CONFERENCE GRANT: 2024 AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANT BIOLOGISTS (ASPB) MIDWEST SECTION MEETING

Recipient Organization
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
WEST LAFAYETTE,IN 47907

Performing Department
(N/A)

Non Technical Summary
The global demand for food production is soaring, challenging agriculture amid environmental changes and dwindling natural resources. To address these pressing concerns, innovative and sustainable strategies are urgently needed for crop production and plant-based products. The 2024 American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Midwestern Section Meeting aims to facilitate knowledge dissemination and collaboration among early career and senior scientists from diverse plant biology disciplines, fostering research that tackles current and emerging agricultural challenges. With an expected attendance of over 300 individuals from academia, industry, and government laboratories across the Midwest area and 29 talks given by featured speakers, postdoctoral scientists, graduate students and undergraduate students, this event will expose participants, especially early-career researchers, to groundbreaking plant physiology research and inspire novel approaches. The meeting will be conducted entirely in-person, prioritizing attendee benefits, particularly junior scientists affected by travel restrictions since 2020. The requested financial support from NIFA will allow the issuing of travel awards to both junior colleagues and under-served groups. The cost related to the invited speakers will also be partially covered by this award from NIFA.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
206	2499	1020	100%

Knowledge Area
206 - Basic Plant Biology;

Subject Of Investigation
2499 - Plant research, general;

Field Of Science
1020 - Physiology;

Keywords

2024 midwest aspb meeting

agriculture

plant physiology

travel awards

Goals / Objectives
The escalating global demand for food production, coupled with a changing environment and depleting natural resources, presents enormous challenges for agriculture.Consequently, there is an urgent need for the development of innovative, environmentally friendly, and sustainable management strategies for crop production and plant-based products. Addressing these challenges requires a deeper understanding of plant functionality, growth processes, primary and secondary metabolite synthesis, and interactions with the abiotic and biotic environment. The upcoming 2024 American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Midwestern Section Meetingwill provide a platform for collaboration among a diverse group of early-career and senior scientists, encompassing various disciplines of plant biology, and advancing scientific research to tackle both current and emerging challenges in agriculture.

Project Methods
1) Oral and poster presentations.2) Panel discussions.

Progress 01/15/24 to 01/14/25

Outputs
Target Audience:1) University faculty, postdoc, technician, graduate students, and undergraduate students 2) Industry professionals Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1) This meeting was mainly targeted atundergrads, graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty members. The two-day meeting facilitates the opportunity for all participating young scientists to present their research. 2) 46 travel awards supported by this NIFA conference grantwere issued to students and postdocs. 3) 21students were invited to deliver oral presentations. 4) 112 students were invited to deliver poster presentations. 5) A workshop was organized to educate students and early-stage plant biologists on the future direction and current gaps in plant physiology. 6) Two poster sessions were organized and gave students the opportunity to learn from each other and to interact with senior professionals. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A meeting brochure with all the published abstracts has been published. Here is the link:https://midwest.aspb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-MW-ASPB-Brochure_Final_c.pdf What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? A total of 225 people attended the two-day meeting, which featured a keynote speech, five invited faculty presentations, one workshop, twenty-onestudent presentations, two poster sessions, one tour to the Purdue Ag Alumni Advanced Phenotyping Center, and one tour to the Purdue Herbaria. This is one of the largest Midwest ASPB meetings in the past 10 years.

Publications