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Name: Madhugiri
Nageswara-Rao and Jaya R. Soneji
Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate
Place of Work or School: University of Florida, Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences, Citrus Research and Education Center
Research Area: Plant Functional Genomics and Biotechnology, Evolutionary
and Population Genetics, Host–Pathogen Interactions
Member since: 2007
1. Has being members
of ASPB helped you in your career? If so, how?
Though we joined ASPB recently, we were garnering the benefits long before
becoming members. We used to access online journals to keep ourselves
abreast of the most recent publications and information in the field of
plant biology. The articles used to inspire us to achieve higher goals
in life and to continue pursuing science with more passion, perseverance,
and dedication. The job postings were advantageous to us, as they gave
all the information on current openings in the field of plant sciences.
2. Why has being
members of ASPB been important?
Being members of the Society means you are a part of an organization,
and being a part makes it your own. ASPB offers burgeoning opportunities
to interact with researchers actively involved in diverse fields of plant
biology. For us it is a boon, as we get endless occasions to evolve as
independent researchers and build strong networks with colleagues and
collaborators from our field. It gives us an inside view regarding the
types of research being carried out internationally. This will certainly
enrich our scientific endeavors and will be rewarding for our career developments.
3. Was someone
instrumental in getting you to join ASPB?
Journals published by ASPB and the regular web activities inspired us
to become members. A few of our friends who were members had also suggested
that we join.
4. What would you
tell nonmembers to encourage them to join?
We would make the nonmembers aware that ASPB represents diverse aspects
of and an unfettered passion for plant biology. We would let them know
that ASPB provides a plethora of resources for keeping up with developments
in the field of plant biology. Programs organized by ASPB are worthy of
support for their focus on the networking opportunities, career development,
and excellent benefits such as discounts on registration fees for ASPB
meetings, travel awards, online Job Bank, personal member websites, etc.
5. Have you found
a job using ASPB job postings or through networking at the annual meeting?
Though we didn’t get our current positions through an ASPB job posting,
browsing the job listings definitely gave us a sense of the job market
and prepared us to compete for the position.
6. Have you hired
anyone as a result of a job posting at the meeting or on our online Job
Bank?
We have not yet used this for recruiting anyone. However, in the future,
when we start our own research group, we believe that this will be an
excellent source to explore. At that time, we would also consider posting
a vacancy on the Job Bank.
7. Do you still
read print journals? If so, where do you usually read them: work, home,
library, in the car, on the bus?
We give a quick look to the online journals and print the articles of
interest to read later at work or home. We also like to visit the library
and leaf through the print journals, because you can never say what may
catch your eye and what new ideas may flash in your mind while you’re
flipping the pages.
8. What do you
think is the next “big thing” in plant biology?
We feel that genome sequencing and nanotechnology are the next “big
things” in plant biology. In the past decade, it was a dream and
a challenge to have the sequence of a whole genome. But now, with the
rapid advancement of molecular techniques and bioinformatics, genome sequencing
has become a reality. These projects are generating (and will continue
to generate) enormous amounts of sequence data. The time has come to switch
the analysis from a single gene to the whole genome. Also, the emerging
field of nanotechnology will lead to unprecedented understanding and control
of the fundamental building blocks of all physical things and has immense
potential applications. It can be achieved by collaborations among biologists,
chemists, physicists, and other disciplinarians. We are certainly gaining
more knowledge on genetics, heredity, and the interactions between the
functional gene products and the environment.
9. What person,
living or dead, do you most admire?
We feel each and every individual has some unique quality that is admirable;
we just have to discover it in that person. We admire those people who,
in their own way, try to make this world a better place to live.
10. What are you
reading these days?
We are currently reading Plant Functional Genomics by D. Leister.
We also enjoy reading about current affairs and innovative popular scientific
articles. Other than scientific books, we just finished reading Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
11. What are your
hobbies?
Rao: I enjoy photography, hiking, cricket, and badminton.
Jaya: I like pencil sketching, gardening, listening to music, swimming,
and cooking.
But above all, we both love to spend quality time with our 8-month-old
daughter, Yasheeta.
12. What is your
most treasured possession?
We treasure our family (especially Yasheeta) and friends and the millions
of memories associated with them.
13. What do you
still have left to learn?
Learning is a never-ending phenomenon that engenders ever more question
marks. It is something like, “The greater our knowledge increases,
the more our ignorance unfolds.” However, looking at our daughter,
we feel we should learn a lot from her. We have to learn to have fathomless
enthusiasm, like her, to see, feel, touch, and get to know new things;
to quickly learn from the mistakes; to leave the protective environment
behind to explore the world as it is; and to be able to accept and pursue
the unknown. We also have to learn her mesmerizing way of making strangers
quickly become her friends and bond with her.
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