SEB Bulletin July 2005
New SEB honorary officers
Supplanting our honorary officers
Sorry for the obvious pun - couldn't resist! You may have guessed that this article refers to the departure of our long-standing and dedicated Plant Section Secretary, Richard Napier and to the arrival of his replacement, Keith Lindsey. Well, I say 'arrival' but Keith has actually been serving on the Plant Section Committee for a number of years as the co-chair of the Plant Gene Structure and Function Group, but more about Keith in a minute.
As a long-serving member of the Plant Section Committee myself, I have seen first hand just how extremely effective, supportive and visionary Richard has been as Plant Section Secretary. His 4 years with SEB climaxed in April with the very successful and well-attended Plant Frontiers Meeting in Sheffield. It was Richard's vision to bring together and showcase some of the best of UK plant science. Throughout his term in office he has coordinated the organisation of many other high impact sessions that have contributed to the vibrancy of the section.
Richard has given his time and energy selflessly to the Society, not only on the Section committee but all the others on which he sits: JXB Management, SEB Management and Council. This is no mean feat and as section representative I'd like to say a big THANK YOU! We congratulate and welcome Keith and wish him well in taking over the reins from Richard. He will be deputised by myself as Nick Smirnoff also steps down, and I will endeavour to assist him as much as I can over the coming years.
Keith's research programme is focused on the developmental biology of plants, and in particular on molecular control mechanisms in embryogenesis and root development. “We make use of a range of techniques in functional genomics, and exploit the many advantages of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model experimental organism”, says Keith. “A few years ago now we developed and used promoter trap insertional mutagenesis in a forward genetics approach to identify genes required for correct embryogenesis and root growth and development.” This led to the identification of the hydra class of sterol mutants, which are defective in cell shape control, cell patterning and embryo and seedling morphogenesis; and of the polaris, exordium and other mutants defective in primary and lateral root development. More recently, Keith's group has developed laser-capture microdissection in combination with DNA microarray, to identify transcription factors and signalling pathway components expressed in sub domains of developing embryos. Keith and I look forward to an exciting programme of plant sessions at the forthcoming meeting in Barcelona and to taking the section forward into a 'sustainable' future.
Jane Taylor
Deputy Plant Section Secretary
Lancaster University
Ian A. Johnston is Chandos Professor of Physiology at the University of St Andrews. He is currently Director of Research and Deputy Head of the School of Biology. Ian leads a large research group investigating adaptation and development in teleost fish from the genomic to whole animal levels ( see http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~fmrg/). His research frequently takes him to Norway, Iceland and Japan where he has long established collaborations. He was awarded the Scientific Medal of the Zoological Society in 1984 and elected to a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1987. A former member of the Natural Environment Research Council (1995-2000) he chaired the Marine Science & Technology Board. Ian Johnston has been Chairman of the Screening Committee for the St Andrews International Environment Prize sponsored by ConocoPhillips since its inception in 1998. For relaxation he enjoys beachcombing on tropical beaches, reading and gardening. A longtime member of the Society Ian has served on the Animal and Cell Section Committees and Council and has twice been convener of the Thermal Biology group. He is committed to extending the membership and activities of the Society and ensuring that it maintains a strong and sustainable financial position.
Ian A. Johnston, President Elect
