News - Boyce Thompson Institute

Dec 2025 5

Engineering the next superfood: BTI unlocks goldenberry’s large-scale farming potential

Goldenberries taste like a cross between pineapple and mango, pack the nutritional punch of a superfood, and are increasingly popular in U.S. grocery stores. But the plants that produce these bright yellow-orange fruits grow wild and unruly—reaching...

Dec 2025 3

BTI’s Fay-Wei Li featured on popular “Ologies” podcast

BTI Associate Professor Fay-Wei Li joined host Alie Ward on Ologies—a top-five science podcast on Apple Podcasts—for a wide-ranging conversation about why ferns matter more than most people realize.Li, president-elect of the American Fern Society,...

Fay-Wei Li collecting hornworts in a field

Oct 2025 1

Announcing the Jane Silverthorne Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

A message from Silvia Restrepo, President, Boyce Thompson InstituteAs the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) embarks on our second century of plant science innovation, I'm deeply honored to announce the launch of the Jane Silverthorne Postdoctoral...

Sep 2025 10

Switch On, Switch Off: The Dynamic Defense of a Deadly Plant Disease

How P. infestans Rapidly Adapts to Fungicide ThreatsThe notorious pathogen that caused the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s is still a major threat to potato and tomato crops worldwide. This oomycete water mold, Phytophthora infestans, can devastate...

Late blight, phytophthora infestans, on tomatoes

Sep 2025 2

Lignin and Lessons Learned: A Summer of Growth in Plant Science

You know it's been an incredible, impactful summer experience when it's so hard to leave.I had a spectacular summer as part of the Boyce Thompson Institute and Cornell Plant Genome Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.For 10 weeks, I...

A student researcher stands in a field on a sunny day, wearing a hat, backpack, and light-colored clothing. They are smiling and holding equipment used for soil or plant measurements, including a white sensor device with cables connected to a yellow case on the ground. The field is patchy with plants, and power lines stretch across the background.

Aug 2025 21

Not in Kansas Anymore – How a Summer in Ithaca, New York Changed my Life

Hazel Frans, originally from Overland Park, Kansas, is a Senior at Fort Hays State University. She was a 2025 summer intern at the Boyce Thompson Institute and Cornell University Plant Genome REU.In February, I was making lunch when a notification on my watch...

person wearing gloves and headphones taking a selfie at a lab bench with scientific equipment and supplies in the background.

Aug 2025 20

Meet Abby Stathis: Exploring the Microbial World of Plants

Abby Stathis is a rising junior at Colby College, where she majors in Biology: Biochemistry (Biology with a Biochemistry concentration) and English: Creative Writing (English with a Creative Writing concentration). She is spending her summer deepening her research...

An individual in a white lab coat, blue nitrile gloves, and protective goggles smiles while leaning on a laboratory bench. Colorful racks of test tubes and pipettes are arranged in front, with lab shelves and equipment visible in the background.

Aug 2025 20

Meet Tetianna Smith-Drysdale: Digging Deep on Fungi and Finding Her Path in Science

As she enters her senior year at the University of Oregon, Environmental Science major Tetianna Smith-Drysdale has spent the summer expanding her research experience and scientific understanding in Andre Kessler’s lab at Cornell University through the REU program...

A researcher in a white lab coat and blue gloves sits at a lab bench, smiling at the camera while preparing plant samples. Lab equipment, including a digital scale, containers, and glassware, are visible in the background.

Aug 2025 20

Cultivating the Next Generation of Scientists: BTI’s Summer Research Experience

This summer, the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) welcomed 34 undergraduate students and three high school students, offering them a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the life of a researcher. Now in its 25th year, BTI’s National Science...

Aug 2025 20

Meet Paul Kuehnert: From Woodworking to Plant Science

When Paul Kuehnert talks about his path to plant science, it’s clear that curiosity has been the driving force.“I am a non-traditional student who has recently returned to school and have completed an associate’s degree in Horticulture from Finger Lakes Community...

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