Tom ap Rees Trust Fund: Invitation for Applications

The Department’s Tom ap Rees Fund was established in memory of Professor Tom ap Rees, former Head of Department and Professor of Botany. The income is used to make small grants to students in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, both undergraduates and postgraduates, who are in need of financial assistance in connection with their studies.

Applications to the Fund are invited twice a year, in April and September (with urgent applications being considered at other times if funds are available) To apply, please write a supporting case stating the amount requested and forward to Ombretta Orsini (oo203@cam.ac.uk) by 8 October for circulation to the Fund Managers.

Dr Julia Davies to be awarded University Pilkington Prize for excellence in teaching

On June 29th Dr Julia Davies will be awarded a University Pilkington prize for excellence in teaching.

The Pilkington Prizes were set up by the late Sir Alastair Pilkington, former Chairman of the Cambridge Foundation. The Prizes are supported by Cambridge University Press, and are awarded annually by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alison Richard.

Professor Howard Griffiths says:

“Julia joined the Department of Plant Sciences in January 1997 as a lecturer (Senior Lecturer in 2003) and has consistently delivered excellent teaching across a broad subject range. Her lectures in membrane biology, microbiology and plant biology are met enthusiastically by students. She has modernized curriculum content and outreach activities, set an excellent standard in pastoral care and rejuvenated plant sciences graduate education. If one were to describe Julia’s lecturing style, words utilized would include: ‘calm, authoritative, logical and well-organized’, with her delivery leavened by subtle humour and laced with compelling insights. Each year she receives tremendously complimentary feedback from students at IA, IB and Part II, and her care and interest in each student she teaches is clear for all to appreciate. She is an outstanding asset to the Department.”

Bicentenary Medal for plant scientist

Dr Beverley Glover has been awarded the Linnean Society Bicentenary Medal in recognition of the exceptional quality of her contributions to botany.

More information

In addition, from October 1st Dr Glover will be promoted to Reader.

Plant Sciences Exhibit at Royal Society Festival of Science and Arts: Meet the Algae: Diversity, Biology and Energy (25 June - 4 July)

The Department will be heavily involved with an exhibition located in the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre which takes place from Friday 25 June to Sunday 4 July 2010.

This is the official website.

This is the Plant Sciences Meet The Algae website.

The contact at Plant Sciences is Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley bgs21@cam.ac.uk.

Prof. Sir David Baulcombe elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences

Professor Sir David Baulcombe, Professor of Botany and Royal Society Research Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge is one of forty new Fellows elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences in April 2010. There are now 983 Fellows of the Academy.

The Academy of Medical Sciences

A new type of signal molecule in plants discovered

Attila Molnar, Charles Melnyk and colleagues in the Baulcombe group have discovered a new type of signal molecule in plants. In a paper published online in Science (23/4/2010) they show that small RNA molecules, known as small interfering RNAs, can migrate long distances in plants and they can direct chemical modification of DNA in the recipient cells. This modification – DNA methylation – normally results in the silencing of gene expression that persists through cell divisions even if the mobile RNA is no longer present. The newly discovered signal could explain many mysterious phenomena in plant biology in which a local stimulus induces a long term and persistent effect in the recipient tissues.

"Small silencing RNAs in plants are mobile and they direct epigenetic modification in recipient cells"

Attila Molnar*, Charles W. Melnyk*, Andrew Bassett, Thomas J. Hardcastle, Ruth Dunn, David C. Baulcombe

The abstract and full text of the paper can be downloaded from
http://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/research/baulcombe/publications.html.

Image: Silencing of the GFP reporter gene in Arabidopsis roots by mobile small RNAs derived from GFP silenced shoots. Imaged using UV fluorescence, the green colour indicates non-silenced GFP fluorescing roots and red indicates silenced auto-fluorescencing tissue.

Tributes paid to Richard Savage

From the Royston Weekly News 23rd April 2010:

Tributes have been paid to a Cambridge University librarian who died after being hit by a train.

Richard Savage, of Greville Road, off Mill Road, Cambridge, died at Royston station on Friday morning.

Read the full article.