PlantLink

PlantLink News Dec-Jan

PlantLink > News > PlantLink News Dec-Jan

30 November, 2020 News

Newsletter content

This last PlantLink News for 2020 gives you the latest updates on our ongoing work for the next round of PlantLink, as well as links to interesting webinars and exciting thesis defenses. We take the opportunity to congratulate all succesful grant holders, we look forward to updates on your interesting new projects! 

  1. Contribute to PlantLink survey!
  2. Changes in PlantLink staff 2021
  3. Congratulations to all grant holders!
  4. PlantLink Teacher exchange
  5. Thesis defences
  6. New Vice-Chancellor Lund University
  7. Join the book circle!
  8. Annual Nordic Plant Phenotyping Network workshop
  9. SLU Grogrund webinar
  10. PhD and Postdoc positions on plant stress responses, UGent
  11. NordGen is hiring!
  12. Position as mycologist
  13. The Engeströmska medal awarded to Roland von Bothmer
  14. In memory of Eva Waldemarson

1. Contribute to our PlantLink survey!

PlantLink is aiming for a third round of PlantLink. As part of this we are currently doing an evaluation for PlantLink. We have contacted some of you for zoom discussions on the role of PlantLink. But we would like all your input by replying to this questionnaire: Please take 5-10 minutes to fill in this survey.

2. Changes in PlantLink staff 2021

Next year will mean changes to PlantLink. Tina will be working with us until June when she will step down as deputy director of PlantLink and Erik will serve longest as director to mid-2022 where the directorship is intended to go over to LU again. We will be working during next year to find a good structure to maintain and improve PlantLink’s activities. PlantLink Coordinator Sofia Marmon will work together with Erik until 2022.

3. Congratulations to all grant holders!

Congratulations to Aakash Chawade, SLU Alnarp, Allan Rasmusson, LU, Annika Felton, SLU Alnarp, Björn Klatt, LU, Cecilia Hammenhag, SLU Alnarp, Erik Andreasson, SLU Alnarp, Johanna Witzell, SLU Alnarp, Johannes Edvardsson, LU, Larissa Gustavsson, SLU Alnarp, Leif Bülow, LU, Pablo Urrutia Cordeo, LU, Ramesh Vetukuri, SLU Alnarp, Patrick Sherwood, SLU Alnarp, Teun Dekker, SLU Alnarp, Åsa Lankinen, SLU Alnarp, Øystein Opedal, LU, to the seasonal plant-related grants!. We hope to learn more on these projects and have collected them in this post.

4. PlantLink Teacher exchange

PlantLink again announces the possibility to exchange teachers between courses at Lund University and SLU Alnarp. The aim is to promote cooperation in teaching between courses. Interested main teachers should send a motivation for the teacher exchange, where the background and value of the exchange is explained in less than half an A4. A condition is that 2 courses, which can benefit from the exchange – one at each university – are suggested. The extent of the exchange is in the order of 2-3 lecture hours per course. PlantLink will cover the cost of these teaching hours. In total 20000 SEK has been set aside for this. The courses should be given in 2021. Last date for submission is 5th December 2020 and decisions will be given first half December. Applications are to be sent to tina.dhertefeldt@biol.lu.se.
 

5. Thesis defenses

A number of interesting plant-related PhD-thesis defences at SLU ALnarp and LU are planned for December! You can find them among the webinars on our website, with a short list here:

  1. Hampus Petrén, Dept of Biology, LU will defend his thesis “The evolutionary ecology of plant reproductive diversity and floral signals” on  Friday, December 4, at 09.00, with Scott Armbruster as the faculty opponent.  
  2. Oscar Nilsson, SLU, defends his PhD thesis Establishment and growth of Scots pine and Norway spruce: a comparison between species on 11th of December 13.00. Opponent: Professor Douglas F Jacobs, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, USA.
  3. Julia Darlison, Dept. of Biosystems and technology, will defend her thesis “Microbial Community Dynamics in the Phyllosphere of Leafy Vegetables”on Tuesday 15th  December 2020 at 14.00. Opponent: Professor Johan Leveau, University of California, Davis, California, USA. For more information, see https://pub.epsilon.slu.se/18714/

6. New Vice-Chancellor of Lund University 

Erik Renström is appointed as new Vice-Chancellor of Lund university for 2021-2025.

7.  Join the book circle!

Last chance to join the discussion on the book “Africa’s Gene Revolution!”https://www.plantlink.se/book-circle-3-december-africas-gene-revolution/ where you also have the chance to meet the author of the book Matthew A Schnurr 3rd December. Join us!

8. Annual Nordic Plant Phenotyping Network workshop

This year’s 6th annual Nordic Plant Phenotyping Network Workshop 2020 will take place on the 27th of November. Keynotes are Prof. Fred van Eeuwijk, (Wageningen University) and Matthew Reynolds (CIMMYT). More information here.

9. SLU Grogrund webinar

Webinar: SLU GroGrund Resistance breeding for healthy crops, 30 November at 14:00-15:00 CET. In this webinar we will inform about what is going on in the SLU GroGrund project Resistance breeding for healthy crops, where we work with five crops that are often directly or indirectly on the Swede’s dinner plate: potatoes, wheat (bread), sugar beet (sugar), peas and red clover (meat and milk). Note that the webinar is in Swedish. More information and sign up here.

10. PhD and Postdoc positions on plant stress responses, UGent

One PhD and one postdoc position are available in the group of Inge De Clercq, Ghent, Belgium. They are both embedded in the ERC ‘COSI’ focussing on organelle communication during plant (biotic) stress responses. Find more information about the positions here:
PhD position
Postdoc position

11. NordGen is hiring!

Now, we’re looking for two leaders with a scientific background to help us in our work with conserving and promoting a sustainable use of genetic resources. Are you the right candidate or do you know who is? Read more and apply through this link.

12. Position as mycologist

Artdatabanken is looking for a temporary mycologist, with employment for at least 10 months, see more information in the ad and feel free to spread the word in your networks!

13. The Engeströmska medal awarded to Roland von Bothmer

Congratulations to Professor emeritus Roland von Bothmer, SLU who has been awarded the Engeströmska medal 2020 (https://www.slu.se/ew-nyheter/2020/10/vonbothmer_medalj/.)

14. In memory of Eva Waldemarson

We are sad to inform you that Eva Waldemarson, former Director of studies at the Department of Biology, LU, passed away last week. In honor of her memory, the Swedish Botanical Society (Svenska Botaniska Föreningen, where Eva was Chair) has opened for the opportunity to donate a gift: https://svenskbotanik.se/minnesgava-till-eva-waldemarson/. Eva is warmly remembered by colleagues and by the numerous students that she taught under her long-term career at the department.

Flower photo created by wirestock – www.freepik.com</a>