Dilworth Becomes First VP for Gender Equality at OIST
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.
From Haybales to Biotech and Back
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.
Plant Breeding Initiative Kicks Off with New Space at BTI
BTI officially unveils new state-of-the art facility for bioinformatics project.
BTI Welcomes New Teaching Lab Coordinator
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.
Groundbreaking News: Former Home of BTI to Undergo Renovation
Professor Emeritus Alan Renwick attended the groundbreaking ceremony and spoke with the developer about the original BTI building’s history in Yonkers.
Plant Experts Discuss New Seeds and Old Seed Catalogs
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.”
The Perks of Being a Mentor
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?
Scientists Find New Tool for Pathogen to Pillage Plants
“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.
Collaboration of Citrus Greening Researchers Begins 5-Year Plan to Save Citrus
A diverse group of researchers has teamed up to develop a therapeutic treatment for citrus greening disease, a bacterial infection that threatens the future of the U.S. citrus industry.
Get to Know the New Members of BTI’s Board of Directors
BTI welcomed three new Board members in May 2015; John W. Townsend, Alan Collmer, and Susan Brown.
Felix Fernandez-Penny Stays True to His Roots
Some interns, like Cornell University first-year student Felix Fernandez-Penny, enjoy their time at BTI so much that they keep showing up at the laboratory, long after the summer ends.
BTI Welcomes New Crop of Summer Interns
BTI welcomes 20 college-level interns for 10 weeks of research in Plant Genome Research Program, the Bioinformatics Program or the Bioenergy Education Program.
Extra DNA Creates Cucumber with All-Female Flowers
Researchers discover the genetics behind high-yield cucumbers that bear all-female flowers by screening 115 genome sequences to find large chromosomal variations.
Professor Jander Comments on Citrus Greening Research
EPA has granted temporary approval of two genes from spinach to be used in citrus plants. “There is a critical need to go beyond citrus to find novel resistance genes that provide protection…”
Yet Another Impressive “Stunt” for Salicylic Acid
New research from the laboratory of BTI Professor Daniel Klessig finds that salicylic acid, or SA, plays a role in resistance to tomato bushy stunt virus or TBSV by blocking viral replication.
BTI Hosts Flash Science! Speaking Competition
BTI Professor Emeritus Robert Kohut initiates competition at BTI to give early-career scientists an opportunity to communicate with the general public and practice their “elevator speech.”
Why Rice Can’t Get Along with Its Neighbors
A new compound could make rice more weed-resistant. Researchers in the Jander laboratory first discovered b-tyrosine while looking for new defense compounds in rice.
Planting a Passion for Research
Marshall Tyler nominated Maria Harrison for the 2015 Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award.
18.5 Million Grant Will Help Bring Genomic Technology to Small Farmers
BTI Professor Lukas Mueller will participate in an international collaboration to expedite crop breeding for five worldwide staple crops—wheat, rice, maize, sorghum and chickpea.
BTI Hosts “Genetic Freaks” Workshop at Girls’ Science Event
Postgraduate Society members at BTI host EYH (Expanding your Horizon) workshop to help girls understand genetics and feel more comfortable in the world of science.
Stern Visits Boyce Thompson Arboretum and Chandler Gilbert Community College
BTI President and CEO David Stern visited Arizona April 14-16 to attend the Boyce Thompson Arboretum board meeting and to speak about algae-derived bioproducts and his own algal biofuel research, at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.
Ammonium Transporter Saves Plant-Fungal Symbiosis, When Nutrients Run Low
The discovery of the role of this ammonium transporter improves the understanding of how the plant and fungal partners regulate the symbiosis and how phosphate and nitrogen move through the system.
Maria Harrison Wins ASPB’s Dennis R. Hoagland Award
Professor Maria Harrison is the 2015 winner of the Dennis R. Hoagland Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists, given every three years, for her outstanding work on plant mineral nutrition.
RNase III Discovered to Function in Plant Chloroplasts
Research Associate Amber Hotto and colleagues, working in the laboratory of BTI President David Stern, have characterized the first RNase III enzymes that function within chloroplasts.
Of Spray Paint and Plant Stress
Klaus Apel’s work is a step in understanding how plants respond to stress…singlet oxygen doesn’t deserve its bad reputation for wrecking cells and killing the plant.
President Stern Promotes Funding for Plant Research in DC
BTI President David Stern traveled to Washington D.C. last week to advocate for increased federal support for plant research for the 2016 fiscal year; Unleashing a Decade of Innovation in Plant Science.
ART@BTI Features Photos of Nancy Ridenour
ART@BTI features Nancy Ridenour’s photography. Public invited to reception on Thursday, April 23, 5-7 PM
Eaglesham Bridges BTI and Both Cambridges
James Eaglesham began his career as an intern at BTI, and heads to the University of Cambridge, England as a Churchill scholar for pathology research. When back in US, Eaglesham will pursue his doctorate in virology at Harvard, in Cambridge, MA.
