MPS Monday Seminars bring international researchers to campus this fall

The Molecular Plant Sciences Monday seminar series is kicking off the 2021-2022 school year with presentations by plant scientists from institutions all over the world.

Those interested in plant research are invited to attend a combination of virtual and in-person events. Speakers will give presentations on their work in diverse areas of plant science and other photosynthetic organism focused research.

“Looking through the list of labs involved, the program has such a colorful spectrum of plant research, which is super strong at MSU,” said Bjoern Hamberger, the chair of the MPS seminar committee and assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. “A unique strength of this program is its unifying power.”

Seminars will cover a wide variety of topics including plant biology in space, timekeepers in the ocean, seasonal measurements in plants, and grapevine improvement.

“These seminars are a way to bring together the unique group of plant scientists that are involved in biochemical and molecular research with plants that are housed in departments across campus,” said Berkley Walker, vice chair of the MPS seminar committee and assistant professor in the Department of Plant Biology.

Leveraging the virtual format many have become familiar with in the last year and a half, the seminar committee was able to invite researchers from institutions outside of the U.S. who would have otherwise likely not traveled to speak.

For the fall schedule, this includes Angela Falciatore from Sorbonne Universite in Paris, Klaas Vandepoele from VIB/Ghent University in Belgium, and Marcelo Yanovsky from Instituto Leloir Fundacion in Argentina.

To see a full list of the fall semester seminars and to learn how to attend, visit the MPS Seminars & Events webpage. The spring semester schedule will be released later this year.