Fred Ausubel’s talk was by far my favorite at the 2014 IS-MPMI Congress. Not because the other talks were boring or bad, but because he told the story of his science in the context of history and the various members who did the work over the years. He also shared the perspective from which the science was done. 

Sharon Long’s talk at the 2016 IS-MPMI Congress followed a similar approach, and left a similar impression. I can begin to appreciate, when hearing these great pioneers of plant biology share their stories, how they must feel about us young folks with our kit-based, impact-factor driven mentalities. Of course, I fully appreciate the different selective pressures that have shaped the current science culture, but hearing Sharon talk I really began to wonder if we bear more responsibility for our current dilemma than we want to admit? 

Sure, most of science is not the big discoveries, it is the mundane, every day drudgery of “no effect,” but this was true for them as well. Do we, in our efforts to claim one of those big results as our own, cut too many corners and miss them in the process? Sharon described the process of discovering the signals responsible for nodulation in the plant-rhizobium interaction and emphasized that they looked in EVERY fraction of plant exudate, not only the ones they thought might contain the compound of interest. She also encouraged us to never underestimate the need to just LOOK!

Sharon’s talk contained many other gems of wisdom for both new students and more seasoned scientists. I have outlined a few main points below. Also, check out the Tweets on Storify, which captured the highlights more comprehensively than I could do alone! As you read through, I encourage you to challenge yourself with her advice. Do not just read it, think, “Wow, that sounds great!” and then stash it away. Think about what she said, test the ideas to decide if they are sound, and then apply the ones you believe to be true. You know, approach it like a scientist!

Themes:

• Use genetics for discovery as well as for analysis
  • Use bacterial genetics as a probe of plant development
  • Plants & microbes have been studying each other longer and so know each other better than we know them
• Draw from other systems
  • many discoveries only happen with combined efforts of multiple labs working with different systems/approaches
    
  • You may study plant-microbe interactions, but developmental biology may inform your work – think outside the box
    

Sharon Long’s tips for conducting rigorous science:

• Never underestimate the need to just Look!
• Your control is the most important part of your experiment – design it first.
• Don’t narrow down your options prematurely. Broaden your mind.
• Do blind experiments whenever possible to prevent bias from affecting your results.
• Use your Community Of Minds! (Sharon borrowed equipment from a neighboring lab to do electrophysiology of root hairs.)

To get out of the box:

• Consider your unique background, your personal set of experiences and skills. What you have to offer is unique because of this.
• As professors, TEACH! You will gain unique insights. Students always ask unexpected questions.

How to pick important experiments:

• Can you turn it into a Yes/No question? Doing this gives you a testable hypothesis.
• If you knew the answer to the question, would it change what you did next? If not, maybe it isn’t the right question to be asking.
• Will knowing the answer change the way you and others think about the thing you are studying?

If there are any key points I missed, please feel free to add (or correct) them using the comment box below the post.