-Magdalen Lindeberg
From nematode quantification in soil to genes controlling acidity in apples, to identification of disease-vectoring insects, and more, research presented June 23 at the 2017 NYSAES Graduate Student Symposium in Geneva highlighted some of the many ways that SIPS graduate students are making research breakthroughs that directly impact New York and US agriculture.
The symposium also featured keynote talks from SIPS alumni, Sam Crowell and Nicole Russo. Crowell and Russo work as science advisors for the federal government, in the US Department of State and USDA-APHIS, respectively. Both emphasized the important roles played by staff scientists in providing science-based guidance for policy makers, as well as the need for graduates from institutions such as Cornell to fill such positions. The Cartagna Protocol on Biosafety has been one focus of Crowell’s work at the State Department and he issued a call to consider how we can better communicate the nuance, power and potential of biotechnology.
Crowell is a graduate of Susan McCouch’s program, SIPS Section of Plant Breeding and Genetics on the Ithaca campus. Russo obtained her degree with Herb Aldwinckle, SIPS Section of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology on the Geneva campus, and collaborated with many other Geneva-based faculty.
The annual symposium is hosted by the Student Association of the Geneva Experiment Station (SAGES).