The Secret Life of Plant Biologists

It is always a pleasure to bring to the notice of the wider UoH community that a colleague has been honoured for his excellence in research: Professor A S Raghavendra of the Department of Plant Sciences has been named a Corresponding Member of the American Society of Plant Biologists.

The award will be formally presented during the opening session of Plant Biology 2012, ASPB’s annual meeting in July in Austin, Texas. First given in 1932, the Corresponding Membership Award honors up to three distinguished plant biologists residing outside the United States with life membership in the ASPB, a professional scientific society, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, devoted to the advancement of the plant sciences worldwide. 

With a membership of some 4,500 plant scientists from throughout the United States and more than 50 other nations, the Society publishes two of the most widely cited plant science journals: The Plant Cell and Plant Physiology. 

The citation reads: Agepati Srinivasa Raghavendra (University of Hyderabad, India) is nominated for pioneering work in photosynthetic carbon metabolism and stomatal guard cell function. Agepati also has introduced innovative techniques for the rapid isolation of highly active mesophyll protoplasts from pea and Arabidopsis, monitoring cytosolic pH by fluorescent dyes, and developing a reconstituted system of isolated mitochondria and peroxisomes.

One more feather in the cap of the Department of Plant Sciences… Bravo!