The Hub - Boyce Thompson Institute · WSKG will be presenting special programs about agriculture,...
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From the Hot Seat by David Stern June 2011 Volume 13, Issue 3 The Hub 1 A summary of the State of the Institute held June 13, 2011. As determined by our Strategic Plan (http://webportal.bti.cornell.edu ), the “State of the Institute” is offered twice per year, once after the Board meeting and once in anticipa‐ tion of the coming year. The May board meeting, apart from routine business, focused around two themes. First, a look back at the last 6‐7 years, since I became President; and second, what has occurred at BTI since we implemented a new leadership structure at the beginning of 2010. These are similar to the themes discussed by Senior Leadership Team (SLT) at the State of the Institute. I became President in 2004, and in the ensuing time we have seen dramatic changes in infrastructure, faculty composition, and Board composition, as well as a dizzying finan‐ cial ride. Many of you are new since 2004, especially in the laboratories, and may not remember the old auditorium, the meeting rooms without electronic projection sys‐ tems, or the traditional library. We also did not have the Plant Cell Imaging Facility, a Mass Spectrometry Facility, or a Biotechnology Facility in its current form. On the other hand, we did have a DNA microarray service facility as well as in‐house DNA sequenc‐ ing. BTI’s flexibility is one of the keys to its success, especially in terms of rapidly creat‐ ing or discontinuing certain services. That infrastructure was expensive, but in those years the endowment was soaring as we entered what we now know was a financial bubble. Still, the inflated endowment, peak‐ ing near $110M, funded bricks‐and‐mortar improvements along with startup packages for several new faculty. Frank, Carmen, Klaus, Fei, Lukas, Ji‐Young, Sorina and Eric are all new since 2004. This incredible resource of expertise and energy has fueled many new scientific directions and partnerships. Eric presented slides both at the Board meet‐ ing and at the State of the Institute to show the many linkages between BTI faculty. In‐ terestingly, the dominant nexus of collaboration are Lukas and Fei, along with Joyce van Eck. This shows how two very different competencies – computational biology and plant transformation – are so central to BTI”s success. Eric, Joan and Sophia each shared their accomplishments and vision for their segments of BTI. As mentioned above, Eric focused on BTI’s research metrics and interactions, along with laboratory safety. Joan spoke in part about master planning. Joan has been managing BTI’s engagement in Cornell’s master planning process, which is well under‐ way. There are some very exciting plans for our corner of campus that while still under discussion, could strongly invigorate the plant biology environment in the immediate area. As all of you are aware, Sophia has been in the process of transforming the Busi‐ ness and Administrative Team. Comments from staff have been instrumental in adjust‐ ing operations in this “nerve center” of BTI. All in all, SLT was delighted with the impression that our staff made during the board and committee meetings, although we were also exhausted! I can’t say enough about how hard SLT tries every day to make BTI a better place, and prepare it for the future. And to show SLT’s appreciation for the staff, don’t forget to attend the ice cream social on July 14th. I and the rest of SLT are looking forward to scooping it up for as many of you as we can! STEP UP Challenge 2 BTI Bikers 2 Community Conversation 2 PGRP Panel Discussion 3 Autoclave Experiment? 3 Facilities Updates 4 Management Meetings 4 Timesheets & Paychecks 5 Recycle Plant Labels 5 Redesigned Retirement Plan 6 Grants 7 Frist Aid Kits 7 PGS Updates 8 Fun Committee Updates 8 IP Office News 9 Martin Lab Updates 9 Earth Day and beyond 10 BTI Mission: To advance and communi- cate scientific knowledge in plant biology to improve agriculture, protect the en- vironment and enhance hu- man health. In This Issue...
Transcript of The Hub - Boyce Thompson Institute · WSKG will be presenting special programs about agriculture,...
From the Hot Seat by David Stern
June 2011 Volume 13, Issue 3 The Hub
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AsummaryoftheStateoftheInstituteheldJune13,2011.
AsdeterminedbyourStrategicPlan(http://webportal.bti.cornell.edu),the“StateoftheInstitute”isofferedtwiceperyear,onceaftertheBoardmeetingandonceinanticipa‐tionofthecomingyear.TheMayboardmeeting,apartfromroutinebusiness,focusedaroundtwothemes.First,alookbackatthelast6‐7years,sinceIbecamePresident;andsecond,whathasoccurredatBTIsinceweimplementedanewleadershipstructureatthebeginningof2010.ThesearesimilartothethemesdiscussedbySeniorLeadershipTeam(SLT)attheStateoftheInstitute.
