@ripeproject.bsky.social
Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) is an international research project engineering crops to be more productive by improving photosynthesis. We hope to reduce global food insecurity & prepare plants to deal with the changing climate.
RIPE Researchers, in work done for the CABBI Project, demonstrated that increasing the Rubisco enzyme in C4 crops like sorghum and sugar cane increases photosynthesis and yield as well!
Their work was published in the National Academy of Sciences proceedings.
A woman in a lab coat smiles while taking a measurement of leaves with a device.
Tracy Lawson's fascination with plants started as a child on an English farm & recently brought the globally recognized expert in plant biology across the pond to Illinois!
Tracy talks about her research & what she's looking forward to most in this new feature!
bit.ly/4jfguQQ
The Microbiologist recently featured Yong-Su Jinβs work to modify bacteria to convert carbon dioxide into useful products by combining algaeβs photosynthetic properties with bacteriaβs production capabilities, overcoming a costly limitation faced by previous strategies.
04.04.2025 15:41 β π 4 π 2 π¬ 0 π 0
RIPE team members have developed an R package for curve fitting that enables users to build analysis pipelines for fitting photosynthetic gas exchange data.
Read more about PhotoGEA in @PlantCell&Environment: doi.org/10.1111/pce....
Increased Rubisco for better C4 photosynthesis
www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
@ripeproject.bsky.social
A RIPE team determined that a crucial soybean photosynthesis improvement with traditional breeding methods is unlikely. Gene editing could be the key to unlocking soybean potential.
Their work was published in @theplantjournal.bsky.social
Article: doi.org/10.1111/tpj....
Story: bit.ly/4iAM0ZN
Excited to share that I'll soon be recruiting a 3 year postdoc to join the lab @lancasterplantbio.bsky.social to work with me on Rubisco biochemistry and engineering. Official advertising details to be released very soon, watch this space! Please spread the word. ππ±π§ͺπ₯Ό
23.03.2025 11:24 β π 15 π 17 π¬ 0 π 2WEβRE HIRING!
Funded 3-year postdoc looking at the impact of chilling on maize π½
The project will be looking at chilling responses in roots and shoots π±βοΈ including the role of ABA and photoinhibition.
Applications close 28th March. More details below www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/50591/
A woman in a lab space works with a pipette. Her arms are under a protective bar and she is surrounded by standard lab equipment.
RIPE researchers from @lancasteruni.bsky.social wrote a chapter in the latest volume of Methods in Enzymology, providing a protocol for using radiometric assays to measure Rubisco in plant leaves.
Read more about their work here: bit.ly/3XzXW5h
Corrected link for the commentary: doi.org/10.1111/nph....
07.03.2025 17:15 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
A brunette woman with glasses and a red shirt smiles at the camera.
Our home institute, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, flipped the script on our communications manager Allie, interviewing her for a recent feature story!
Read about her journey in science communications here: bit.ly/3QNvAkk
Connecting detailed photosynthetic kinetics to #crop growth and yield: A coupled #modeling framework
π° Story: buff.ly/42b5Xki via @Botany.One
π¬ Research: buff.ly/4czuZfm
Webinar by me for the International Safe Cassava Network hosted by @globalplantgpc.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/5sSSjHC...
06.03.2025 19:51 β π 11 π 5 π¬ 1 π 1
A close-up picture of a soybean plantβs leaves.
Current & former RIPE team members were invited to share their expertise & provide commentary on a recent @newphyt.bsky.social article.
Read Coralie & Yi's article, βMesophyll conductance and cell wall composition: insights from a meta-analysis across species,β doi.org/10.1111/nph....
A young woman in a white shirt in front of yellow sunflowers.
This semester, RIPE will be joined by Maria Raza as our science communication intern! Maria will work with our team to share RIPE research news and also participate in mentorship and career preparation experiences.
Welcome to the team, Maria!
Read more about her here: bit.ly/3XbypiO
Check out this @sciam.bsky.social article about our βHot Potatoβ research!
bit.ly/4hYOX5z
@kmeacham-hensold.bsky.social, @cavycavs.bsky.social, @plantnerd.bsky.social, @illinoisresearch.bsky.social @universityofessex.bsky.social
Two pictures side-by-side. The left picture is of a woman wearing sunglasses holding a leafy green plant surrounded by green plants tall enough to reach her waist. The photo on the right is a woman in a lab coat sitting slightly behind a plant and an instrument measuring the plant.
We are thrilled to announce RIPEβs new leadership duo!
Lisa Ainsworth is our Director & Elizabete Carmo-Silva is our Deputy Director!
Both Lisa & Elizabete have been with the project for years & we look forward to what we can accomplish under their guidance.
