Introduction

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Itasca Orientation/Annual Retreat

Financial Aid

Resources

Student Life

Suggestions

2008 Itasca Orientation



Row 1- Jing Chen, Ye Sun, Jessica Biever, Kai-Ting Fan, Toko Mori
Row 2- Brendan Epstein, Suma Sreekanta, Roseanne Healy, Mike Nelson
Row 3- Mike Wilson, Jo Heuschele


August 13th-18th, 2008

In the week before fall semester begins, first-year students in the PBS program participate in a workshop at the Itasca Biological Research Station located on beautiful Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Students receive orientation to the program, participate in wet-lab and field-work modules, and get to know other students and faculty in the program. Students find that the Itasca experience provides the knowledge and relationships needed to succeed in the graduate program.

We would like to thank the following faculty and students for making the 2007 orientation a great success!!!

David Biesboer(Director of the Itasca Research Station), Jerry Cohen (Director of Graduate Studies, Bill Gray (faculty), Georgiana May (faculty), Min Ni (faculty), Neil Olszewski (faculty), Nevin Young (faculty), and Gail Kalli (coordinator).

TA's: Jessica Biever, Kai-Ting Fan, Xing Liu, Ye Sun



2008-2009 Incoming Students



Toko Mori and Jessica Biever out for a canoe ride in the famous Minnesota wild rice.



Everybody is taking the afternoon off to canoe around Lake Itasca. Fun was had by all!



Dave Biesboer gave a pontoon tour of Lake Itasca and provided historical information about the discovery of the headwaters of the Mississippi.



Georgiana May ran a lab module on Fungi of Northern Minnesota. Students and faculty were out looking for fungi specimens.





Students working on Bill Gray's lab module, entitled “Protein-protein interactions: Detecting auxin-induced binding of SCF-TIR1 substrates with pull-down assays.”



Identifying fungi during Georgiana May's lab module, "Fungi of northern Minnesota”



Students and faculty enjoying an evening picnic.



Dusk at Lake Itasca.

Welcome to the Plant Biological Sciences Graduate Program
 at the University of Minnesota
 Lake Itasca Biological Research Station
Orientation (2008)

Plant Biological Sciences Graduate Program Administrators:

Jerry Cohen, Director of Graduate Studies
Phone:  612-624-9212
Office: 252 Alderman Hall

Jane Glazebrook, Associate Director of Graduate Studies
Phone:  612-624-5194
Office:  324 Cargill Building

Bill Gray, Itasca Coordinator
Phone:  612-624-3042
Office:  674  Biosciences Center

Gail Kalli, PBS Coordinator
Phone:  612-625-4222
Office:  256 Biosciences Center
David Biesboer, Plant Biology Faculty &
Director of the Itasca Biological Research Station
Phone:  612-625-1799
Office:  724 Biosciences Center

Meal Times
Monday through Friday: (breakfast 7:00-7:30 a.m.; lunch 12:00-12:30 p.m.; dinner 6:00-6:30 p.m.)
Saturday:  (breakfast 8:00-8:30 a.m.; lunch 12:00-12:30 p.m.; dinner 6:00-6:30 p.m.)
Sunday:  (brunch 10:00-10:30 a.m.; dinner 5:00-5:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008  - Leave for Itasca at 7:00 am.  Meet at the parking lot across from the Biosciences Center – Arrive at Itasca 12:00 pm
Jessica Biever’s cell number 612-269-8313
David Biesboer, Plant Biology Faculty and Director of the Itasca Biological Research Station
Research Interests: Ecophysiology and anatomy of angiosperms
Wednesday, 2:00 p.m.; Welcome to Itasca & Safety orientation.

David Biesboer: 2:30 p.m; Pontoon tour

7:00 p.m.: PBS Program Orientation
            Jerry Cohen, Director of Graduate Studies of the PBS Graduate Program and Professor
in Horticulture Sciences and Gail Kalli, PBS Coordinator

Thursday, August 14th, 2008
David Biesboer, Professor in the Plant Biology Department and Director of the Itasca Biological Research Station
8:00 - noon:  Talk: "Nitrogen Cycling in Iron Springs Bog" and field trip to bog.