IbecamePresidentin2004,andintheensuingtimewehaveseendramaticchangesininfrastructure,facultycomposition,andBoardcomposition,aswellasadizzyingfinan‐cialride.Manyofyouarenewsince2004,especiallyinthelaboratories,andmaynotremembertheoldauditorium,themeetingroomswithoutelectronicprojectionsys‐tems,orthetraditionallibrary.WealsodidnothavethePlantCellImagingFacility,aMassSpectrometryFacility,oraBiotechnologyFacilityinitscurrentform.Ontheotherhand,wedidhaveaDNAmicroarrayservicefacilityaswellasin‐houseDNAsequenc‐ing.BTI’sflexibilityisoneofthekeystoitssuccess,especiallyintermsofrapidlycreat‐ingordiscontinuingcertainservices.
Thatinfrastructurewasexpensive,butinthoseyearstheendowmentwassoaringasweenteredwhatwenowknowwasafinancialbubble.Still,theinflatedendowment,peak‐ingnear$110M,fundedbricks‐and‐mortarimprovementsalongwithstartuppackagesforseveralnewfaculty.Frank,Carmen,Klaus,Fei,Lukas,Ji‐Young,SorinaandEricareallnewsince2004.Thisincredibleresourceofexpertiseandenergyhasfueledmanynewscientificdirectionsandpartnerships.EricpresentedslidesbothattheBoardmeet‐ingandattheStateoftheInstitutetoshowthemanylinkagesbetweenBTIfaculty.In‐terestingly,thedominantnexusofcollaborationareLukasandFei,alongwithJoycevanEck.Thisshowshowtwoverydifferentcompetencies–computationalbiologyandplanttransformation–aresocentraltoBTI”ssuccess.
Eric,JoanandSophiaeachsharedtheiraccomplishmentsandvisionfortheirsegmentsofBTI.Asmentionedabove,EricfocusedonBTI’sresearchmetricsandinteractions,alongwithlaboratorysafety.Joanspokeinpartaboutmasterplanning.JoanhasbeenmanagingBTI’sengagementinCornell’smasterplanningprocess,whichiswellunder‐way.Therearesomeveryexcitingplansforourcornerofcampusthatwhilestillunderdiscussion,couldstronglyinvigoratetheplantbiologyenvironmentintheimmediatearea.Asallofyouareaware,SophiahasbeenintheprocessoftransformingtheBusi‐nessandAdministrativeTeam.Commentsfromstaffhavebeeninstrumentalinadjust‐ingoperationsinthis“nervecenter”ofBTI.
Allinall,SLTwasdelightedwiththeimpressionthatourstaffmadeduringtheboardandcommitteemeetings,althoughwewerealsoexhausted!Ican’tsayenoughabouthowhardSLTtrieseverydaytomakeBTIabetterplace,andprepareitforthefuture.AndtoshowSLT’sappreciationforthestaff,don’tforgettoattendtheicecreamsocialonJuly14th.IandtherestofSLTarelookingforwardtoscoopingitupforasmanyofyouaswecan!
STEP UP Challenge 2
BTI Bikers 2
Community Conversation 2
PGRP Panel Discussion 3
Autoclave Experiment? 3
Facilities Updates 4
Management Meetings 4
Timesheets & Paychecks 5
Recycle Plant Labels 5
Redesigned Retirement Plan 6
Grants 7
Frist Aid Kits 7
PGS Updates 8
Fun Committee Updates 8
IP Office News 9
Martin Lab Updates 9
Earth Day and beyond 10
BTI Mission: To advance and communi-cate scientific knowledge in plant biology to improve agriculture, protect the en-vironment and enhance hu-man health.
In This Issue...
June 2011 Volume 13, Issue 3 The Hub
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Welcome New Hires!
AprilLizBrauer,PopescuLab,
GradStudentMayArmandoBravo,Harrison
Lab,PostdocHernanRosli,MartinLab,
PostdocUrszulaPiskurewicz,Apel
Lab,PostdocSarahHind,MartinLab,
PostdocKaitlinMcNally,Brutnell
Lab,ResearchAssistantMauricioCalvino,Popescu
Lab,ResearchAssistantBenoitCastandet,Stern
Lab,PostdocJuneAnthonyStuder,Brutnell
Lab,Postdoc
TheHRteamhasfacilitatedahealthycompetitionthroughExcellusBlueCrossBlueShieldforallBTIemployeesand44people(11Teams)havesteppeduptothechallenge.
