RIPE Researchers, in work done for the CABBI Project, demonstrated that increasing the Rubisco enzyme in C4 crops like sorghum and sugar cane increases photosynthesis and yield as well! Their work was published in the National Academy of Sciences proceedings.

Tracy Lawson's fascination with plants started as a child on an English farm & recently brought the globally recognized expert in plant biology across the pond to Illinois! Tracy talks about her research & what she's looking forward to most in this new feature! bit.ly/4jfguQQ

The Microbiologist recently featured Yong-Su Jin’s work to modify bacteria to convert carbon dioxide into useful products by combining algae’s photosynthetic properties with bacteria’s production capabilities, overcoming a costly limitation faced by previous strategies.

RIPE team members have developed an R package for curve fitting that enables users to build analysis pipelines for fitting photosynthetic gas exchange data. Read more about PhotoGEA in @PlantCell&Environment: doi.org/10.1111/pce....

Increased Rubisco for better C4 photosynthesis www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1... @ripeproject.bsky.social

A RIPE team determined that a crucial soybean photosynthesis improvement with traditional breeding methods is unlikely. Gene editing could be the key to unlocking soybean potential. Their work was published in @theplantjournal.bsky.social Article: doi.org/10.1111/tpj.... Story: bit.ly/4iAM0ZN

Excited to share that I'll soon be recruiting a 3 year postdoc to join the lab @lancasterplantbio.bsky.social to work with me on Rubisco biochemistry and engineering. Official advertising details to be released very soon, watch this space! Please spread the word. 😀🌱🧪🥼

WE’RE HIRING! Funded 3-year postdoc looking at the impact of chilling on maize 🌽 The project will be looking at chilling responses in roots and shoots 🌱❄️ including the role of ABA and photoinhibition. Applications close 28th March. More details below www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/50591/

RIPE researchers from @lancasteruni.bsky.social wrote a chapter in the latest volume of Methods in Enzymology, providing a protocol for using radiometric assays to measure Rubisco in plant leaves. Read more about their work here: bit.ly/3XzXW5h

Our home institute, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, flipped the script on our communications manager Allie, interviewing her for a recent feature story! Read about her journey in science communications here: bit.ly/3QNvAkk

Connecting detailed photosynthetic kinetics to #crop growth and yield: A coupled #modeling framework 📰 Story: buff.ly/42b5Xki via @Botany.One 🔬 Research: buff.ly/4czuZfm

Webinar by me for the International Safe Cassava Network hosted by @globalplantgpc.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/5sSSjHC...

Current & former RIPE team members were invited to share their expertise & provide commentary on a recent @newphyt.bsky.social article. Read Coralie & Yi's article, “Mesophyll conductance and cell wall composition: insights from a meta-analysis across species,” doi.org/10.1111/nph....

This semester, RIPE will be joined by Maria Raza as our science communication intern! Maria will work with our team to share RIPE research news and also participate in mentorship and career preparation experiences. Welcome to the team, Maria! Read more about her here: bit.ly/3XbypiO

Check out this @sciam.bsky.social article about our ‘Hot Potato’ research! bit.ly/4hYOX5z @kmeacham-hensold.bsky.social, @cavycavs.bsky.social, @plantnerd.bsky.social, @illinoisresearch.bsky.social @universityofessex.bsky.social

We are thrilled to announce RIPE’s new leadership duo! Lisa Ainsworth is our Director & Elizabete Carmo-Silva is our Deputy Director! Both Lisa & Elizabete have been with the project for years & we look forward to what we can accomplish under their guidance. Full announcement here: bit.ly/42UuCtW

We are looking for a team member to provide maintenance & management of our pool of LiCOR devices at Illinois. Work will take place in lab, greenhouse, & field settings. Additional details can be found here: bit.ly/4hXUGbI Deadline to apply is March 13 at 6pm (CST). @li-corenv.bsky.social

Science does not move forward without the invaluable contributions of women. Today we celebrate the incredible women on the RIPE team and all of those shaping the future of research. #EveryVoiceInScience @cavycavs.bsky.social @meganlmatthews.bsky.social @lancasteruni.bsky.social

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝟏𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 👩‍🔬 www.un.org/en/observanc... "Let’s help pave a path to STEM careers that women and girls deserve, and our world needs" UN Secretary-General António Guterres 🌿🔬🚀⚛️

Are you a non-UK scientist interested in working in the UK for a postdoc? A Royal Society Newton Fellowship could be just what you are looking for! We can support applicants interested in working on photosynthetic responses to climate change. Please get in touch! royalsociety.org/grants/newto...

After decades of impactful & prolific research, Steve Long & Don Ort are retiring from their RIPE leadership roles. bit.ly/4hEKDIA We are honored to have worked under them for the last 12 years & are elated they will continue RIPE work as principal investigators. We wish them all the best!

Read about the latest in genomics research from our home institute, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology! There are a couple of RIPE features in this year’s Biomarker, and we can even help you out with page 61! bit.ly/49ALtmQ

“The reason we focus on photosynthesis is because we want to try to improve crop production without added inputs and without needing more land,” @kmeacham-hensold.bsky.social in a recent interview with @jtsangwrites.bsky.social for Advanced Science News. Read the full article here: bit.ly/3WsKbEW

David Hong, RIPE's science communication intern last semester, recently reflected on what he learned as a member of the RIPE team and his internship experience. bit.ly/3PDT9vq Thank you, David, for all your hard work, and best of luck in your future endeavors! @giesbusiness.bsky.social

**COMMUNITY FEEDBACK REQUIRED** We're going to run some workshops for early career researchers at a #plantscience meeting later this year. If you're an ECR, what topics would you like to see covered? What would be the most useful things to hear about for you? Reply here... 🧪 🌳 🌱 (please share)

The deadline for our RIPE Data Manager position is this Thursday (1/16)! More information about the role can be found here: bit.ly/3VMBuoO All RIPE openings can be found here: ripe.illinois.edu/team/join-ou...

Discover our animal sessions for Antwerp 2025 🐰🙊🐭: www.sebiology.org/events/seb-a... The abstract submission deadline is Midnight (GMT) on Friday 7 March 2025. Submit now: sebiology.org/events/seb-a... Check out our sessions: sebiology.org/events/seb-a...

RIPE currently has three openings to join our Illinois team! We are looking for a Data Manager, a Postdoc in the Lawson Lab, and a Science Communication Intern. More information about all of the positions can be found on our website: ripe.illinois.edu/team/join-ou... #plantscijobs

We are delighted to announce that the abstract submission for the #SEBconference Antwerp 2025 is now open. The abstract submission deadline is Midnight (GMT) on Friday 7 March 2025. Submit now: www.sebiology.org/events/seb-a... Check out our sessions: www.sebiology.org/events/seb-a...

Check out this awesome CRISPR review written by RIPE team member Tonio Chaparro!

“His groundbreaking findings have expanded interest in photosynthetic research around the world.” - A quote from the Daily Illini’s feature on our Steve Long as part of their ‘UI’s Most Influential’ series. Read the full story here: bit.ly/400JfsC

Happy New Year from all of us at RIPE! We look forward to collaborating with you in 2025!

Topping our 2024 Countdown: A RIPE team used CRISPR/Cas9 to alter photosynthesis in rice by changing its upstream DNA. This was the first approach to increase gene expression & downstream photosynthetic activity. Article in Science Advances: https://buff.ly/4iIGjJF Story: https://buff.ly/4iIGmVR

A “How-to guide” for gas exchange techniques was coauthored by a number of RIPE team members and alums. The review, written for beginner and experienced researchers, was published in Plant, Cell & Environment and comes in at #2 on our 2024 countdown! Review: https://buff.ly/4iF5GMx

#3 in our 2024 countdown is an article from the cover of Plant Biotechnology Journal! Researchers proved in a model crop that an increase in mesophyll conductance could be engineered & that it leads to an increase in photosynthesis! Article: https://buff.ly/3P4O3YG Story: https://buff.ly/403oqhe

