News - Boyce Thompson Institute

Jun 2022 8

BTI Welcomes Summer Student Interns

On May 31, Boyce Thompson Institute welcomed 41 of the country’s brightest undergraduate students from universities around the country to experience the life of a researcher for 10 weeks. Ten more research interns from local area high schools will join the...

Square photo of undergrate students outside BTI in front of a tree.

Jun 2022 1

Congratulations to BTI’s Spring 2022 Graduates!

We are pleased to announce that three BTI researchers received their degrees during the Cornell University commencement ceremony on May 28. Congratulations to our newest alumni! Alex Ogbonna, Mueller lab, PhD in Plant Breeding & Genetics, Dissertation title:...

Alex Ogbonna, in his cap and gown, stands with friends and family outside on the Cornell University campus.

May 2022 26

Sheila Ochugboju Named Executive Director of Alliance for Science

Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) is pleased to welcome Sheila Ochugboju as the new Executive Director of the Alliance for Science (AfS), a global communications initiative dedicated to promoting access to scientific innovation as a means of enhancing food security,...

May 2022 5

BTI’s Greg Martin Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Greg Martin, Boyce Schulze Downey Professor at the Boyce Thompson Institute and Professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS) at Cornell University, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Martin is one of 150 new members announced on...

Mar 2022 28

New software to help discover valuable compounds

As a postdoctoral research associate in the lab of BTI faculty member Frank Schroeder, Max Helf saw his labmates continually struggle when they were analyzing data. So, he decided to do something about it and developed a free, open-source app called Metaboseek,...

head shot of Max Helf in a blue button-up shirt.

Feb 2022 11

Professor Dan Klessig retires after 48 years of research

After 48 years of performing molecular biology research, including 22 years at Boyce Thompson Institute, Professor Dan Klessig retired on December 31. The former BTI President will remain associated with the Institute as an Emeritus Professor. A self-described...

Dec 2021 22

Genetic discoveries could improve spinach’s disease resistance and palatability

Most of us are familiar with “spinach teeth,” the harmless but gritty-chalky mouthfeel caused by the vegetable. A team of researchers from Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and six Chinese universities has identified genes in spinach that regulate its concentration of...

A closeup of leafy spinach plants in a greenhouse.

Nov 2021 3

Secrets of quillwort photosynthesis could boost crop efficiency

The humble quillworts are an ancient group of about 250 small, aquatic plants that have largely been ignored by modern botanists. A group of researchers, led by Boyce Thompson Institute’s Fay-Wei Li, have sequenced the first quillwort genome and uncovered some...

An extreme closeup of a quillwort specimen out of the water. It has many spiky leaves and white roots emerging from the base of the plant.

Oct 2021 11

Newly discovered gene could help improve tomato flavor and shelf-life

Buying tomatoes and other fruits in the grocery store is always a gamble because, however good they look, they are often firm but lack flavor. A group of plant scientists has discovered a gene that could increase the odds that future store-bought tomatoes stay firm...

Jim Giovannoni, in a purple shirt, examines some tomatoes still on the vine in a greenhouse.

Sep 2021 24

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...

Name:
Email:
Confirm that you are not a bot. ×

Contact: