WALIIAnhydro

@jiwasa.bsky.social @alexholehouse.bsky.social @shaharsu.bsky.social @rheelab.bsky.social

Protein surface chemistry encodes an adaptive tolerance to desiccation Desiccated cells lose over 85% of their water content and experience widespread biomolecular dysfunction. Romero-Pérez et al. show that the yeast proteome contains a subset of proteins that are desicc...

Read the full paper here: www.cell.com/cell-systems...

WALII members publish a new study in Cell Systems on how "Yeast Proteins Reveal Mysteries of Drought Resistance."

This paper helps to explain how the answer to an organism's desiccation tolerance may be found in a cell's proteins.

Read about it here: artsandsciences.syracuse.edu/chemistry/ne...

Promotional infographic for the speakers of the first WALII symposium. This promo highlights Dr. Mariana Silva Artur from the Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University & Research , and includes her bio, headshot, and link to her website.

Meet the speakers of the very first inaugural WALII Symposium: Exploring Life Without Water, happening Tuesday, Nov 18! 💧

To Learn More about the symposium: walii.science/virtual-symp...

To Learn More about Dr. Mariana Silva Artur: www.mariana-artur.com

@marianasartur.bsky.social

@roseamarks.bsky.social @rheelab.bsky.social @boeynaemssteven.bsky.social @alexholehouse.bsky.social @mexpositoalonso.bsky.social @bobvanburen.bsky.social @jiwasa.bsky.social @shaharsu.bsky.social

Promotional graphic for the 'First WALII Symposium: Exploring Life Without Water.' The graphic features a sandy, desert landscape with a blue sky background. The WALII logo is present on the bottom of the graphic. The rest of the text reads: "Abstract Submission Guidelines Abstracts should be no longer than 1 page and submitted as a PDF or Word document. Please include: Title Author(s) - presenter name in bold Affiliation Abstract Abstract Submission Deadline: October 9, 2025."

There is only ONE WEEK LEFT to submit an abstract for a contributed talk at the first annual WALII Virtual Symposium on Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025! 💧🌎

Selected speakers will present 10-12 min. talks followed by 3-5 min. of Q&A.

Submit now!

Visit: walii.science/virtual-symp...

Promotional infographic for the speakers of the first WALII symposium. This promo highlights Dr. Erez Lieberman Aiden of Baylor College of Medicine, and includes his bio, headshot, and link to his website.

Meet the speakers of the very first inaugural WALII Symposium: Exploring Life Without Water, happening Tuesday, Nov 18! 💧

To Learn More about the symposium: walii.science/virtual-symp...

To Learn More about Dr. Erez Lieberman Aiden: www.bcm.edu/people-searc...

Promotional graphic for the 'First WALII Symposium: Exploring Life Without Water.' The graphic features a sandy, desert landscape with a blue sky background. The WALII logo is present on the bottom of the graphic. The rest of the text reads: "Abstract Submission Guidelines Abstracts should be no longer than 1 page and submitted as a PDF or Word document. Please include: Title Author(s) - presenter name in bold Affiliation Abstract Abstract Submission Deadline: October 9, 2025."

Just under two weeks left to submit an abstract for a contributed talk at the first inaugural WALII Virtual Symposium on Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025!

Selected speakers will present 10-12 min. talks followed by 3-5 min. of Q&A.

Visit: walii.science/virtual-symp...

Promotional infographic for the speakers of the first WALII symposium. This promo highlights Dr. Amy Gladfelter of the Duke University, and includes her bio, headshot, and link to her website.

Meet the speakers of the very first inaugural WALII Symposium: Exploring Life Without Water, happening Tuesday, Nov 18! 💧

To Learn More about the symposium: walii.science/virtual-symp...

To Learn More about Dr. Amy Gladfelter: www.cellbio.duke.edu/amy-gladfelter

@gladfelterlab.bsky.social

@boeynaemssteven.bsky.social @jiwasa.bsky.social

@roseamarks.bsky.social @rheelab.bsky.social @alexholehouse.bsky.social @bobvanburen.bsky.social @shaharsu.bsky.social @mexpositoalonso.bsky.social @ascbiology.bsky.social @sicb.bsky.social @faseborg.bsky.social

Promotional graphic for the 'First WALII Symposium: Exploring Life Without Water.' The graphic features a sandy, desert landscape with a blue sky background. The WALII logo is present on the bottom of the graphic. The rest of the text reads: "Present at one of our four symposium sessions: Science of Drying & Rehydrating Tools & Technologies Engineering, Biotechnology, and Applications of Desiccation Tolerance Integrating Across Scales & Organisms Abstract Submission Deadline: October 9, 2025."

Join us for the first inaugural WALII Virtual Symposium on Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025!

