Indiana, California, Michigan, Wisconsin .... Dundee

Dr Alison Bennett arrived at SCRI on 12 January 2010 to take up the post of Rhizosphere Microbiologist in EPI. After completing a PhD at Indiana University in 2005 on the role of soil organisms in determining plant responses to herbivory, Alison moved to the University of California-Davis where she examined the role of soil organisms in interactions between native and invasive plant species in California grass and range lands.  Following two years of research in California she accepted a position as an adjunct faculty in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Michigan where she taught both undergraduate and graduate courses while continuing research on invasive species.  After her term at the University of Michigan was complete, Alison accepted a position in the Department of Entomology at the University of Wisconsin where she worked on the role of soil communities in structuring poplar defense strategies and plant-soil interactions under climate change conditions.  Alison’s work at SCRI will focus on how natural plant-soil interactions can inform managed plant-soil interactions as well as the role of soil organisms in plant defense.

Edinburgh, Dundee ... Australia

Dr Suzanne Donn leaves us for a spell as a post-doctoral scientist in Australia after several years at SCRI as a doctoral student and researcher. Before SCRI, she spent time at the Roslin Institute Edinburgh and at the Universities of St Andrews and Dundee for an MRes degree in Environmental Biology. Her first degree was in Biological Sciences (Zoology) at Edinburgh University. Her PhD topic at SCRI was 'molecular analysis of soil nematode assemblages under sustainable agriculture' supervised by Roy Neilson and Tim Daniell.  Suzanne was one of the first students to emerge from the recent surge in EPI's PhD training programme which presently supports about 30 students. Good luck Suzanne in your new work.

Moving in ...

Dr Barry Mulholland arrived at SCRI on 1 October 2009 to take up the post of Quantitative Plant Physiologist. After completing a PhD at Nottingham (Sutton Bonington) in 1994, Barry went on to lead projects on climate change and wheat production and short rotation coppice of willow for biofuel cropping.  His attention switched to horticulture when he was appointed as a senior research scientist to HRI – Wellesbourne and “quickly discovered that growing crops under glass was both high tech and challenging!”  Much of his work aimed to improve product quality and minimise wastage for the industry by improving the root environment.  The horticultural theme continued with a switch to teaching and the development of a Horticultural degree within the Combined Universities of Cornwall.  Research continued and substantial funding was acquired to explore local plant-based issues for Cornwall that involved invasive plant control and the conservation of rare and ancient plant material under threat of eradication from ‘Sudden Oak Death’.  His work at SCRI will focus on mechanisms of resource capture by both roots and shoots of cereal crops. The ultimate aim will be to design cropping systems that use water and nutrients more efficiently.

Moving on ...

An' each took aff his several way, resolv'd to meet some ither day. RB

Two members of EPI leave the programme in November 2009. Dr Jane Wishart takes up the position of Teaching fellow at the School of Biology, University of St Andrews, where she will develop course work in plant-animal interactions and supervise honours and post-graduation students as well as doing some research in molecular ecology. While in EPI, Jane worked on the molecular typing of microorganisms in water, plant molecular diversity and plant nutrition. Henri Fankem returns to Douala University, Cameroon, after completing a 10-month period of study on phosphorus-solubilising microorganisms in tropical soils, funded by the Rothamsted International African Fellows programme. Best wishes from EPI.

EPI programme external review

EPI had a major external review of its science programme on 24 and 25 November 2009. The review panel considered the research outputs from 2004 to 2009. The week before that, those elected to present the results to the panel gave a rehearsal to which all members of the programme were invited.

St Andrews Chair for Steve Hubbard

Steve Hubbard has been appointed to Chair in Biology at the School of Biology, University of St Andrews. This position will occupy around half his time, the other half being retained by the University of Dundee. His present input to research and supervision in EPI will not change - he co-supervises with EPI colleagues a growing number of doctorate students registered at Dundee and other universities - but one of his new roles is to foster better links and collaborations between St Andrews and SCRI. Congratulations Professor Hubbard.  

Plant responses to belowground stresses

A session on this topic is being organised by Philip White and Glyn Bengough at the 2010 meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology held in Prague between 30 June and 3 July. The scope of the session:  ‘Belowground stresses to plants will increase as the global environment changes, creating major challenges for food security. This session will report the latest studies and understanding of plant responses to physical, chemical and biological constraints to plant growth, drawing on examples from both crop and non-crop species. Root and whole plant responses to soil structure, flooding and water stress will be considered along side responses to salt and metal toxicities, and mineral deficiency. The extent to which classical genetics and ‘omics’ technologies can contribute to the development of crops resilient to belowground stresses, and the lessons that can be learnt from ecological studies, will be presented. Strategies for mitigating the effects of future climate change will be discussed.’ The meetings section of the SEB site gives further information.

Bioforsk Norway systems group visit to SCRI

A cross-institute group from Bioforsk, tasked with developing a national research initiative on sustainable agricultural systems, visited SCRI on 26 and 27 October 2009 to learn about our research effort in Scotland's arable-grass landscapes. Bioforsk was formed several years ago by merger of a number of research organisations in Norway. It "conducts applied and specifically targeted research linked to multifunctional agriculture and rural development, plant sciences, environmental protection and natural resource management." Bioforsk and SCRI face similar challenges in resarch on sustainable production systems and have developed formal collaborations to enable better sharing of ideas, experience, data and field sites.

The Bioforsk visitors, comprising Audun Korsaeth, Gustav Fystro, Eivind Vangdal, Marianne Bachmann and Jan Netland, consider  R&D on systems here to be one of the most advanced and comprehensive, through its integration of quantitative framework, modelling, observation network, suite of indicators  and a range of channels for knowledge-transfer, such as the LEAF Innovation Centre and the Living Field outreach project. At SCRI, Geoff Squire hosted the visit, Paul Hallett described progress on biophysical indicators and Graham Begg discussed system modelling. For further information contact Geoff Squire at SCRI and Audun Korsaeth at Bioforsk.