Full announcement here: bit.ly/42UuCtW
A small, white machine takes a measurement of a green leaf surrounded by other leaves. White text in the bottom right says Join Our Team!
We are looking for a team member to provide maintenance & management of our pool of LiCOR devices at Illinois.
Work will take place in lab, greenhouse, & field settings. Additional details can be found here: bit.ly/4hXUGbI Deadline to apply is March 13 at 6pm (CST).
@li-corenv.bsky.social
A collage of eight pictures of women scientists against a background of green. There is a yellow block in the center with dark green text reading Women move science forward. Under the text is the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency Project logo.
Science does not move forward without the invaluable contributions of women. Today we celebrate the incredible women on the RIPE team and all of those shaping the future of research.
#EveryVoiceInScience
@cavycavs.bsky.social @meganlmatthews.bsky.social @lancasteruni.bsky.social
πππ©π©π² ππππ‘ ππ§πππ«π§πππ’π¨π§ππ₯ πππ² π¨π ππ¨π¦ππ§ ππ§π ππ’π«π₯π¬ π’π§ πππ’ππ§ππ π©βπ¬
www.un.org/en/observanc...
"Letβs help pave a path to STEM careers that women and girls deserve, and our world needs" UN Secretary-General AntΓ³nio Guterres
πΏπ¬πβοΈ
Are you a non-UK scientist interested in working in the UK for a postdoc? A Royal Society Newton Fellowship could be just what you are looking for!
We can support applicants interested in working on photosynthetic responses to climate change. Please get in touch!
royalsociety.org/grants/newto...
Two men kneeling on the ground in a field with small plants around them.
After decades of impactful & prolific research, Steve Long & Don Ort are retiring from their RIPE leadership roles. bit.ly/4hEKDIA
We are honored to have worked under them for the last 12 years & are elated they will continue RIPE work as principal investigators. We wish them all the best!
The front cover of a magazine showing a cell. The words Biomarker Magazine Volume 18 appear in the middle left of the cover. Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology appears in the bottom right.
A magazine is open to a page with the headline RIPE team models connection between enzyme activity and yields for the first time. Then there is text in the middle of the page and the bottom of the page is a picture of a soybean field at dusk.
A magazine being held open. The left side has a headline that says Improving crop yields and a page of text. The right side of the magazine is a picture of two people kneeling in a field with young plants.
Read about the latest in genomics research from our home institute, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology!
There are a couple of RIPE features in this yearβs Biomarker, and we can even help you out with page 61! bit.ly/49ALtmQ
βThe reason we focus on photosynthesis is because we want to try to improve crop production without added inputs and without needing more land,β @kmeacham-hensold.bsky.social in a recent interview with @jtsangwrites.bsky.social for Advanced Science News.
Read the full article here: bit.ly/3WsKbEW
Green box with a picture of a young man in a blue shirt in the middle. Above the picture is the RIPE logo and the words Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency. Below the picture it says David Hong, RIPE Fall 2024 Science Communication Intern.
David Hong, RIPE's science communication intern last semester, recently reflected on what he learned as a member of the RIPE team and his internship experience. bit.ly/3PDT9vq
Thank you, David, for all your hard work, and best of luck in your future endeavors!
@giesbusiness.bsky.social
**COMMUNITY FEEDBACK REQUIRED**
We're going to run some workshops for early career researchers at a #plantscience meeting later this year. If you're an ECR, what topics would you like to see covered? What would be the most useful things to hear about for you? Reply here...
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(please share)
The deadline for our RIPE Data Manager position is this Thursday (1/16)! More information about the role can be found here: bit.ly/3VMBuoO
All RIPE openings can be found here: ripe.illinois.edu/team/join-ou...
Discover our animal sessions for Antwerp 2025 π°ππ:
www.sebiology.org/events/seb-a...
The abstract submission deadline is Midnight (GMT) on Friday 7 March 2025.
Submit now:
sebiology.org/events/seb-a...
Check out our sessions:
sebiology.org/events/seb-a...
Hands on a keyboard with green lighting over the picture. The words Join Our Team are in the top right corner in bold white copy.
RIPE currently has three openings to join our Illinois team! We are looking for a Data Manager, a Postdoc in the Lawson Lab, and a Science Communication Intern.
More information about all of the positions can be found on our website: ripe.illinois.edu/team/join-ou... #plantscijobs
We are delighted to announce that the abstract submission for the #SEBconference Antwerp 2025 is now open.
The abstract submission deadline is Midnight (GMT) on Friday 7 March 2025.
Submit now:
www.sebiology.org/events/seb-a...
Check out our sessions:
www.sebiology.org/events/seb-a...
