The First Million: BTI’s Bold Step into its Second Century

The First Million: BTI’s Bold Step into its Second Century

In celebration of its 100th anniversary, the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) proudly announces the launch of a three-year fundraising campaign. This initiative marks a pivotal moment in BTI’s journey, aimed at enhancing its scientific discoveries and the...
Gene Editing: New Study Reveals Shifting Public Sentiment

Gene Editing: New Study Reveals Shifting Public Sentiment

Gene editing and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been topics of significant debate in recent years. A new study from the Alliance for Science has revealed a positive shift in public sentiment towards one aspect of agricultural biotechnology, showing that...
2023 PGS Triad Mini-grant Awardees

2023 PGS Triad Mini-grant Awardees

We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2023 Triad funded PGS Mini-grant Program. Congratulations to all the awardees and thanks to all the participants! The committee of PGS members along with a faculty advisor reviewed a total of 8 proposals and have...
BTI Welcomes 2023 Undergraduate Student Researchers

BTI Welcomes 2023 Undergraduate Student Researchers

On June 5, Boyce Thompson Institute welcomed 39 undergraduate students from colleges across the country to experience the life of a researcher for 10 weeks. Now in its 23rd year, BTI’s NSF funded Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) and USDA funded Innovations in...
Alumni Reunion Zooms

Alumni Reunion Zooms

For many of us, the pandemic has shined an ever-brighter light on the importance of connection and mutual support. Two members of the BTI community who shared that insight, faculty emeritus Dr. Alan Renwick and Aly Evans of the development team, partnered to reconnect...
Magdalena Julkowska Joins BTI as Newest Faculty Member

Magdalena Julkowska Joins BTI as Newest Faculty Member

Boyce Thompson Institute is excited to welcome Magdalena Julkowska to Ithaca, where she becomes our newest Assistant Professor. Magda’s main research focus is how environmental stress affects plant development and architecture, and she also plans to build an automated...
Groundcherries: a New Treat

Groundcherries: a New Treat

Groundcherries: a New Treat by Carol Bayles, Master Gardener, with input from Esperanza Shenstone, Boyce Thompson Institute Note: this article originally appeared in the Cornell Cooperative Extension Garden Post newsletter Most gardeners love to try new things and...
BTI Celebrates Another Successful Summer Internship Program

BTI Celebrates Another Successful Summer Internship Program

Boyce Thompson Institute celebrated its 19th annual Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) summer internship program with an award ceremony at the George and Helen Kohut Symposium, which was held at the Institute on August 8. The PGRP focuses on training and inspiring...
Cluster Hire Yields Three New Faculty Members

Cluster Hire Yields Three New Faculty Members

Boyce Thompson Institute is pleased to announce the hiring of three faculty members as part of its new and innovative “cluster hire” approach. Out of 113 applicants, the three people who will join BTI over the next year are: Magdalena (Magda) Julkowska, a postdoctoral...
BTI Welcomes Summer Student Interns

BTI Welcomes Summer Student Interns

On June 3, Boyce Thompson Institute welcomed 35 of the country’s brightest undergraduate students from universities around the country to experience the life of a researcher for 10 weeks. Eight more interns from area high schools will join the Institute for seven...
Congratulations to BTI’s PhD Graduates!

Congratulations to BTI’s PhD Graduates!

We are pleased to announce that seven Boyce Thompson Institute researchers received their PhD degrees during the Cornell University commencement ceremony on May 26. Congratulations to our newest alumni: Mariko Alexander, Heck lab, “Searching for the missing...
BTI’s Maria Harrison Elected to National Academy of Sciences

BTI’s Maria Harrison Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Maria Harrison, William H. Crocker Professor at Boyce Thompson Institute and Adjunct Professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS) at Cornell University, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Harrison is one of 100 new members announced...
BTI Alumni Share Advice with PhD Students, Post Docs

