From undergrad to grad school, I've lived and studied in six countries: China, Japan, Sweden, France, Germany, and the US. The research/lab cultures and education systems are quite different between these countries, and one of the biggest differences I have noticed is how professors of different countries will write a recommendation letter so very differently, even if they liked the student equally. For instance, I knew my PI in Germany is very "concise and factual", and she will write a good recommendation letter for me in her standard, but I also know it will be way too short and "plain" in the US standard, and it worried me. My impression of recommendation letters written by US profs is that they are usually very elaborated and I've been told that there's a certain set of "code" in the rec letter that people need to know them to understand what they really…
Inclusion and Diversity
Can you share first-hand anecdotes when having a diverse set of colleagues and their experiences and viewpoints helped advance plant biology?
In the medical field for example, when women were allowed into the workforce, for the first time a lot of diseases that were specific to women started getting attention and eventually solutions were found (I will share the link to the article if I find it again).
Working in southern Oklahoma, some farmers and ranchers we interact with have also acknowledged the benefits of adopting certain farming practices in China, Bangladesh and India that were shared by postdocs emigrating from these countries.
Discussions on equity, diversity and inclusion, and how it has been integrated, or should be integrated in professional environments.