StepUpisdesignedtohelpyoutakesmallstepseverydaytowardreachingyourgoalslikewalkingalittlebitmoreandeatingalittlebitsmarter.Theprogramiswebbased,makingitveryeasyforparticipantstotracktheirgoals.Eachmemberparticipatinghastwogoals:10,000stepsperdayandeat5servingsoffruitsandveggiesperday.Therewillbeteamandindividualprizesbasedoncompetitionresults!
OurcompetitionstartsJuly1andwillendonAugust26th.
GOODLUCKTEAMS!
BTIEmployeesareSTEPPINGUPtotheChallenge!
MayJeffHeichel,ITSupportJuneNickKaczmar,VanEckLabJesseMunkvold,MartinLabKathyMunkvold,MartinLabJoshuaYim,SchroederLabAnnaZimmerman,Schroe‐
derLab
Departing Employees
MariaHarrisonandGeorgJanderwillparticipateinthelivebroadcastWSKGpro‐gramCOMMUNITYCONVERSATION,hostedbyBillJaker.WSKGwillbepresentingspecialprogramsaboutagriculture,thefarmeconomyandruraldevelopmentinUp‐stateNewYork.Asafollow‐uptothebroadcastabouttheday‐to‐dayworkoffarmersBillwillvisitBTItospeakwithGregMartin,MariaHarrisonandGeorgJanderabouttheresearchatBTIthatmaycometoengenderchangeinthefields.OnJuly26MariaandGeorgwillparticipateinaliveshowthatwilldiscussthegrowingconcernthatfoodproductionmaynotkeepupwithworldpopulationgrowth.Thecon‐versationwillfocusonresearchthatmayleadtonewwaysofprotecting,strengthen‐ing,andmodifyingplantlife.
July26,20117:00—8:00pmWSKGRadio
http://www.wskg.org.
CommunityConversationonWSKGRadio
INTEGRITY
adherence to moral and ethical principles
BTIBikers—ComingtoYourNeighborhood?
BeonthelookoutforagroupofbicycliststhatincludesafewBTIBikers(LisaMeihls,LesleyMiddleton,AmberHottoandSaritWeissmann)whohavebeenspottedinTru‐mansburgrecently.Youmaybestrollingthroughyourneighborhoodorenjoyingicecreamandagoodbookandthey’llsuddenlyappear.ThesefolksandotherBTI’ersoftenridewiththeFingerLakesCyclingClubwhichoffersvaryingintensitiesndtypesofbiking.Websitehttp://flcycling.org/
June 2011 Volume 13, Issue 3 The Hub
PGRPGraduateSchoolandScientificCareerPanelDiscussion
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BTI’sPerlClubs
Employee Anniversaries
JuneLindaCapani‐Czebiniak..........1yrYiyiChu.....................1yrDianeDunham.....3yrsHee‐JinPark..........6yrsAmandaRomag...2yrsSusanStrickler.......1yrJulyBrianBell.............24yrsJudyBishop...........2yrsElizabethEstabrook...........7yrsLeilaFeiz.................2yrsAbigailMcSweeny3yrsLesleyMiddleton3yrsRitaPirsic...............2yrsCamiloRosero......4yrsMarjoleinSchat....2yrs
Wednesday, June 29th 2011 10:30 am ‐12:30 pm
BTI Auditorium
An exciting part of the PGRP Seminar Series includes a “Graduate School and Scientific Career Panel” with a variety of people who are on the scientific career pathway, in early stages of their careers, to leaders in the field. The goal of the Graduate School and Scien‐tific Career Panel is to provide PGRP interns with an opportunity to learn more about the graduate school application process, and experience along with information on pursuing scientific careers, in academia and industry. The PGRP program aims to prepare interns for graduate level work and the internship gives the interns a glimpse into what this is like. Our panelists will discuss the challenges, expectations and rewards of graduate school and scientific careers.
