AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANT BIOLOGISTS

Awards and fellowships: the society provides several awards and fellowships each year for various endeavors related to the science and study of plant biology. Honorary awards recognize service, research excellence, teaching, and mentoring. Travel awards help to lower the financial barriers for early career researchers from all backgrounds to attend the plant biology conference. The summer undergraduate research fellowship supports undergraduate students in a 10-week summer research program, as well as their travel to the following year's conference.

Membership and marketing: includes services related to providing services to members, including support for regional and sub-disciplinary sections, an ambassador program, and awards. Benefits of aspb membership include access to special sections of the aspb.org website, including an online membership directory; a job bank; and numerous free and discounted publications, products, and events.

Root&shoot research coordination network - this award to aspb from the us national science foundation supports the establishment of a network of plant science and partner organizations aimed at seeding and cultivating cultural change at the organizational level. The primary goal of the grant is to work with plant science organizations to help them change the discipline to be more welcoming to all. During 2024, the recommendations of the inclusive confernce working group continued to be implemented, including a series of bystander intervention trainings and the drafting of a manuscript describing the efforts; the travel award program continued, providing funds for student pairs to attend one of the plant science conferences organized by the research coordination network participating societies; and a working group worked to develop a training program focused on impacts of cultural and social challenges.

Legislative affairs/science policy - provides a means for the society and its members to engage with the us congress and the executive branch of the us government on priorities for plant science research and funding. The society's leaders and members of its science policy committee have also testified at congressional hearings on issues ranging from plant science funding to biotechnology and genetically modified organisms, and the society routinely submits written testimony in support of specific annual funding levels for several federal agencies. In 2024, aspb co-sponsored a congressional "lunch-and-learn" seminar that focused on gene editing technology and its uses in both fundamental and applied research, including the development of novel agricultrual products.

Education and outreach - aspb's education and outreach activities are funded by an annual board-authorized earnings allocation from the society's long-term investment portfolio. Among these activities, plant bloome provides grants in support of educational projects that are aimed at enhancing public awareness and understanding of the essential roles of plants in all areas of life.

Good works and exploratry programs - the good works activity is funded by an annual board-authorized earnings allocation from the long-term investment portfolio for projects that were originally brought forward by committees and approved by the board of directors. In 2024 an additional drawdown from the long-term investment portfolio funded a number of additonal projects, supplemented existing programs, and supported work for new business development.

Digital ecosystem: this program, which is funded on an ongoing basis by a board designated allocation from the earnings on the long-term investment portfolio and from job bank earnings, includes the society's digital content and engagement platform, plantae. Plantae supports broad engagement of the global plant science community, beyond the society's membership. There are two components, a content platform via which information and resources are shared with the community, and a community networking platform for ongoing engagement of plant scientists, primarily in self-organized groups.

Meetings and events - aspb ceased offering administation and management services support to our community during 2021, although we remain open to one-off opportunities to support organizations active in the plant science space. We have one remaining long-term client in a relationship that is being phased out. In 2024, aspb hosted a meeting of principle investigators of a u.s. Department of agriculture-supported plant biologists on the shoulder of the plant biology conference in honolulu.