The Plant Cell Atlas (PCA) has a variety of outreach activities to support our mission: to build a diverse scientific community that will set standards for generating and integrating large plant data sets, create high-quality resources and tools to advance plant science, and provide excellent networking and interdisciplinary training opportunities for early career scientists.
PCA Blog: highlights of news, stories, and activities from the Plant Cell Atlas community.
Futurum Brochure: an educational outreach resource designed to introduce younger audiences to plant science and the work of the Plant Cell Atlas.
JR Biotek-PCA: in collaboration with the JR Biotek Foundation, PCA showcases participants and awardees from the JR Biotek-PCA Mentoring Program, particularly early-career researchers working in areas such as plant breeding, biotechnology, and crop improvement.
PCA Art and Science Exhibit: portable exhibits that combine plant science, art, and scientific storytelling. This initiative aims to increase interest in plant sciences among BIPOC undergraduate students and promote a more diverse and inclusive scientific community. Exhibits feature topics such as plant biotechnology, ethnobotany, plant structure, and historically significant Black plant scientists, and are designed to be hosted at HBCUs, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and primarily undergraduate institutions.
Previous Outreach Activities
2026
April 10, 2026
PCA sponsored the SoCal Single Cell Retreat on April 10, 2026 at the University of California, Riverside. PCA members Trevor Nolan, Rachel Shahan, and Julia BaileySerres organized the retreat. PCA members Jazz Dickinson and Sue Rhere were among the invited speakers.
February 10, 2026
PCA attended the NAPPN conference on February 10 in East Lansing, MI.
February 2026
The PCA’s art exhibit featuring historically significant Black scholars in honor of Black History month was on display at Michigan State University’s Multicultural Center for the month of February.
2025
September 12-14, 2025
PCA attended and held a booth at the inaugural Great Lakes Plant Science Conference.
February 2025
PCA and PRI Celebrate Black History Month with Art Exhibit located on the first floor of the STEM Teaching & Learning Facility on campus at Michigan State University.
2024
October 22, 2024
Members of the PCA attended the AG2PI Ag Single Cell Workshop, which happened immediately prior to the AGBT-Ag meeting. This workshop titled Empowering G2P in Agriculture: building a collaborative environment for single-cell applications brings together SC experts across domains.
June 22-26, 2024
The PCA attended ASPB 2024 in Honolulu, HI hosting multiple talks and a workshop on single-cell omics and biology.
February 7, 2024
The Plant Resilience Institute at Michigan State University displayed the PCA Art and Science exhibit in the Molecular Plant Sciences building.
February 2, 2024
The PCA Black Plant Scientists exhibit was showcased at Cornell University for Black History Month.
2023
November 15-18, 2023
PCA attended ABRCMS 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona and hosted a booth in the Exhibitor Hall (Booth #1528).
November 6, 2023
The PCA Art & Science Exhibit was on display at the Oregon State University’s Department of Botany and Plant Pathology.
October 26-28, 2023
PCA hosted a booth at the SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference in Portland, OR.
August 5-9, 2023
ASPB Plant Biology Conference 2023
March 2023
PCA members participated in Family Science Night at the Bessie Coleman Elementary School. Elementary school students and their families used DIPLE microscopes to look at red onion skins and corn leaves and learned about plant cells.
February 1-28, 2023
The PCA Art and Science exhibit featuring historical Black plant scientists was on display at the Heron’s Head EcoCenter in San Francisco for Black History Month.
2022
November 30, 2022
PCA-JR Biotek Mentoring Program Closing Celebration
November 9-12, 2022
Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS)
October 27-29, 2022
SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference
July 9-13, 2022
ASPB/CSPB Plant Biology 2022
June 8, 2022
PCA-JR Biotek Mentoring Program Kick-Off
May 3, 2022
Futurum brochure feature the Plant Cell Atlas is published.
March 18, 2022
Inagural PCA Travel Awardees Selected
March 9, 2022
Plant Cell Atlas Art and Science Plant Biotechnology Exhibit begins showing.
2021
September 2021
Plant Cell Atlas Art and Science Black Plant Scientists Exhibit begins showing.