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News

 

Laboratory Technician Heather Roney takes next steps as an early-career scientist Laboratory Technician Heather Roney takes next steps as an early-career scientist

Encouraging kids  to be future scientists is an outreach effort Heather Roney takes seriously. As an early-career scientist, she has looked for opportunities for outreach and ways to widely communicate the research within her field. 

March 30, 2022 Tags: future scientists, awards, Walker lab
Research Assistant Starla Zemelis-Durfee accepts new position with Thermo Fisher Scientific Research Assistant Starla Zemelis-Durfee accepts new position with Thermo Fisher Scientific

Starla Zemelis-Durfee, research assistant/supervisor from the Brandizzi lab at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory (PRL) and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), has accepted a new position as a sales representative for Thermo Fisher Scientific.

March 24, 2022 Tags: Brandizzi lab
Tom Sharkey: A 'pilot light' for photosynthesis [LINK] Tom Sharkey: A 'pilot light' for photosynthesis [LINK]

Spartan researchers reveal processes that keep a plant’s energy balance in check during changing conditions, which could lead to more efficient crops.

March 8, 2022 Tags: Sharkey lab
Unboxing of cyanobacterial features: A step toward understanding the dynamics of source/sink in photosynthesis microbes Unboxing of cyanobacterial features: A step toward understanding the dynamics of source/sink in photosynthesis microbes

A new study from the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory (PRL) brings fresh insight on the source/sink balance of cyanobacteria and paves the way for further advancements in photosynthetic microbes for potential applications.

March 2, 2022 Tags: Ducat lab
Thomas D. Sharkey named Pioneer Member of the American Society of Plant Biologists Thomas D. Sharkey named Pioneer Member of the American Society of Plant Biologists

University Distinguished Professor Thomas D. Sharkey was named a Pioneer Member of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB), a recognition given to leaders in the society, especially those who have been involved in training graduate students, postdocs and visiting professors.

February 28, 2022 Tags: awards, Sharkey lab
MSU's Beronda Montgomery named an ASBMB Fellow [LINK] MSU's Beronda Montgomery named an ASBMB Fellow [LINK]

Michigan State University’s Beronda Montgomery is the recipient of a 2022 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Fellow Award.

February 25, 2022 Tags: Montgomery lab
Gregg Howe: Spartan research addresses 5 big climate change questions [LINK] Gregg Howe: Spartan research addresses 5 big climate change questions [LINK]

As the planet experiences the effects of climate change, questions arise about the future of our planet and daily life in general. Many of the major challenges related to a changing climate and their impact on society have Michigan State University Spartans working on solutions.

February 23, 2022 Tags: Howe lab
Flip the switch: Looking at how algae activate cell cycles Flip the switch: Looking at how algae activate cell cycles

Researchers from the Benning lab at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory have been looking into the signals for activating different states of the cell cycle in microalga, which has potential applications for future biofuel production and cancer research. 

February 17, 2022 Tags: Benning lab
Christoph Benning elected Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors Christoph Benning elected Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors

Christoph Benning, director of the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory (PRL), was elected a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). He is among 83 academic inventors to be elected to the group in 2022.

February 11, 2022 Tags: awards, Benning lab
Research Assistant Professor Sean Weise accepts new position with the MSU Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Research Assistant Professor Sean Weise accepts new position with the MSU Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Sean Weise, research assistant professor in the Sharkey lab at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory (PRL), is moving to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology to build and teach a new undergraduate class.

February 3, 2022 Tags: Weise, Sharkey lab
Making plants more productive [LINK] Making plants more productive [LINK]

It’s estimated that by 2050, the global population could reach 9 billion. With limited natural resources, feeding, clothing and providing materials to support that many people will be challenging. In Federica Brandizzi’s lab at Michigan State University, she and her colleagues are finding ways to make plants part of the solution.

