[PCA] Pollinator grants, job opportunities, events, and more

Fri Oct 23 10:33:53 CDT 2020

Announcements:

*      Final USDA Pollinator Subgroup Meetings to Identify Annual Research Priorities Convening Oct. 26-Nov. 5.  E-mail elizabeth.hill2 at usda.gov<mailto:elizabeth.hill2 at usda.gov> if you would like to participate or learn more about this initiative.

Upcoming Events:

  *   AHPA Virtual Conference<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahpanet.com%2Fahpa-2020-december-virtual&data=02%7C01%7C%7C727b1a45ded6429db94508d86c67bb4c%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C0%7C0%7C637378540059540429&sdata=L7OYBI00O1JIuPHDQLntPwYS2JqlpVRIci8OJJZe39k%3D&reserved=0> - Dec. 3 & 4 2020 ($50)
  *   American Beekeeping Federation Annual Meeting - Being held virtually January 5-7, 2021.  Free for Members.
  *   American Association of Professional Apiculturists - Virtual meeting January 7-8.

Grant and Employment Opportunities:

*      Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields Program (WAMS)<https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/women-and-minorities-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-fields?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=> - The purpose of this program is to support research, education/teaching, and extension projects that increase participation by women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas in STEM. NIFA intends this program to address educational needs within broadly defined areas of food and agricultural sciences. Applications recommended for funding must highlight and emphasize the development of a competent and qualified workforce in the food and agricultural sciences. WAMS-funded projects improve the economic health and viability of rural communities by developing research and extension initiatives that focus on new and emerging employment opportunities in STEM occupations. Projects that contribute to the economic viability of rural communities are also encouraged.

*      Distance Education Grants for Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas (DEG)<https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/distance-education-grants-institutions-higher-education-insular-areas-deg?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=> - The purpose of this program is strengthen the capacity of Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas to carry out resident instruction, curriculum, and teaching programs in the food and agricultural sciences through distance education technology. The Distance Education Grants Program for Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas (DEG) is a NIFA-administered competitive grants program focused on improving formal, postsecondary agricultural sciences education.

*      NSF Program Solicitation: Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations<https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2021/nsf21511/nsf21511.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click> (AccelNet) - The goals of the Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations (AccelNet) program are to accelerate the process of scientific discovery and prepare the next generation of U.S. researchers for multiteam international collaborations. The AccelNet program supports strategic linkages among U.S. research networks and complementary networks abroad that will leverage research and educational resources to tackle grand research challenges that require significant coordinated international efforts. The program seeks to foster high-impact science and engineering by providing opportunities to cooperatively identify and coordinate efforts to address knowledge gaps and research needs.

*      Data Technician Position: National Native Bee Monitoring Network - To support the NIFA-funded National Native Bee Monitoring Research Coordination Network (RCN).  Advertisement attached.

New Research:

Matching bees and flowers - A cautionary tale<https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/delivering-mission/sustain/matching-bees-and-flowers-cautionary-tale> - New collaborative research between the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station<https://www.fs.usda.gov/pnw/> and Oregon State University is shedding light on how metabarcoding can be used to better quantify relationships between native bees and flowering plants.

MSU receives $2 million USDA grant to improve blueberry pollination<https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/msu-receives-2-million-usda-grant-to-improve-blueberry-pollination> - Led by Rufus Isaacs, this project is combining research and outreach approaches to improve the use of honey bees and wild bees by blueberry growers to produce optimal yields and profit. A board of stakeholders - including growers, beekeepers and outreach specialists - will help to guide the project.

Plant defense layer has unexpected effect on volatile compounds<https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2020/Q4/plant-defense-layer-has-unexpected-effect-on-volatile-compounds,-study-finds.html?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=> - (not directly pollinator related but potentially of interest for future research) - Liao. 2020. Cuticle thickness affects dynamics of volatile emission from petunia flowers. The plant cuticle is the final barrier for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to cross for release to the atmosphere, yet its role in the emission process is poorly understood. Here, using a combination of reverse-genetic and chemical approaches, we demonstrate that the cuticle imposes significant resistance to VOC mass transfer, acting as a sink/concentrator for VOCs and hence protecting cells from the potentially toxic internal accumulation of these hydrophobic compounds. Reduction in cuticle thickness has differential effects on individual VOCs depending on their volatility, and leads to their internal cellular redistribution, a shift in mass transfer resistance sources and altered VOC synthesis. These results reveal that the cuticle is not simply a passive diffusion barrier for VOCs to cross, but plays the aforementioned complex roles in the emission process as an integral member of the overall VOC network.
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