Cornell Chronicle [2016-05-31]:
Matthew Willmann wants to partner with Cornell scientists to make plant research faster, cheaper and more productive.
And he has just the equipment to make those partnerships bloom.
Willmann, director of the new Plant Transformation Facility, is harnessing precision technology to create transgenic and gene-edited plants on campus for Cornell researchers. The facility, housed in Weill Hall, uses Agrobacterium, biolistics (also known as “gene guns,” two of which are available for use by other researchers) and protoplasts to make transgenic plants, and CRISPR/Cas9 technology for gene editing. Those tools will benefit Cornell scientists as they work to breed hardier and more productive crops with a focus on New York agriculture.
Willmann gave an open house May 25 to showcase the resources available to Cornell plant researchers.