Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Course: Frontiers and Techniques in Plant Science

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spg Hbr NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory course on Frontiers and Techniques in Plant Science provides opportunities for a diverse group of scientists to learn about the latest developments and methods that are used for plant science research. The three-week course offers intensive immersion into the cross-disciplinary, cutting-edge approaches being used in plant biology research at the interface of biological and computational sciences. Students who take the course will be prepared to join the next generation of leaders in interdisciplinary research on plants. Scientific content of the course evolves in parallel to trends in the field; current emphasis is on genomic, evolutionary, analytical and computational themes using a number of plant models, including Arabidopsis, maize and tomato. The course format includes lectures, hands-on laboratories, and informal discussions catalyzed by three instructors and a cadre of invited lecturers who are leaders in their fields of research. Faced with high demand for the course, course organizers pay special attention to enrolling a demographically diverse group of students. Post-course evaluations by both instructors and students helps to inform decision-making about content for subsequent years. Past participants have reported high satisfaction with the course, and long-term follow-up indicates that the course has long-lasting impact on the careers and research directions of participants.