There is a strong need to develop the knowledge base that will enable rational design of improved crop species. To attain this goal, researchers must learn how plant cells integrate metabolism, cytoskeletal organization, and vesicle trafficking during growth and in response to environmental challenges. The first Plant Cell Biology International (PCBI) meeting capitalizes on the interaction between two well-established plant cell biology communities across the Atlantic, the Midwest Plant Cell Dynamics (PCD) and the European Network for Plant Endomembrane Research (ENPER) groups and provides a framework to meet these goals. The focus of this meeting is unique, and features workshops centered on designing an image acquisition and processing pipeline for multi-scale analysis of cellular systems and international collaborations. Keynote speakers for the 2020 meeting are recognized world experts in organelle dynamics and endomembrane trafficking. All participants will network, have the opportunity to present posters, and many early career scientists will have opportunities for oral presentations.
There is a growing core of plant cell biologists who seek to better understand the underlying mechanisms of organelle and cell dynamics, and share similar technical challenges to meet their research goals. It’s important to find the most effective ways to employ combinations of quantitative imaging techniques, biochemical techniques, and computational tools to gain a mechanistic understanding of plant cellular systems. Meeting these goals will require data sharing and the development and training of faculty, post-doctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students in state-of-the-art quantitative cell biology methods. The first Plant Cell Biology International (PCBI) meeting will 1) advance intellectual exchange and longer term collaborations between US- and Europe-based laboratories, 2) enhance the cultural understanding of next generation of innovators in both continents, 3) provide the opportunity for plant cell biologist to discuss their latest research, develop collaborations, and 4) promote the development of new tools that will accelerate mechanistic analyses of cell dynamics.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
