News

The Kende award recognizes the best doctoral dissertation in the plant sciences at Michigan State University over the last two years.
January 17, 2019![[LINK] How do you grow plants in space? Michigan State researchers are on the case](/sites/_prl/cache/file/A873B302-C1CA-4BC5-A107BFCA635FFA5D_newslisting.jpg)
A Lansing State Journal story features Dr. Brandizzi, Evan Angelos, a fourth-year doctoral student, Starla Zemelis-Durfee, Brandizzi lab manager, and their research on how plants grow in and respond to stressful environments.
January 3, 2019![[LINK] New report says Howe and He among most highly cited researchers](/sites/_prl/cache/file/6EE5AF67-123D-4E5F-8BB2423BA41A26FF_newslisting.jpg)
For the fifth year in a row, the faculty members have been recognized in the Highly Cited Researchers List, an annual compilation of the global leaders in scientific influence by Clarivate Analytics.
December 17, 2018![[VIDEO] How bacteria organize their factories, and what it means for a bioeconomy](/sites/_prl/cache/file/DDFA0BA7-1324-4AFD-8E9E7BD06598E44E_newslisting.jpg)
MSU scientists report how cyanobacteria line up their CO2-fixing factories within them in a system that works like Velcro. The research is part of an effort to control and repurpose these factories to make products for human consumption.
December 6, 2018![[LINK] Federica Brandizzi named AAAS fellow](/sites/_prl/cache/file/D4821518-695A-4765-94385E9A05CD4416_newslisting.jpg)
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has recognized Dr. Brandizzi for her work on the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus, organelles pivotal to food production in plant cells.
November 27, 2018![[LINK] Cheryl Kerfeld: Inspired by nature](/sites/_prl/cache/file/DE0E3CC1-A32A-4176-A84E7C26E5F89281_newslisting.jpg)
Cheryl Kerfeld is the Hannah Distinguished Professor of Structural Bioengineering in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory.
November 20, 2018
The new methods let scientists assemble the factories on demand and insert custom molecules inside them for further processing. The aim is to eventually design sustainable medical, industrial, or energy applications.
November 7, 2018
Castroverde, a post-doc in the He lab who researches how climate conditions influence plant defense responses, has won a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship.
November 5, 2018
We are saddened that Jonathan Walton passed away on October 18, 2018 after a brief illness.
October 23, 2018
Can plants defend and grow simultaneously? The answer could help us understand natural ecosystems or help farmers increase yields without increasing dependence on pesticides.
October 22, 2018
A new study identifies 111 peroxisomal proteins, including six newly identified ones, in dark-treated plants. It is part of an effort to fully map the functions of plant peroxisomes.
October 1, 2018
When facing drought or heat stress, roots are advance scouts that warn the rest of the plant to prepare for the big 'hit.'
September 25, 2018
A multi-university study reveals how plant communication systems respond to threats from herbivores. Once wounded, plants use calcium signals to warn distant tissues of future attacks.
September 24, 2018
The recent PRL alumnus from the Howe lab will train students, maintain facilities, and teach classes on analytical chemistry and lab equipment usage.
September 20, 2018
Dr. Walker is a broadly-trained biochemist and biologist who focuses on resolving photosynthetic fluxes from cellular to canopy scales.
September 17, 2018
Atmospheric scientists factor lesser known photosynthesis research into their models. The result: carbon levels in the air could be much higher by 2100 than previously predicted.
September 13, 2018
The freshly minted PRL alumnus, a former member of the Hu and He labs, will explore how pathogenic microbes manipulate plant communication systems to their advantage.
September 5, 2018![[VIDEO] New biofuel production system powered by a community of algae and fungi](/sites/_prl/cache/file/3ACA92CD-ACDF-4F28-8DC055D3B9334055_newslisting.jpg)
The system lowers cultivation and harvesting costs and increases productivity, factors that currently hold back biofuels from being widely adopted.
September 4, 2018
The Kerfeld lab announces two new methods for manipulating bacterial factories for biotech aims: one is to screen and extract the factories, the other is to predictably insert custom enzymes in them.
July 24, 2018
Scientists have created a new tracking method for plant lipids. The approach could fill our knowledge gaps of lipid movement and help us improve yields in crops targeted for biofuels.
June 29, 2018