News & Announcements
Hazen Named to Dr. Constantine J. Gilgut Professorship in Plant Biology Professorship
Hazen Named to Dr. Constantine J. Gilgut Professorship in Plant Biology Professorship
Samuel P. Hazen, biology, was awarded the Dr. Constantine J. Gilgut Professorship in Plant Biology for a term of three years following approval by the Board of Trustees at its Thursday, Dec. 10 meeting.
The conditions of the Gilgut Professorship specify that the recipient will be a full professor in the biology department and act as the director of the plant biology program. The incumbent of the Gilgut Professorship will be an outstanding, active scholar in the field who can lead by the example of his or her teaching as well as scholarship and administrative skills.
Hazen’s area of research is the thickening of the secondary cell wall and the regulation of this process in the grass Brachypodium distachyon and a variety of other plants. He has received substantial external funding to support his research from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. He also received several awards to support small business innovation and community science projects. Hazen has published 47 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and his work has been cited over 5,200 times according to Google Scholar. Read more
Hernandez-Romero Selected as the Inaugural Gilgut Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Fellow
Hernandez-Romero Selected as the Inaugural Gilgut Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Fellow
The PB DEI committee is delighted to announce the selection of Miriam Hernandez-Romero as the Gilgut DEI Fellow for Spring 2021. Ms. Hernandez-Romero was selected from an excellent pool of applicants, standing out as a leader in working to build an environment where all plant biologists can thrive. Ms. Hernandez-Romero will serve as the co-chair of the PB DEI committee as we work towards our goals in Spring 2021, and will work with CNS leadership to establish a SACNAS chapter on the UMass campus.
Three UMass Amherst Researchers Named 2020 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Three UMass Amherst Researchers Named 2020 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Three University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor bestowed upon members by their peers to recognize their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. The three are: Professors Alice Cheung, Triantafillos Mountziaris, and James V. Staros.
Alice Y. Cheung, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, “for contributions to understanding the molecular and cellular biology of fertilization and polarized cell growth in plants.” Her research interests include understanding the signaling of pollen tube growth in plant sexual reproduction. Her lab works to identify female signal molecules, their receptors on the pollen surface and signalling molecules that regulate the pollen cellular machinery for growth. Another major area of research interest for the Cheung lab is to understand the signaling of plant growth regulators. Read more
We are pleased to announce the following PB PhD thesis defense
We are pleased to announce the following PB PhD thesis defense
Jarrett Man
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
1:30 PM
Zoom Web Link: TBA
Thesis Title: Dynamic evolution in the Leucine-Rich Repeat Receptor-Like Kinase (LRR-RLK) family of receptors
UMass Amherst Life Sciences Junior Fellows Seminar with Dr. Jeffrey Karp
UMass Amherst Life Sciences Junior Fellows Seminar with Dr. Jeffrey Karp
The Junior Fellows program has invited Dr. Jeffrey Karp to give a talk on Thursday, November 12, 2020.
Title: Towards Accelerated Medical Innovation.
Time: 5-6PM
To register to attend, please click HERE
UMass Amherst Scholar in the Plant Biology Graduate Program Among AAUW Fellowships and Grants Recipients
UMass Amherst Scholar in the Plant Biology Graduate Program Among AAUW Fellowships and Grants Recipients
Jedaidah Chilufya, who is pursuing her Ph.D. in sustainable agriculture through the Plant Biology Gradaute Program at UMass Amherst, has received a 2020-21 International Fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Read more
UMass Amherst Cranberry Research Center to Receive $5.75 Million in State Support for Laboratory Improvements
UMass Amherst Cranberry Research Center to Receive $5.75 Million in State Support for Laboratory Improvements
The University of Massachusetts Amherst Cranberry Station in East Wareham, Mass., will receive $5.75 million in state support to fund laboratory improvements to its lab facilities.
The funding, which includes $5 million in capital spending authorized in the 2018 Environmental Bond Bill and a $750,000 grant from the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), will be used by the Cranberry Station to modernize and expand its research facilities, improve the environmental profile of the facility, and provide the research tools needed to support vigorous research programs in cranberry water, pest, and nutrient management. In addition, in 2018 UMass Amherst also committed $2 million for necessary deferred maintenance projects on the Cranberry Station, bringing the total cost of the project to approximately $7.75 million. Read More
Professor Ana Caicedo Receives an Alexander von Humboldt Research Award
Professor Ana Caicedo Receives an Alexander von Humboldt Research Award
Evolutionary biologist Ana Caicedo, associate professor of biology, has received an Alexander von Humboldt Research Award to support her collaboration with Detlef Weigel, head of the molecular biology department and executive director of the Max Plank Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany. Caicedo spent the recent spring semester there as a guest researcher while on sabbatical.
She studies how plants adapt to new environments such as those created by agriculture. Her research focuses on the domestication of crops – a recent study traced the evolution of tomatoes – and the evolution of agricultural weeds, such as weedy rice. Read More
Ahmet Bakirbas Selected as an ASPB Student Ambassador
Ahmet Bakirbas Selected as an ASPB Student Ambassador
Plant Biology Graduate Student, Ahmet Bakirbas, has been selected as an ASPB Student Ambassador. ASPB Ambassadors are early career scientists (students and postdocs) and industry employees enlisted to communicate the mission and vision of the Society to other plant biologists and to the general public, to help ensure the ongoing vitality of the Society. These young leaders engage their campus communities in outreach activities, represent ASPB at section conferences, and contribute articles to the ASPB News. They also provide a voice for early career members in the Society, often lending input on key issues. Read more
Professors Lila Gierasch, Li-Jun Ma, and Megan West receive CNS Outstanding Achievement Awards.
Professors Lila Gierasch, Li-Jun Ma, and Megan West receive CNS Outstanding Achievement Awards.
2020 Outstanding Achievement Awards from the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) were received by Distinguished Professor Lila Gierasch and Associate Professor Li-Jun Ma were both recognized for their research, while Director of Administration and Outreach Megan West was celebrated for her commitment to diversity and inclusion. The CNS Outstanding Achievement Awards recognize faculty, staff, and students who have made important contributions to their discipline, department, college and university. Read more