2011 Panelists: J. Ellen Gainor, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs Klaas van Wijk, Director of Graduate Studies in Plant Biology Cornell University Eric Richards, Vice President of Research, Boyce Thompson Institute JiYoung Lee, Assistant Scientist, Boyce Thompson Institute Sorina Popescu, Assistant Scientist, Boyce Thompson Institute Sarah Collier, Postdoctoral Associate Betsy Amopofo, Graduate Student Dezi Elzinga, Graduate Student
AutoclaveExperiment?
Recently the Mechanical Department conducted an experiment of their own, attempting to "unclog" autoclave drains. What could have totally plugged up these drains you ask? Agar! Plates containing agar were autoclaved — with no drip pan sitting beneath to catch the liquefied agar. When everything had cooled down, the agar gelled in the drain pipes which became totally clogged. Pipes were dismantled and heated to more than 130 degrees to re‐liquefy the agar and clean the pipes.
Downtime of Autoclave: 2 days Total staff time spent correcting the problem: 8 hours
The simple solution? Follow appropriate protocols for using the autoclave. See http://www.med.cornell.edu/ehs/updates/autoclave_safety.htm
MUTUAL RESPECT
having esteem for or a sense of the worth or
excellence of each other
BTI researchers interested in expanding their knowledge in bioinformatics meet every week in the BTI Perl Club to discuss Perl, R, databases, and other topics. Participants can bring up problems, and approaches and solutions are discussed in the group. The Perl Club is held every Tuesday at 2pm, and is open to everyone in the Cornell community. Contact Lukas Mueller ([email protected]) for more information, or just drop by!
Facilities Updates
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Congrats!
BTIgreenhouseupgradeproject.Greenhouse11isgettinganupgradetoitslightingsystem.Themetalhalidefixturesthatwere32yearsoldarebeingreplacedwithnewfix‐tures.Someenergysavingswillbeseen.Eachfixturehasitsownbreakersoiftherenoplantsunderthefixtureitcanbeturnedoff.Alowtechwaytosaveelectricity.PleasestopbytolookattheprogressmadebyDaveandCharlie.OnTuesday6/21/11weexperiencedamajorgrowthchamberfailureofchamber#8.Thecompressorfailedandneededtobereplaced.TheCornellACRshopandtheBTIme‐chanicalshopworkedinthesunandrainontherooftogetthisunitbackinoperationonFridaymorning.Abigthankyoutothegreenhousecrewandallstaffwhoweredisplacedbecauseofthefailure.TheEmergencyGeneratorProjectiswindingdown.Theoldgeneratorhasbeenre‐movedandthenewoneputinplace.Mostofthetestingisdoneandapunchlistoftaskstofinishhasbeenmade.Individualcontractorswillbebacktofinishtheirpartwithcomple‐tionbymidJuly.Thankstoallforyourongoingcooperationandpatience.
April19,2011CareerDevelopmentPlan‐inclusioninannualevaluationprocessPostdocteaching‐CenterforteachingexcellencePostdocpayforteaching‐ProposalwillbebroughttoSLTBenefitsoverviewaspercentageofsalary‐howdoesBTIcomparewithsimilarinstitu‐
tionsChangetopayrollinarrears‐communicationstrategyPotentialpublicprograms‐askSLTforguidanceregardingwhatwehopetoachieve
withpublicprograms/typesofprograms.EarthDayupdateSpaceplanning:MTistaskedwithdevelopingaplanforunder‐utilizedspace
May17,2011Postdoccareerdevelopment:ConferenceroomutilizationrateExcellusBC/BSStep‐UpProposalEnfieldChildren’sGardenProposalExitInterviewresults(2010)BTITruckandBagFiltersforchilledwaterRe‐assesstheneed/value/intentofthe3rdWednesdaymeeting
June21,2011ITjobdescriptionreviewClarifytheprocessforsendingMTrecommendationstoSLTandtrackingtheoutcome
ofthoserecommendationsAffirmativeactionplan:BTIdidnotmeetouraffirmativeactiontargetsthisyear.Wagetheftpreventionact:TherearenewNYStatelegalrequirementsformanagers
thattheInstitutewillneedtomeetregardingwagetheftprevention.Bagfilteractuators:Newinformationisavailableaboutthewaterfiltrationproblem
discussedattheMay2011MTmeeting.
Viewfulltextofminutesathttp://webportal.bti.cornelll.edu
SarahCollier,MoffettLab,graduatedwithaPh.D.fromtheCornellDepartmentofPlantBreedingandGeneticsonMay29.ShehasnowjoinedtheBTIpostdocranks.
