ASPB President Daniel Cosgrove, distinguished professor at Pennsylvania State University, said the new name reflects the broader membership within the Society. "Plant physiology will continue to be a core discipline for our journals and many of our members, but we find that a large number of our members do not describe themselves as plant physiologists. We believe the new name is more inclusive and better reflects the diverse fields in plant science studied by our members," Cosgrove said.
Plant physiologists, plant geneticists, biochemists, molecular and cellular biologists, plant pathologists, agronomists and others are active members within the Society. For some of these scientists, ASPB has been their primary science society. For others, the Society and its journals have addressed their needs for interdisciplinary study of plant science.
"Throughout the Society, from our journals and other publications to our annual meeting and public affairs program, we have been taking an inclusive approach to advance plant science," Cosgrove said.
The Society's newsletter, formerly ASPP NEWS, has been redesigned with the new name ASPB NEWS. Both premier science journals published by the Society, Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell, will continue under their existing names. Subscription charges and membership dues are not affected by the name change.
"We've made efforts to make our journals available more broadly to the science community by providing free electronic access to the journals for all our Society's members. Readership and membership have subsequently grown to include many scientists who are not plant physiologists," Cosgrove noted.
ASPB Executive Director John Lisack reported that the nearly 6,000-member science society with its staff of 22 will continue to be headquartered at 15501 Monona Drive in Rockville, Maryland. The web site address has changed from http://aspp.org to http://aspb.org