Career Workshops at Plant Biology 2007

View the Power Point Presentation on "Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering"

Career Workshops at Plant Biology 2006

The Women in Plant Biology Committee presented two career workshops for the ASPB annual meeting, Plant Biology 2006. A podcast is available of both workshops separated by speaker. The podcast was sponsored by ASPB's Membership Committee.

This year, the Women in Plant Biology Committee hosted two workshops, "Where are the Jobs" on fields, including academia, where plant biologists can make careers, and "How to Get and Keep a Job," with advice on tricks and techniques for landing the job you want and on how to survive when you get what you wish for. The two workshops will be held concurrently on Sunday evening, August 6th.

Career Workshop 1: "Where Are the Jobs?" Speakers from industry (Mark Cigan, Pioneer), academia (Carolyn Wetzel, Smith College), government labs (Mel Oliver, USDA), publishing (Susanna Brink, Trends in Plant Science), public policy (Melissa Ho, Senate staff), and NGOs (Ivan Ingelbrecht, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture) gave brief presentations about opportunities in their fields.

Career Workshop II: "Getting and Keeping a Job." This program combined the best of two former workshops: "How to Get a Job" and "How to Keep a Job." Speakers presented their views, experiences, and advice about balancing teaching and research (Allan Showalter, Ohio University), networking and seeking opportunities (Magdalena Bezanilla, Univ. of Massachusetts) writing application letters and CVs (Jose Arguello, Worcester Polytechnic Institute), seminar presentation skills (Bethany Zolman, Univ. of Missouri, St. Louis), how to interview (Marianne Laporte, Eastern Michigan University), and, negotiating skills (Danny Schnell, Univ. of Massachusetts).

Following the presentations, participants had the opportunity to ask questions and engage speakers in discussion within small groups.

Workshops began with dinner. This was a wonderful way to meet fellow students and to interact with professionals through shared personal experiences. Workshops for next year will be available to sign up during Plant Biology 2007 registration opening December 2007. Workshops fill up quickly, so sign up when you register for the ASPB Meeting!!

The annual Women in Plant Biology luncheon was held Monday, August 7th, at noon. Our speaker this year, Dr. Wendy F. Boss, William Neal Reynolds Professor of Botany at North Carolina State University, reflected on what it means to be a scientist, in a talk entitled, "Tapping on the Puzzle Piece." Attendees enjoyed excellent food, networked with fellow students and professionals, met members of the Women in Plant Biology Committee, and heard from one of today's leading women in science. This is a yearly event so add this event to your registration for Plant Biology 2007 when it opens in December!