Double Up with the African Researchers Network

The African Researchers Network (ARN), in partnership with Bayer Crop Science, will bring Plant Biology 2023 attendees an exciting two-part workshop about bridging gaps across continents in scientific discovery and science communication. The second part will be a hackathon, where collaborators brainstorm and pitch innovative solutions to crucial plant science questions, with the most outstanding receiving a trip to Plant Biology 2024. 

The first of the two sessions will take place on Saturday, August 5, at 10:00 am. Wayne Parrott of the University of Georgia will speak on science communication within the context of plant biology, and Channapatna Prakash of Tuskegee University will discuss both communicating scientific findings in agbiotech to the public and biotech communication experiences in Africa, Asia and Latin America. 

The first session will conclude with a panel discussion highlighting how science communication can support agricultural innovations and technology adoption. The session is chaired by Andrew Egesa, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Florida. 

The hackathon will take place on Monday, August 7, at noon. The challenges will remain secret until they are unveiled 48 to 72 hours before the hackathon begins. However, they will be drawn from diverse plant science topics; one example might be pitching to raise funds to commercialize a portable device that can continuously monitor hundreds of plant root architectures, so that it can scan thousands and be used to identify resilient crops with efficient water and nutrient uptake capabilities. 

The hackathon is chaired by Sessen Daniel Iohannes, Ph.D. candidate at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and will be judged by Wayne Parrott, Channapatna Prakash, Prince Zogli of GALY.co and a Bayer Crop Science representative. 

For more information, please see the complete Plant Biology 2023 program.