CRISPR can speed up nature—and change how we grow food
BTI Associate Professor Joyce Van Eck’s gene editing research is the featured cover story of the August 2018 edition of WIRED Magazine.
The World at her Fingertips: A Spotlight of Autumn Hurd
2018 PGRP Intern Autumn reflects on her summer experience, covering Bridgewater, Bogdanove Lab, bananas, and Buffalo Street.
Susan McCouch: splicing science with board service
Susan McCouch’s understanding of the complexities of agricultural research has brought a unique perspective to the BTI Board of Directors.
Pear genomes show evidence of independent domestication in Asia and Europe
Researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and partnering institutions in China, the U.S., and New Zealand, report their findings on the domestication of the pear in Genome Biology.
Fern-tastic! Crowdfunded fern genomes published in Nature Plants
With crowdfunded support, researchers have sequenced the first two fern genomes ever. Their results, including the discovery of an ancient gene transfer and novel symbiosis mechanisms, appear this month in Nature Plants.
Mary Opperman joins BTI Board of Directors
Mary George Opperman, President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Cornell University, has officially joined the Boyce Thompson Institute’s (BTI’s) Board of Directors.
Student Research in Full Bloom: BTI’s 2018 PGRP Interns
Boyce Thompson Institute’s (BTI’s) 2018 Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) interns have arrived in Ithaca for their summer of biology and bioinformatics research! This June, more than thirty of the country’s brightest students arrived at BTI from all over the United States to experience the life of a researcher.
2017 Annual Report now available
2017 has been a tremendous year at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI). This past year’s annual report serves as a reminder of how strong BTI core purposes have remained, while looking to the future of research and the opportunity it holds.
Science, art and wine collide: Art@BTI to showcase local photography, food system research
The Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) invites the Ithaca community to Art@BTI, a free event where art, science, and wine will collide. Art@BTI will take place on Thursday, May 31st from 5:00 to 7:00pm.
BTI scientists win awards at annual Northeast ASPB meeting
Two researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute earned 1st place honors at the 2018 Northeast ASPB Section annual meeting. The meeting was hosted by the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the theme was Translational Research for Improving Crop Productivity.
Symposium to showcase research, celebrate opening of BTI Computational Biology Center
The Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) will host an inaugural symposium for the Institute’s new Computational Biology Center (BCBC) on Tuesday, May 8, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Jim Giovannoni appointed Director of USDA-ARS Robert W. Holley Center
Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) professor Jim Giovannoni has been appointed as the Director of the USDA-ARS Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health (RHCAH), effective April 15, 2018.
BTI Board Member April Burke champions for science on Capitol Hill
For more than thirty years, April Burke has worked to ensure the science and not-for-profit sectors have a voice in our nation’s capital. BTI’s Keith Hannon sat down with April to hear about the current political climate and how research institutes like BTI stand to be impacted by changes in funding and potential legislation.
Paul Debbie, M.B.A, named new Director of Research
Paul Debbie, Director of Technology Transfer and Licensing at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI), has been named BTI’s new Director of Research. Debbie officially began his position in January 2018.
Research reveals a new direction for halting the citrus greening epidemic
New clues to how the bacteria associated with citrus greening infect the only insect that carries them could lead to a way to block the microbes’ spread from tree to tree, according to a study in Infection and Immunity by scientists at Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
Open-access wild tomato genome offers valuable insights for tomato growers, crop scientists
The new S. lycopersicoides genome sequence offers the opportunity for innovative breeding programs that may hold the ability to confer desirable traits to marketable tomato varieties.
Updated BTI mission statement emphasizes dedication to discovery
Discoveries lead to new knowledge, which becomes part of our collective understanding of plants and other organisms. That foundational knowledge then forms the basis for fulfillment of the other component of BTI’s mission, which produces societal benefits in agriculture, environment and health.
New funding supports cassava development in Africa
Cornell University and BTI will expand international efforts to deliver improved varieties of cassava to smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa with $35 million in new funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UK aid in the United Kingdom.
Now hiring: collaborative faculty team at BTI
The Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) is hiring for novel faculty team positions at the Assistant Professor level. Review of applications will begin on April 23, 2018. Please send any inquiries to teamsearch@btiscience.org.
Robert Granados and the discovery behind HPV vaccine
10 years ago, an HPV vaccine called Cervarix™ was released. The High-Five™ insect cell line, developed at BTI by Dr. Robert Granados, is now being used to produce it. Granados discusses the discovery in a recent edition of BTI’s Science Bomb podcast.
Oliver Schulze brings new ideas, family history to the BTI Board of Directors
Schulze discusses his goal to bring his professional experience and family history to the BTI Board of Directors in the newest edition of BTI’s Science Bomb podcast.
New ‘Tomato Expression Atlas’ dives deep into the fruit’s flesh
Researchers at BTI, Cornell and USDA published a spatiotemporal map of gene expression across all tissues and developmental stages of the tomato fruit – the genetic information underlying how a fruit changes from inside to out as it ripens. Their data is available in the new Tomato Expression Atlas (TEA).
Better breeders, better yams: YamBase workshops help improve yam breeding
More than 70 participants joined in on the training sessions provided by members of BTI’s Mueller Lab, October-December 2017.
Maria Harrison featured in interview with International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
In this IS-MPMI’s interview with Kevin Cope (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Maria Harrison discusses her research on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and provides advice to young scientists entering the field.
