Abstract:

      Following the winter holidays I look forward to the New Year of 2012, and would like to take the opportunity to express my sincere thanks to all the authors, reviewers and editors of JIPB. Indeed, the Journal thrives on their support.
      I am happy to announce that JIPB will be co-sponsoring the Workshop on Scientific Writing in Shanghai this April the 23rd to 24th, 2012. The workshop will take place on the campus of the School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The plenary speaker, Professor William J. Lucas from the University of California, Davis, is renowned for both his passion for teaching young students and for his highly insightful speeches. He is currently the Associate Editor for JIPB and The Plant Cell. As a highly respected and experienced scientist and editor, he will provide a unique insider’s perspective into high-ranking international journals. All plant biology researchers, graduate students, undergraduate students and editorial staff are welcome to join in the workshop. Please see www.jipb.net for details.
      JIPB draws continually on the great wealth of experience of its co-editors. I am especially grateful to the editors who took the time out of their busy schedules to work for JIPB. Though the length of a co-editor’s term is two years, and it is always sad to see old friends go, one of the excellent things about being editor-in-chief is that I have the opportunity to watch the Journal’s evolution which takes place over the change in editorial board composition. Indeed, over the years the focus of our journal has become more refined as a result of the varied interests of our co-editors, especially those who volunteer as special issue editors.
     In addition, I am very pleased to announce this year’s additions to the board. Prof. Mauro Cresti is from the University of Sienna, and specializes in pollen tube growth and plant sexual reproduction. Dr. Frans Tax is a professor at the University of Arizona and specializes in receptor kinases and hormone signaling in relation to growth and development. Prof. Vincent Bulone is from the Division of Glycoscience, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University, Sweden and works on plant cell walls and carbohydrates. His experience in carbohydrate metabolism, structure and cell wall engineering will be a new addition to the journal. Prof. Jurandir Magalhaes affiliates with Embrapa Maize and Sorgum, Brazil, with expertise in abiotic stress tolerance. In addition, I’d like to express my thanks to Prof. Jiankang Wang, Prof. Jose Luis Araus, and Prof. Hong Gil Nam for volunteering their time and expertise to participate in our upcoming special issues on “Methods in Crop Molecular Breeding” and “Plant Senescence” as our guest co-editors. At its present state, the board is represented by 77 prestigious
scientists from 14 countries, 47% from Asia (China, Japan, Korea and India), 32% from Europe (UK, Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands), 18% from North America (USA), and 3% from other countries such as Australia and Brazil.
 

Chun-Ming Liu, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief