Conversations From The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Gene E. Robinson, the Director of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will discuss how molecular mechanisms, particularly the activity of genes, within the honey bee brain enable it to direct the bee’s behavior in response to changes in the environment, the needs of the hive, and physiological state. Future work to better understand how the genome activity in the brain translates experience into behavior will help answer questions about how human social environments impact behavior and health, and how the deleterious effects of stressful environments can be ameliorated.

This panel discusses the importance of prairies, conversation, and energy to provide a platform for discussing global issues such as climate change, and food and energy production. As Peter Raven says, "The world is a Garden, and We're all the Gardeners." An essential step in creating a one-planet future is measuring human impact on the Earth so we can make more informed choices. Humans are the most successful species on the planet. But we are using more resources than the Earth can provide.

The Everglades are the largest remaining sub-tropical wilderness in the lower 48 states. They contain both fresh and saltwater areas, open prairies, pine rocklands, tropical hardwood forests, offshore coral reefs, and mangrove forests. The broad spectrum of wildlife living in the Everglades includes aquatic birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, of which 56 species are endangered or threatened. Twenty-two of these species reside in two National Parks, four National Wildlife Refuges, and one National Marine Sanctuary, which together draw 1.6 million visitors every year. Join us for a discussion about how conservation efforts in the United States have impacted the Everglades.

St. Louis was once the home of tall grass prairies, stands of grasses that often grew taller than grown men. The grasses – especially big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass and switchgrass - are still common today. Tall grass prairies are a unique and complex ecosystem that protects the environment by providing rich soil, assisting healthy crops to thrive and providing thousands of products to our communities. Join us for a Conversation at the Danforth Plant Science Center to learn about Missouri Prairies and Native Plants: The Science of Our Natural Landscape with Scott Woodbury, Curator, Whitmire Wildflower Garden, Shaw Nature Reserve, & Elizabeth (Toby) Kellogg, Ph.D., Member at the Danforth Center.

For millennia, plants have been a source of traditional medicines. It is estimated by the World Health Organization that approximately 75-80% of the world’s population uses plant medicines. Plants are used to produce drugs that play an important role in cancer treatment, pain control, inflammation reduction, and in the therapy of other critical conditions and come from various sources including plants, synthetics (petroleum), bacteria and fungi.

In this lecture, Ivan Baxter PhD showcases the cutting-edge science that is ramping up the pace of scientific discovery generating increased biological understanding in a wide range of organisms at a one-of-a kind Plant Phenotyping Facility at the Danforth Plant Science Center. This facility is being used to translate key discoveries in plant science into solutions to problems of food quality and availability in developing regions and to provide regulatory, biosafety and project management services to develop improved crop varieties. With the addition of Chris Correa, a dialogue on the use of statistical analysis and decision support tools to all areas of Baseball Operations in the St. Louis Cardinals organization will be included as well.

For over a decade, new technologies like RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) silencing have been used to discover and investigate plant traits to improve crops. RNA silencing is a powerful tool within the plant scientist’s toolkit to understand how plants resist pests and diseases, produce valuable products and survive in diverse and changing environments. Join Dr. Jim Carrington, President of the Danforth Plant Science Center and Dr. Tom Adams, Vice President of Chemistry Technology at Monsanto as they discuss the impact that this science will have on the future of agriculture and the commercial marketplace.

The first program of a two-part series to discuss efforts to improve agriculture practices and water use from a global and local perspective is the subject of this episode of Conversations. Dr. Roberto Lenton, Executive Director of the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and Michael Doane, Vice President of Sustainable Agriculture Policy at Monsanto, will be the featured panelists in this discussion. James W. Davis, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Washington University, will moderate the pane

The Danforth Center Lecture Series proudly presents a comprehensive study on what the root causes of hunger and poverty are in the world today, along with how we can achieve Global Food Security.

The Danforth Center presents a new lecture on the importance of Bioinformatics: the melding of molecular biology with computer science through information transmission, accumulation and processing.

Mark Reuss, President of General Motors North America, the world's largest automobile manufacturer and Andrew C. Taylor, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Holdings, will vet and share ideas about the future of the passenger vehicle and corporate sustainability, including new technology, biofuel research, local mobility, supply chain responsibilities and other public policy issues.

Join panelists Douglas Ladd, Dr. James C. Carrington, and moderator James W. Davis, as they discuss what possible solutions can be made to meet human needs while preserving a livable, productive environment.

The panel highlights how impactful research in the lab can meet the demands of a booming population by reaching small farmers and consumers with today's technologies. The world's population of 7 billion will grow over 9 billion by the year 2050, along with the growing dilemma of not enough food to go around. Plant science continues to evolve with the goal of full plates for an expanding global population by meeting challenges in agriculture, like producing plants that use far less water, or that resist emerging pests and diseases.

Since 2005, with the common goals of improving human health and nutrition, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have partnered to seek long-term solutions to the staggering rates of hunger and malnutrition around the world.

Since 2005, with the common goals of improving human health and nutrition, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have partnered to seek long-term solutions to the staggering rates of hunger and malnutrition around the world.

Malnutrition is a world wide problem, even with modern agricultural practices. Yet, approximately one person in six is undernourished around the world. Children in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition - and those who manage to survive are often irreversibly physically and mentally stunted. With nearly one billion people going to bed hungry every night, there is a dramatic disconnect between our society of plenty and the stark reality of life in places like sub-Saharan Africa. What does true malnutrition look like up-close? How does it affect the brain and body? What can be done to not only stop and reverse malnutrition in children, but to prevent it in the first place?