image: Teaching Tools in Plant Biology is designed to make it easy for educators to use current scientific information in their classrooms. Published monthly in an online-only format by The Plant Cell -- the top-cited research journal in plant biology and one of the two journals published by American Society of Plant Biologists -- each Teaching Tool consists of sets of PowerPoint slides with accompanying lecture notes, designed for use by teachers of undergraduate students. Teaching Tools in Plant Biology links education and research, emphasizing that experimental data are the fundamentals upon which our scientific knowledge is based. Teaching Tools are peer reviewed by experts so that each Tool incorporates the most recent knowledge, and they are reviewed annually to ensure that the content remains current. view more
Credit: The Plant Cell, American Society of Plant Biologists
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) and The Plant Cell are celebrating a Gold Award in the Association TRENDS 2010 All-Media Contest for Teaching Tools in Plant Biology, which received top honors in the educational program category.
Teaching Tools in Plant Biology is designed to make it easy for educators to use current scientific information in their classrooms. Published monthly in an online-only format by The Plant Cell—the top-cited research journal in plant biology and one of the two journals published by ASPB—each Teaching Tool consists of sets of PowerPoint slides with accompanying lecture notes, designed for use by teachers of undergraduate students. Teaching Tools in Plant Biology links education and research, emphasizing that experimental data are the fundamentals upon which our scientific knowledge is based. By linking directly to research articles, these educational materials help instructors and students delve more deeply into the subject matter. The Tools can be used off-the-shelf or easily customized by the instructor, who can pick and choose from among approximately 100 slides on a topic each month. Teaching Tools are peer reviewed by experts so that each Tool incorporates the most recent knowledge, and they are reviewed annually to ensure that the content remains current.
"Everyone at The Plant Cell is thrilled to have been awarded the Gold Award for Teaching Tools in Plant Biology," said Dr. Cathie Martin, editor in chief of The Plant Cell. "We are proud to have developed a wonderful and innovative publishing feature that brings research on plants to the classroom and provides current, peer-reviewed materials for busy educators. It is a tremendous honor to receive recognition for the quality of Teaching Tools in Plant Biology from a professional organization like Association TRENDS."
Teaching Tools in Plant Biology is developed by Dr. Mary Williams, now features editor for The Plant Cell following a 14-year career as professor of biology at Harvey Mudd College. Dr. Williams is also a former chair of ASPB's Education Committee. Additional information about Teaching Tools in Plant Biology can be found at http://www.plantcell.org/teachingtools/.
The TRENDS All-Media Contest is an annual competition held exclusively for associations, recognizing the most creative and effective communication vehicles developed in the industry over the prior year. The 2010 competition included more than 470 entries in 27 categories of association communications.
Teaching Tools in Plant Biology will be honored at February's 32nd Annual Salute to Association Excellence and featured in the January issue of Association TRENDS and online. Association TRENDS is the national newspaper for association executives and suppliers, spotlighting the latest news, information, and trends in association management for the professional staff of international, national, state, regional, and local voluntary organizations.
ASPB is a professional scientific society, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, devoted to the advancement of the plant sciences worldwide. With a membership of nearly 5,000 plant scientists from throughout the United States and more than 50 other nations, the Society publishes two of the most widely cited plant science journals: The Plant Cell and Plant Physiology. For more information about ASPB, please visit http://www.aspb.org/. Also follow ASPB on Twitter @ASPB.