All smiles at genomics lab open house

Casey Buckman, Corner Post Staff

Sept. 9, 2002 - Sen. Kit Bond and MU Chancellor Richard Wallace were both on hand with smiles Saturday afternoon to celebrate several advancements in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

Photo by Casey Buckman

Featured at the public ceremony were the newly remodeled crop genomics labs and recent construction developments of the MU Life Sciences Center.

In the courtyard between the Ag Building and the Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building, Vice Chancellor and Dean Tom Payne reflected on the planning stages he went through with Wallace and Bond years ago. At that time, building the Life Sciences Center and obtaining funds to augment research labs was only a hope for the future.

"The administration began to realize that these upgrades were badly needed, and there must be some way to provide our staff and student researchers with a safe and productive work environment," Payne said. "Years later, we have."

Funding for these facilities was provided by a partnership of state and federal sources. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development contributed $2 million in awards to enhance the life sciences initiative at MU, which has existed since the mid-1990s. CAFNR and life science-related research at MU are responsible for the following major advancements in the industry.

• The first-ever research on soil erosion
• Saving the nation's wheat crop from rust disease in the    1950s
• Discoveries in the 1970s that resulted in home dialysis for    kidney patients
• The first pediatric angioplasty to correct heart defects in    babies in 1983
• The development of Quadramet to treat the pain of bone    cancer
• An $11 million grant from the National Science Foundation    to map the entire maize genome

The funds from the partnership were used to renovate existing labs and improve facilities for crop genomics research while the Life Sciences Center is being built.

An additional $1.9 million in state Mission Enhancement funds was allocated for laboratory renovations and to update heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems.

Photo by Casey Buckman  MU Chancellor Richard Wallace and Vice Chancellor  and Dean of CAFNR Tom Payne.

After hearing commentary from Wallace, Bond and Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council Executive Director Dale Ludwig, those in attendance were given tours throughout the new labs and a chance to visit with life sciences professors. 

"Thanks to the efforts of this partnership with the state, we'll maintain our status as leaders in plant genome research," Wallace said.

The new labs are located in the Ag Building, Waters Hall, Curtis Hall and the Sears Plant Growth Facility. Existing projects include studies on the corn and soybean genomes and a new effort in root genomics across plant species.


Story originally posted 9/20/02

Back to archives