We are pleased to offer a selection of virtual-only sessions that will be in webinar format. All Plant Health 2022 attendees will receive complimentary access to the webinars.
Registration is required. Non-Member Plant Health 2022 attendees will receive a code to use during registration.
Registration now open.
Registration Fees
- FREE for Plant Health 2022 Registrants
- FREE for APS Members
- $49 for Nonmembers
Biosecurity Rules and Their Impact on Pathogen Movement
September 13 • 2:00 p.m. US Central
Plant pathogens do not respect geographical borders and are adept at hitchhiking on plant and animate materials to facilitate short and long-distance movement. Agricultural biosecurity rules and regulations are major exclusionary measures for forestalling the movement of exotic plant pathogens into new communities. In the world of plant pathology, there are several success stories of countries that have excluded quarantine pathogens for many decades, while minimizing barriers to trade. This session will present those cases as a springboard to review the agricultural biosecurity rules and regulations of countries such as Australia, Canada, the European Union, and the USA. A round table will follow to discuss the successful measures/operating procedures implemented in these situations and the possibility of using such measures and procedures in a global economy.
Webinar Series on Climate Change and the Future of our Natural and Agricultural Systems
September 20 • September 27 • October 4
Climate change is one of the most important threats to the future of sustainable agriculture. Although the magnitude and direction of the effects of climate change on plant disease depends on the region, crop, and pathosystem; overall, it is expected a reshape in disease incidence, severity, and distribution. These changes are the result of complex interactions, which include changes in the crop physiology, environment, pathogen population, microbiome, and others. Although some rapid changes and adaptation of species to overcome climate change have been observed, and many governments have adopted initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint, it is unlikely that these measures will be enough to compensate for the deleterious effect of climate crises. Even if the goal of the Paris agreement of restricting median warming temperature 2100 to below 1.5 °C is met, there should be considerable implications to disease distribution and management under that optimistic scenario. Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure the development of plant pathology studies designed to quantify and anticipate the consequences of climate change on the establishment, development, and management of emerging plant diseases.
This webinar series aims to raise awareness on the projections for our natural and agricultural systems (webinar 1), managing agricultural systems in a changing climate (webinar 2), and the influence of climate change on plant disease development and emerging diseases (webinar 3).
Webinar 1: Climate Change and the Future of Natural and Agricultural Systems
September 20 • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. US Central
Climate change is and will continue to threaten complex natural and agricultural systems at different magnitudes and will challenge scientists, managers and growers on how to adapt to the new systems. Predictions of the general increasing trend in temperatures will reshape weather patterns, biodiversity, disease incidence, among many others. In this webinar, the speakers will explore the predicted outcomes from a warming climate on biodiversity, forests, plant pathogens, and food security.
Webinar 2: Adding Insult to Injury - Plant Stress, Disease, and Environmental Metrics in a Changing Climate
September 27 • 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. US Central
Climate change can negatively impact agricultural production via yield losses from abiotic disease and subsequent influences on disease development. In response, plant pathologists must adapt field research methods and generate new research questions that address the grand challenge of climate change. How can we effectively develop management strategies to protect crop health in the context of climate change, and how can we holistically assess plant and soil health to optimize co-management? This session will highlight expert perspectives in plant disease and abiotic stress management in the context of climate change. Targeted to applied and translational researchers, attendees of this session will learn experimental considerations to mimic climate change adaptation and metrics to assess plant health and stress.
Webinar 3: Emerging Pathogens
October 4 • 2:00 -3:00 p.m. US Central
Climate change and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events have restructured many long-standing agro-ecosystems, disrupting previously stable pathosystems by introducing new pathogens as environments become more conducive to disease. These changes have come at a rapid pace, far outstripping the resiliency of most agricultural systems and straining the efforts of breeders and plant pathologists worldwide. As new epidemics take hold and old pathosystems fall by the wayside, will we have the tools and resiliency to mitigate and offset disastrous crop losses? This webinar will explore how in a changing world, new emerging plant pathogens threaten our daily bread and will examine our global agricultural regime as a complex adaptive system.
LGBTQIA+ Disparities in STEM: Missing Data Leads to Missing Representation for Gender and Sexual Minorities in Science
October 11 • 10 a.m. US Central
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A lack of LGBTQIA+ representation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has prompted the establishment of queer centered resources, such as 500 Queer Scientists and the International Society of Nonbinary Scientists. Despite what may seem like blossoming LGBTQIA+ visibility, there are a wide array of disparities that affect queer scientists at all career stages. LGBTQIA+ students who enter STEM majors in college are 11% more likely than their cisgendered and heterosexual counterparts to change majors. Similarly, self-reported LGBTQIA+ early career professionals are at increased risk of leaving STEM fields once they join. Some of the key issues affecting openly LGBTQIA+ individuals in STEM include a lack of opportunities for career advancement, insufficient career, and personal resources, increased social and professional exclusion, increased harassment, and increased physical and mental health concerns due to work related conflicts and stress. A key factor in understanding and addressing the extent of these disparities lies in the collection of critical demographic data. Currently, demographic information within STEM is gathered by national organizations and major funding institutions however no sexual orientation or gender specific questions are included in funding applications. Thus, data on LGBTQIA+ people in STEM is almost non-existent and what data does exist is collected on an institutional or private level, leaving major gaps in our understanding on the retention and support of queer scientists.
This lack of data collection is due in part to the exclusion of LGBTQIA+ peoples from minority specific funding and educational opportunities supported by major organizations like the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. By not recognizing LGBTQIA+ people as a minority community we risk losing unique perspectives that have historically contributed to the progress of science and plant pathology. This lack in recognition of LGBTQIA+ people also ignores queer intersectionality, the intersection of queer identities with multiple marginalized identities, and the often-overlooked intersectional discrimination these individuals face. Therefore, our session will center the voices of the diverse LGBTQIA+ community in STEM. This special session panel discussion will explore topics such as LGBTQIA+ experiences in plant pathology, community disparities, how demographic data will help APS and other national organizations support LGBTQIA+ scientists at different stages of their careers, contributions of APS LGBTQIA+ members, and what the future of APS looks like through a queer inclusive lens.