BTI Alumni Share Advice with PhD Students, Post Docs

Graduate students and post docs would be wise to join groups that teach leadership and networking skills, which could help them compete for jobs outside of academia. So say three alumni who recently visited Boyce Thompson Institute for an all-day event organized by...
BTI’s Big Red Anniversary: 40 Years at Cornell

BTI’s Big Red Anniversary: 40 Years at Cornell

The Boyce Thompson Institute of Corvallis, Oregon? It almost happened. April 24 will mark the 40th anniversary of the dedication ceremony for BTI’s current facilities on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, NY. The Institute’s researchers and staff will celebrate...
Inaugural BTI Alumni Recognition Awards

Inaugural BTI Alumni Recognition Awards

It is with great enthusiasm and pride that Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) will recognize the first recipients of BTI’s Alumni Recognition Awards during the 2019 PGS Career Symposium on April 26, 2019. Several highly qualified individuals were nominated for the...
BTI Promotes Faculty Member Fei

BTI Promotes Faculty Member Fei

David Stern, president of the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI), is delighted to announce that faculty member Zhangjun Fei has been promoted to Full Professor on February 27, 2019. Fei was evaluated on his achievements to date and the potential he possesses. Fei has made...
Ascribe Bioscience Receives SBIR Award from NSF

Ascribe Bioscience Receives SBIR Award from NSF

On January 29, 2019, Ascribe Bioscience became the first company based on technology developed at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) to receive a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. The agbiotech startup will use the $225,000 Phase I award from the...
Cassava experts gather to champion ‘orphan crop’

Cassava experts gather to champion ‘orphan crop’

It’s a dietary staple for millions of Africans, but cassava has traditionally received little attention from scientists and plant breeders in comparison to cash crops such as wheat and maize. However, researchers have recently been working to find cassava a scientific...
Plant–Fungal Interface Gets Tubular

Plant–Fungal Interface Gets Tubular

For hundreds of millions of years, plants and fungi have formed symbiotic relationships to trade crucial nutrients, such as phosphate and fatty acids. This relationship is extremely important to the growth and survival of both organisms, and solving the mystery of how...
New CRISPR database to catalyze collaborations

New CRISPR database to catalyze collaborations

Recently developed gene editing tools like CRISPR/Cas enable scientists to figure out the functions of myriad plant genes. While these studies could eventually lead to the creation of crops with improved traits like increased disease resistance or higher yield,...
Empowering Youth Through Science: Charlie Trautmann Joins BTI Board

Empowering Youth Through Science: Charlie Trautmann Joins BTI Board

BTI is excited to welcome Charlie Trautmann as the newest addition to our Board of Directors. Trautmann brings a wealth of leadership and organizational development experience on non-profit boards, as well as a passion for educating children about science. Although he...
A message from the president regarding the government shutdown

A message from the president regarding the government shutdown

Dear BTI Community:   As we collectively navigate the longest government shutdown in United States history, I know that many of you have questions and concerns about the impact on BTI, our United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) colleagues, and the broader...
CRISPR tames the wild groundcherry

CRISPR tames the wild groundcherry

ITHACA, NY – You might not have heard of the groundcherry, or at least, never tasted one. But that could soon change thanks to research from the Van Eck Laboratory at Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI). The groundcherry (Physalis pruinosa) is approximately the same size...
2018 PGRP Symposium marks finale of intern researchers’ summer

2018 PGRP Symposium marks finale of intern researchers’ summer

The Boyce Thompson Institute’s (BTI’s) 2018 class of summer interns wrapped up their summer by presenting research talks and posters at the annual Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) Student Symposium. Now in its 17th year, BTI’s annual PGRP symposium provides a...
BTI promotes faculty members Schroeder and Van Eck

BTI promotes faculty members Schroeder and Van Eck

Boyce Thompson Institute president, David Stern, has officially announced promotions for faculty members Frank Schroeder and Joyce Van Eck. Both researchers were thoroughly reviewed and evaluated on both their achievements to date and the potential they possess.