SUNY Plattsburgh to Host 73rd Annual Meeting of Plant Biologists

PLATTSBURGH, NY (04/10/2009)(readMedia)-- SUNY Plattsburgh will host the 73rd annual meeting of the Northeast Section of the American Society of Plant Biologists on May 1-2. The topic of this year's symposium will be Auxin: The Pervasive Plant Hormone.

Janice Marchut Conrad, biology lecturer and NEASPB meeting co-chair, cited the meeting as an important opportunity for "scientists to get together and talk about science."

"Science isn't anything unless you talk about it," Marchut Conrad added.

Invited speakers include Lawrence Hobbie, from Adelphi University, speaking on the search for the auxin receptor; Gloria Muday, from Wake Forest University, speaking on the endogenous regulation of auxin transport; and Marta Laskowski, from Oberlin College, discussing the role of auxin in lateral root formation.

This event provides an opportunity for SUNY Plattsburgh students studying biology to join with experts learning about the latest research in the field.

Students will play an important role in the meeting, and SUNY Plattsburgh undergraduates will also be presenting research posters at the meeting.

"It gives students a chance to showcase their work to an encouraging group of people from whom they can get constructive criticism," said Marchut Conrad.

The event will also feature some cultural and recreational activities. Attendees will be treated to a continental breakfast in the Winkel Art Gallery at the Plattsburgh State Art Museum and will be entertained by The Ralphie Parkers, a homegrown, campus band featuring SUNY Plattsburgh faculty, staff and students on Friday, May 1.

In conjunction with the NEASPB meeting, SUNY Plattsburgh faculty members Dr. Chris Martine and Dr. Ken Adams will offer a tour of the Gadway Sandstone Pavement Barrens, The Nature Conservancy's most unique Adirondack preserve on May 2, from 1 to 5 p.m.

For information regarding the meeting, contact Janice Marchut or Peter Conrad at 518-564-5272 and 518-564-527, respectively. For registration information, contact Kate Chilton at 518-564-3054 or kate.chilton@plattsburgh.edu.

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