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Davis, California
May 21, 2009
 The
Seed Biotechnology Center (SBC) was started in the spring of
1999 when one half-time employee was hired to work with
Professor Kent Bradford (photo right), the newly named Director.
Ten years later, the SBC has grown into a hub for research,
education and outreach. It is with great pride the SBC
celebrates its 10th anniversary.
To help commemorate its accomplishments, the SBC recently hosted
a symposium entitled Seed Biotechnologies: Filling the Gap
between the Public and Private Sector. This two-day event
brought together 169 people, including 84 researchers in the
private sector, to discuss most advanced techniques to improve
crop plants. Topics discussed included facilitation of
conventional plant breeding through the use of molecular
markers, use of biotechnology to create novel traits and
varieties, commercialization of new technologies and germplasm,
and the education of current and future plant breeders and
scientists.
 It
was humbling to see the great turnout, said Dr. Allen Van
Deynze (photo left), Director of Research for the SBC. We were
particularly pleased to see the interactions between industry
scientists and academics, exactly what the Seed Biotechnologies
Symposium aimed to foster.
Since its inception, Dr. Bradford has strived to improve seed
technologies for agricultural and consumer benefit. The Seed
Biotechnologies Symposium is a great example of this vision and
commitment to strengthen the seed community. A goal of the SBC
is to bring outstanding scientists from around the world to
California where local scientists in the seed industry can learn
about their work and interact with them. The excellent keynote
speakers invited to the symposium, as well as our own elite
scientists from the University of California, provided an
exciting view of the current state of plant genetics and
breeding, stated Bradford.
However, this celebratory event offered more than just an update
on the progression of research in the field. Bradford continued
by saying that in addition to the symposium itself, the
opportunities for networking and development of collaborative
projects resulted in new initiatives that will be the focus of
future work at the SBC.
As the SBC continues to grow, so does the array of research,
education, and outreach efforts. For the most up-to-date
information regarding the activities of the SBC, please visit
the website at
http://sbc.ucdavis.edu.
Questions, comments? Please contact Jamie Miller at 530-752-9985
or jkmiller@ucdavis.edu |
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