Thursday (continued)
Jerry Cohen, Professor in Horticulture Sciences
Research Interests: Plant hormone metabolism and regulation, embryogenesis, and organogenesis.
Lab Module – 1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.;  “The biochemistry of auxin conjugation”
Xing Liu, PBS Graduate Student (2nd year): assist in lab; Advisor:  Jerry Cohen

Friday, August 15th, 2008
Bill Gray, Assoc. Professor in the Plant Biology Department
Research Interests: Molecular basis of auxin-regulated growth and development; ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis
Lab Module – 7:35 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; “Protein-protein interactions: Detecting auxin-induced binding of SCF-TIR1 substrates with pull-down assays”
Kai-Ting Fan, PBS Graduate Student (2nd year): TA; Advisor:  Bill Gray

7:30 p.m.:  Neil Olszewski, Professor in the Plant Biology Department
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of hormone action; molecular genetics of DNA viruses.
Talk:  “Protein glycosylation affects hormone signaling and plant development”

Saturday, August 16th, 2008
Georgiana May, Assoc. Professor in the Ecology, Evolution & Behavior/Plant Biology
Lab Module – 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; “Fungi of northern Minnesota”
Jessica Biever, PBS Graduate student (2nd year): TA; Advisor:  Gary Gardner
Ye Sun, PBS Graduate Student (2nd year): TA;  Advisor: John Ward
           
Barbecue– (Faculty cabin) 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, August 17th 2008
Sue Wick, Professor in Plant Biology Department and Director of Biology Program
Research Interests:  Plant cytoskeleton, tubulin isoforms in plant development and in stress response
Floating Bog Tour: 6:45-8:15 (meet at the lake by the canoes)

Nevin Young, Professor in Plant Pathology/Plant Biology
Research Interests: Genomic analysis of plant-pathogen interactions and genome organization.
Lab module: 8:30-10:00 and 11:00-12:30; “Bioinformatics” in the Computer Lab     

AFTERNOON FREE

7:30 p.m.: Dr Min Ni, Assoc. Professor in the Plant Biology Department
            Research Interests: Light signal transduction and photomorphogenesis
            Title:  “Photomorphorenesis, flowering, and seed development”

Monday, August 18th, 2008 – 8:00 a.m.
Return home after breakfast

2008 PBS Retreat - May 15, 2008

This year the one-day retreat was held at the Como Conservatory at Como Park.

PBS faculty, PBS students, post docs, lab technicians were invited. We were very excited to have the College of Biological Sciences Associate Dean Huber Warner speak at our event this year.  We also had some research talks from PBS graduate students and post docs, a lab olympics organized by the PBS Phytograds and we ended the day with a poster session where PBS graduate students and post docs presented their research.
















Plant Biological Sciences Graduate Program
4th Annual Retreat
Bullard Rain Forest Auditorium Como Park
(Visitor Center)
8:00-4:30 pm
Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Check in and Breakfast (Students and postdocs should set up their posters before the start of the retreat.  Anyone with slides should load them onto the computer.  See Lin Wang for assistance).

Welcome – Jerry Cohen

Update from PBS Committee Chairs- Ryoko Oono, session chair
Admissions (Steve Gantt)
Colloquium (John Ward)
Curriculum (Gary Muehlbauer)
Financial Aid (Gary Gardner)
Itasca (Bill Gray)
IGERT (Sue Gibson)
Phytograds (Ryoko Oono)

Robert Elde, Dean of the College of Biological Sciences
                        Introduction – Jerry Cohen

                       
First-year student introductions-Kerrie Sendall, session chair
Jessica Biever, John Compton, Kai-Ting Fan, Jennifer Irving, Moana McClellan, Christopher Pinahs, Ye Sun,

