Danforth Center Selected as Project of a New Partnership Between NSF and NobleReach Emerge

In an exciting endorsement of the work being conducted at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, it was recently announced that technology developed by Keith Slotkin, PhD, member, and his laboratory, and funded in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), was chosen as one of the very first projects of the new NSF/NobleReach Emerge partnership.

Danforth Center Selected as the First Project of a New Partnership Between NSF and NobleReach

ST. LOUIS, MO., April 11, 2024 – In an exciting endorsement of the work being conducted at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, it was recently announced that technology developed by Keith Slotkin, PhD, member, and his laboratory, and funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF), was chosen as the very first project of the new NSF/NobleReach partnership.

Research Collaboration Aims to Enhance Cereal Crop Resilience to Acidic Soils and Improve Agriculture Sustainability

Acidic soil caused by changing climate patterns threatens agriculture sustainability across the globe. But the problem goes far beyond rising temperatures. One major cause for concern is more acidic soil, a product of increasing rainfall.

New research program seeks to predict, detect and characterize nutrient exchanges between maize and synthetic bacterial communities

ST. LOUIS, MO, October 23, 2023 — Sustainable agricultural practices are necessary to mitigate climate change and produce more food, fiber, and renewable fuels. A promising new frontier in agriculture is to promote beneficial interactions with microbes as a sustainable mechanism of providing nutrients to crops.

A conserved RWP-RK transcription factor VSR1 controls gametic differentiation in volvocine algae

This most recent work from the Umen lab gets at the critical control mechanism for sex determination in single-celled and multicellular algae. The capacity to produce distinct mating types (e.g. male and female) is the foundation for reshuffling of genetic material within a species, which maintains genetic diversity and capacity to adapt in different environments.

First Deaf, Black Woman Receives her PhD in a STEM Discipline

Graduate student Amie Fornah Sankoh recently stood in front of 150 colleagues family and friends at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to defend her thesis, Investigating the Effects of Salicylic acid on Intercellular Trafficking via Plasmodesmata in Nicotiana benthamiana. Upon her successful defense, Dr. Amie Sankoh became the first Deaf, Black woman to receive a PhD in any STEM discipline.

Danforth Center Principal Investigator Bing Yang named American Association for the Advancement of Science 2022 Fellow

Bing Yang, PhD, member and principal investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and professor of plant science, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri – Columbia, has been elected as a 2022 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for his distinguished contributions to plant gene editing and understanding plant disease.

St. Louis Comes Together to Announce the Taylor Geospatial Institute

The Taylor Geospatial Institute is a first-of-its-kind institution that brings together eight leading research institutions to collaborate on research into geospatial technology.

FFAR Funding Supports Research to Speed Development of Perennial Crops

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) is providing a Seeding Solutions grant to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to accelerate development of perennial crops.

Danforth Center Announces New Principal Investigator

Tessa Burch-Smith, PhD, has joined the Danforth Center as Associate Member and Principal Investigator. Her research is focused on how plant cells communicate with each other through intercellular pores called plasmodesmata.

NSF Taps Danforth Center to Lead New Institute to Advance the Restoration of Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced a $12.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish the New Roots for Restoration Biology Integration Institute (NRR-BII).

Danforth Center Joins Decade of Ag Movement

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced it has joined the Decade of Ag movement, recognizing that a unified vision of sustainable food, fiber and energy systems for the future requires collaboration, endorsement and advancement from across the agricultural value chain.

Two Danforth Center Scientists Receive Prestigious Awards Recognizing Their Achievements And Leadership

Andrea Eveland received the Marcus Rhoades Early Career Award at the 63rd Maize Genetics Conference. Malia Gehan received the 2021 North American Plant Phenotyping Network (NAPPN) Early Career Award at the NAPPN annual conference.

Danforth Center Scientists Collaborate On $13 Million Bioenergy Project

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a five-year, $13 million grant to a nationwide research project to genetically strengthen Thlaspi arvense, commonly known as pennycress, for use in sustainable energy efforts.

New Research Reveals Antifungal Symbiotic Peptide In Legume

Danforth Center scientists, Dilip Shah, PhD, Siva Velivelli, PhD, Kirk Czymmek, PhD, and their collaborators at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have identified a sub class of peptides in the nodules of the legume, Medicago truncatula that proved effective in inhibiting growth of the fungus causing gray mold.

Danforth Center Scientist Receives $1.4M Grant To Develop Smart Farm Technology

The National Institute for Food and Agriculture and the National Science Foundation has awarded Nadia Shakoor, Ph.D., senior research scientist at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, a three-year, $1.4 million grant to develop FieldDock, an integrated smart farm system.

New Research Reveals Regulatory Features Of The Maize Genome During Early Reproductive Development

A team of researchers led by Andrea Eveland, Ph.D., assistant member, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, has mapped out the non-coding, ‘functional’ genome in maize during an early developmental window critical to formation of pollen-bearing tassels and grain-bearing ears.

Danforth Center Principal Investigator Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced that Elizabeth (Toby) Kellogg, Ph.D., Robert E. King Distinguished Investigator and member of the Danforth Center, was elected as a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Creator Of The Impossible Burger To Give Keynote Address At AgTech NEXT Summit

The Danforth Center today announced that Patrick O. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and founder of Impossible Foods will give the keynote address on Tuesday, May 5 at the inaugural AgTech NEXT, the bold new food and agtech innovation summit to be held May 4 – 6 at the Danforth Center.

Danforth Center Unveils Robust Line-up for Inaugural AgTech NEXT Summit

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced the preliminary lineup of presentations and panel discussions by innovative thinkers for AgTech NEXT, the bold new food and agtech innovation summit will be held May 4 – 6, 2020 at the Danforth Center in St. Louis, MO.

Danforth Center Announces External Advisory Board of AgTech NEXT Summit

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced the preliminary list of members of the External Advisory Board (EAB) of AgTech NEXT, a bold new food and agtech innovation summit that will be held May 4 – 6, 2020 at the Danforth Center in St. Louis, MO.

Danforth Center Announces External Advisory Board of AgTech NEXT Summit

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced the External Advisory Board (EAB) of AgTech NEXT, a bold new food and agtech innovation summit that will be held May 4 – 6, 2020 at the Danforth Center in St. Louis, MO. Members of the AgTech NEXT EAB are known for their impact and innovation and represent the diverse perspectives within the ag innovation community.