MSU Plant Resilience Institute

Three people smile together while sitting at a round, white table. Other people sitting at tables can be seen in the background.

The 2026 @nappn.bsky.social Annual Conference is in full swing at Michigan State University! We're looking forward to the next two days of innovation in #plantphenotyping across scales, including tomorrow's talks by PRI members Christopher Topp, Jonathan Concepcion, and Anuradha Singh! #NAPPN2026

The Plant Resilience Institute is proud to celebrate a productive year with our center-level initiative, C-SPIRIT! Congratulations to our PRI members and partners for one year of progress towards building a global community committed to advancing sustainable, resilient agricultural systems. 👏

A large group of hackathon participants stand and kneel together while smiling and wearing matching lanyards and gray t-shirts with a drawing of the state of Michigan on them. The person taking the photo leans into the frame on the front left, and there is a brown and white dog in the center of the group. They are inside a sunny building, posing in front of a wall of windows between two white pillars.

Three people on the winning hackathon team pose together in front of a chalkboard. There is a poster behind them of a cartoon corn kernal holding a sign that says "Kernel Crew" on it. The two people on the end are holding their arms up in a flexing motion, and the person in the middle is holding up finger hearts.

Nine hackathon organizers and partners gather together while smiling in front of a brick wall that has abstract, metal sculptures hanging on it.

This past weekend, interdisciplinary trainees came together to tackle real-world agricultural data challenges at the MSU Bayer Hackathon! As a proud sponsor, the Plant Resilience Institute celebrates the creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration demonstrated by everyone involved! #MSUAgHack2026

This three-part virtual workshop series is free to attend and will help participants learn how to ensure data reproducibility in single-cell research! Learn more and register at: plantcellatlas.org/events

A dark blue and white promotional image for the WALII undergrad internship program featuring an image of a scientist looking into a microscope.

Applications for a 2026 WALII Summer Internship with the Rhee and VanBuren Labs at Michigan State University are due SUNDAY, February 1!

Apply here: walii.science/careers/

@rheelab.bsky.social @bobvanburen.bsky.social

An image featuring an art exhibit banner on the right, next to a sign that features the Michigan State University Spartan logo and the Multicultural Center sign.

An image down a hallway that shows multiple art exhibit images featuring plant scientists.

An image of two art exhibit banners hung up in a hallway.

The PCA & @msupri.bsky.social 's art exhibit featuring historically significant Black scholars in honor of Black History month is now on display at Michigan State University's Multicultural Center.

Check it out in-person during the month of February or visit: www.plantcellatlas.org/pca-art-exhi...

Check out our latest - exploring soil health across the KBS LTAR: acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

The Plant Cell Atlas newsletter is back! Read the January 2026 edition below, and sign up to receive future newsletters from this global community working to develop a comprehensive understanding of plant cell structure and function at a molecular level: plantcellatlas.org/contact

@bayercropscience.bsky.social @nappn.bsky.social

The lime green and navy graphic has a background image of computer code and DNA with the Michigan State University word mark in the top left corner. Contained in a white circle, there is the North American Plant Phenotyping Network (NAPPN) logo above the following text: Bayer Hackathon, February 7-8, 2026, Michigan State University. A free, hands-on plant breeding hackathon for students and trainees before the 2026 NAPPN Annual Conference. Register: plantphenotyping.org/conference-home Sponsored by:" with the Bayer and PRI logos at the bottom.

Bayer and the Plant Resilience Institute are hosting a free plant breeding hackathon for trainees, February 7-8 at Michigan State University! Register by January 30 for this fast-paced, collaborative event focused on engineering solutions in predictive breeding: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Flyer advertising KBS summer undergraduate programs, featuring a picture of kayakers floating down a river, the heading Summer Study: Lifetime Impact, a QR code, and a short description of the summer research and internship opportunities.

Registration for KBS summer undergraduate experiences closes soon!

Apply by Feb. 1 to spend a KBS summer doing field research or completing an internship: bit.ly/4t1kBpp

A dark green promotional image for the Plant Cell Atlas Data Reproducibility Workshop 3-day event happening February 9-11, 2026 at 9:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM EST.

We are TWO WEEKS away from the first session of the Data Reproducibility Workshop!

Don't forget to register!!

Learn more here: www.plantcellatlas.org/events

Today is the last day to register and submit a poster abstract for #NAPPN2026!

Registration for the Bayer Hackathon, a free event for trainees before the main conference, is still open until January 30th or until filled.

Register now: plantphenotyping.org/conference-home

The graphic has a faded background image of hands scooping up a seedling in the dirt with the Plant Resilience Institute logo in the top left corner. In a green gradient arrow, there is text that says, “Now Hiring: Howe Lab Postdoctoral Researcher.” In the bottom right corner, there is the MSU PRI logo and the text, “Apply online at careers.msu.edu.”

We're growing our research team! The MSU Plant Resilience institute is seeking a postdoctoral scholar to join the Howe lab and lead a project investigating a newly emerging class of plant regulatory metabolites.

Learn more and apply now: careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc... #PlantSciJobs #PlantScience

The graphic includes an image of maize plants growing in a field being surveyed by a drone set over a lime green background. The MSU wordmark is in the top left corner with the following text below: "2026 NAPPN Annual Conference Plus Pre-Conference Workshops & Student Hackathon, February 7-12, 2026, Michigan State University" In a navy blue rectangle is the following text: "Conference registration is due this Friday, January 23rd at: plantphenotyping.org/conference-home." The NAPPN logo is contained in a white triangle in the bottom right corner.

It's your last chance to register for the 2026 @nappn.bsky.social Annual Conference, taking place February 7-12 at MSU, along with pre-conference workshops and student hackathon! Conference registration is due THIS FRIDAY, January 23 at: plantphenotyping.org/conference-home

#NAPPN2026 #PlantScience

The graphic has a green gradient background and the following text: Calling all Plant Resilience Institute Alumni, You’re invited to join us for the PRI 10th Anniversary Celebration, May 6, 2026, Michigan State University, Learn more & register: bit.ly/pri2026retreat. The graphic also features the PRI 10th anniversary logo, a QR code, and photos on the righthand side of a flowering plant, PRI members working together in a lab, and a group shot of PRI members sitting outside together.

The MSU Plant Resilience Institute is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! In honor of the occasion, PRI alumni are invited to attend the festivities at our 2026 retreat in May! Learn more and register as an alumni attendee at: bit.ly/pri2026retreat

🚜🌱 C-SPIRIT is heading to the 2026 MABA Winter Conference and Trade Show!

We’ll be in Lansing on January 13–14 connecting with the Michigan ag community and sharing updates on C-SPIRIT’s work in sustainable agriculture & plant resilience.

📍 Lansing Center
🔎 Booth No. 110

#plantscience

A dark green promotional image for the Plant Cell Atlas Data Reproducibility Workshop 3-day with the full series description.

With the New Year upon us, it's the perfect time to register for next month's 3-part Data Reproducibility Workshop!

This workshop will be held February 9–11, meeting daily at 9:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM EST.

Register now, here: www.plantcellatlas.org/events.html

A headshot of Dr. Christine Sprunger, smiling in a corn field and wearing a black sweater.

Partnering with over 90 farmers across Michigan, Dr. Christine Sprunger (@sprunger.bsky.social) is examining how land management practices impact soil health.

Read more about her work to improve soil health, ecosystem diversity and crop productivity:
www.canr.msu.edu/news/msu-res...

#PlantScience

Wishing our PRI community, collaborators, and friends a joyful holiday season! Here’s to continued discovery and growth in the year ahead. Happy holidays from all of us at the MSU Plant Resilience Institute!

C-SPIRIT is representing at the 2025 Integrated Crop and Pest Management Update for Agribusiness hosted by Michigan State University Extension!

If you're on MSU's campus today, stop by and see us in the STEM Building outside of room 1130!

#plantscience

Behind every discovery is a community, including @c-spirit.org, @plantcellatlas.bsky.social, @waliianhydro.bsky.social, @plantmetabolism.bsky.social, @rheelab.bsky.social, @davidlowry.bsky.social, @emjo.bsky.social, @hatem-rouached.bsky.social, @bobvanburen.bsky.social, & @sprunger.bsky.social. 💚

A graphic with a blurred background image of hands in soil circling a small green plant growing out of a green PRI emblem with the text overtop "2025 Annual Report."

We’re excited to share the MSU Plant Resilience Institute’s 2025 Annual Report!

From breakthrough discoveries to global collaborations, join us in celebrating another year of extraordinary growth and scientific achievement at PRI.

🌱 Explore the report: plantresilience.msu.edu/about/annual...

This postdoc position is open until December 23! If you're interested in conducting cold acclimation and freezing tolerance experiments on the bioenergy crop switchgrass, apply now: careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...

#PlantScience #PlantSciJobs #PostdocOpportunity #ResearchCareers #AcademicJobs

Undergraduates interested in researching how life interacts with water are invited to apply for the WALII Summer Internship Program, which includes opportunities at the Rhee and VanBuren labs at the MSU Plant Resilience Institute! MSU applications are due February 1, 2026: walii.science/careers.html

Come visit our booth at the Great Lakes EXPO! We're here at Booth 1340 🌿

#GLEXPO

The graphic features a background image of soil with the title "World Soil Day, December 5, 2025." On the right is a headshot of Christine Sprunger, Associate Professor of Soil Health. The left side of the graphic has a flowchart linking soil biodiversity to productivity, carbon accumulation, and climate resiliency. The PRI logo is located in the bottom left corner.

Happy #WorldSoilDay! PRI faculty member @sprunger.bsky.social is at the forefront of soil research, developing new methodologies to use nematodes as bioindicators for soil health, linking soil biodiversity to productivity, carbon accumulation, and climate resiliency. 🪱 Learn more: sprungerlab.com

Congratulations, @emjo.bsky.social, @davidlowry.bsky.social, and @rheelab.bsky.social!

A square graphic broken into four quadrants, with the NatSci logo and text "2025 College Awards" in the top left corner, a photo of Emily Josephs receiving her award from Eric Hegg in the top right, a photo of David Lowry receiving his award from Eric Hegg in the bottom left, and a headshot of Sue Rhee in the bottom right.

PRI is proud to highlight the extraordinary achievements of 3 faculty recognized with awards from the College of Natural Science:

Emily Josephs: Teacher-Scholar Award
David Lowry: Postdoctoral Mentoring Award
Sue Rhee: Research Leadership Award

Read more: plantresilience.msu.edu/pri-news/202...

The graphic has a faded background image of hands scooping up a seedling in the dirt with the Plant Resilience Institute logo in the top left corner. In a green gradient arrow, there is text that says, “Now Hiring: Howe Lab Postdoctoral Researcher.” In the bottom right corner, there is the MSU PRI logo and the text, “Apply online at careers.msu.edu.”

🚨 Hiring alert! MSU's Plant Resilience Institute is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to advance discovery of new regulatory metabolites driving plant stress responses. #PlantSciJobs

Join us as we push the boundaries of plant resilience research: careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...