PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Collins Peers into Future of 21st-Century Plant Biology

(From left) ASPB President Rick Amasino introduced Jim Collins for the Perspectives of Science Leaders Program coordinated by Gary Stacey and the Committee on Public Affairs.
(From left) Jim Collins, his predecessor Mary Clutter, colleague Machi Dilworth, and National Science Board member Doug Randall enjoy the ASPB annual meeting in Chicago. Mary, Machi, and Doug are all part of the inaugural class of Fellows of ASPB recognized at the annual meeting.
(From left) ASPB President-Elect Rob McClung, Jim Collins, and Jim Siedow, who was selected to the inaugural class of Fellows of ASPB, took part in the Fellows reception after Collins’s presentation.

	Jim Collins (left) recently visited with Ralph Quatrano, founding chair of the Committee on Public Affairs, past editor-in-chief of The Plant Cell, and member of the Fellows of ASPB inaugural class.

In his presentation July 7—“Plant Biology into the 21st Century: Where to from Here?”—Dr. James Collins discussed future directions he sees for research in plant biology.

Collins is National Science Foundation assistant director for the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO). He shared his insights as part of the Perspectives of Science Leaders program at the ASPB annual meeting in Chicago.

Collins noted that BIO inspires research and education at the frontiers of the life sciences to enable the discoveries for understanding life. BIO is taking a leadership role in integrating research and education, in broadening participation, in conducting international partnerships, and in aligning with other agency research agendas. Collins explained BIO’s scientific themes: Theory and Concepts in Biology; Systems Biology; and Biology and Society—and some of the ways these themes can relate to plant biology.

He noted that systems approaches will help drive discovery of new processes and patterns in plant biology. Among the systems approaches in which plant biologists will be engaged are collaborating with scientists in other disciplines; utilizing modern tools for information and data management—for example, making advances in capacity and collaborative use of cyberinfrastructure; and developing innovations in education and training.

The National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI) is increasing understanding of the structure, organization, and function of plant genomes and plant processes, Collins said. NPGI is developing data management and analysis capabilities and ensuring access to the broader community. At the same time, NPGI is maximizing training opportunities and accelerating knowledge transfer to agriculture, forestry, energy, environment, and health.

Biologists will need to become more familiar with mathematics, computational approaches, and modeling and collaborate with scientists in these fields, noted Collins, adding that “We need to prepare the next generation of scientists by providing a dynamic new intellectual environment for interactive pedagogy and research” he said.

He noted that plant systems are models for studying general biological processes, including genes and small RNA regulation, cells and cell signaling by sugar molecules, ecology and adaptation to global change, evolution, and novel energy transduction systems.

Collins noted his keen interest in stimulating innovation within biology, fostering transformative research, and making possible the biology of tomorrow.

A large number of attendees filled available seats and standing room areas to hear Collins’s presentation. Collins met with several of the attendees at the conclusion of the Perspectives of Science Leaders program and also at the ASPB Fellows reception that followed.