Alexander Meyers, PhD

Last week I saw plants for the first time in 4 months. I might have gotten a little teary. We get fresh fruit and veggies via our cargo vehicles and they provide welcome pops of color and scent, but it turns out this does not compare at all to seeing living plants and smelling the rich scent of vegetation. This work was part of the Plant Habitat-06 experiment investigating physiological and genetic defense mechanisms of wild-type and immune-deficient tomato plants during spaceflight. My job was to harvest leaves from each plant for eventual return to Earth. Researchers will use genetic sequencing and analyses to compare the defense responses and immune functions of the different tomato plants grown in space vs parallel experiments back on Earth. Results of the study contribute to our understanding of plant responses to pathogens, which are responsible for 20-40% of global crop loss, and support the development of methods to grow plants for food production on future space missions.

#DowHighSpaceFarmers Margaret Hitt met Dr. Gioia Massa, the legendary figure of @GrowBeyondEarth *in person* 😃🌱🚀👩‍🚀at 2023 American Society for Gravitational & Space Research Conference! @plantsinspace @trentmsmith @halfbeet @pmillernelson @MidlandPS @ASGSRSpace @DoNASAScience

It’s @halfbeet aka Dr Alex Meyers, me, and @DrPhiltill and Gigi Metzger at talking AI at @YurisNight_FL 2023.

📢RT! @ASPB_ECPS presents: 'What I Wish I Had Known When I Started Graduate School,' a Q&A panel on how to navigate and succeed in grad school! Please join us Friday, April 14, at 1PM CDT by registering here: blog.aspb.org/webinar-wish-i…

The NASA Postdoctoral Program has a position open for Space Crop Production! NASA postdocs are a pretty sweet gig, and this position will be co-advised by the epic all-star duo of @plantsinspace AND @elisonblanca. Click to learn more! Join us! #spaceplants zintellect.com/Opportunity/De…

The European Space Agency on Wednesday named the first ever "parastronaut" in a major step towards allowing people with physical disabilities to work and live in space. reuters.com/world/europe/e…

@Botany_nerd The cup in question.

"You know you're a geek when you realize you have more forceps in your pencil cup than pencils." Fun conversation with Dr. Meyers today during a harvest. @halfbeet #IamABotanist #BOTANIST #plantgeek

Had a lot of fun at my first @ASGSRSpace meeting. This was a great burst of energy to study plant telomeres in space soon with the new @NASA grant and with @SarahWyattOhioU and @halfbeet

Good luck to the graduate students presenting at @ASGSRSpace in the @SarahWyattOhioU lab 🌱🧪🌿 @ASGSRstudents @CanadayEmma @CoffinCalvin

This is Ava. She ruptured a disc in her spine and lost all feeling in her hind legs. After emergency surgery, her chances of being able to walk again were 50/50. We covered the remainder of her care and are proud to report she's making great strides toward a full recovery. 14/10

DEADLINE EXTENDED! ECPS applications will be open through this Friday, September 9th. JOIN US! @ASPB

"Wet Dress 7" next week's trivia team name @KatrinaTernus @TGMetsFan98

This is why we do it folks

@markowenmartin Accurate

What is this device? Wrong answers only.

A new cell press collection on space omics research leaded from Europe is been realease in September. Stay tune for new contributions each week

The Early Career Plant Scientists Section of ASPB has leadership positions open! Apply today & help us advocate for ECRs, expand equity, diversity, inclusion, & access in the Plant Biology community, plan events at annual meeting, participate in ASPB decision making, &more! @ASPB

in retaliation* to engine 3

This week, I met with STEM students at @NASAKennedy. With their innovation and vision, America’s next generation will soon chart our path forward in space. To all the young leaders out there: Keep dreaming and keep doing.

Well... there's your problem.

NASA engineers have determined that this morning’s scrub was most likely due to my failure to buy Artemis socks and wear them to work today. The issue has been resolved and we should be go for launch on Friday. #Artemis1 #weAREGOING #onfriday