Liz Brauer Wins Barbara McClintock Award
Liz Brauer, a graduate researcher in the laboratory of Assistant Professor Sorina Popescu and a student in the plant pathology and plant-microbe biology section at Cornell University, received the 2015 Barbara McClintock Award.
BTI’s First FLASH SCIENCE! Speaking Competition
You are confident you can discuss and defend your research with your graduate committee or any PhD scientist on campus. However, can you explain your research to a non-scientist? Prizes offered in BTI’s first speaking contest!
BTI Teachers Present at Emerging Researchers National Conference
Two attendees of BTI’s summer teacher workshops travelled to the Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM to present an algal photobioreactor laboratory, designed in BTI labs, for community college and middle school science students.
BTI 90th Celebration
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research welcomed guests, staff, alumni, and colleagues to celebrate the 90th Anniversary on November 13 and 14, 2015.
Former BTI Faculty Member, Karl Maramorosch, Turns 100
Karl Maramorosch, a former BTI scientist, pioneer in insect cell culture and winner of the Wolf Prize in Agriculture, became a centenarian this past month.
All’s Fair in Love and War (on Insects)
Patricia Pinheiro was drawn to the study of insects like a moth to flame. As a grad student in the Cornell Entomology Department and Assistant Professor Michelle Cilia’s lab, Pinheiro studies insects that feed on plants and transmit pathogens.
BTI Grant Managers Help Researchers Excel
The grant managers are integral to the success of BTI’s mission to advance knowledge in plant biology to improve agriculture, protect the environment, and enhance human health.
Cilia Lab at International Citrus Greening Conference
Assistant Professor Michelle Cilia and four members of her lab attended the International Conference for Huanglongbing. They joined hundreds of other researchers in Orlando, Fla. Feb. 9-13, to present their research on this disease.
BTI at Plant and Animal Genome Conference
BTI researchers attended, presented and led workshops at 23rd Annual Plant Animal Genome Conference (PAG) 2015 in San Diego.
Transatlantic Collaboration Builds a Better Database
“Biology is becoming a data science,” said Ruiz. “Biologists need to learn to use bioinformatics tools.”
Lukas Mueller: Ace of Bases
The Yambase database will allow users to access the yam genome browser hosted by the Iwate Biotechnology Research Center in Japan and will house information about desirable yam characteristics and tools for breeders.
New equipment opens up ‘mass’ive possibilities
The Boyce Thompson Institute starts off 2015 with a generous gift from the Triad Foundation and researchers are about to open their most exciting present: a high-resolution mass spectrometer. The instrument, which can determine the chemical formula – and possibly even...
Internship Applications for 2015 Being Reviewed Now
BTI hosts nearly 30 interns every summer, at both the undergraduate and high school level, for 10 and six weeks, respectively, for paid high-level plant science research work in Plant Genome Research, Bioinformatics, and Bioenergy Education.
Jander Unlocks Molecular Pathways of Plants and Empowers People
Professor Georg Jander has seen that, when attacked, plants react at the molecular level. Jander’s dedication—to plant science and people—seems to be contagious.
Patrick Boyle Off to Private Sector
Dr. Patrick Boyle will be an “Emerging Leader in Science” after four years as a Postdoctoral Scientist in Professor Gregory Martin’s Lab at BTI.
Dr. Lee Henderson, CEO of Vybion, Briefs PGS
Topics ranged from transitioning between academia and industry, developing tangible products, funding for business incubators, and more.
Hemiptera Conference Held at Cornell, December 2014
Georg Jander, Michelle Cilia and Angela Douglas organized Hemiptera (sucking insects) conference held on December 4, 2014.
Mexican Professors Revisit BTI’s Harrison Lab
Visiting scholars Dr. Ignacio Maldonado-Mendoza and Dr. Melina Lopez-Meyer from The National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) in Guasave, Sinaloa in Mexico have chosen to spend their one-year sabbatical at BTI.
Professor Sir David Baulcombe at Cornell and BTI
“When genomes meet:how RNA silencing and epigenetics can generate extraordinary phenotypes of hybrid plants.”
Genomics Study of 360 Tomato Varieties Traces History, Points to Possible Improvements
This study pinpoints regions of the tomato genome where extra DNA has hitchhiked along with desirable DNA; regions breeders can now target for crop improvement.
BTI Celebrates 90 Years on November 13 and 14, 2014
William Boyce Thompson founded the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research 90 years ago in Yonkers, NY. BTI moved to Cornell campus in 1978, to affiliate with a research university, and remains a private non-profit affiliate of Cornell.
Precision Gene Editing
BTI Scientist Successfully Applied Precision Genome Editing in Tomato. In the new system, called CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, targeted changes are made in the desired region of the genome.