Final Activity Report Summary - GIPS (Generating an Integrative Plant Science)
As a result of this project, a cadre of young scientists were trained in integrative plant biology. In addition, the fellows created a number of research tools and developed their own skills, providing them with a platform for future employment. They also contributed to a series of scientific events by which their skills could be show-cased. The scientific focus of the project was understanding the control of leaf size and shape. Novel computational approaches to measuring and modelling leaf form have been developed, and a series of experiments performed in which parameters propose to play a role in the control of leaf shape have been manipulated, using a combination of molecular and microscopy techniques.
As a result, a number of scientific papers have been published or are in preparation. Overall, the project ran well with the new scientific approaches becoming embedded in the host institute, and the TOK Fellows going on to scientific careers.