[Plsfaculty] SPLS RSP Committee update - Yuma trip and Weeds proposal for new center development

[Chieri Kubota]

Dear all SPLS faculty members:

Karen asked me that I give a quick report to what SPLS Research Strategic
Planning (RSP) Committee are doing.  Some of the activities are in a short
timeline and I am currently out of country traveling.  So my apologies that
I have to inform you via this brief email communication rather than more
formal setting like our monthly faculty meeting.

* Yuma trip.  Thank you for those who are able to participate the faculty
Yuma trip.  Special thanks for Kurt Nolte who generously hosted their
participation in SW Ag Summit and Harvest Dinner.  12 faculty members could
participate in this trip.  On the second day we had a tour to YAC
facilities, learning various projects and programs at YAC, and had a 2.5
hour long strategic planning meeting with YAC faculty members to strengthen
the connection between YAC, MAC and Tucson.  Ideas that were proposed
include 1) building a more reliable communication infrastructure between
YAC, MAC and campus.  This infrastructure could be used for webinar,
distance learning, and faculty meeting.  2) Promoting research
collaborations.  One idea was proposed by Rod Wing, to develop a phenotyping
center (Green Super Crop center) connecting Tucson, Yuma and Maricopa, and
well supported by the participants. A working group was formed with Rod
Wing, Kart Nolte, Matt Jenks, and Chieri Kubota for further discussion. 3)
Continuing this communication/interactions between YAC, MAC and Campus.  We
proposed that the next faculty trip would go to MAC (hosted by Sam Wang).
RSP committee will work with Sam to plan such a trip in the near future.

* New center proposal. Responding to the recent call for proposal, RSP
committee is currently building a 5-page proposal to submit to UA WEES
program (www.wees.arizona.edu) to support establishing a new
interdisciplinary research center that has been discussed in the RSP
committee, based on our strategic plan (the goal #5). Barry Pryor is leading
this proposal development together with RSP committee members and the center
will focus on food/water, especially on crop improvement for the southwest
US and for arid and semi-arid areas worldwide. The mission will include
identifying traits valuable in plants for continued productivity in arid and
semi-arid agroecosystems and move these into relevant agronomic crops; to
enable plants to make the most efficient use of available water resource; to
produce more food with less water. The new center would like to catalyze
interdisciplinary collaborations across academic units.  In next few days,
Barry will be contacting various faculty members in our school as well as
outside the school as we develop this proposal.  We are working hard in a
very short timeline (submission on March 25th) but the idea is to get this 3
year support to further develop the foundation of the new center. Once it is
funded, I believe we will have more opportunity to have everyone participate
in developing the center as an important research unit under SPLS. RSP
committee is in communication with Karen S. and soon with Dean Burgess
through Karen.  


Best regards,

Chieri

 



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