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In a nutshell: 2017 highlights at the IPB
Author: C van der Vyver
Published: 09/02/2018

As is the case every year, 2017 at the Institute for Plant Biotechnology (IPB) was busy and productive.

One of the core functions of the IPB is to train students. In this regard, a number of students successfully completed their theses and graduated. These included two PhD students, Dr Zheto Pholo and Dr Roya Ndimba; an additional four Master's and six BSc Honours students also graduated. We would like to congratulate all these students on a job well done!

Dr Paul Hills's term as president of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) commenced in 2017. According to the SAAB's constitution, he serves as president in 2017 and in 2018. Dr Hills delivered his inaugural speech at the SAAB conference held from 9 to 12 January at the University of Pretoria, which was a resounding success.

A new South African Research Chairs Initiative in the field of nutritional biotechnology, spearheaded by Dr Bianke Loedolff, in collaboration with Professor Sharon Prince of the University of Cape Town, also kicked off in 2017. The idea is to fortify leafy greens, such as wild rocket and kale, with good nutrients while they are still growing. Some interesting popular articles were published on this topic in the Natal Mercury (Greens protect body from lifestyle disease; https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/the-mercury/20171107/281805694202347) and in AgriOrbit (Microgreens: More than just a garnish; https://agriorbit.com/micro-greens-more-than-just-garnish/). A simple method for the bio-fortification of wild rocket micro-greens via manipulation using high light was also published in Functional Foods in Health and Disease (7 [11], 859–872).

A number of IPB staff and students also travelled across the globe to participate in various science conferences to present research and meet collaborators. These conferences included the Second International Congress on Strigolactones held at the University of Turin, Italy, in March, attended by Dr Hills. Dr Loedolff attended the 22nd International Functional Foods Conference held at Harvard University in Boston. A number of IPB members attended and presented at the 43rd Annual Conference of the SAAB in Milnerton, Cape Town, in January. In addition, postgraduate students Melt Hugo and Janto Pieters presented their research at the annual Student Symposium in Science at the University of Pretoria. Malira Masoabi presented past and present IPB sugarcane research at the Industry-University Collaboration Symposium in Pretoria, hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme.

The new South Africa-India science and technology research collaboration between IPB, headed by Dr Christell van der Vyver, and Prof Sanjib Panda of the Department of Life Science and Bioinformatics at Assam University in Silchar, India, was launched in January 2017. As part of this new collaboration, MSc student Coenrad van Beek travelled to India in January to attend and present his research at the International Symposium on Plant Biotechnology for Crop Improvement and afterwards worked and trained in Prof Panda's laboratory for three weeks. Prof Panda also visited the IPB at the end of February. As visiting professor, he made a presentation at the forum organised by the Department of Genetics.

Two IPB staff members, Dr Van de Vyver and Dr Shaun Peters, also embarked on a journey to “talk science" with kids using the open-access journal Frontiers for Young Minds as the tool (How do plants deal with dry days?; https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2017.00058). This journal was listed as one of the “Great websites for kids" by the American Library Association in 2014; it was also called the best sci-publication launched in decades by senior editors of Nature and considered a brilliant tool for public communication. Through the article, IPB staff members hoped to motivate kids to ask informed and critical questions about real science.

Overall, 2017 was a productive year at the IPB!