We have all been impacted by the changes we’ve needed to make to our lives in order to keep our communities safe. But even though we’re locked out of our labs and greenhouses, there’s a few things we can still do together: so with a few changes, Journal Club continues as normal.
Started by our wonderful (now adjunct) postdoc Akane back in 2018, Journal Club began as a Thursday afternoon discussion on a research article within the area of plant science. Generally held at the nearby Cinque Lire, Journal Club gives us the chance to come together in an informal way and discuss (someone else’s) research.
Every two weeks, a nominated group member – or anyone who wants to come along! – chooses a paper that we all read beforehand, and after a quick summary we get into a discussion of the paper. As our lab members research backgrounds and interests are quite diverse, we cover topics on ecology, physiology and molecular biology. We also have individuals with a range of research experience, so not only do we get to get to read and discuss papers that are often outside what we’d normally read, we also get to hear a diverse range of opinions and perspectives, which makes our discussions more interesting.
So this week – swapping out our cafe catch-up for a morning Zoom – we’ll be talking about a paper chosen by research assistant Louis about a field study conducted in Queensland comparing the plasticity and abundance of native and exotic perennial grasses under different treatments.I’m looking forward to reading it and finding out what the rest of the group thinks. Louis recommended we settle in with a Chateauneuf du Pape for this one, but as I’ve only got a Heathcote Shiraz, that will have to do!
EcoFizz 
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