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: Ryan Whitford
Title: Postdoctoral Fellow
Place of Work or School: Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie/Ghent University, Belgium
Research Area: Plant development and small peptide signaling
Member since: 2004

1. Why has being a member of ASPB been important?
It gives me the sense of being part of a unique worldwide community, which allows me to meet other people in my field and provides resources that I can use throughout my career development. Resources like The Plant Cell and Plant Physiology are instrumental in my research almost every working day, enabling me to work more efficiently and effectively. The ASPB News also helps me keep abreast of the “big picture” within this dynamic field!

2. Was someone instrumental in getting you to join ASPB?
No, not specifically, although I had talked with a few colleagues who were members and who suggested that I join.

3. What would you tell colleagues to encourage them to join?
I would tell them that the resources supplied through ASPB are extremely useful. Of particular value is the access through ASPB to The Plant Cell and Plant Physiology.

4. Have you enhanced your career using ASPB job postings or through networking at an ASPB function?
I have attended ASPB meetings where I was able to network with many people in my field, and that has enabled me to get in contact with important researchers in my specific area of research.

5. Have you had any success at finding candidates as a result of a job posting at the Plant Biology meeting or on our online Job Bank?
No, not yet.

6. Do you read print journals? If so, where do you usually read them?
Yes, I read the print and online journals on a regular basis and particularly enjoy reading them in my spare time.

7. What do you think is the next “big thing” in plant biology?
Now that is a difficult question! If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn’t be doing science. The unknown is what I like to pursue.

8. What person, living or deceased, do you most admire?
There are many people who have done amazing things, whose brains I would like to pick. Several people’s names that jump to mind include Leonardo Pisano (better know as Fibonacci), and Benoit Mandelbrot, both of whom are famous mathematicians. The applicability of their work to biology is incredible.

9. What are you reading these days?
Work-related reading includes anything having to do with hormone signaling, given that my specific research focuses on peptide signaling. Outside the work-related literature, I enjoy reading about current affairs and politics.

10. What are your hobbies?
Although I don’t have too much time these days to pursue them, my hobbies include snowboarding, surfing, and windsurfing. I also enjoy drinking a nice red wine.

11. What is your most treasured possession?
My passports (Irish and Australian) because they allow me to travel to and work in fantastic places.

12. What do you still have left to learn?
I have many things to learn, particularly with regard to my research. The more I learn, the more I realize how little we, as scientists, actually know. This is what keeps me interested in my work, and I feel very fortunate to have this experience.