Management Meeting Bullets
DustinandMichelleScheveweremarriedonJune18th.Allthebesttothemboth!
BrianBellhasbeenamemberoftheBTICom‐munityfor24years!Con‐gratulationsonyourBTIAnniversary.
June 2011 Volume 13, Issue 3 The Hub
Timesheets and Paychecks—Deadlines are Important
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ToCharliePauckewhohasbeenmonitoringourbagfiltersystemonlinethissummerandforChar‐lie’smanytripstoBTIafterhours,nightsandweekendstoreplacethebagsinourfiltersystem.ThishassavedtheInsti‐tutemanydollarsandkeptourprocesschilledwatersystemcoolingourgrowthchambersandsixgreenhouses.
KUDOS
WeneedyourtimesheetscompletedbyendofworkdayeveryotherFridayANDsupervi‐sor’sapprovalnolaterthanthatfollowingMondayinorderforpayrolltobeprocessedeffi‐ciently.ThepayrollprocessbeginsthefollowingTuesday,whichmeanstheelectronictimesheetsare“locked”forthatpayperiod.HRneedsYOURcooperationinorderforthingstogosmoothlyandpaycheckstobeavailableontime.Didyouknowthatonthelastpayrollprocessingdate,TWENTY‐EIGHTemployeetime‐sheetshadnotbeencompleted/approved?PLEASEhelpourHRfolkshelpyouanddoyourpart!CheckinwithLisaChristianifyouhaveanyquestionsorneedassistance.She’llbemorethanhappytoworkwithyou!([email protected],4‐4762)Reminder:Non‐exemptemployeesmustrecordbothtimeworkedandleavetimetaken.Exemptemployeesmustrecordleavetimetakenonly.Besuretomarkthesedatesonyourcalendar:
TimeSheetDue PaycheckAvailableJuly8 July15July22 July29 August5 August12August19 August26September2 September9September16 September23September30 October7October14 October21October28 November4November11 November18November25 December2December9 December16December23 December30
BTI Core Values
Integrity
MutualRespectExcellence
CollaborationInnovation
TheGreenhousestaffhascreatedacollectionbucketforusedplasticplantlabels.Thebucketislocatedinthepottingroom,nexttotheautoclaveatthesitewhereusedpots/flatsandstakesarecollected.Simplydispensetheusedplasticlabelsintotheclearlyla‐beledcontainerandtheywillbedisinfectedwithbleachwaterandanymarkingsremovedwithalcohol.Ifyouquestionthereusabilityofyourlabelsduetodiseaseorcontamination,thentheymaybediscardedinthetrash.
Believeitornot,aboxof1000coloredlabelsisnowover$45/box,thewhitelabelsslightlylessataround$37/box.Also,woodenlabelsareavailableinthepottingroomin4”,8”and12”lengthswhicharecheaperyetthantheplasticlabels.Pleasehelpoureffortsintryingtoreduce,reuse,andrecycle,andsaveBTIabitofmoneyintheprocess!!
Recycle Used Plastic Plant Labels
5
Redesigned Retirement Program
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Ifyouexperiencenet‐workissues—suchasinabilitytoaccessaserverorbrowsethenet‐work,ortheinabilitytosendorreceiveemail,checktheCornellInfor‐mationTechnologieswebsite:http://cit.cornell.eduandtheirnetworkstatusinforma‐tion.CIT’sroutinemain‐tenanceactivitiesmayimpactusers’networkingaccess.Iftotallywithoutanet‐workconnection,contactBTI’sITOfficeat4‐1250or4‐4758.
BeginningJanuary1,2012,employeeswillaccruebenefitsundertheDefinedContri‐bution,or403(b)Plan.Underthisplan,alleligibleemployeeswillreceiveanannualemployerdiscretionarycontributionofbetween6%and12%ofsalarybasedontheiryearsofservice.Additionally,eachemployeewillstillbeabletocontributemoneyfromhisorherownsalary,andBTIwillmatch100%ofthosecontributionsupto4%oftheemployee’ssalary.Theemployerdiscretionarycontributionwillvestafterthreeyears.Employeecontributionsandmatchingcontributionswillbeimmediatelyvested.OnDecember31,2011,theDefinedBenefit,orPensionPlan,willbefrozen,meaningthatfuturebenefitaccrualswillceaseonthatdate.Allbenefitsthatemployeeshaveaccruedundertheplanasofthatdatewillremainandbedistributedatretirementorotherpermitteddistributiondate.
