Lectureship features Plant Breeding and Genetics Discussion

"Genomics in the Age of Plant Breeding" will be presented by Phillip E. McClean as part of the Dermot P. Coyne Graduate Student Distinguished Lectureship Series on April 4. McClean works on dry bean genetics and biotechnology and is the director of the Genomics and Bioinformatics Program at North Dakota State University in Fargo. The 1 p.m. lecture in the Nebraska East Union is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the lecture.

His visit is courtesy of the Coyne Lectureship Series which was established by Dermot P. Coyne in the area of plant breeding and genetics. Coyne, a George Holmes Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, developed new varieties of dry edible beans and squash while a plant breeder at UNL for more than 40 years. He released many popular dry bean varieties in support of the Nebraska and High Plains bean industry. Coyne, who died in 2002, also developed several varieties of pinto, pompadour and great northern beans that were resistant to bean common mosaic virus, rust, common bacterial blight and other bacterial diseases. His disease-resistant germplasm releases and varieties are parents of numerous bean varieties grown in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe.

 

BGSA Annual Symposium

The Biological Graduate Student Association would like to encourage all students to present their research to the Biological Sciences community. It is a great opportunity to highlight your research and hard work. The abstract deadline has been extended to March 29.

2012 UNL Research Fair

A celebration highlighting graduate student research and creative activity will be held on April 4, 2012, at the Nebraska Union as part of the campus-wide 2012 UNL Spring Research Fair. The purpose of the Graduate Student Poster Session is to give students the opportunity to showcase their research or creative activity; to communicate their results to other students, faculty and staff; and to learn about other areas of research and creative activity.  

2012 Plant Breeding & Genetics Symposium

University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate students are organizing a Plant Breeding and Genetics Symposium on April 3 in the UNL East Campus Union. The symposium includes the following speakers: Dr. Stephen Baenziger (UNL Agronomy and Horticulture), Dr. David Habier (Pioneer Hi-Bred), Dr. Jean-Luc Jannink (USDA-ARS at Cornell), Dr. Jode Edwards (USDA-ARS at Iowa St), Michael Gore (USDA-ARS in Arizona), and a welcome address from Dr. Joe Keaschall (Pioneer Hi-Bred).

The symposium is free to attend and is open to everyone, but seating is limited so registration is required by March 26. The symposium is also offered online via a free webinar so we are encouraging people to watch the event distantly. Registration is recommended for those watching online so that we can send an email reminder and instructions for connecting to the symposium at a later date.  For additional details and registration visit: http://go.unl.edu/pbsymposium.

14th Annual Women in Science Conference

Hands-on workshops, lab and campus tours, and panel discussions are all planned for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's 14th annual Women in Science Conference, set for Feb. 17-18 at the Embassy Suites, 1040 P St. The two-day event is designed to attract high school sophomores and juniors with a goal of encouraging young women to explore where they can take their interests in science, mathematics, engineering and technology. The conference is funded by Nebraska EPSCoR and sponsored by UNL's Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education.

On Feb. 18, participants will have the opportunity to meet with UNL science majors and professors and learn about UNL programs. One of the tour stops includes the George W. Beadle Center, which was named for a 1927 graduate and Nobel Prize laureate whose research laid the foundations of modern corn genetics.

Valery Forbes, director of UNL's School of Biological Sciences, will deliver this year's keynote address. Her talk, set for Feb. 17 at 6 p.m., is titled "What's a nice girl like me doing in a job like this? The unexpected adventures of a biologist.” For more information, visit http://go.unl.edu/wisView news release.

Brand: 'Wild and Woolly' Times for Genetic Engineering

The world is entering a "wild and woolly" time of genetic engineering of food, when some of the most significant advancements may come from "amateur biotech" practitioners and in the developing world, says Stewart Brand, a self-described ecopragmatist and founder of the "Whole Earth Catalog."

Brand spoke at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Tuesday night as part of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Heuermann Lecture series. Brand, who acknowledges he's "having great fun being a heretic" among environmentalists, said genetic engineering is critical to feeding an expanding world population. He describes those who oppose genetic engineering as "superstitious, anti-science and, by the way, very harmful."

As an example, he cited golden rice, a new genetically modified rice that contains beta carotene, a source of Vitamin A critical to children's nourishment. Planting of the rice was delayed for a decade by opponents; it's only now being planted in the Philippines. Another genetically modified type of rice can "breathe under water for two weeks," which would make it invaluable in countries like Bangladesh, which experience severe flooding that now wipes out crops. Article from Lincoln Journal Star.

