ASPB members share a common goal of promoting the growth, development, and outreach of plant biology as a pure and applied science. This column features some of the dedicated and innovative members of ASPB who believe that membership in our Society is crucial to the future of plant biology. If you are interested in contributing to this feature, please contact ASPB Membership at info@aspb.org.

Membership Corner

Name: Barbara Hass-Jacobus
Title: Visiting Assistant Professor
Place of Work or School: Indiana University–PurdueUniversity–Columbus (IUPUC)
Research Area: Plant Genetics
Member since: 2002

1. Why has being a member of ASPB been important?
ASPB provides access to the plant community at large and up-to-date news on the latest in plant research through its various publications and services. This has been especially important to me during the past few months as I begin my new job at IUPUC, where I am one of only two full-time biologists and the only plant scientist.

2. Was someone instrumental in getting you to join ASPB?
My postdoc mentor, Dr. Scott Jackson at Purdue University, encouraged me to become a member when I joined his lab.

3. What would you tell colleagues to encourage them to join?
ASPB provides easy access to a plethora of plant science research and education resources, as well as numerous networking opportunities, travel awards, grants, and the Job Bank.

4. Have you enhanced your career using ASPB job postings or through networking at an ASPB function?
I did apply for and was offered a job that was posted through ASPB.

5. Have you had any success at finding candidates as a result of a job posting at the meeting or on our online Job Bank?
I have not done any hiring through ASPB.

6. Do you read print journals? If so, where do you usually read them?
These days I read print journals only if the article is not available online or if I am browsing for journal club or teaching material. In the latter case, print journals are still easier to leaf through than electronic publications when I don’t have a particular article in mind. Even if the article is available online, though, I will always print it out for an in-depth read.

7. What do you think is the next “big thing” in plant biology?
A lot of money has been spent up to this point developing some key model systems, such as Arabidopsis, and collecting more high-throughput data than we know what to do with at this time. I think the next “big thing” will be the application of what we have learned from model systems to other species and the development of new methods to mine the massive repository of data that has been collected but not yet tapped to its fullest potential for new discoveries.

8. What person, living or deceased, do you most admire?
Collectively, my parents, who have inspired and supported my career in plant biology. My mom is a teacher and school librarian for a small rural school district and was my inspiration for wanting to enter academia. I am continually amazed by her ability to assimilate new knowledge in a short amount of time, create new curricula designed to introduce the students in our rural community to the latest in technology and information science, and keep an up-to-date reference library complete with the latest technology her district can afford. She is also my first stop for those little bits of information I can’t seem to find. She is like a bloodhound at tracking down information. My dad was never able to attend college despite a strong desire to do so, but he knows more than most people I know who hold PhDs. He has been a farmer all his life, and his knowledge of agriculture and all things mechanical surpasses anything I could hope to achieve in my lifetime. I am constantly learning from him to this day. The problem-solving and mechanical skills he taught me when I was growing up are not things that are taught in any plant biology curriculum, yet I feel those skills have played a large role in my success. It was my life as a farm kid that enticed me into the field of plant biology. During my childhood, my parents were caught up in the economic devastation felt by farmers across the United States over the past few decades and saw many of their dreams fall apart, largely due to circumstances beyond their control. Yet through their struggles, they taught me the importance of family, community, education, and perseverance.

9. What are you reading these days?
The biology textbooks that I am using in the courses I teach. I figure if I require the students to read the material, I should read it, too. When I do have a spare moment for “fun” reading, which is sadly lacking these days, I’ve been reading Terry Pratchett novels.

10. What are your hobbies?
Gardening and raising houseplants, rubber stamping, counted cross-stitch, and music.

11. What is your most treasured possession?
I wouldn’t use the term “possession,” but my family is what I treasure most.

12. What do you still have left to learn?
Everything. The more I learn, the more I find I have yet to learn. I tell my students that having a PhD doesn’t necessarily mean I know more than they do, it just means I can be wrong with authority! I will always consider myself a student.