Abiotic Stress

Course manual 2017/2018

Course content

Environmental (abiotic) stress represents the most limiting factor for agricultural productivity. This master course aims to broaden the student's background in abiotic-stress biology and to gain the latest insights into the molecular mechanisms by which  plants perceive stress signals, how  these are transduced, and how  they are converted into intracellular responses that
will allow the plant to react appropriately.
A second aim of this course is to learn to write a successful grant application/research proposal. Students will be guided through the essential stages of proposal development, learning how to formulate a specific project goal,  to  collect  and  present  supportive background data, to determine the level of stakeholder engagement, to measure and evaluate the outcomes, to plan project activities, and to budget the appropriate project costs.

The course will start with lectures about the various forms of abiotic stress that plants are encountering. These include, osmotic stress (salinity, drought),  temperature  stress  (heat, cold), and heavy metals. The emphasis will be on how plants sense these stresses and how they are converted into responses at the molecular and  physiological  levels  that  allow plants to cope with such stress. Potential applications for crop improvement  will  also be discussed. The second part of the course involves writing of a personal research proposal. At the end of the course, students are expected to successfully present and defend their proposal.

Prior knowledge
Advanced (2nd and 3rd year BSc level) knowledge in Molecular and Cellular Biology is required.

Study materials

Literature

• Research articles and reviews will be made available via Blackboard
• Plant Physiology and Development, 6th ed, Taiz et al., ISBN: 978-1-60535-255-8

Syllabus

Objectives

Upon finishing this course successfully, the student will be able to:

• describe how plants respond to abiotic stress at the physiological, genetic, biochemical and cellular level.
• Have obtained the ability to interpret and analyze contemporary manuscripts and grant applications in the field of experimental plant sciences.
• Will be able to evaluate such manuscripts.
• Will be able to write and defend their own grant application.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Seminar
• Presentation/symposium
• Self-study
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis
• Supervision/feedback meeting

Lecture material will be taken from recent reviews and research papers. During the first week of the course, four different Abiotic Stress topics will be lectured:

i) heavy metal stress, ii) cold stress , iii) salt- & drought stress, and iv) heat stress. After these lectures, you are expected to choose one of the topics to write a Research Proposal on. In the next five weeks, the students will write and present their own research proposal on one of the selected stress topics.
Weekly, there are tutorials on different aspects of how to write and present a research proposal, and is there time to meet your supervisor.

Learning activities

Attendance

The programme does not have requirements concerning attendance (OER-B).

Additional requirements for this course:

Attendance at lectures is highly recommended. Attendance during tutorials is mandatory (from Teaching and Examination Regulations).

Assessment

Criteria to assess proposal and its presentation on:

Is the proposal innovative?

• Is the question addressed novel?
• Is it scientifically novel?
• What is the potential impact?

Quality of the proposal

• Is the proposal scientifically sound?
• Is the approach appropriate/effective?
• Challenging?

Community benefits/commercialization/knowledge protection

• Are the expected benefits for the society low/high if applicant reaches its goal(s)?
• What are the long-term benefits?
• Indirect benefits for research purposes and society? (e.g. new technique).
• Is the business model proposed well founded?
• Intellectual property (IP)?

Quality researcher

• Scientific competence of applicant, enthusiasm, persistence, persuasiveness. Does the applicant have a good story?

Feasibility of the proposal

• Is the proposal feasible?
• Is the time-schedule well thought-off?
• Did the applicants think well enough about the potential bottlenecks and alternative ways to reach their goals?
• If the ultimate goals are not reached, what will be the output of the project? Are these still useful for research purposes or society?

Inspection of assessed work

The date, time and location of the inspection moment are in the DataNose timetable.

For at least twenty working days after the announcement of the research proposal, students can, on request, inspect their assessed work.

Assignments

Abiotic Stress Topic

• Choose Abiotic Stress Topic

Abstract

• Write (and present) Abstract of Research Proposal

Figure/Model

• Prepare essential Model/Figure for the proposal

Budget, Time Table & Milestones

• How to prepare sufficient Budget, Time Table & Milestones

Research proposal

• Write Research proposal

Peer Review

• Formulate two questions of a fellow proposal

Present proposal

• Present proposal

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.uva.nl/plagiarism

Course structure

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. T. Munnik

Science Park 904, room C2.212

Tel: 020-525 7763