PBS Student Research Talks – Amy Dykstra, session chair
Rachel Mills – Pre-thesis talk: “Study of a prairie invasive in NW Minnesota”
Yun Zhou – “SHB1 function in de-etiolation and flowering”
Ed Gilding – “The Blunt End to a Sharp Object: Restructuring   Trichomes"
Victoria Ranua – “The reproductive strategies of the Minnesota threatened species, Viola lanceolata (Violaceae)”

Abbe Award – Brian Arnold – VandenBosch, session chair

Lunch (posters available for viewing)

Group Activity - Lab Olympics- Carrie Eberle, session chair
(Nallu, Sun, Whittington, Oono, Dykstra, Sendall; station chairs)
             
PBS Student/Post Doc Research Talks – Yun Zhou, session chair
Brian Piasecki -  "Centriolar maturation and ciliary formation in
                        Chlamydomonas"
Jenny Dechaine – “Multiple Phytochromes Mediate Progeny Germination Responses to Light Quality in the Maternal Environment”
Adam Huang – “Identification of a Protein Kinase and a RING-Finger Protein Involved in Plant Sugar Response”
Lynn Hartweck – “Special Ops of the Plant World: Secret Agent and Spy”

Poster session (post docs and grad students) – Carrie Eberle, session chair

Retreat Day Summary/Door Prizes-Cohen

Tour of the Conservatory (optional) – Tim Whitfeld

2007 Itasca Orientation

Left to right: Incoming students Jessica Biever, John Compton, Kai-Ting Fan, Jennifer Irving, Moana McClellen, Ye Sun, Christopher Pinahs, and
TA-He Huang.

August 15th-20th, 2007

In the week before fall semester begins, first-year students in the PBS program participate in a workshop at the Itasca Biological Research Station located on beautiful Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Students receive orientation to the program, participate in wet-lab and field-work modules, and get to know other students and faculty in the program. Students find that the Itasca experience provides the knowledge and relationships needed to succeed in the graduate program.

We would like to thank the following faculty and students for making the 2007 orientation a great success!!!

Jon Ross (Assistant Director of the Itasca Research Station), Jerry Cohen (Director of Graduate Studies, Jane Glazebrook (Associate Director of Graduate Studies), Bill Gray (faculty), Fumiaki Katagiri (faculty), Georgiana May (faculty), Rebecca Montgomery (faculty), Nathan Springer (Itasca Coordinator), George Weiblen, Sue Wick (faculty), Keunsub Lee (student TA) and He Huang (student TA).

ITASCA ITINERARY
Welcome to the Plant Biological Sciences Graduate Program
 at the University of Minnesota
 Lake Itasca Biological Research Station
Orientation - 2007

We are very happy you have chosen our program to pursue your graduate education.   We are especially excited that you could join us at Itasca Biological Laboratories and Research Station for the program’s third Itasca Graduate Student Experience.

Plant Biological Sciences Graduate Program Administrators:

Jerry Cohen, Director of Graduate Studies
Phone:  612-624-9212
Office: 252 Alderman Hall

Jane Glazebrook, Associate Director of Graduate Studies
Phone:  612-624-5194
Office:  324 Cargill Building

Nathan Springer, Itasca Coordinator
Phone:  612-624-5194
Office:  368  Biosciences Center

Gail Kalli, PBS Coordinator
Phone:  612-625-4222
Office:  256 Biosciences Center

Wednesday, August 15th, 2007  - Leave for Itasca at 7:00 am.  Meet at the parking lot across from the Biosciences Center – Arrive at Itasca 12:00 pm

David Biesboer, Plant Biology Faculty and Director of the Itasca Biological Research Station
Research Interests: Ecophysiology and anatomy of angiosperms
Tour:  Wednesday, 2:00 p.m.; Safety orientation

Jon Ross, Resident Biologist; pontoon tour
Research interests include aquatic biology, specifically fish habitat selection and ecological genetics

Jerry Cohen, Director of Graduate Studies of the PBS Graduate Program and Professor in Horticulture Sciences
Gail Kalli, PBS Coordinator
Orientation - 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 16th, 2007
Georgiana May, Assoc. Professor in the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior and Plant Biology; PBS Steering Committee member; PBS Colloquium Committee member
Research Interests: - The evolution of fungal interactions with plants
Lab Module – 8:00 a.m.; "A fungus among us" - fungi living with plants