January 26, 2022 Tags: Brandizzi lab
Postdoc James Santiago accepts new job at Soli Organic Postdoc James Santiago accepts new job at Soli Organic

James Santiago, postdoc in the Sharkey lab at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory (PRL) has accepted a new position as a R&D plant physiologist at Soli Organic, a culinary herb company based in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

January 24, 2022 Tags: Sharkey lab
Plants get stressed too. We're looking at thousands of genes to understand how they manage it. Plants get stressed too. We're looking at thousands of genes to understand how they manage it.

MSU scientists have developed a new gene discovery method that is helping them to understand how plants recover from stressful situations in their environments.

January 12, 2022 Tags: Brandizzi lab
Jianping Hu accepts leadership position as new director of MPS [LINK] Jianping Hu accepts leadership position as new director of MPS [LINK]

Professor Jianping Hu has been appointed as the new director of the Molecular Plant Sciences (MPS) Graduate Program at Michigan State University.

January 11, 2022 Tags: Hu lab
How do algae survive excess oxygen? Recent discovery gives clues to boost biofuel production How do algae survive excess oxygen? Recent discovery gives clues to boost biofuel production

A new study from the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory (PRL) shows how some algae can protect themselves when the oxygen they produce impairs their photosynthetic activity. The discovery also answers a long-standing question about how algae survive when CO2 levels are low.

December 22, 2021 Tags: Kramer lab
Photosynthesis and oxygen overload: A discussion of new research from the Kramer lab [LINK] Photosynthesis and oxygen overload: A discussion of new research from the Kramer lab [LINK]

A structure that helps algae photosynthesize when carbon dioxide levels are low may also play a role during hyperoxia conditions.

December 22, 2021 Tags: fundamental research, Kramer lab
New limitations to photosynthesis discovered by observing plants in the real world New limitations to photosynthesis discovered by observing plants in the real world

Using innovative methodologies that combine biology and statistics, researchers from the Kramer lab at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory (PRL) observe the ways plants respond to their natural environments.

December 15, 2021 Tags: Kanazawa, Kramer lab
Christoph Benning and Gregg Howe recognized among the world's most highly cited researchers [LINK] Christoph Benning and Gregg Howe recognized among the world's most highly cited researchers [LINK]

Three Michigan State University College of Natural Science (NatSci) researchers are among nine MSU faculty members recognized in the 2021 Highly Cited Researchers list, an annual compilation of the global leaders in scientific influence by Clarivate Analytics.

December 14, 2021 Tags: Howe lab, Benning lab
Jingcheng Huang receives 2021 Kende Award Jingcheng Huang receives 2021 Kende Award

Jingcheng Huang is the 2021 recipient of the Kende Award, which acknowledges the best doctoral dissertation in plant sciences at Michigan State University (MSU) over the last two years.

December 8, 2021
Scientists discover potential mechanism of ultra-rare blood clots linked to adenovirus COVID-19 vaccines [LINK] Scientists discover potential mechanism of ultra-rare blood clots linked to adenovirus COVID-19 vaccines [LINK]

An international team of scientists, including Michigan State University researchers, believe they may have found a molecular mechanism behind the extremely rare blood clots linked to adenovirus COVID-19 vaccines.

December 7, 2021 Tags: Vermaas lab

Top Stories

2023 Anton Lang Memorial Award winners announced 2023 Anton Lang Memorial Award winners announced

Graduate student Hannah Parks and postdoctoral researcher María Santos Merino have been awarded the 2023 Anton Lang Memorial Awards at a ceremony which took place on Monday, April 24, 2023. This year’s lecture was given by University Distinguished Professor Thomas D. Sharkey from Michigan State University.

Beating the heat: Exploring algae's ability to thrive in extreme environments Beating the heat: Exploring algae's ability to thrive in extreme environments

Found in acidic volcanic hot springs, the extremophilic alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae contains a unique process that allows them to survive in extreme environments. Researchers, led by graduate student Anne Steensma from the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, are looking at this process and its potential to change how we understand the ways photosynthetic organisms adapt to environmental challenges like high temperatures. 

Why this promising biofuel crop takes a summer break Why this promising biofuel crop takes a summer break

By explaining a photosynthetic peculiarity in switchgrass, MSU researchers from the Walker lab may have unlocked even more of the plant’s potential.