[Plsfaculty] two Departmental items

[Kenneth Feldmann]

After considerable consultation, the Department plans to implement the
following changes starting fall 2009.

 

1.   Core course for graduate students

 

PLS PhD          4 core courses

                                    Growth and Development Fall 2009
(Schumaker/Yadegari; taught every year as long as the class "fills")

                                    Plant Biochemistry Spring 2010 (Gang;
taught in alternate years; will switch his 600 level to 400/500 but
enrolling students must have met a general biochemistry prerequisite)

                                    Plant Genetics Fall 2010 (taught in
alternate years; some combination of Rounsley/Wing/Jorgensen and invited
speakers depending on priorities)

                                    Plant Physiology Spring 2011 (600 level
to be taught in alternate years; the Head will identify instructors later)

                                                We will make an effort to
teach the last 3 courses on T/Th. In addition, the course instructors will
make an attempt to sprinkle plant pathogen interactions into the core
courses as appropriate. If incoming students have already had a course
equivalent to any one of these core courses, the requirement for that course
will be waived, with the approval of the Department Head. If incoming
students have not had a plant anatomy course, we would strongly recommend
this course as well. 

 

PLS MS            2 of the 4 core courses listed above. 

 

PLP PhD          4 core courses

                                    Biology and Characterization of Plant
Pathogenic Agents (551) Fall 2009

                                    Principles of Plant Microbiology (550)
Fall 2010

                                    Genetics (either Plant Genetics
(described above; Fall 2010) Microbial Genetics (528) or a fungal genetics
course that may be developed 

                                    One of the following PLS core courses:
Plant Physiology, Plant Biochemistry or Growth and Development 

                                                The course instructors will
make an attempt to sprinkle plant pathogen interactions into the core
courses as appropriate. If incoming students have already had a course
equivalent to any one of these core courses, the requirement for that course
will be waived, with the approval of the Department Head. The student's
committee will decide if a specific student needs plant anatomy or more than
one of these three PLS core courses.

 

PLP MS            2 core courses

                                    Biology and Characterization of Plant
Pathogenic Agents (551) Fall 2009

                                    Principles of Plant Microbiology (550)
Fall 2010

 

2.   In addition, it was highly recommended that we combine our two seminar
series into a single Departmental series that has a combination of all of
our graduate student and faculty speakers as well as external speakers
representing the whole Department. We will use all of the dates available so
that we continue to have nearly as many external speakers. If we have ~8-9
student speakers and 3-4 internal faculty speakers each year, we can
continue to bring in ~20 outside speakers. 

 

It was further agreed that PhD students would be required to enroll for
seminars (696A) at least twice during their time here, the two semesters in
which they give presentations and MS students at least once, the semester in
which they give a presentation. Students will continue to be allowed to
enroll for 8 semesters of credit and we will work out some way of assessing
their presence and participation if they are enrolled. I am happy to have a
faculty volunteer to run this course but I have some ideas and can do it if
no one steps forward. I am also happy with the idea of any faculty member or
Division requiring their students to sign up each semester. If a particular
Division decides to do that, I hope that they can volunteer the faculty
member to manage the graduate student part of the seminar/course.

 

For me, I really want to see better faculty participation at our seminars
and I think that one seminar series will aid in this effort. We will also
upgrade the treats since it is at 4:00. We discussed an earlier time in the
day and a different day but Tuesday at 4:00 seems to be the best time. We
will encourage speakers to arrive on the day they give their talk, have
discussions and dinner with faculty/students and then be around through
post-lunch the next day to continue to talk to students and faculty. In this
way, we have an opportunity to hear the story before one-on-one discussions.
We will also save a bit of money on hotels and allow the speakers to spend
less time away from their labs. We also need to tie into the iPlant group to
select speakers that will be in town. If there are speakers that we really
want to have on a day other than Tuesday or it is last minute, we will
attempt to find the space. 

 

Before I send this out to the students and staff, I would like to have your
input. 

 

 

Kenneth A. Feldmann

Department Head and Professor

Department of Plant Sciences

The University of Arizona

P.O. Box 210036

Tucson, Arizona 85721

Telephone: 520.621.1945

Fax: 520.6217186

Email: feldmann at cals.arizona.edu

 

Visit our Department website at www.cals.arizona.edu/pls

 

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