Keunsub Lee, PBS Graduate Student (4th year); assist in lab
Advisor:  Georgiana May

Nathan Springer, Assist. Professor in the Plant Biology Department and PBS Itasca Coordinator; PBS Steering Committee member
Research Interests: Epigenetic regulation; natural variation for gene expression
Research Talk - 7:30 p.m:  “Why don't we understand the molecular basis of hybrid vigor, or heterosis, after 100 years of studies”

Friday, August 17th, 2007
Bill Gray, Associate Professor in the Plant Biology Department
Research Interests: Molecular basis of auxin-regulated growth and development; ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis
Lab Module – 7:35 a.m-6:00 p.m.; “Protein-protein interactions: Detecting auxin-induced binding of SCF-TIR1 substrates with pull-down assays”
Lab summary:
The plant hormone auxin regulates virtually every aspect of plant growth and development.  The Gray lab uses genetic, molecular, and biochemical approaches with Arabidopsis to investigate how auxin regulates plant growth and development.  Much of our work is focused on the SCF-TIR1 complex; a protein complex that functions as the auxin receptor as well as an ubiquitin protein ligase that targets repressors of auxin signaling for proteolysis. Other ongoing projects in the lab include the functional analysis of the SAUR family of auxin-responsive genes, and a collaboration with Dr. Jerry Cohen's lab aimed at developing novel methods for measuring protein turnover rates using metabolic labeling strategies with stable heavy isotopes.

He Huang, PBS Graduate Student (2nd year); assist in lab
Advisor:  Bill Gray

(Joint research talks with the MCDGB program)

Jerry Cohen, Professor in Horticulture Science
Research Interests: Plant hormone metabolism and regulation, embryogenesis, and organogenesis
Research Talk - 7:00 p.m.; Pathway redundancy and novel reactions: The biosynthesis and regulation of auxins by plants

Eric Hendrickson – Associate Professor; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics
Research Interests: Mechanisms of mammalian DNA double-strand break repair
Research Talk – 7:45 p.m.

Saturday, August 18th, 2007
Sue Wick, Professor in Plant Biology Department and Director of Biology Program
Research Interests:  Plant cytoskeleton, tubulin isoforms in plant development and in stress response
8:30 a.m. -  Field (canoe) Trip and Lab Module; teaching as professional development

AFTERNOON FREE

Barbecue– 6:30 p.m. (Location TBA)

Sunday, August 19th 2007 (Join MCDGB for pizza dinner)
Dave Biesboer, Professor in the Plant Biology Department and Director of Itasca Biological Research Station and Laboratories
Research Interests:  Ecophysiology and anatomy of angiosperms
Rebecca Montgomery, Assistant Professor, Department of Forest Resources
Research interests: plant ecophysiology, forest ecology, tropical ecology, adaptive radiation
George Weiblen, Assoc, Professor in the Plant Biology Department
Research Interests: Plant systematics, molecular phylogenetics, coevolution, plant/insect interactions
8:00 – 10:00 a.m. - Field Trip
10:00-10:30 a.m. - Brunch
11:00-12:30 p.m. - Lab Module – “Interactive Identification of the Itasca Flora”

Fumiaki Katagiri, Assoc. Professor in the Plant Biology Department
Research Interests:  Systems biology of disease resistance mechanisms
Lab Module – 1:30 p.m.; “Bioinformatics”

DINNER – with the MCDGB graduate program- Time and Location TBA

Jane Glazebrook, Assoc. Professor in the Plant Biology Dept.; PBS Steering Committee member
Research Interests: Functional genomics analysis of plant defenses against pathogen attack
Research Talk -  7:30 p.m.  “Mutants, Microarrays, and Models: Stories of Plant Disease Resistance”

Monday, August 20th, 2007
Return home after breakfast

2007 PBS Retreat - May 17, 2007

This year the one-day retreat was held at the Como Conservatory at Como Park.

