Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Project
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Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Project
@ripeproject.bsky.social
490 followers 210 following 38 posts
Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) is an international research project engineering crops to be more productive by improving photosynthesis. We hope to reduce global food insecurity & prepare plants to deal with the changing climate.
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ripeproject.bsky.social
Tracy Lawson's fascination with plants started as a child on an English farm & recently brought the globally recognized expert in plant biology across the pond to Illinois!

Tracy talks about her research & what she's looking forward to most in this new feature!
bit.ly/4jfguQQ
A woman in a lab coat smiles while taking a measurement of leaves with a device.
April 7, 2025 at 1:33 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
RIPE researchers from @lancasteruni.bsky.social wrote a chapter in the latest volume of Methods in Enzymology, providing a protocol for using radiometric assays to measure Rubisco in plant leaves.

Read more about their work here: bit.ly/3XzXW5h
A woman in a lab space works with a pipette. Her arms are under a protective bar and she is surrounded by standard lab equipment.
March 11, 2025 at 1:06 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
Our home institute, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, flipped the script on our communications manager Allie, interviewing her for a recent feature story!

Read about her journey in science communications here: bit.ly/3QNvAkk
A brunette woman with glasses and a red shirt smiles at the camera.
March 6, 2025 at 10:19 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
Current & former RIPE team members were invited to share their expertise & provide commentary on a recent @newphyt.bsky.social article.

Read Coralie & Yi's article, “Mesophyll conductance and cell wall composition: insights from a meta-analysis across species,” doi.org/10.1111/nph....
A close-up picture of a soybean plant’s leaves.
February 28, 2025 at 1:44 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
This semester, RIPE will be joined by Maria Raza as our science communication intern! Maria will work with our team to share RIPE research news and also participate in mentorship and career preparation experiences.

Welcome to the team, Maria!

Read more about her here: bit.ly/3XbypiO
A young woman in a white shirt in front of yellow sunflowers.
February 21, 2025 at 7:28 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
We are thrilled to announce RIPE’s new leadership duo!

Lisa Ainsworth is our Director & Elizabete Carmo-Silva is our Deputy Director!

Both Lisa & Elizabete have been with the project for years & we look forward to what we can accomplish under their guidance.

Full announcement here: bit.ly/42UuCtW
Two pictures side-by-side. The left picture is of a woman wearing sunglasses holding a leafy green plant surrounded by green plants tall enough to reach her waist. The photo on the right is a woman in a lab coat sitting slightly behind a plant and an instrument measuring the plant.
February 17, 2025 at 1:21 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
We are looking for a team member to provide maintenance & management of our pool of LiCOR devices at Illinois.

Work will take place in lab, greenhouse, & field settings. Additional details can be found here: bit.ly/4hXUGbI Deadline to apply is March 13 at 6pm (CST).
@li-corenv.bsky.social
A small, white machine takes a measurement of a green leaf surrounded by other leaves. White text in the bottom right says Join Our Team!
February 13, 2025 at 7:07 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
Science does not move forward without the invaluable contributions of women. Today we celebrate the incredible women on the RIPE team and all of those shaping the future of research.

#EveryVoiceInScience

@cavycavs.bsky.social @meganlmatthews.bsky.social @lancasteruni.bsky.social
A collage of eight pictures of women scientists against a background of green. There is a yellow block in the center with dark green text reading Women move science forward. Under the text is the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency Project logo.
February 11, 2025 at 3:44 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
After decades of impactful & prolific research, Steve Long & Don Ort are retiring from their RIPE leadership roles. bit.ly/4hEKDIA

We are honored to have worked under them for the last 12 years & are elated they will continue RIPE work as principal investigators. We wish them all the best!
Two men kneeling on the ground in a field with small plants around them.
February 3, 2025 at 5:59 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
Read about the latest in genomics research from our home institute, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology!