RedesignedDCPlan
PleasecontactourHRManagerwithanyquestions:JaneCalder,[email protected],4‐3500
Network Problems?
EXCELLENCE
the quality of excelling; possessing good qualities
in high degree
Employer Contribution
Employer Match
AnnualDiscretionaryContribution
YearsofService Contribution0‐4Years 6%5‐9Years 8%10‐14Years 11%15+Years 12%
VoluntaryDeferral
4%Match
ImmediateVest
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Grants Awarded
TheITAssociatepositionhasbeenpostedandasearchisunderway.Appli‐cantreview/interviewsareplannedforlateJuly/earlyAugust.BesuretoseeusifyouneedcomputersupportorhaveITrelatedquestions.Wecontinuetoprovide—‐lab/officekeys—‐cardaccesstoBTI—‐phone/networkor‐dersContactUs:
[email protected](Elaine)2544758(Joan)
TheResourceCenterRoom200
IT Department Updates
"Analysisofsymbioticmineralnutrienttransportandmechanismsunderlyingregu‐lationofthearbuscularmycorrhizal(AM)symbiosis."NSFCollaborativeResearchInitiativeinUndergraduateInstitutions$19,946Dr.KarenGomez,BTIAlumnaandAssistantProfessorofPlantPhysiologyattheUniversityofTexasatTyler,willvisitwiththeHarrisonlabthissummertofurtherdevelopresearchintoglobaltranscriptionalresponsesinshootsandrootsofmycorrhizalplantschallengedbyaphids.Thisprojectwillgeneratesuitableplantmaterialthatcanbeusedbyunder‐graduateandgraduatestudentsatUTTylertocontinueworkonthistritrophicinteraction.Thelong‐termgoalofthisprojectwillbetocarryoutmicroarrayanalysisinordertohaveaglobalviewofmycorrhizalplantresponsestoaphidherbivory.FuturemicroarrayanalysiswillallowKarentoidentifyplantdefensegenesanddevelopaphidmanagementstrategies.GregMartintocollaboratewithCornell’sCraigAltieronsalmonellaintomatoproject.AUSDAfundedinitiative,administeredbytheNationalInstituteofFoodandAgriculture,willinvestigatehowsalmonellainteractswithtomatoeswiththehopeoffindingwaystostopitsspread.“Altierwillgrowmutantstrainsofsalmonellainhislabtostudyhowthebacteriaaffectto‐matoeswhentheylackcertaingenes.HewilltakestrainstoMartin'slabtotestthemontomatoplantswhileMartinstudiestheplants'immuneresponses.Afterrunningthemthroughthecourseofinfection,Altierwillremovethesalmonellafromtheplantstoanalyzeinhislab.”Readmoreat:http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/June11/Salmonella.html COLLABORATION
the act of working with
one another; cooperating
New G
rants
First Aid Kits
Attentionlabs:Thefirstaidkitinyourlabhasbeenreplenishedwithnewsuppliesofband‐aidsandindividual‐sizepacketsofNeosporinandBurnJel.Ifyourunoutofanyoftheseitemsinyourlab,youcanobtainadditionalsuppliesfreeofchargefromtheStockroom.PleasecontactKaitlinPidgeonifquestions([email protected]).
