UW Botany Researcher’s work on relating circadian clocks and plant traits published in PNAS

Matt Rubin (front), former graduate student and co-author of this paper, in the field

Daily rhythms of gene expression are thought to benefit most organisms by ensuring that biological processes are activated at the optimal time of day. UW Botany professor Dr. Cynthia Weinig and her former graduate student Matt Rubin showed that natural genetic variation at circadian clock genes regulates plant traits of agricultural importance, such as size.  This study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a prestigious multidisciplinary journal, on Jan 20, 2015.

Link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1422242112

Link to Dr. Weinig’s lab: http://www.uwyo.edu/botany/faculty/cynthia-weinig.html

The Bearded Lady Project: Challenging the Face of Science

Dr. Ellen Currano, our newest faculty member, has become involved in outreach activities promoting the participation of women in science.

She is the lead subject and scientific consultant for The Bearded Lady Project: Challenging the Face of Science, a collaboration with film director Lexi Jamieson Marsh and photographer Kelsey Vance.

This documentary film and photographic project will celebrate “the work of female paleontologists and highlighting the challenges and obstacles they face”.

Please visit the website http://thebeardedladyproject.com/ to watch photos, trailers, and go behind the scenes to learn more about this project.

Prospective graduate students interested in pursuing field-based paleobotanical research in Wyoming are encouraged to email her.