There are a couple of RIPE features in this year’s Biomarker, and we can even help you out with page 61! bit.ly/49ALtmQ
The front cover of a magazine showing a cell. The words Biomarker Magazine Volume 18 appear in the middle left of the cover. Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology appears in the bottom right. A magazine is open to a page with the headline RIPE team models connection between enzyme activity and yields for the first time. Then there is text in the middle of the page and the bottom of the page is a picture of a soybean field at dusk. A magazine being held open. The left side has a headline that says Improving crop yields and a page of text. The right side of the magazine is a picture of two people kneeling in a field with young plants.
January 28, 2025 at 4:58 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
David Hong, RIPE's science communication intern last semester, recently reflected on what he learned as a member of the RIPE team and his internship experience. bit.ly/3PDT9vq

Thank you, David, for all your hard work, and best of luck in your future endeavors!

@giesbusiness.bsky.social
Green box with a picture of a young man in a blue shirt in the middle. Above the picture is the RIPE logo and the words Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency. Below the picture it says David Hong, RIPE Fall 2024 Science Communication Intern.
January 17, 2025 at 3:51 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
RIPE currently has three openings to join our Illinois team! We are looking for a Data Manager, a Postdoc in the Lawson Lab, and a Science Communication Intern.

More information about all of the positions can be found on our website: ripe.illinois.edu/team/join-ou... #plantscijobs
Hands on a keyboard with green lighting over the picture. The words Join Our Team are in the top right corner in bold white copy.
January 8, 2025 at 3:24 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
Happy New Year from all of us at RIPE! We look forward to collaborating with you in 2025!
The background is light green, a darker green Happy New Year takes up most of the image. From the RIPE team is in even darker green near the bottom right. In the bottom right corner are the words RIPE Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency and the RIPE logo.
January 1, 2025 at 8:47 AM
ripeproject.bsky.social
Topping our 2024 Countdown: A RIPE team used CRISPR/Cas9 to alter photosynthesis in rice by changing its upstream DNA. This was the first approach to increase gene expression & downstream photosynthetic activity.
Article in Science Advances: https://buff.ly/4iIGjJF
Story: https://buff.ly/4iIGmVR
The top half of the image is a man inspecting the leaf of a plant in a greenhouse with other leaves nearby. A large green number one splits the middle of the image. The bottom half of the image has the words Changing upstream DNA alters photosynthesis next to the bottom of the one, The words RIPE 2025 Social Media Countdown, RIPE, and Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency are across the bottom along with the RIPE logo.
December 31, 2024 at 3:13 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
A “How-to guide” for gas exchange techniques was coauthored by a number of RIPE team members and alums. The review, written for beginner and experienced researchers, was published in Plant, Cell & Environment and comes in at #2 on our 2024 countdown!

Review: https://buff.ly/4iF5GMx
The top half of the image is a machine with the word licor on top taking a measurement of a green leaf surrounded by other green plants. A large green number two splits the middle of the image. The bottom half of the image has the words How-to guide for gas exchange techniques next to the bottom of the two, The words RIPE 2025 Social Media Countdown, RIPE, and Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency are across the bottom along with the RIPE logo.
December 30, 2024 at 9:07 AM
ripeproject.bsky.social
#3 in our 2024 countdown is an article from the cover of Plant Biotechnology Journal! Researchers proved in a model crop that an increase in mesophyll conductance could be engineered & that it leads to an increase in photosynthesis!
Article: https://buff.ly/3P4O3YG
Story: https://buff.ly/403oqhe
The top half of the image is a woman looking down at a measurement tool in a field of green plants with a blue sky in the background. A large green number three splits the middle of the image. The bottom half of the image has the words Increase in mesophyll conductance can be engineered next to the bottom of the three. The words RIPE 2025 Social Media Countdown, RIPE, and Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency are across the bottom along with the RIPE logo.
December 29, 2024 at 7:56 AM
ripeproject.bsky.social
Coming in at #4 for 2024, is a Plant, Cell & Environment article showing that reducing chlorophyll levels in seed-filling stages results in higher seed nitrogen without impacting canopy carbon assimilation.