June 2011 Volume 13, Issue 3 The Hub
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PGS Updates
PGSFestSeminarSeries:MarkyourcalendarsforthenextPGSFestonSeptember8thwithHolgerSonder‐mann,theRobertN.NoyesAssistantProfessorinLifeScienceandTechnologyattheCornellCollegeofVeterinaryMedicine.TheSondermanngroupisstudyingenzymaticandregulatorymechanismsofkeyswitchesinbiofilmformationandcytotoxicity,usingstructuralandfunctionalapproaches.DistinguishedLecturer:PhilipBenfy,fromtheBiologyDepartmentatDukeUniversity,willbecomingtoBTIonOctober3rdand4thtopresenthisresearchonhowcellsacquiretheiridentitiesindevelopmentusingArabidopsisrootasamodel.Staytunedforaspecificdayandtimeforthisexcitinglectureandanopportunityforpostdocsandgraduatestudentstohavealunchwiththisdistinguishedlecturer.ProfessionalDevelopmentSeries:InJuly,postdocsandgraduatestudentswillhavetheopportunitytohavelunchwithKarenGomez,apreviouspostdocatBTIwhoisnowanAssistantProfessorintheBiol‐ogyDepartmentattheUniversityofTexasatTyler.Thiswillbeanopportunitytoaskquestionsandgetfeedbackonherexperienceasatenure‐trackprofessorinherfirstyear.EricLyons,aSeniorScientificDeveloperforiPlantCollaborative,willbecomingtoBTIonSeptember27thand28th.OnSeptember27,EricwillgivealectureintroducingCoGeSoftware,whichcontainstoolsforcomparinggenomes.PostdocsandgraduatestudentswillalsogettheopportunitytohavelunchwithEriconSeptember27totalkabouthisprofessionalcareer.Finally,onSeptember28,Ericwillgiveahands‐onwork‐shopwhereyoucanbringyourquestions,dataandcomputers,togethishelpinusingtheCoGeSoftware.Finally,TiffanyFlemmingwillgiveaseminarinOctobertodiscusstheimportanceofincludingoutreachingrantapplicationsandhowyoucangetinvolvedincurrentout‐reachprojectsatBTI.
Safety Glasses
Markyourcalendarfortheseupcomingactivitiesandstaytunedformoreinfor‐mation.
July14th–IceCreamSocial:SeniorLeadershipTeamwillscoopicecreamfromCayugaCreameryJuly28th–TieDye:Startthinkingofwhatyoucantiedyeatthisevent!August11th–BTIAnnualPicnicCornellRecreationPark,3pm‐7pm
Fun Committee Updates
Recentordersarenowbeingdeliveredtothelabs.
Common Equipment
Ifyouplanonusinganyoftheshared‐use,commonequipmentatBTI,pleasebesureyouknowtheproperoperatingproce‐dures.Ifindoubt,findoutwhothecontactpersonisforthatpieceofequipmentandgetintouchwiththembeforeusing.
NewsfromtheIntellectualPropertyOffice
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PleaseconsiderprovidinginformationaboutyourlabordepartmentforafutureissueofTheHub.Wearealwayslookingfornews,events,accomplish‐ments,specialinterestitemsandmore.Weneedyoursubmis‐sionsandyourcolleaguesenjoyreadingabouttheirfellowBTI’ers!
Your News Needed
AbigthanksgoesouttotheBTIfacultywhoparticipatedinarecenttechnologyprospectingvisithereatBTIwithrepresentativesofthebiotechnologyandbreedingorganizationsofMonsantoCompany.Monsantooperatesalargetransgenicpipelinefortestingthephenotypiceffectsofexpressingtransgenesorsuppressingendogenousplantgenes,primarilyincorn,soybean,canola,andcotton.Theyareinterestedintransgeneswithpromisingphe‐notypiceffectsthatmayeventuallyincreaseyieldorstressresistanceinrowcrops.Inaddition,theyareinterestedinanytechnologythatmayhelpthemdiscoverorbetterunderstandgenesthataffectagronomictraits.BTIfacultydiscussedrootbiology(LeeandHarrison);computationalbiology(Fei);insectcelllines(Blissard)andenablingtechnologies(Schroeder,Popescu,VanEck,andBrutnell).Follow‐upsmayincludemoredetaileddiscussionsbetweenMonsantoandBTIscientists,potentiallyinconjunctionwiththeIndependentPlantRe‐searchInstitutesmeetingattheDanforthCenterinSt.Louisthisfall.Thefieldofdiscussionmaybeextendedtoincludeplantdisease,anemerginginterestforMon‐santo,aswellasotherscientistswhodidnotparticipateintheMay12meeting.