SCRI at Biotechnology YES 2009 Edinburgh

This year, for the first time in many years, SCRI entered the Biotechnology YES (Young Entrepreneurs Scheme) competition and helped highlight SCRI’s biotechnology credentials.  Run by the BBSRC, this competition aims to raise awareness of the commercialisation of bioscience ideas among postgraduate students/postdoctoral scientists.  Over an intensive three-day period, 23-25 September 2009, the competition covers all aspects of commercialising science.  The first 2 days are taken up with seminars and workshops from leading UK experts into producing a feasible business-plan, aspects of marketing, legal issues regarding IP (intellectual property) and how to raise finance.  A surprise announcement on the first announcement was that a 1-minute ‘elevator pitch’ had to be presented at 6.30pm in front of all attendees but the SCRI team rose to the challenge and were voted into a creditable second place. Using the information from seminars the teams have to create a defensible business plan to present to judges on day three, a la Dragons Den.  These judges then subject the teams to a grueling 10 minute interrogation regarding all aspects of their proposed business including their marketing strategy, their projected finances and all IP aspects. 

The SCRI team, consisting of David Roberts, Miriam Herold, Peter Thorpe and David Lloyd, ‘imagineered’ a business to convert organic, household waste, into clean, green electricity.  Their plan was very well received by the judges and they survived the interrogation unscathed but were pipped to the post by a team from Edinburgh (which also included SCRI’s Maja Thorsen) who now goes on to represent Scotland at the national competition in London.  The Biotechnology YES competition gives invaluable insight into the commercialisation of science and certainly raised the entrepreneurial awareness of the SCRI team.  We wish the Edinburgh team all the best for the next round and hope that next year an SCRI team will carry the Scottish flag to London. Contact: David Roberts

At the Royal Highland Show, 25-28 June 2009

The themes at this year's SCRI exhibit in the SAC pavilion at the RHS, Ingliston, Edinburgh were SCRI's spectacular Timeline and Scotland's Living Field, the latter being a display demonstrating the importance of ecological food webs to the integrity of the farmed landscapes of lowland, east Scotland. Elsewhere, in the education pavilion, SCRI had an exhibit on soft fruit. The Living Field display included a computer-based teaching tool demonstrating functional types, food chains and food webs that will be made available to the public through the Living Field website over the summer. There was no shortage of EPI staff on hand to talk to visitors to the exhibits from Thursday morning through to Sunday afternoon.

Incidentally ..... Neil and Sandra Caul's five year old Charolais bull, Moyness Vivacious, won the Charolais championship in the cattle show - a fantastic win. Welcome back to your day job, Sandra - in EPI's soil microbiology! 28 June 2009

Open Farm Sunday 7 June 2009

Enjoy a day in the country and visit your local leaf LEAF Open Farm Sunday hosted by Mr Edward Baxter at West Gilston Mains in Fife this Sunday, 7 June 2009, from 12 to 4 pm. SCRI staff will be putting on exhibits and talking to visitors about the Institute's work as a LEAF Innovation Centre and our scientific work on biodiversity, environment and crop production. For details see here.

First in student PhD competition 2009

EPI student Lindsay McMenemy has scooped victory in the Scottish Research Institutes' Student PhD competition. Lindsay was awarded with the prestigious prize by Professor Thomas Rosswall during the Science for Life event held at the Sensation science centre in Dundee. Lindsay’s presentation, ‘Plant-mediated interactions with the large raspberry aphid’, was based on her PhD studies undertaken as part of our expanding research on trophic (feeding) relations. Her project investigates how organisms that simultaneously attack plants shape trophic interactions and linkages. The project, supervised by Scott Johnson (EPI) and Stuart MacFarlane (Plant Pathology), is in collaboration with the University of Sussex (Sue Hartley). 26 May 2009

Molecular diagnostics for water quality

The soil ecology group in EPI, led by Tim Daniell, uses a range of DNA-based tools to assess the presence and function of microorganisms in soil and water. These tools are mostly applied in publicly funded research on sustainable soils and crop production, but the possibility of a commercial spin out in  the assessment of water quality was explored with support from Mylnefield Research Services Ltd, SCRI’s commercial wing, and Scottish Enterprise under the Proof of Concept funding programme. The successful demonstration of rapid, high throughput molecular testing for water quality led in May 2009 to the spin-out company EnPrint® Ltd with start-up capital of £150,000 from the Genomia Seed Fund. EnPrint® is a fine example of government-funded science leading to a commercial application that should provide widespread public benefit through monitoring of the state of the aquatic environment. Contact at MRS/SCRI: Rayne Longhurst or see the EnPrint® web page.

Visitors from Jilin, China

On the Thursday 7 May 2009 SCRI was visited by President Professor De-Rong Yue of the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Professor Dongyun Hao, Director of the JAAS Biotechnology Center. In 2007 SCRI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the JAAS, with a special focus on crop development and biosafety.  The day's discussions, hosted by Pete Iannetta and Nigel Kerby, extended that dialogue, with Geoff Squire leading on environmental biosafety assessment within the European Union. Mylnefield Research Services is already heavily involved establishing Anglo-Chinese business partnerships and it is hoped that a joint research proposal on biosafety will emerge from this series of discussions. The JAAS research directors were also particularly interested in new techniques developed within SCRI's Plant  Transformation and GM Containment Facility (Jennifer Stephens) and the access to SCRIs potato germplasm (Gavin Ramsay).