Challenges in Plant Sciences – PSC Colloquium
Date and Location
PSC Lecturers
Sylvain Bischof, Mana Gharun, Antia Rodriguez Villalon, Maria Santos, Christian Schöb, Marcel van der Heijden, Julia Vorholt, Alex Widmer, Samuel Zeeman, Thomas Boller, Sylvia Martinez (PSC & U Basel)
Content
The colloquium “Challenges in Plant Sciences” is a core event of the Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center's PhD program and the MSc module. The colloquium introduces participants to the broad spectrum of disciplines in plant sciences. The topics offer integrated knowledge about plant sciences, they range 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 of the PSC. The course offers a unique chance to approach interdisciplinary topics as challenges in the field of plant sciences.
During the kick-off meeting, each involved PSC lecturer gives a short kick-off talk as a general introduction to his/her research field. Subsequently, each student group prepares a presentation chosen from a variety of topics and based on literature provided by the tutors. Students gain knowledge and practice discussing and presenting research results.
Program, Tuesday, 24 September 2019 (kick-off talks)
| 14h15 | Introduction to the colloquium | Sylvia Martinez PSC |
| 14h30 | Plant adaptation | Alex Widmer, ETHZ |
| 14h45 | Understanding and harnessing plant metabolism |
Sam Zeeman, ETHZ |
|
15h00 |
Plant microbiomes |
Julia Vorholt, ETHZ |
|
15h15 |
Plant vascular development | Antia Rodriguez Villalon, ETHZ |
|
15h30 |
An ecologist’s view on crop system |
Christian Schöb, ETHZ |
| 15h45 | Break | |
| 16h15 |
Understanding plants from a leaf to the ecosystem |
Mana Gharun, ETHZ |
| 16h30 | Root microbiome management and soil ecological engineering for a sustainable agriculture | Marcel van der Heijden, UZH |
| 16h45 |
Plant function and ecosystem services – a social-ecological perspective |
Maria Santos, UZH |
| 17h00 |
Epigenetics and chromatin remodeling |
Sylvain Bischof, UZH |
| 17h15 | All student groups meet with their respective tutor to define content and work schedule for student talks. | All participants |
| 17h45 | Approximate end of first event |
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 teachers
- Promote an interdisciplinary and integrative teaching program
Course structure and timetable
- Students register with PSC and choose a topic through the doodle (tba).
- During the kick-off meeting PSC lecturers hold short talks on their research topics and groups. Afterwards student groups meet with tutors/lecturers to define their talks scheduled for November and to plan the student teamwork.
- Between September and October: Each student group prepares its colloquium talks independently. Literature will be provided.
- Colloquium block course will be held in October, (check the exact schedule further up this website). Student groups present their talks. 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.