Article: https://buff.ly/4iF5GMx
Story: https://buff.ly/3ZZWMlj
The top half of the image is a man kneeling in a field surrounded by green and yellow plants. A large green number four splits the middle of the image. The bottom half of the image has the words Decrease in Chlorophyll results in higher seed nitrogen next to the bottom of the four, The words RIPE 2025 Social Media Countdown, RIPE, and Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency are across the bottom along with the RIPE logo.
December 28, 2024 at 8:47 AM
ripeproject.bsky.social
We are counting down the top RIPE stories of the year! Starting off at #5 for 2024 is an article published in in silico plants that tied dynamic photosynthetic pathways directly to crop growth for the first time!

Journal article: https://buff.ly/4czuZfm
News release: https://buff.ly/3P4eXAf
The top half of the image shows a diagram showing three different types of photosynthesis modeling: metabolic kinetics, to leaf-level to canopy microclimate and growth. Also shows the important factors in each stage; metabolic kinetcs: Light, water, and CO2 in and sugars and O2 out. Leaf level: light absorption, carbon assimilation, water stress, and transpiration. Canopy mircroclimate and growth: Sunlight, evapotranspiration, water and CO2 in and O2 out. The bottom half of the image has a large number five with the words Modeling framework ties dynamic pathways directly with crop growth next to it. The words RIPE 2025 Social Media Countdown, RIPE, and Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency are across the bottom along with the RIPE logo.
December 27, 2024 at 10:50 AM
ripeproject.bsky.social
RIPE is looking for a Data Manager! This entry-level position will work directly with our researchers on all things data.

Full responsibilities, qualifications, & how to apply: bit.ly/3VMBuoO Deadline to apply is January 16th!

Applications must be submitted through the Illinois job portal.
An open computer displays a spreadsheet of data with one column highlighted in yellow. A hand gestures toward the screen. The words Join Our Team are in the bottom left in white, block letters.
December 19, 2024 at 7:40 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
In an invited #TansleyReview, RIPE researchers discuss strategies to increase Rubisco content as part of short- and long-term efforts to meet the growing global food demand.

Review: doi.org/10.1111/nph....
News story: bit.ly/3ZUlXFY

@newphyt.bsky.social @illinoisresearch.bsky.social
A field of two-foot-tall sorghum plants at sunset. The sky has streaks of pink and blue.
December 17, 2024 at 3:10 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
RIPE Director Steve Long was on Friday’s episode of the CBC’s Quirks & Quarks program to talk about his work developing a digital twin of the photosynthetic process & the breakthroughs it has led to.

Steve's interview starts at 35:32. bit.ly/41l2ZcJ
A man in a blue shirt kneels in a field with young plants with a clear blue sky in the background.
December 9, 2024 at 8:20 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
A RIPE team has engineered potato to be more resilient to global warming, showing 30% increases in tuber mass under heatwave conditions. This adaptation may improve food security for those relying on potatoes for nutrition.

Journal article: doi.org/10.1111/gcb....
News story: bit.ly/3OFDg7q
A woman and a man in white lab coats hold containers with young green plants in a lab setting. A pile of brown potatoes in varying sizes. Young green potato plants in black pots. Potatoes sliced the long way fill an aluminum pan.
December 4, 2024 at 1:26 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
RIPE Deputy Director Lisa Ainsworth has been named Professor & C.A. Ewing Chair of Crop Physiology in the Departments of Crop Sciences & Plant Biology at the University of Illinois.

Congratulations, Lisa! We are thrilled to continue to work with you in this new role! bit.ly/3ODOA3N
A woman surrounded by green plants holding a plant.
December 3, 2024 at 5:19 PM
ripeproject.bsky.social
RIPE has two Research Lab Technician positions open in Champaign, IL!

One closes on December 2nd and the other closes on December 9th.

Learn more about both positions here: bit.ly/3C2gNKF Applications must be submitted through the Illinois job portal to be accepted. #plantscijobs
A bushy green cowpea plant is the main focus with brown soil below and blue sky above. There is a measuring instrument set up in the background just out of focus. The words Join Our Team are near the center top of the image in dark green.
November 26, 2024 at 3:23 PM