Hsiang-Wen Chen has been awarded her PhD at the University of Melbourne today! Wen was cosupervised by Heather, Prof. Staffan Person, and Dr. Allison van de Meene. Wen’s thesis work investigated the molecular mechanisms that regulate plant growth and development by studying a protein called CMU1. She characterized a series of protein-protein interactions that regulate the cytoskeleton and plant cell wall synthesis and proposed an exciting model about how these proteins work together to regulate plant cell shape.

Congratulations Wen!

Today, Jenny Huang successfully defended her MSc thesis. She gave an outstanding presentation and did a fabulous job answering questions. Congratulations Jenny!

Several McFarLab undergraduates have convocated today, including Eskandar, Evan, Rylan, and Terrence. Congratulations everyone and best wishes for your next steps.

As a volunteer, and CSB498 student, Rylan screened plants for defects in plant cell wall signaling. He will join Adam Mott’s lab at UofT Scarborough in the fall to begin his MSc.

As a work-study student, then a CSB498 student, Eskandar examined how changes in pectin status are related to plant growth and development. Eski will join the McFarLab in September as an MSc candidate.

As a CSB498 student, Evan examined the crosstalk between cell wall signaling and hormone signaling using a combination of plant growth assays and live cell imaging.  Evan will continue in the McFarLab over the summer as a CSB499 student, then he will join the University of New Brunswick for his MSc.

Congratulations everyone and best wishes for your future work!

Yu completed an important degree milestone today as he defended his PhD proposal.  Congratulations, Yu!

Today, Carlo did a wonderful job with his PhD proposal exam. Congratulations, Carlo!

Many members of the McFarLab gave excellent presentations at the  Eastern Regional Meeting of the Canadian Society of Plant Biologists today and Jenny was awarded one of the prizes for best talk. Congratulations, Jenny!

Update: Jenny’s award has been highlighted on the CSB website.

Natalie has been awarded a prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST). These merit-based awards are offered to the top applicants to the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program to encourage excellence in graduate studies at publicly-assisted universities in Ontario, such as UofT. Congratulations, Natalie!