Future Scientific Meetings

BSPP meetings and Covid 19

Like many other societies, we’re faced with a number of difficult choices concerning Covid-19. The immediate decisions we need to make are whether to go ahead with Our Plants, Our Future (OPOF) at the end of April, and the Write Now! workshop in the second week of April.

We are closely following and will be guided by government policy and Public Health England recommendations on Covid-19. None of the current guidelines preclude holding the meetings. The Royal Society continues to host meetings.

We also have to take into account that individual organisations are imposing restrictions on staff movements and interactions with colleagues, based on their own risk assessments. These measures have already caused one group of registered participants to withdraw from OPOF. We believe that others will follow suit and that those considering attendance will be increasingly reluctant to do so.

We have therefore decided to postpone OPOF to later in this financial year, as permitted by The Royal Society. Our financial commitments remain. We will announce a new date for OPOF as soon as possible, taking into account availability at The Royal Society and other events in the scientific calendar. All existing registrations and invitations remain valid and will be carried forward.

The Write Now! workshop is a much smaller meeting and will be held in a remote area of rural Kent. We still plan to hold this event, subject to any government restrictions. We will also consult participants before making a final decision on whether to go ahead. We expect to make this decision in the next few days.

Eric Boa, on behalf of the BSPP board

13 March 2020

Ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant–fungal

Invasions.

On behalf of the New Phytologist Trust and symposium  organisers, I am pleased to invite you to 'Ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant–fungal invasions', which will take place in Campinas-SP, Brazil, on 20–23rd June 2020. 

Registration is now open.

An additional methods workshop focused on community and genomic analysis of introduced/invasive fungi will take place following the symposium. If you are interested in participating in this please contact np-symposia@lancaster.ac.uk. Note that there is no cost for the workshop; however, participants selected to attend will need to meet their own accommodation and travel costs.

The Grant deadline for the 45^th NPS: Ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant–fungal invasions. Early career researchers have until Thursday 19^th March 2020 to apply (newphytologist.org/grants/index/49). Successful applicants will receive free registration and travel assistance.

Gordon Research Seminar: 20 – 21 June 2020

https://www.grc.org/cellular-and-molecular-fungal-biology-grs-conference/2020/

Applications open to 24 May 2020 but apply early as places are limited.

Gordon Research Conference in Cellular and Molecular Fungal Biology:

21 – 26 June 2020

Holderness School, New Hampshire

The 2020 Gordon Research Conference on Cellular and Molecular Fungal Biology will focus on the huge diversity of fungal lifestyles and the mechanisms through which they interact with the complex environments they occupy. Fungal diversity reflects the evolutionary pressures and environmental challenges faced by all living organisms as they compete for resources. It presents rich opportunities to discover and characterize divergent mechanistic solutions for survival, thereby advancing our understanding of biology as a whole. These solutions include symbiotic and pathogenic lifestyles, which we must understand in order to safeguard the environment and combat diseases that threaten food crops, wildlife, livestock and human welfare. This conference will provide a deeper knowledge of the cell biology of fungi and the mechanisms they use to both support and extinguish other life-forms.

https://www.grc.org/cellular-and-molecular-fungal-biology-conference/2020/

Applications open to 24 May 2020 but apply early as places are limited.

The Tim James lab group at the University of Michigan will be hosting an NSF-funded chytrid fungi workshop Aug 10-14, 2020, on the collection, isolation, and classification of chytrid fungi. The workshop will take place in Pellston, Michigan at the University of Michigan Biological Station, the historic site of F. K. Sparrow's chytrid fungi research in the mid-20th century.

This workshop is aimed at professional biologists who may have no experience working with chytrids but who would like to integrate these organisms into their research and teaching. Instructional staff will be composed of international chytridiomycologists, including Tim James, Maiko Kagami, Joyce Longcore, and others.

Space is limited, so send your applications soon! Cost is $65 per day for housing and dining, and participants are expected to arrange their own transportation to Pellston.

For more information on the application process, see:  http://www.umich.edu/~mycology/UMBS.html