Volume 3 • 2019

​​​Please also visit the tribute to Dr. Jim Alfano in the MPMI journal​. James “Jim” Robert Alfano, 56, Charles Bessey Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), died Nov. 21, 2019, following a battle with cancer. Jim served 17 years with UNL, joining the faculty in 2002….

im Alfano was an active supporter of science (his own and that of others) using social media. He frequently tweeted about plant-microbe interactions news and updates from his account. He also maintained a Scoop.it page on plant-microbe interactions, through which he curated the literature. It is, therefore, not surprising that…

In order to include the viewpoints of our members in training in Society decision-making and Congress planning, the IS-MPMI Board of Directors (BOD) would like to add two graduate student or postdoc members to the board. The term length of these positions will be two years (Congress to Congress), although…

The United Nations (UN) has designated 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH), establishing a year to recognize and protect plant health. Designating the year as such is expected to increase awareness among both the public and policymakers of the importance of healthy plants and the necessity…

Editor’s note: This is the first article in a new series for IS-MPMI Interactions called InterConnections (because it connects Interactions with the MPMI journal), where we will highlight first authors of “Editor’s Pick” articles from the MPMI journal. The November “Editor’s Pick” is “Mai1 Protein Acts Between Host Recognition of…

​January is National Mentoring Month in the United States, but awareness of the importance of mentoring in workplace interactions is essential everywhere. Whether you are hosting a summer research intern for the first time or have mentored students and postdocs for decades, it’s a good idea to think about the…

Focus issue guest editors Aiming Wang, Tessa Burch-Smith, and Yi Li have compiled 10 research and review articles that explore aspects of the cell biology of virus interactions, both with the plant hosts and their insect vectors. Articles include: Molecular Plant-Plum Pox Virus Interactions Bernardo Rodamilans, Adrián Valli, and Juan…

In the first full-length episode of the MPMI journal podcast, Microgreens host and biology professor Raka Mitra interviews Jeff Dangl, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. When she started as a postdoc in the plant pathogenesis…

This InterView with Hailing Jin, Professor of Genetics at the University of California-Riverside, was conducted by Sowmya Ramachandran, a PhD candidate in the Department of Plant Pathology at Washington State University. If you are interested in completing your own InterView, please contact​ Interactions Editor-in-Chief Dennis Halterman. Dr. Hailing Jin is…

Ann Lichens Park, USDA-NIFA,(center, with President Kira Bowen and Immediate Past President Mary Palm) is a 2019 Fellow of The American Phytopathological Society (APS). This honor recognizes distinguished contributions to plant pathology in one or more of the following areas: original research, teaching, administration, professional and public service, and extension…

Savithramma Dinesh-Kumar, University of California-Davis, (center, with Immediate Past President Mary Palm and President Kira Bowen) is the 2019 winner of the American Phytopathological Society Noel T. Keen Award. The Keen Award recognizes research excellence in molecular plant pathology. Nominees have made outstanding contributions and demonstrated sustained excellence and leadership…

Saskia Hogenhout (John Innes Centre) is the 2019 recipient of the British Society of Plant Pathology’s RKS Wood Prize. The prize is named and awarded in honor of Professor RKS Wood to acknowledge his role in driving the establishment of the discipline “Physiological Plant Pathology”. The prize celebrates excellent…

The Weihenstephan Science Prize of the City of Freising is awarded every two years in order to promote Freising as a university and science city of international standing, and at the same time to promote outstanding scientific achievements at the Freising-Weihenstephan location. Dr. Belkhadir received the award along with colleague…

The poster sessions at this year’s IS-MPMI Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, spotlighted just some of the amazing work that’s being done by the society’s members. Past IS-MPMI President Regine Kahmann organized a competition for poster presenters, and the MPMI journal sponsored prizes for the top-five graduate student-presented posters. More than…

Have you ever found yourself talking with your aunt or uncle at a family gathering, a friend from secondary (high) school, or your rideshare driver—and you are asked the question, “So, what kind of work do you do?” You don’t want them to think, “Oh, something with plants,” right? Your…

MPMI Authors Can Now Submit an Article in One PDF Upload MPMI’s editorial board is looking for ways to improve and streamline the MPMI author experience. Authors now have the option to upload an article as a single PDF file for the initial submission. That file should include properly formatted…

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…