Maria Harrison, consortium of scientists receive $5 million grant to study genes that help legumes access soil nutrients
BTI’s Harrison lab will develop Medicago truncatula mutants to identify the function of genes predicted to be important in nitrogen fixation in legumes.
GOBii/EiB cross-project workshop showcases integrated breeding resources and tools to African partners
“By working together, we can have much greater impact and help train breeders in the latest and most efficient techniques,” according to Liz Jones, GOBII Director.
Bottle gourd genome provides insight on evolutionary history and genetic relationships of cucurbit crops
In their findings, researchers compared the sequenced bottle gourd genome to those of other cucurbit species, allowing them to reconstruct the ancient genomic history of the Cucurbitaceae family.
BTI announces Alumni Recognition Program, opening of inaugural round of award nominations
The BTI Alumni Recognition Program celebrates the success of outstanding BTI Alumni and recognizes the foundation that their BTI experiences provided.
Pumpkin genomes sequenced revealing uncommon evolutionary history
For some, pumpkins conjure carved Halloween decorations, but for many people around the world, these gourds provide nutrition. Scientists at Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and the National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables in Beijing have sequenced the genomes of two important pumpkin species, Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata.
In Memoriam: Edward “Ted” Buckley
Edward “Ted” Buckley, a retired faculty member at the Boyce Thompson Institute, passed away October 21, 2017 at the age of 86.
2017 BTI Symposium highlights plant development and evolution
Organized by BTI’s Postgraduate Society (PGS), BTI’s 2017 Symposium featured a jam-packed program with representation from more than 10 BTI research groups and affiliated projects.
$9.4M NIH grant funds chronic fatigue syndrome center
Cornell will receive close to $9.4 million over five years to establish the Cornell Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Collaborative Research Center, which will span Cornell’s Ithaca campus, Weill Cornell Medicine, Ithaca College, the Boyce Thompson Institute [Schroeder Lab], the Workwell Foundation, EVMED Research, the SOLVE ME/CFS Initiative and private ME/CFS medical practices.
Bioreactors on a chip renew promises for algal biofuels
This week, researchers from Boyce Thompson Institute and Texas A&M University report in Plant Direct exciting new technology that may revolutionize the search for the perfect algal strain: Algal droplet bioreactors on a chip.
Thank you, BTI postdocs! Celebrating National Postdoc Appreciation Week 2017
To recognize and thank postdoc researchers, BTI will join institutions around the globe in celebrating this year’s National Postdoc Appreciation Week (September 18th – 22nd, 2017).
International team collaborates to decipher the Asian citrus psyllid genome
BTI’s Mueller and Heck Labs, in collaboration with 21 partner institutions, recently published a draft assembly and annotation of the D. citri genome.
Hot tomatoes! MPMI Cover features BTI research
This month, the cover of Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions features a publication by Simon Schwizer from the Martin Lab at BTI that furthers our understanding of how tomatoes are able to resist infection by Pseudomonas syringae, the causal agent of bacterial speck, a common disease in upstate NY.
GOBii initiative bridges plant breeding digital divide
With open-source software, GOBII plans to provide organizations in the developing world with the computational infrastructure needed for efficient breeding.
Broader Impacts: Beet Armyworm in Bronx, NY
Joe Macchia, a science teacher at the Urban Science Academy in Bronx, NY, uses BTI teaching kits to engage his students in hands-on science.
Workshop announcement – Help improve training in the plant sciences!
On September 19, 2017, the Plant Science Research Network (PSRN) will convene an in-person meeting using the scenarios as a tool to understand the challenges that plant science trainees face today. Apply by August 18 to join them!
2017 PGRP Symposium marks finale of intern researchers’ summer
Now in its 16th year, BTI’s annual PGRP symposium provides a means for student interns to to present their findings in a professional, engaging setting.
New genomic insights reveal a surprising two-way journey for apple on the Silk Road
New research out of Boyce Thompson Institute reveals surprising insights into the genetic exchange along the Silk Road that brought us the modern apple.
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Science In Real Life: GMOs with the Van Eck Lab
Follow Science In Real Life (IRL) as they head to the Van Eck Lab and demystify GMOs by showing how they’re made in the lab.
An Interview With PGRP Intern Natalie Gonzalez
Natalie explains how having a mentor and interning at BTI has given her a new perspective on where to plant her professional roots.
January 2017
Development Update: BTI’s generous friends and supporters helped us to have a very successful fundraising year. We raised $237,728.35, or 97% of the 2017 goal of $246,000 – more than doubling the amount raised during 2016. Responses to the campaign are still...
BTI Receives DARPA “Insect Allies” Award to Develop Viruses and Insects for Maize Improvement
The research project, titled Viruses and Insects as Plant Enhancement Resources (VIPER), is supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Insect Allies program.
In Memoriam: Klaus Apel
Klaus Apel, former professor at the Boyce Thompson Institute, passed away on June 30th at the age of 74.
Maize in Maricopa: An Interview with Intern Michael Miller
Michael Miller spent his first two weeks as a PGRP intern at the United States Department of Agriculture’s Arid Land Research Center.
BTI’s Mueller Lab and visiting researchers collaborate to improve important crop databases
During June and July at BTI, visiting scholars from crop breeding programs in Nigeria, Nairobi, and Uganda have been working closely with researchers in Lukas Mueller’s group to discuss ways to improve the development of online resources related to two of Africa’s most important staple crops: cassava and banana.