Coming in at #4 for 2024, is a Plant, Cell & Environment article showing that reducing chlorophyll levels in seed-filling stages results in higher seed nitrogen without impacting canopy carbon assimilation. Article: https://buff.ly/4iF5GMx Story: https://buff.ly/3ZZWMlj

We are counting down the top RIPE stories of the year! Starting off at #5 for 2024 is an article published in in silico plants that tied dynamic photosynthetic pathways directly to crop growth for the first time! Journal article: https://buff.ly/4czuZfm News release: https://buff.ly/3P4eXAf

RIPE is looking for a Data Manager! This entry-level position will work directly with our researchers on all things data. Full responsibilities, qualifications, & how to apply: bit.ly/3VMBuoO Deadline to apply is January 16th! Applications must be submitted through the Illinois job portal.

Climate-ready crop RIPE team shows increase in food mass through photorespiratory bypass in elevated temperatures 📰 https://botany.one/2024/12/climate-ready-crop/ 🔬 https://doi.org/nw8r @ripeproject.bsky.social @kmeacham-hensold.bsky.social @cavycavs.bsky.social @sjb287.bsky.social

Christmas dinners of the future are safe now scientists have created climate-change resistant roast potatoes. The team from the School of Life Sciences and @ripeproject.bsky.social have developed a crop that is more resistant to growth in extreme temperatures. www.essex.ac.uk/news/2024/12...

In an invited #TansleyReview, RIPE researchers discuss strategies to increase Rubisco content as part of short- and long-term efforts to meet the growing global food demand. Review: doi.org/10.1111/nph.... News story: bit.ly/3ZUlXFY @newphyt.bsky.social @illinoisresearch.bsky.social

RIPE researchers, traveling on behalf of their home institution and our partner @csiro.bsky.social, are in West Africa showcasing their work to improve cowpea production in the region! Read more about their research to protect African cowpea from insect pests here: bit.ly/3DaKTzY

Over 3 pandemic summers @kmeacham-hensold.bsky.social led a fabulous team characterizing a photorespiratory bypass in field-grown potato, giving us more evidence that manipulating PR can enhance crop thermotolerance! Out today : onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/oidcS... @globalchangebio.bsky.social

RIPE Director Steve Long was on Friday’s episode of the CBC’s Quirks & Quarks program to talk about his work developing a digital twin of the photosynthetic process & the breakthroughs it has led to. Steve's interview starts at 35:32. bit.ly/41l2ZcJ

Excited to see our work out, showing that modifying photorespiration can protect against heatwave stress to increase crop yields. Huge team effort, thanks to all co-authors including @cavycavs.bsky.social @sjb287.bsky.social Journal article: doi.org/10.1111/gcb.... #Photosynthesis #FoodSecurity

Did you know there's only one single enzyme that serves as the entry point for organic carbon among all life on Earth? ☀️🌿 It's important! The @ripeproject.bsky.social team is working on increasing the efficiency of that enzyme, to help bolster the world’s food supply in the face of climate change.

A RIPE team has engineered potato to be more resilient to global warming, showing 30% increases in tuber mass under heatwave conditions. This adaptation may improve food security for those relying on potatoes for nutrition. Journal article: doi.org/10.1111/gcb.... News story: bit.ly/3OFDg7q

RIPE Deputy Director Lisa Ainsworth has been named Professor & C.A. Ewing Chair of Crop Physiology in the Departments of Crop Sciences & Plant Biology at the University of Illinois. Congratulations, Lisa! We are thrilled to continue to work with you in this new role! bit.ly/3ODOA3N

Congratulations to the JXB editors featured in Clarivate's Highly Cited Researchers 2024🌟 TL: Christine Foyer, Uni of Birmingham, UK TR: Editor-in-Chief John Lunn, MPIMP, Germany BL: Elizabete Carmo-Silva, Lancaster Uni, UK BR: Tracy Lawson, Uni of Essex, UK #plantscience 🧪

RIPE has two Research Lab Technician positions open in Champaign, IL! One closes on December 2nd and the other closes on December 9th. Learn more about both positions here: bit.ly/3C2gNKF Applications must be submitted through the Illinois job portal to be accepted. #plantscijobs