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Description
An ICTP Meeting

Growing food insecurity is a major concern in the developing world. Reducing chemical use for pest management is an urgent need in Africa and globally, for cost, food safety, and environmental sustainability. The biophysics of pathogen spore dispersal is hardly studied but offers potential targets for the disruption of plant disease. Research on this topic can guide more accurate use of fungicides in the short term and explore less toxic alternatives in the long term. This workshop aims to stimulate research on basic phenomena of fungal spore dispersal and explore how research might be used in applied contexts. 
 
Topics:
  • Introduction to biophysics
  • Introduction to mycology and biology of spore development and release
  • Environmental factors influencing fungal spore development, release, and dispersal
  • Basics of fluid dynamics
  • Physics of spore dispersal
  • Applications of the physics of spore dispersal

Representative of the Government of RSA:
Mr. Jan Hendrik VENTER, Director of Plant Health, Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development


Speakers:
Carlos AGUILAR-TRIGUEROS, University of Jyväskylä
Tjaart KRÜGER, University of Pretoria
Veera NORROS, The Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
​Anne PRINGLE, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Agnese SEMINARA, University of Genoa
Bernard SLIPPERS, FABI Director
Mark UNGER, The Wonder Lab
 
 
Grants: A limited number of grants are available to support the attendance of selected participants, with priority given to participants from developing countries. There is no registration fee.
 
 

Material

Workshop on the Biophysics of Fungal Spore Dispersal and its Relevance to Plant Disease | (smr 3942)
Go to day
  • Monday, 10 June 2024
    • 09:00 - 19:00 Biophysics and Spore Dispersal:Ideas for Stopping Plant Disease 
      To join Live-Streaming in Zoom CLICK HERE
      Material: Poster
      • 09:00 Priorities for science in South Africa 15' 
        Representative of the Government of RSA
        Speaker: Mr. Jan Hendrik VENTER (Director of Plant Health, Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development)
        Material: Video
      • 09:15 The threat of plant diseases to African plant production and food security 30'
        Speaker: Bernard SLIPPERS (FABI Director)
        Material: Video
      • 09:45 Introduction to biophysics on the African continent 15'
        Speaker: Tjaart KRUGER (FABI/UP Physics)
        Material: Video
      • 10:00 TEA BREAK 15'
      • 10:15 How do fungal spores move? 45'
        Speaker: Anne PRINGLE (U. Wisconsin-Madison Botany & Bacteriology)
        Material: Video
      • 11:00 Introduction to fluid dynamics 45'
        Speaker: Tjaart KRUGER (FABI/UP Physics)
        Material: Video
      • 11:45 Fungal strategies to survive atmospheric transport 45'
        Speaker: Agnese SEMINARA (University of Genoa)
        Material: Video
      • 12:30 GROUP PHOTO & LUNCH 1h30'
      • 14:00 Tracking spore dispersal in nature 45'
        Speaker: Veera NORROS (Finnish Environment Institute (Syke))
        Material: Video
      • 14:45 Why is there variation in spore size and why does it matter? 45'
        Speaker: Carlos Aguilar (University of Jyväskylä)
        Material: Video
      • 15:30 TEA BREAK 15'
      • 15:45 Imaging fungi... a beautiful talk 30'
        Speaker: Mark UNGER (The Wonder Lab)
      • 16:15 Synthesis and ideas to move forward 45'
        Speaker: Antonio CELANI (ICTP), Bernard SLIPPERS (FABI Director)
        Material: Video
      • 17:00 Reception to follow! 2h0'
  • Tuesday, 11 June 2024
    • 08:30 - 17:00 BRAINSTORMING and GENERATING IDEAS!
      • 08:30 How to be in this workshop 10'
        Speaker: Bernard SLIPPERS (FABI Director)
      • 08:40 Getting to know each other/ “Ice breaker” activities 1h35' 
        Moderator: Anne PRINGLE (U. Wisconsin-Madison Botany & Bacteriology)

Very brief introductions and then pair and share for three rounds, with three questions:  #1. What do you know about physics?  #2. What do you know about fungi? (Emphasis: We are all learners!)  #3. What did you find a. most interesting and b. most confusing about yesterday’s talks?
      • 10:15 TEA BREAK 15'
      • 10:30 Group discussions focused on Questions in #3 1h15' 
        Moderator: Anne PRINGLE (U. Wisconsin-Madison Botany & Bacteriology)

Break into 4 smaller groups. List questions/confusions on the board, talk through them, and then we’ll get back together and have a larger group conversation (hopefully to solve confusions).
      • 11:45 Begin small group conversations around “most important unanswered questions” 15'
      • 12:00 LUNCH 1h0'
      • 13:00 A walk/tour 2h0' 
        Guided by Mr Jason Sampson and Dr Trudy Paap

A walk/tour around FA to see it and talk about plant disease, also a visit to the aloe walk (the aloes have rusts on them…).
      • 15:00 Afternoon refreshments 15'
      • 15:15 Late afternoon reflections 45' 
        Continued conversations about “most important unanswered questions”… done as a group? (We can decide.) Start thinking about which ideas are your favorites.
As time permits: Sticky note exercise to go to the wall of ideas and choose among them…
      • 16:00 Free time to catch up with emails, socialize 1h0'
  • Wednesday, 12 June 2024
    • 08:30 - 17:00 CHOOSING IDEAS and TURNING THEM INTO REALITY
      • 08:30 Finish thinking through “most important unanswered questions” 1h30' 
        As needed, finish thinking through “most important unanswered questions”. Sort into groups around the questions, people will choose their groups, in each group identify  #1. What literature is available  #2. What is unknown both in terms of basic information (e.g. some aspect of physics or fungal biology or both), and what is “frontier science”  #3. What experiments would win funding and  #4., As time permits, identify potential funding agencies.  The aim here is very practical: Make it real.
      • 10:00 TEA BREAK 15'
      • 10:15 Continue discussions 1h45'
      • 12:00 LUNCH 1h0'
      • 13:00 Head to FABI (on the University of Pretoria campus) for a digital microscopy workshop 2h0'
      • 15:00 Late afternoon reflections 1h0' 
        Late afternoon reflections; continued conversations about “most important unanswered questions” AT FABI (The FABI auditorium is booked from 3 pm for our workshop).
      • 16:00 Free time to catch up with emails, socialize 1h0'
    • 19:00 - 22:00 As desired, Anne can lead a sunset hike!
  • Thursday, 13 June 2024
    • 08:30 - 17:00 PRESENTATIONS and FEEDBACK
      • 08:30 Presentations 1h30' 
        Each group will report back to the other groups about the previous day’s discussions (if we need to start the day in the smaller groups to put together the presentations, we’ll do that).
      • 10:00 TEA BREAK 15'
      • 10:15 Feedback 1h45' 
        We should be giving feedback to each group about their plans.
      • 12:00 LUNCH 1h0'
      • 13:00 Tour of Javett Art Centre! 2h0'
      • 15:00 Afternoon refreshments back at Future Africa 15'
      • 15:15 Late afternoon reflections 45'
      • 16:00 Free time to catch up with emails, socialize 1h0'
    • 19:00 - 22:00 This evening: A traditional braai at Future Africa
  • Friday, 14 June 2024
    • 08:30 - 17:00 
      We are intentionally leaving this day very flexible.  Some groups may want to more formally plan grant proposals, other groups may want to think through practical experiments using the fields around Future Africa as a laboratory.
      • 10:00 TEA BREAK 15'
      • 12:00 LUNCH 1h0'
      • 15:00 Afternoon refreshments 15'
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