Challenges in Plant Sciences – PSC Colloquium
Note
This course addresses MSc and PhD students at ETH Zurich, University of Zurich and University of Basel. The seminar is organized by the Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center. Lecturers are PSC members.
Course registration
Will open in July/August.
See grey box "PSC Course registration" on the right hand side.
Date and Venue
- Wednesday, 29 September 2021, 14.15–17.45h, Room to be determined: ETH Zurich or ZOOM meeting, (kick-off talks held by PSC lecturers); and
- Wednesday, 10 November 2021, tentative schedule: 08.30–17:45h. Room tbd: At ETH Zurich or ZOOM meeting (group presentations held by students)
Lecturers (all of them are members of the Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center)
Alexander Damm, Graham Dow, Cécile Lorrain, Monika Maurhofer, Pascal Niklaus, Barbara Pfister, Sebastian Pfeilmeier, Anne Roulin, Yvonne Willi, Thomas Boller, Sylvia Martínez.
Tentative Program, Wednesday, 29 September 2021 (kick-off talks)
| 14h15 | Introduction to the colloquium | Sylvia Martínez PSC |
| 14h30 | Plant microbiota - understanding the interactions that guide microbiota establishment and influence host fitness | |
| 14h45 | Why species have restricted ranges | Yvonne Willi, Uni Basel |
|
15h00 |
TEs element and natural population evolution | |
|
15h15 |
Break |
|
| 15h30 | Biological insect control with plant-beneficial pseudomonads | Monika Maurhofer ETHZ |
|
15h45 |
Linkages between stomatal development, leaf function, and climate adaptation |
|
|
16h00 |
Plant pathology in the Genomics Era: using next-generation sequencing technologies for crop disease management | |
| 16h15 | Break | |
| 16h30 | The mechanisms underpinning biodiversity-functioning relationships | |
| 16h45 | Assessment of plant carbon and water exchange from space | Alexander Damm, UZH |
| 17h00 | Chloroplast gene expression: Diversification of an ancestral prokaryotic scheme | Barbara Pfister, ETHZ (Sam Zeeman group) |
| 17h15 |
Student groups meet with their respective tutor to define content and work schedule for student talks. |
All participants |
| 17h40 | Approximate end of first event |
Content
The colloquium “Challenges in Plant Sciences” is a core class of the Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center's PhD program and the MSc module. The colloquium introduces participants to the broad spectrum of plant sciences within the network. The topics encompass integrated knowledge on current plant research, ranging from the molecular level to the ecosystem level, and from basic to applied science while making use of the synergies between the different research groups within the PSC. The course offers the opportunity to approach interdisciplinary topics as challenges in the field of plant sciences.
During the first course day, each involved PSC lecturer gives a short talk as a general introduction to her/his research field. Subsequently, each student group prepares a presentation chosen from a variety of topics and based on literature provided by the lecturer. Students gain knowledge on topics beyond their own research area while practicing discussion and presentation skills.
Main objectives
- Introduce PhD and Master students to the broad field of plant sciences
- Promote active participation and independent student work
- Enhance presentation and discussion skills
- Increase interactions among students and PSC members
- Promote an interdisciplinary and integrative teaching program
Course structure and timetable
- Students register with PSC and choose a topic (through doodle, tba).
- During the kick-off meeting PSC lecturers hold short talks on their research field and groups. Afterwards student groups meet with tutors/lecturers to define their talks scheduled for November and to plan the student teamwork.
- Between first and second colloquium day: Each student group prepares its colloquium presentation independently. Literature will be provided.
- In November student groups present their talks, (check the exact schedule on this website). Each student receives grading and feedback from two experts.
Grading and Credit Points
2 Credit Points for PhD and Master students. Based on 8 days of work (= 60 learning hours) consisting of 1.5 days block course and 6.5 days of independent preparation time for the talk.