PBS faculty, PBS students, post docs, lab technicians were invited. We were very excited to have the College of Biological Sciences Associate Dean Huber Warner speak at our event this year.  We also had some research talks from PBS graduate students and post docs, a lab olympics organized by the PBS Phytograds and we ended the day with a poster session where PBS graduate students and post docs presented their research.

2006 Itasca Orientation

August 16th-21st, 2006

In the week before fall semester begins, first-year students in the PBS program participate in a workshop at the Itasca Biological Research Station located on beautiful Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Students receive orientation to the program, participate in wet-lab and field-work modules, and get to know other students and faculty in the program. Students find that the Itasca experience provides the knowledge and relationships needed to succeed in the graduate program.

We would like to thank the following faculty and students for making the 2006 orientation a great success!!!

David Biesboer, Jane Glazebrook (Coordinator), Florence Gleason, Fumiaki Katagiri, Peter Lefebvre, Min Ni, Neil Olszewski, Carolyn Silfow (Director of Graduate Studiens), George Weiblen, Sue Wick, Xiaodong Sun, Xioaqing Sun, Ed Gilding, Brian Piasecki, David Schladt, Ali Sivitiz, Wenjing Zhang and Yun Zhou.

WELCOME TO THE PLANT BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES GRADUATE PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA!!!

Dr. Carolyn Silflow's lab on Chlamydomonas centriole positioning.

Professor David Biesboer, Director of the Itasca Biological Station took the students on a pontoon tour of Lake Itasca.

To welcome everyone Professor Jane Glazebrook headed the get-to-know you session. Everyone's name was put on the world map identifying their home.

Professors George Weiblen and David Biesboer lead a fieldtip to the bogs "Interactive Identification of the Itasca Flora", as well as a computer lab for plant identification.


Dr. George Weiblen during the introductions. Also pictured are Dr. Min Ni (right). Dr. Ni also led a lab "Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Three Light Signaling Mutants". Dr. Fumiaki Katagiri (left) also held a computer lab on "Bioinformatics".

There was also time for fun. The current students hosted a barbecue for all of the faculty and incoming students. Pictured here are current student, Xiaodong Sun (TA for Ni lab), Drs. Jane Glazebrook and David Biesboer. It was a fun time for everyone.


Beautiful picture of Lake Itasca. Taken by Dr. Florence Gleason who gave a research talk "Eurasian watermilfoil attracts native weevils".

Other research talks were given by:
Dr. Jane Glazebrook - "Plant defense against pathogens: Modeling signaling network topology using microarrays".

Dr. Neil Olszewski - "What do a SECRET AGENT and a SPY tell us about the role of O-GlcNAc modification of plant proteins".

There was also a canoe trip and lab module run by Dr. Sue Wick on the topic of plant stomates.



Here is a picture of all the incoming students, as well as two teaching assistants, at the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. (Left to right)
Xiaoqing Sun (second-year student-TA), Qiuxia Wu, He Huang, Xing Liu, Heather Whittington, Nelson Garcia, Tim Whitfeld, Carrie Eberle, Kerrie Sendall, Amy Mueller, and Xiaodong Sun (second-year student-TA).



2005 Itasca Orientation and PBS Annual Retreat

August 18th-22nd, 2005

WELCOME TO THE PLANT BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES GRADUATE PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA!!!

We are very happy you have chosen our program to pursue your graduate education.    We are especially excited that you could join us at Itasca Biological Laboratories and Research Station for the program's first Itasca Graduate Student Experience.

2005-2006 incoming PBS graduate students. (left to right) Sumitha Nallu, Lingtian Kong, Xiaodong Sun, Ryoko Oono, Rachel Mills, Brian Piasecki (3rd year student), Yun Zhou (3rd year students), and Xiaoqing Sun.