HernanRoslijoinedtheMartinlabasapostdoctoralassociateinMay.HeisfromtheIIB‐INTECHInstitute,Argentina.Hernan’sinterestistousegenomictoolstoidentifytomatocandidategenesimplicatedinthedefenseresponsethatisinducedbymicrobeassociatedmolecularpatterns(MAMPs).SarahHind,alsojoinedtheLabinMayasapostdoc.ShehasspentthelastseveralyearsstudyingtheroleofMAPKsignalinginplant‐insectinteractionsintomatoattheUniversityofSouthCarolina.ShewillcontinueherworkwithtomatointheMartinLabbyinvestigat‐ingthelinkbetweenpathogenrecognitionandMAPKsignalingpathways.WesaidfarewelltoKathyandJesseMunkvoldattheendofJuneastheymoveontonewadventures.—KathywasselectedastheAmericanSocietyofPlantBiologists(ASPB)PlantSciencePolicyFellow.HerworkwillsupportthePlantScienceResearchSummit,agatheringofrepresentativesfromallaspectsoftheplantsciencecommunitydesignedtoidentifycriticalareasforfutureplantresearch.KathywillbeworkingatASPBheadquartersinRockville,MDbeginninginmid‐July.—JesseacceptedthepositionofTraitBioinformaticianintheAppliedSystemsBiologygroupatKeygeneInc.,Rockville,MD.Hewillbeworkingonintegratingdiverseomicsdataandapplyingnovelcomputationalmethodsfortraitgeneselection.RobAbramovitch,aformergraduatestudentintheMartinlabandnowpostdocwithDavidRussellintheCornellVetSchool,hasacceptedapositionasAssistantProfessorintheDepartmentofMicrobiologyandMolecularGeneticsatMichiganStateUniversity.RobwilljoinMSUandofficiallybecomeaSpartaninJanuary2012.CongratulationsRob!
News from the Martin Lab
INNOVATION
ahead of the times; being or producing
something like nothing done or experienced or
created before
June 2011 Volume 13, Issue 3 The Hub
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Keys
ThosedepartingBTImustreturnalloffice/labkeystotheITOfficeinTheResourceCenter.Labstaffwhomayhaveextrakeyslivinginadeskdrawer—pleasepassthemontousaswell.
HubEditor:ElaineVanEttenPleaseprovideyour….information….comments….suggestions….correctionsto:[email protected]
BTI Earth Day Event Expands to Growing Season Adventure
Enfield Garden Project: Historically, the Fun Committee has volunteered on a community project for Earth Day and this year, the FC gathered volunteers to help clean up gardens at the Enfield Elementary School. It started with a day of gardening on Earth Day, but the FC and our friends at USDA saw an opportunity to help our local community, through the Enfield Gardens.
History of the Gardens: The gardens at Enfield Elementary School include: a vineyard, apple orchard, pumpkin patch, two raised beds and two garden plots, started in the early 1990s with a grant from the Gates Foundation. Initially, each grade level was responsible for separate garden plots, and the crops were specifically selected to integrate into the classroom curriculum. Once the grant funding expired, the project continued on a “funds available” basis. In re‐cent years, District Funds have been increasingly directed towards other priorities, and the gardening tradition at Enfield has been pushed to the back burner.
Earth Day: A handful of BTI and USDA employees ventured out to Enfield for our first day at the gar‐dens. So, we rolled up our sleeves and dug in! In this first day, we were able to begin ro‐totilling the pumpkin patch, weed and cultivate the raised beds, plant lettuce and trim the grape vines. After we left on Earth Day, the USDA employees went to the gardens and planted winter squash, dry beans, polenta corn, and quinoa.
Planting With the Kids! On June 10th, another group of volunteers planted with the After School Program at En‐field. To our surprise, we started our planting day with a lovely serenade from the Enfield String Quartette! The kids helped us clean out the weeds, plant flowers in the raised beds, and water the plants.
What’s Next? While the kids are out of school, we will be gathering volunteers, after work hours, to maintain the garden. Also, we will coordinate with the Summer Camp Program at Enfield, to keep the kids engaged in the garden project. The hope is to have a great harvest for the kids when the return in the fall! The food will be used for classroom experiments, aiding school lunches and for the Enfield Community. Many thanks those who participated in the Enfield Garden Project: Miaoqing Shen (Hoekenga, USDA) Ellie Taylor (Hoekenga, USDA) Jay Miller (Greenhouse) Erika Hughes (Richards) Kelli Monce (Business Administration Team) Tara Fish (Thannhauser, Cornell) Lisa Christian (HR) Yiyi Chu (Hoekenga, USDA) Lauren Spencer (Hoekenga, USDA) Simon Hucko (Thannhauser, Cornell) Kevin Hoe (Thannhauser, Cornell) Tiffany Kamre y (HR)
SPECIAL THANKS to Meghan Den Bakker (Hoekenga, USDA) and Ted Thannhauser (USDA, Cornell) for their hard work and for bringing to our attention this great opportunity!
Interested in volunteering at the Enfield Garden? Contact Tiffany Kamery ([email protected])
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