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Favorite Discoveries from 2015
2015 was an exciting year for BTI. Here are just a few of our scientific discoveries from the past year.
2015 was an exciting year for BTI. Here are just a few of our scientific discoveries from the past year.
Aphids thrive on a high-sugar diet, thanks to bacterial partners that help them breakdown plant sap and build essential amino acids from scratch.
BTI thanks Rigas for her transformative work in communicating the institute’s scientific mission and wishes her well in her next endeavor.
Fluorescent proteins will allow researchers to track phosphate movement through cells in real time.
The active ingredient in aspirin blocks an enzyme that triggers cell death in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, offering hope for novel treatments.
BTI, an independent research institute on the Cornell University campus, invites applications for the position of Vice President, Development and Communications.
The Boyce Thompson Institute is now accepting applications for summer internships in Plant Genome Research and Bioinformatics!
BTI board member Kathryn Boor will be honored by AAAS in February at their annual meeting.
The bacterium believed to cause citrus greening disease creates multiple changes in both the Asian citrus psyllid that carries it and the beneficial bacteria that live within the insect.
What will your dinner plate look like in 2050? With discoveries from the Boyce Thompson Institute, future crops may have more nutrients and greater resistance to insects, drought and disease.
The GOBII project gathered researchers from breeding centers around the world to make a plan to develop the architecture for a genomics database for five staple crops.
The BTI tomato field experienced a damaging outbreak of bacterial speck disease this summer, but BTI’s Greg Martin has identified genetic regions in a wild tomato species that may make future varieties immune to these devastating bacterial strains.
Ongoing relationships with teachers enable Education and Outreach to host valuable professional development workshops on plant and insect science for dedicated teachers.
A technique to enhance beta-carotene levels in potatoes and cassava may one day help alleviate vitamin A deficiency in developing countries.
Researchers in the Stern laboratory will investigate potential benefits of “high-Rubisco” corn plants, under a new USDA-funded project.
“Plant science is a great topic because people are much more aware of the effects of climate change and the challenges of food and energy production right now,” says Burke.
Maria Harrison will participate in a $13.5 million, multi-institution systems biology project with Daniel Schachtman of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to develop sorghum that is more drought resistant and uses nitrogen more efficiently.
A consortium of 20 researchers is using advanced genomic techniques to accelerate the development of disease-resistant varieties of cucurbit crops. BTI Associate Professor Zhangjun Fei will lead the bioinformatics and genomics part of the initiative.
Students in Cornell University’s course, The GMO Debate: Science and Society, visited a genetic engineering laboratory at Boyce Thompson Institute, courtesy of Assistant Professor Joyce Van Eck and postdoctoral researcher Alex Amaro, Stern Lab.
Most people get a daily dose of virus in the form of plant or insect viruses that are harmless to humans. Consuming the occasional plant or insect virus should be the least of our worries.
The Boyce Thompson Institute gathered on Sept. 24 for its annual symposium to hear talks with the theme: Envisioning Our Role in Agricultural and Ecological Sustainability.
The detection of 10 new citrus greening disease cases in California citrus trees weighed heavily on attendees of a recent citrus greening research meeting.
The Cornell Nanoscale Facility would like to expand their collaborations with plant scientists.
BTI researchers Harrison and Floss collaborate with Cornell physicists to understand how roots grow around barriers in the soil, while still heading down.
Researchers have found that salicylic acid targets the activities of HMGB1, an inflammatory protein associated with a wide variety of diseases, offering hope that more powerful aspirin-like drugs may be developed.
In recognition of his significant contribution to the understanding of crop mineral nutrition, Leon V. Kochian was honored today at the ARS National Agricultural Library.
Hartz serves on the BTI Board of Directors where he advises and oversees the financial and administrative aspects of BTI. He also acts informally as an Ithaca representative, maintaining the strong connection between BTI and the local community.
“There is such a disconnect between what the average person knows about plant science and what we do in the lab here…I think it’s really important to be able to talk to anyone about what I do in a way that they understand.”
The Fall Monday Morning Seminar series began Monday, August 31 at 9:30 AM. Featuring two talks from Armando Bravo from the Harrison Lab and BTI Science Writer, Patricia Waldron.
BTI’s Postgraduate Society explored intellectual property law with attorney—and former biochemist and cell biologist —Elysa Goldberg, at a recent professional development session.
Harrison Lab has discovered that plants use EXO70I to form a membrane around the fungus in arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbioses, beneficial associations where plants receive phosphate from fungi in exchange for carbohydrates.
Pamela Ronald, a rice geneticist at the University of California, Davis, and a member of the Boyce Thompson Institute Scientific Advisory Board, “I support genetic tools and farming practices that enhance sustainable agriculture.”
Gomes Selman set out to create a computer program to improve the efficiency of a genome editing technique called CRISPR/Cas9.. “I’ve grown to really enjoy coding and algorithm design.”
BTI Researchers pinpointed which genes are important at different stages of tomato fruit development by monitoring how gene expression changed in the first four days after a flower becomes pollinated.
BTI will be part of Tompkins County’s first ever 24 hour local online giving day. All funds received by BTI on this day will go to support the high school summer intern program at BTI.
“My experience was really valuable…It confirmed the fact that I want to do science…science doesn’t work a lot of the time…it’s having the motivation and determination to tackle problems that you’re always going to come across.” Juan G
To promote innovative research and collaboration, the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research and the American Society of Plant Biologists are pleased to announce the formation of the Plant Science Research Network.
Fourteen teachers arrived at BTI from schools as close as Ithaca and as far as Anaheim, Calif. to attend the BTI Plant Biology Curriculum Development Projects (CDP) Teacher Institute July 13-17, 2015
On display are a selection of the hundreds of botanical mandalas Daniel McPheeters has created. “I have always been fascinated by patterns and symmetries, particularly the mandala…I love the natural forms of flowers and foliage.”
Science teachers planted switchgrass seeds, sampled algae-glycerin soap, and participated in roleplaying activities at the Bioenergy and Bioproducts Education Program’s National STEM conference last week in Horseheads, N.Y.
When plants detect pheromones given off by nematode worms, they activate their immune system for protection. The chemical warning not only triggers defenses against nematodes, but also against bacterial, fungal and viral infection.
In her new position, Dilworth aims to increase the representation and advancement of women at all levels in the university and to create a work environment free of gender-based biases.
Summer intern Tawni Middleton grew up on a hay farm in Colorado and plans to make her way back to the fields, by way of a career in plant biotechnology.
BTI officially unveils new state-of-the art facility for bioinformatics project.
Becky Sims will coordinate the teacher training institutes, develop and ship plant science experiment kits to classrooms nationwide and provide support for the Tompkins Cortland Community College biology courses taught at BTI.
Professor Emeritus Alan Renwick attended the groundbreaking ceremony and spoke with the developer about the original BTI building’s history in Yonkers.
Professor James Giovannoni, “There’s a great deal of diversity that’s still available from these varieties that potentially have a lot of useful traits, including tolerance to stresses and important fruit traits.”
Summer internships at BTI let students try on the life of a scientist for a few months, while attending a variety of talks, trainings and social events. But what’s in it for the mentors, who painstakingly train them?
“The more we understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the infection process and in plant resistance, the more effective we’re going to be in breeding resistant crops,” said Professor Greg Martin.