Abstract submissions for a contributed talk are NOW OPEN!

Selected speakers will be chosen in Oct. & will present 10-12 min. talks followed by 3-5 min. of Q&A.

Visit: walii.science/virtual-symp...

Promotional infographic for the speakers of the first WALII symposium. This promo highlights Dr. Erin Green of the University of Chicago, and includes her bio, headshot, and link to her website.

Meet the speakers of the very first inaugural WALII Symposium: Exploring Life Without Water, happening Tuesday, Nov 18! 💧

To Learn More about the symposium: www.walii.science/virtual-symp...

To Learn More about Dr. Erin Green: www.eringreenlab.org

@erinrgreen.bsky.social

A graphic with blue text and wave design that reads "Happy Postdoc Appreciation Week! September 15-19, 2025." The graphic also includes an image of the WALII logo.

Happy Postdoc Appreciation Week to all of the Postdoctoral researchers helping drive science research forward with WALII and beyond!

To learn more about the work our postdocs do at WALII, visit: Walii.science

@erincushing.bsky.social @rheelab.bsky.social @davidlowry.bsky.social @msupri.bsky.social

In a room, a woman displays a certificate while standing with two people, highlighting a moment of recognition.

This past weekend, members of WALII presented their posters at the first annual Great Lakes Plant Science Conference.

WALII member Erin Cushing's poster on "Decoding Desiccation Tolerance in Arabidopsis Seeds" tied for second place at the poster competition! #GLPSC2025

GLPSC 2025 attendees pose together on the sidewalk in front of the Grand River for a group photo

Thank you to everyone who attended the 1st Great Lakes Plant Science Conference and helped make it a success! This inaugural meeting brought together 416 registrants from 55 institutions. Together, we’ve built momentum for the future of #plantscience in the Great Lakes region and beyond! #GLPSC2025

A person stands in front of a scientific poster. They are smiling at the camera.

A presenter indicates a poster with their hands as they present the information to two individuals.

WALII member Cathy Mercado from the VanBuren Lab at Michigan State University, presented her poster, "Photoprotective Strategies Underlying Desiccation Tolerance in Linderniaceae" at the very first Great Lakes Plant Science Conference! #GLPSC2025

Promotional graphic for the 'First WALII Symposium: Exploring Life Without Water.' The graphic features a sandy, desert landscape with a blue sky background. The WALII logo is present on the bottom of the graphic. The rest of the text reads: "Abstract Submission Guidelines Abstracts should be no longer than 1 page and submitted as a PDF or Word document. Please include: Title Author(s) - presenter name in bold Affiliation Abstract Abstract Submission Deadline: October 9, 2025."

Join us for the very first inaugural WALII Virtual Symposium on Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025!

Abstract submissions for a contributed talk are NOW OPEN!

Selected speakers will be chosen in Oct. and will present 10-12 minute talks followed by 3-5 minutes of Q&A.

For More: www.walii.science/virtual-symp...

The graphic has a faded background image of plants under a microscope with the Plant Resilience Institute logo in the top left corner. In a green gradient arrow in the middle of the graphic, there is text that says, “Now Hiring: Tenure Stream Faculty Positions, Assistant, Associate or Full Professor Level." In the bottom right corner, there is the MSU PRI logo and the text, “Apply online at careers.msu.edu.”

The MSU Plant Resilience Institute is excited to launch an open rank tenure-track faculty search!

We're seeking creative, collaborative researchers to join the PRI faculty to investigate plant responses to environmental challenges. 🌱 Apply now: careers.msu.edu/jobs/assista... #PlantSciJobs

A graphic with a faded background image of a nematode and the PRI, Rhee Lab, C-SPIRIT, and WALII logos at the top. In a green gradient arrow, there is text that says, “Now Hiring: Rhee Lab Postdoctoral Researcher.” In the bottom right corner, there is text that says, “Apply online at careers.msu.edu” and the MSU PRI logo.

The @rheelab.bsky.social at the MSU Plant Resilience Institute is now #hiring a postdoctoral researcher to investigate how #nematodes respond to chemical and environmental cues as part of @c-spirit.org and @waliianhydro.bsky.social. 🪱

Apply now at: careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc... #PlantSciJobs

Research Associate-Fixed Term - East Lansing, Michigan, United States Position Summary   We seek to recruit a highly motivated and skilled postdoctoral researcher to investigate how nematodes respond to chemical and environmental cues, with the goal of advancing plant r...

@rheelab.bsky.social at Michigan State University is looking to hire a new postdoc position to work on nematodes for desiccation tolerance and plant-pathogenic nematode interactions on both the WALII and @c-spirit.org grants.

For more information, visit: careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...

