SLU news

UPSC celebrates 50 years of Plant Science in Umeå

Published: 15 August 2017

Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), a world leading plant research institute, concists of The Department of Plant Physiology (founded in 1967) at Umeå University and  the Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology at SLU. UPSC celebrates the 50 years anniversary with a three-day lasting symposium about the past, the present and the future of Plant Science in Umeå (and the world). The symposium will take place on August 21-23.

The research at UPSC today is fundamentally different from the science of 1967. UPSC comprises not only the Department of Plant Physiology but also the Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), founded in the late 1970s. These two Departments joined their forces in 1999 and created the Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), first "virtually", and in 2001 also physically.

Today, over 200 persons from about 45 different nationalities work at the UPSC – in contrast to the handful of people that started in August 1967. How has this tremendous development been possible? Where is plant science today? What is its importance for the society and the citizens of Sweden? These are questions that will be discussed during the anniversary symposium.

The first day of the symposium will focus on the history of plant science in Umeå. On the second day, current group leaders from the UPSC will present their research and the third day concentrates on future perspectives of Plant Science. The invited speakers are famous plant scientist from all over the world, who influenced the development of Plant Science in Umeå. They are all honorary doctors either at Umeå University or at SLU.

The history of Plant Science in Umeå is now also summarized in a booklet (in English) that will be printed for the Symposium. This booklet is based on a more detailed book with the title "Från King Alfred till grangenomet: 50 år av växtforskning i Umeå" (in Swedish) that will be published presumably in autumn 2017.

More about the symposium

Event: Plant Science 50 years in Umeå Symposium Date: 21-23 of August Place: Umeå Plant Science Centre, Umeå University Campus, Umeå

More information and the programme

For questions please contact:

Anne Honsel, UPSC Communication Officer
Phone: +46 (0)90 786 8139 Mobile: +46 (0)70 285 6657
Email: anne.honsel@upsc.se


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