 

2011

Crops Breeder Baenziger: Ag Challenges to Feed the World are Unprecedented

Take it from a guy who helps feed the world: There's nothing quite like surveying a field comprising a healthy new crop breed your research team helped create and recalling, years earlier, "when you held all the seed of it in the palm of your hand." P. Stephen Baenziger, University of Nebraska-Lincoln small grains breeder, brought his passion about his work to a talk titled "Setting the Stage: Why Agriculture?" Baenziger was the second speaker in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources' Heuermann Lecture series, which focuses on meeting the world's growing food and renewable energy needs while sustaining natural resources and the rural communities in which food grows.

Baenziger has been the front lines of that work his entire career, including 25 years at UNL. He inherited and built on a grains-breeding program that has produced wheat breeds now planted on 66 percent of Nebraska wheat acres, as well as in nearby states.

New Plant and Soil Sciences eLibrary Offers Worldwide Collaboration

An expanded Plant and Soil Sciences eLibrary website will give students, adult learners, teachers and industry a place to learn interactively and globally. The new site at passel.unl.edu offers more collaborative tools and uses social media to accompany its animations, lessons and wealth of information and course materials, said Deana Namuth-Covert, plant science educator and eLibrary director. Namuth-Covert said the new site will give its current users a place to work together and share ideas. In addition, the site has a new look and new tools to continue drawing in users from across the state, country and world. The Plant and Soil Sciences eLibrary is on Facebook and Twitter @eLibrarypro.

Nebraska Has Key Role in Addressing Global Food Needs

Nebraska is at the epicenter of the challenge of increasing food production to meet the needs of a world population expected to reach more than 9 billion people by 2050, said Ronnie Green, the vice chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Ronnie Green was the keynote speaker at the Heartland Transatlantic Conference on Food and Fuels Monday morning at the State Capitol. The conference, which included a visit to UNL's East Campus, continues Tuesday. It showcases Nebraska agribusiness prowess. Diplomatic officials from countries including France, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and Estonia have joined Nebraska representatives at the conference, which focuses on the vital role Nebraska agribusiness and research plays in meeting the global demands for food and fuels.

Assistant Professor Gilles Basset named a recipient of the Junior Faculty Excellence in Research Award
Dr. Basset

This honor attests to the excellence of Gilles Basset's research program and to the potential that he has to make outstanding contributions in the future. The Junior Faculty for Excellence in Research award is presented by the Agricultural Research Division in the Institute of Agricultural and Natural Resources. More about the award.





World Food Prize Laureate Swaminathan to Open IANR Heuermann Lectures

On Monday, Oct. 10, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, the world's first World Food Prize laureate, opened a new lecture series on meeting the world's growing food needs. The participation of Swaminathan, known as the Father of the Green Revolution in India, comes at the invitation of University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken and the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute. In March 2011, Milliken and Swaminathan jointly hosted a symposium in Chennai, India, on managing water resources for food security, sponsored by the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum.

The new Heuermann Lectures in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL are open to the public, made possible through a gift from B. Keith and Norma Heuermann of Phillips, long-time university supporters with a strong commitment to Nebraska's production agriculture, natural resources, rural areas and people. More about Heuermann Lecture Series.

Big Ten scientists, all National Academy members, to talk at UNL

Big 10 TDSome of the Big Ten Conference's most distinguished scientists are coming to Lincoln. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Biotechnology/Life Sciences Seminar Series will feature presentations by Big Ten faculty who are all members of the National Academy of Sciences. Presenters include James Van Etten, professor of plant pathology and a National Academy member. Van Etten organized the lecture series to note UNL's admission into the Big Ten Conference. More information and complete schedule.

Life Sciences Initiative funds a dozen projects

Twelve projects proposed by interdisciplinary teams received seed funding in the UNL Life Sciences Initiative's inaugural competitive grants program. Plant Sciences Program faculty are included among the teams that received funding. The internal grants competition encourages faculty to build multidisciplinary teams across departments, centers and colleges to tackle new life sciences research projects. Jointly funded by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Office of Research and Economic Development, the grants are for two years and funding begins July 1. Grants support initial research so teams can gather the preliminary data needed to compete more successfully for external funding. Read more about projects.

UNL plant pathologist James Alfano elected APS Fellow

Dr. AlfanoJames Alfano, Charles Bessey professor of plant pathology and member of the Center for Plant Science Innovation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been elected a fellow of the American Phytopathological Society, an international scientific organization devoted to the study of plant diseases. The society has nearly 5,000 plant pathologists and scientists worldwide.

Fellow recognition is based on significant contribution in one or more of the following areas: original research, teaching, administration, professional and public service, and/or extension and outreach. This year, APS fellowships were awarded to nine members.

Alfano's research focuses on the type III secretion system (T3SS) of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 and the effector proteins injected via the T3SS into plant cells by this model pathogen. The T3SS is central to the virulence of DC3000 and many other Gram-negative plant pathogens. Alfano has made major contributions to several aspects of our current understanding of this system, including the genomic context of the T3SS, the control of substrate traffic, the role of chaperones in effector delivery, the ability of various type III effectors in the DC3000 repertoire to suppress plant defenses, and the biochemical activity of two effectors, HopAO1 and HopU1. He is a major player in elucidating the genomic context for the T3SS in P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000, and has made seminal contributions to our understanding of how the T3SS operates. The Alfano group also has made major advances in elucidating the mechanisms by which individual effectors can suppress plant defenses. His research has been funded by NSF, USDA-NRI, and NIH NIAID.

He and other new fellows will be honored Aug. 6 in Honolulu during the annual meeting of APS. Read more about the recognition.


2011 American Society for Plant Biologists Midwestern Section Meeting

ASPB A group of faculty, staff and graduate students from the Plant Sciences Program attended the 2011 Midwestern American Society for Plant Biologists meeting March 19-20 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Attendees included Dr. Ed Cahoon, Dr. Bin Yu, Joshua Widhalm, Anne-Lise Ducluzeau, Emerson Crabill, Saadia Bihmidine and Lindsay Pape. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will host the next section meeting March 24-25, 2012. View the meeting program and abstracts.


Students Get Hands-On Experience in Plant Science

East The Center for Plant Science Innovation welcomed science students from Lincoln East High School in March 2011. During the visit, students participated in lab activities focused on biochemistry, plant breeding and genetics, and plant biology. Activities included extracting and purifying plant lipids, extracting DNA from soybean leaves, and learning about gel electrophoresis. Laboratories participating in this event include: Clemente Lab, Cahoon Lab, Stone Lab, Alfano Lab, and Harris Lab. Photo: Students follow procedures for extracting and purifying plant lipids under the direction of Cahoon lab member Tara Nazarenus, who uses these procedures routinely in her work

 

14th Annual Women in Science Conference

Women In ScienceHands-on workshops, lab and campus tours, and panel discussions are all planned for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's 14th annual Women in Science Conference, set for Feb. 17-18 at the Embassy Suites, 1040 P St. The two-day event is designed to attract high school sophomores and juniors with a goal of encouraging young women to explore where they can take their interests in science, mathematics, engineering and technology. The conference is funded by Nebraska EPSCoR and sponsored by UNL's Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education.

On Feb. 18, participants will have the opportunity to meet with UNL science majors and professors and learn about UNL programs. One of the tour stops includes the George W. Beadle Center, which was named for a 1927 graduate and Nobel Prize laureate whose research laid the foundations of modern corn genetics.

Valery Forbes, director of UNL's School of Biological Sciences, will deliver this year's keynote address. Her talk, set for Feb. 17 at 6 p.m., is titled "What's a nice girl like me doing in a job like this? The unexpected adventures of a biologist.” For more information, visit http://go.unl.edu/wis. View news release.

2010

New projects on algal biology, nanohybrids, part of EPSCoR NSF award

Don WeeksTwo new research centers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln -- one on algal biology and another on nanohybrid research -- received a more than $11 million boost this week from a National Science Foundation award. The funding award is the major part of a five-year, $20 million Nebraska EPSCoR grant, involving 29 faculty from seven disciplines at five institutions, including UNL. Read more about grant and the faculty from the Center for Plant Science Innovation invovled.


Camelina Has Potential as Biofuels Crop in Western Nebraska

Tom ClementeEd CahoonThere may never be huge expanses of camelina growing in Nebraska, but it just might fill a niche in the western part of the state as an oilseed crop well-suited for bio-based oil applications. University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists Ed Cahoon and Tom Clemente recently received a $500,000, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to research the crop's potential for development of industrial lubricants. Camelina, a yellow-flowering oilseed crop that grows one to three feet tall, has some particular advantages over other oilseeds as an industrial oil crop, said Cahoon, a lipid biochemist and molecular biologist.


Center for Plant Science Innovation announces new director

After more than 10 years of service, Dr. Sally Mackenzie has stepped down as director to focus more of her time on research and recruitment. Dr. Ed Cahoon, professor of biochemisty, has been named the new director of the center. He came to UNL in 2008 from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Read more about Sally Mackenzie and Ed Cahoon.


Dr. Sally Mackenzie receives Outstanding Scientist Award

Sally MackenzieThe UNL Chapter of Sigma Xi, the science and engineering honorary society, has announced that Dr. Sally Mackenzie, professor of Agronomy and Horticulture, has been selected for the Outstanding Scientist Award for international recognition on the genomes of plant mitochondria.

Sigma Xi is an international honorary scientific research society whose programs and activities promote the health of the scientific enterprise and honor scientific achievement. There are nearly 60,000 Sigma Xi members in over 500 chapters at colleges and universities, industrial research centers and government laboratories. Read more about the UNL Chapter of Sigm