Plant Biological Sciences Graduate Program Administrators:

Carolyn Silflow , Director of Graduate Studies
Phone:   612-624-0729
Office:   442 Biosciences Center

Jerry Cohen , Associate Director of Graduate Studies
Phone:   612-624-9212
Office:   252 Alderman Hall

Gail Kalli , PBS Coordinator
Phone:   612-625-4222
Office:   256 Biosciences Center

PBS Graduate Faculty that will be joining us at Itasca to either conduct lab modules or give research talks are:

Jon Ross , Resident Biologist and Assoc. Program Director of Itasca Biological Station
Itasca Tour - Thursday, August 18 th , 1:00 pm

Kate VandenBosh , Professor and Department Head of the Plant Biology Dept.
Research Interests: Functional genomics of nodulation in Medicago
Research talk -Thursday, August 18 th , 7:30 pm

Carolyn Silflow , DGS of the PBS Graduate Program and Professor in the Plant Biology Dept.
Research Interests: Chlamydomonas centriole positioning, genome project
Orientation  
Lab Module - Friday, August 19 th , 8:00 am

Pete Lefebvre, Professor in the Plant Biology Department, PBS Admission Committee member
Research Interests:   Chlamydomonas flagellar length control, genome project
Research talk - Friday, August 19 th , 7:00 am

Brian Piasecki , PBS Graduate Student (3 rd year)
Advisor:   Carolyn Silflow
Assist in Silflow lab - Friday, August 19 th , 8:00 am

Min Ni , Asst. Professor in the Plant Biology Dept., PBS Admission Committee member
Research Interests: Light signal transduction and photomorphogenesis
Lab Module - Saturday, August 20 th , 9:00 am

Yun Zhou , PBS Graduate Student (2 nd year)
Advisor:   Min Ni
Assist in Ni lab - August 20 th , 9:00 am

Fumiaki Katagiri , Associate Professor in the Plant Biology Dept., PBS Financial Aid Com. Chair
Research Interests:   Systems biology of disease resistance mechanisms
Research talk - Saturday, August 20 th , 7:30 pm

Florence Gleason , Professor in the Plant Biology Dept.
Research Interests:   Metabolism of cyanobaceria
Lab Module - Sunday, August 21 st , 7:00 am
Research talk - Saturday, August 21 st , 7:00 pm

Sue Wick , Associate Department Head and Professor in the Plant Biology Dept.
Research Interests: Plant cytoskeleton, tubulin isoforms in plant development
Lab Module - Sunday, August 21 st , 7:00 am

Jane Glazebrook , Associate Professor in the Plant Biology Department and PBS Admissions Committee Chair
Research Interests: Genomics of plant defense response


Dr. Carolyn Silflow's lab: Chlamydomonas motility mutants: microscopy,
PAGE, and immunoblots.

Dr. Min Ni's Lab: Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Light Signaling Mutants.

Students and staff getting ready to go collect alga samples in Lake Itasca.

On their way to collect samples.

Drs. Florence Gleason and Sue Wick's lab: Identifying alga samples collected and discussing where they are found.

Lake Itasca - August 2005.

Lake Itasca sunset.

PBS Annual Retreat - May 18, 2006

This year the one-day retreat was held at the Como Conservatory at Como Park.

PBS faculty, PBS students, post docs, lab technicians were invited. We were very excited to have the Graduate School's Dean Dubrow speak at our event this year.  We also had some research talks from PBS graduate students and post docs, a lab olympics organized by the PBS Phytograds and we ended the day with a poster session where PBS graduate students and post docs presented their research.

Brian Piasecki, 4th year PBS student, talking about his research "The UN12 gene and centrioles in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii"
Gail Celio, post doc in McLaughlin lab, talking about her research "Subcellular characters and the Fungal Tree of Life"
Rachel Mills, first year PBS student, getting a few rays and enjoying the beautiful surroundings.
The afternoon poster session was a great success. Here are two PBS students Xiaodong Sun, first year student, and Yiping Qi, fourth year student enjoying the posters.
Dr. Ris Charvat talking with Jenny Dechaine, PBS student, about her research.
Having a great time are Maj Padamsee, Bryn Dentinger (PBS graduate students) and Gail Celio (Plant Biology post doc).
Como Park is a wonderful zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota. Here is a flamingo which could be seen from the window of the auditorium where the retreat was held.