Ask a Plant Scientist: Dan Ruzicka
Postdoctoral Associate in Dr. Daniel Schachtman’s Lab & President of the Society of Fellows
Q : You have only been at the Danforth Center for about a year, and yet
you have already been serving as president of the SOF since March. What
attracted you to a leadership position in the SOF?
A : Post-docs can be the orphans of the scientifi c community. They no longer
have the support structure of graduate school, but they do not yet have the co-
worker relationships that principal investigators or faculty develop. Postdoctoral
positions usually last only two to three years, so positions can be very transient.
One thing that the SOF provides is a sense of community to young scientists at
the Danforth Center. This was an important factor when I considered joining
Born and raised in St.
Daniel’s lab, and it is something I wanted to become involved with during my Louis, Dr. Dan Ruzicka
time at the Center.
received his PhD
The mission of the Society of Fellows is to promote the professional, scientifi c,
in Genetics at the
and social development of junior scientists at the Center. SOF brings together
University of Georgia
scientists from all of the labs at the Center and provides a forum for sharing our
experiences and continuing our education. I felt that I could contribute to SOF’s
before joining the
success by bringing a new perspective and new ideas from my graduate education Center in June 2008.
at the University of Georgia. Since becoming president, the SOF has undergone
He is a postdoctoral
changes in an attempt to improve our mission and better serve the Center.
associate in Dr.
Daniel Schachtman’s
Q : What sort of activities and programs does the SOF offer?
laboratory studying
A
nutrient uptake in
: The SOF provides a wide range of scientifi c programs, including sponsoring
the weekly post-doctoral seminar series as well as monthly meetings with
mycorrhizal tomato
invited speakers to discuss career development, résumé & grant writing, roots. He is also the
biotechnology, and agriculture. The SOF’s scientifi c programs are designed to
current president of
encourage communication and collaboration among SOF members. Whether
the Danforth Center’s
it be troubleshooting a specifi c methodology or presenting results that used an
emerging technology in plant science, SOF meetings provide an opportunity for
Society of Fellows
members to get more out of their scientifi c training at the Center. (SOF), a group of
We also sponsor regular social events to give young scientists a chance to young scientists in
enjoy their time at the Center. Examples include informal patio gatherings
training, composed
and barbequing in nearby Stacy Park. In addition to the scientifi c and social
of postdoctoral
activities, the SOF participates in many outreach opportunities including serving
as Danforth Center tour guides, volunteering for educational outreach activities
researchers, graduate
in greater St. Louis, and sponsoring poster competitions at the Danforth Center students, and
symposium and scientifi c retreats.
research scientists.
Q : What are your hopes for St. Louis, the Danforth Center and the SOF?
A : I would love to see St. Louis become the hub of the global plant science
community, and I think that the Danforth Center is a cornerstone of that goal.
I hope that St. Louis and the Danforth Center become a destination for plant
scientists and the ideas they develop. By providing an organization specifi cally
designed to promote the training and development of young scientists, the SOF
hopes to help attract top young scientists to the Center. Whether SOF members
stay in our region after their time at the Center or they return to their home cities
and countries, SOF members become lifelong ambassadors of St. Louis and the
Educational Outreach
Danforth Center. ■
Volunteers Shayani Pieris
and Elisa Leyva-Guerrero
at Langston Middle School
Science Fun Night
9
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