Team IS-MPMI

Congratulations to the 2019 Ko Shimamoto Congress Travel Awardees. These awards are funded by the USDA-NIFA and NSF Plant Biotic Interactions Program (applications submitted by Roger Innes), and by funds generated from previous IS-MPMI conferences. This year, 385 applications were received for travel to the 2019 IS-MPMI Congress in Glasgow,…

Jan Leach, Colorado State University (CSU), received the Agropolis Foundation Louis Malassis International Scientific Prize for Agriculture and Food​ in the category “Distinguished Scientist.” She received the award in Montpelier, France, during the 4th World Congress on Agroforestry in May. The Agropolis Foundation Louis Malassis International Scientific Prize is…

Maria Harrison, William H. Crocker Professor at Boyce Thompson Institute, Adjunct Professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS) at Cornell University, and IS-MPMI member, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Harrison is one of 100 new members announced on April 30. The organization recognizes…

The National Academy of Sciences recently honored Sharon Long, Stanford University, by awarding her the 2019 Selman A. Waksman Award​, which recognizes a major advance in the field of Microbiology. This award honors Sharon Long’s tremendous contributions to our understanding of the symbiotic interactions that lead to nitrogen-fixing legume…

EIC’s note: May was Mental Health Awareness Mon​th, so it is very fitting that this issue of Interactions includes the following article, written by UNC-Chapel Hill PhD candidate Susanna Harris, which captures the struggles that some student trainees can have in the lab. The article is aimed primarily at principal…

By Jeanne Harris, ​MPMI Editor-in-Chief The Idea The MPMI journal editorial board has planned a new way to engage our community, with the Top 10 Questions in MPMI. The idea is to brainstorm, as a community, to identify the top 10 unanswered questions in MPMI. These are the questions that…

Beginning this month, Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (MPMI) will significantly reduce the fees paid by IS-MPMI and APS members who publish in the journal. “This will further strengthen MPMI as a member journal of both IS-MPMI and APS,” said Nik Grunwald, chair of the APS publications board. “Members of both societies…

Jeanne Harris, new editor-in-chief (EIC) of Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (MPMI), looks forward to building on MPMI’s reputation as a leading journal by continuing to focus on key research questions while attracting new readership by expanding the scope to include more population genomics/comparative genomics. She envisions a series of review…

Concurrent Sessions and Co-Chairs Molecular Reco​gnition in Plant Immunity: I Bostjan Kobe – University of Queensland, Australia Frank Takken – University of Amsterdam, Netherlands Molecular Recognition in Plant Immunity: II Thomas Kroj – UMR, BGP, Montpellier, France Cyril Zipfel – University of Zurich, Switzerland Microbial Manipulation of the Host: I…

Martin B. (Marty) Dickman died December 2, 2018, in Carpinteria, California, following an illness. Marty was born in Flushing, New York. He received his BS degree at the University of Hawaii in Hilo in 1979 and his MS and PhD degrees at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1982…

Upgraded and Modernized APS Journals Site Enhances Research Visibility MPMI received a digital makeover when the new APS Publications site went live on March 11. The updated site’s user-friendly design makes it easier than ever to access and read content. Articles are clearly presented and have in-line figures and tables,…

Both Focus Issues Emphasize Plant Virology Advances in plant virology have helped reduce the estimated $60 billion in annual crop losses caused by viruses. Given the importance of this research, both MPMI and Phytopathology will emphasize virological advances in their January 2020 focus issues. For the focus issue on “Cell…

IS-MPMI will be distributing travel awards for eligible students, post-docs, and early career professionals to attend the IS-MPMI XVIII Congress, July 14-18, 2019 in Glasgow, Scotland. Awards up to $1,500 (depending on travel distance) will be given to pay for registration, travel, and/or lodging expenses. Award selection will be based…

IS-MPMI is bringing together scientists with diverse backgrounds in disease resistance, molecule manipulation, fungal effectors, and other technologies for the premier event in plant-microbe interactions: the 2019 IS-MPMI VXIII Congress, taking place July 14-18, 2019, in Glasgow, Scotland. Topics in this year’s program include molecular recognition in plant immunity, microbial…

The 2019-2021 Editorial Board for ​​MPMI ​began their term this month. Welcome to the new Board! Pictured: Back Row: Peter Balint-Kurti, Scott Gold, Kee Hoon Sohn Middle row: Erica Gross, Yi Li, Maria Alvarez Front Row: Jacqueline Bede, Laura Grenville-Briggs, Jeanne Harris, Tessa Burch-Smith, Dong Wang

  Jonathan Walton, acting director of the Molecular Plant Sciences Program, Department of Plant Biology, at Michigan State University passed away October 18, 2018. Jonathan served as IS-MPMI president from 2003 to 2005. He also was the editor-in-chief of Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions and a Fellow of The American Phytopathological Society….

Editor’s Note: Inter​Stellar is a new section of IS-MPMI Interactions that highlights members’ accomplishments and accolades. IS-MPMI member Bart Thomma has received the first RKS Wood prize from the British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP). BSPP reports that “the prize celebrates excel​lent science in the study of plant disease biology…

Editor’s Note: InterStellar is a new section of IS-MPMI Interactions that highlights members’ accomplishments and accolades. IS-MPMI member Eva Kondorosi recently received the prestigious Balzan Award. Read her acceptance speech to learn more about her accomplishments. Eva and her husband, Adam Kondorosi, received the IS-MPMI Award in 2012.

ditor’s Note: InterFaces is a new section of Interactions that recognizes scientists who have contributed to our field. Ann M. Hirsch,1 Euan K. James,2 and Janet I. Sprent3 1 Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology and Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095 U.S.A. 2 The James Hutton…

Detlef Weigel is a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology. Interactions recently spoke with Weigel about his membership with IS-MPMI, his research, and more. Interactions: What guided your decision to dedicate the next stage of your research career to MPMI? Detlef Weigel: My path to MPMI was…