RCN: The Coordinated Plant Science Research and Education Network

植物为我们提供食物、饲料、纤维、药物、燃料和其他生物产品，并以此隔绝二氧化碳、创造栖息地、稳定景观和包含非凡的生物多样性。环境保护和人类对植物的利用都需要了解植物的形态和功能，从分子到生态系统的角度，从单细胞、水生生物到驯化的农业物种及其野生近亲，再到最高的树木。植物研究是绿色革命的基础，现在正被呼吁解决食品、健康和环境方面的一系列挑战。由于植物科学及其相关实验技术的广度，该领域面临着解决多边，多学科实验问题的重大阻力。该项目将形成植物科学研究与教育协调网络，这是一个参与植物科学研究的研究和教育协会网络，它将继续并扩大成功的努力，将广泛的植物科学家团结在一个名为十年愿景的战略计划周围，该计划于2013年发布。该网络有两个主要目标：(1)鼓励和促进其六个创始成员学会之间的信息交流，从而促进跨学科的培训和研究；(2)利用专门的研讨会寻求新的解决方案来扩大对植物科学的参与，并重新审视如何培养植物科学方面的博士后。不同种类的实验植物科学家之间更好的交流，以及那些从成像到机器人到信息学的技术贡献，有望丰富和活跃植物界，同时导致令人兴奋和授权的植物奇迹的基本发现。植物科学研究与教育协调网络作为一个论坛，通过该论坛，植物科学支持者协调他们推进植物科学研究、教育和创新的努力，将协调和促进更广泛的植物界的成功努力，建立一套共识驱动的优先事项，最终在2013年出版的《释放植物科学创新的十年：2015-2025年愿景》中达到高潮。该网络的创始成员是美国植物生物学家学会、作物、土壤和环境科学学会联盟、美国植物病理学学会、美国园艺科学学会、美国植物学会、美国遗传学学会和本科研究委员会。该网络将向任何感兴趣的科学专业协会开放，并将积极参与对植物研究感兴趣的其他组织。该网络的主要目标之一是为其成员和更广泛的植物科学界提供研究、教育和外联活动和机会的交流中心。预期成果包括社会和科学家之间的新合作，包括将推进植物科学前沿的新的跨学科合作研究项目，以及为美国植物科学研究所需的下一代科学家提供创新的招聘和培训策略。该网络还将召开关于扩大参与和博士后培训的两个讲习班，目的是促进植物科学工作人员的职业建设和多样化。为了传播植物研究的奇迹和重要性，该网络将向公众开发一套共享的一致信息，包括关于关键社会相关主题的权威的、基于科学的信息。该网络的内部和外部通信将通过Plantae.org进行，这是一个定制的模块化网络界面，旨在满足该网络和更广泛的植物科学界成员的需求。

Plants provide us with food, feed, fiber, medicines, fuel and other bioproducts, and in so doing sequester carbon dioxide, create habitat, stabilize landscapes and encompass an extraordinary biodiversity. Both environmental preservation and human uses of plants require knowledge of plant form and function, from the molecular to ecosystem perspectives, and spanning single-celled, aquatic organisms to domesticated agricultural species and their wild relatives, to the tallest trees. Plant research underpinned the Green Revolution, and is now being called upon to address a range of challenges in food, health and the environment. Because of the breadth of plant science and its associated experimental technologies, the field faces significant headwinds to address multilateral, multidisciplinary experimental questions. This project will form the Coordinated Plant Science Research and Education Network, a network of research and education societies with involvement in plant science research that continues and amplifies a successful effort to unite a broad spectrum of plant scientists around a strategic plan called the Decadal Vision that was published in 2013. The Network has two major goals: (1) to catalyze interdisciplinary training and research by encouraging and facilitating information exchange among its six founding member societies, a number intended to grow; and (2) to use dedicated workshops to seek novel solutions to broaden participation in plant sciences, and to re-examine how postdoctoral fellows should be trained in the plant sciences. Improved cross-talk between different stripes of experimental plant scientists, and with those contributing enabling technologies from imaging to robotics to informatics, promises to enrich and enliven the plant community, while leading to exciting and empowering fundamental discoveries about the wonders of plants. By serving as a forum through which plant science constituencies coordinate their efforts to advance plant science research, education, and innovation, the Coordinated Plant Science Research and Education Network will coordinate and facilitate a successful effort by the broader plant community to establish a consensus-driven set of priorities which culminated in the 2013 publication of "Unleashing a Decade of Innovation in Plant Science: A vision for 2015-2025". The founding members of the Network are the American Society of Plant Biologists, the Alliance of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science Societies, the American Phytopathological Society, the American Society for Horticultural Science, the Botanical Society of America, the Genetics Society of America, and the Council on Undergraduate Research. The Network will be open to any interested scientific professional associations and will proactively engage other organizations with an interest in the study of plants. One of the main goals of the Network is to serve as a clearinghouse for the research, education and outreach activities and opportunities for its members and the wider plant science community. Expected outcomes include new collaborations among societies and scientists, including new interdisciplinary collaborative research projects that will advance the frontiers of plant sciences, and innovative recruitment and training strategies for the next generation of scientists required for excellence in U.S. plant science research. The Network will also convene two workshops, on broadening participation and postdoctoral training that aim to catalyze career building and diversification within the plant science workforce. To communicate the wonder and importance of plant research, the Network will develop a shared set of consistent messages to the public, including authoritative, science-based information on key societally relevant topics. Internal and external communication for the Network will be through Plantae.org, a modular web interface custom designed to serve the needs of the Network and members of the broader plant science community.