🌿 C-SPIRIT member Sue Rhee will speak at the Cutting-Edge Plant Biotechnology workshop in Tashkent, August 25–27.

🧬 On 8/25, she’ll give two talks, one on developing and pitching research projects & one on plant resilience through thermophilic species

Learn more: cvent.me/RvLkxR

#plantscience

A graphic promoting GLPSC 2025 with a background image of blurred leaves and an outline of the Great Lakes. The text at the top says, "1st Great Lakes Plant Science Conference, September 12-14, 2025, the Lansing Center, Lansing, MI.” In a blue rectangle, there is a QR code and the text, “Last Change! Register by August 31, 2025 at: research.msu.edu/glpsc2025.” Below, the text says, “Organized by 10 universities around the Great Lakes to push the boundaries of plant science, promote collaborations, and empower the next-generation plant science leaders. Hosted by Michigan State University and the Plant Resilience Institute." The logos of the following participating institutions are at the bottom: Michigan State University, Plant Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of Chicago, University of Guelph, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Michigan, University of Toronto, and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Join us at the 1st Great Lakes Plant Science Conference, featuring talks from rising plant scientists across disciplines, 200+ poster presentations, & professional development opportunities! #GLPSC2025 #PlantScience

📅 Sept 12–14, 2025 in Lansing, MI
⏳ Register by Aug 31: research.msu.edu/glpsc2025

A young woman with dark, shoulder-length hair in a hot pink shirt stands in front of a blurry scientific poster. She has a black name tag around her neck that has her name, 'Erin Cushing.'

Last week at the ASPB Conference in Milwaukee, WALII member Erin Cushing presented her poster on "Decoding Desiccation Tolerance in Arabidopsis Seeds: Transcriptional and Post-Transcriptional Regulation During Seed Maturation."

#PlantBio2025

A speaker stands on a stage giving a presentation. To the right of the image is a screen with a slideshow presentation projected on it.

A speaker stands behind a lectern with a sign across the front that reads "Plant Biology."

WALII Member Marisa Otegui gave a wonderful presentation this afternoon at the ASPB Conference on "Membrane Remodeling by ESCRT Proteins in Plant Cells."

#PlantBio2025

Promotional image with a transparent, leafy green background. The text on the image reads, "Marisa Otegui, University of Wisconsin-Madison. 'Membrane Remodeling by ESCRT Proteins in Plant Cells' Tuesday July 29, 2025 1:30PM. Room 203CD." The promo also has an image of Marisa, a woman with shoulder-length darn hair as well as the logos for the ASPB Plant Biology Conference and the Water and Life Interface Institute.

WALII Member Marisa Otegui will be speaking this afternoon at the @aspbofficial.bsky.social Conference! Make sure to attend to listen to her talk on "Membrane Remodeling by ESCRT Proteins in Plant Cells."

#PlantBio2025

Attendees at the event pictured talking and eating together.

Sue Rhee, Frank Telewski, and Jannis Jac​obs standing together smiling.

Attendees at the event pictured talking together in groups.

Researchers posing together for a selfie.

We had an amazing time yesterday evening with the ~100 MSU #PlantScience researchers, alumni, and collaborators who joined us at the MSU Plant Science Community networking mixer at #PlantBio2025! Thank you to everyone who attended, and enjoy the rest of the conference! 🌿 #GoGreen!

A male speaker stands on a stage with a green curtain background and big block white letters that say "ASPB" behind him. There is a lectern directly in front of him with a "Plant Biology" side across the front. On the left side of the image there is a large screen with the title page of the speaker's slideshow presentation. In the foreground of the photo there are tables lined with a black table cloth and chairs facing the speaker.

A male speaker in black pants and a blue polo shirt stands on a stage with a green curtain background and big block white letters that say "ASPB" behind him. There is a lectern on the left side of the image with a "Plant Biology" side across the front.

We really enjoyed WALII Scientific Advisory Board Member Kent Bradford's talk today at the @aspbofficial.bsky.social conference on "Understanding Dormancy Strategies of Seed Populations."

#PlantBio2025

Promotional image with a transparent, leafy green background. The text on the image reads, "Kent Bradford University of California, Davis. 'Understanding Dormancy Strategies of Seed Populations' Monday July 28, 2025 8:30AM. Grand Ballroom ABC." The promo also has an image of Kent Bradford, a man in a red shirt with dark gray hair, as well as the logos for the ASPB Plant Biology Conference and the Plant Cell Atlas.

Are you attending the ASPB Conference this week?

Stop by the Grand Ballroom tomorrow, Monday July 28, to listen to WALII SAB Member Kent Bradford's talk on "Understanding Dormancy Strategies of Seed Populations."

#PlantBio2025