ACES Establishes New Plant Breeding Center
Published: Sep. 15, 2008
Plant Breeding Center: Helping to Meet the Demand for Food, Feed, and Fuel
Educating future plant breeders and making them available to industry, academia, and government has become a growing concern. Of the estimated 110 new entry-level M.S./Ph.D. plant breeders needed per year to fill U.S. job vacancies, only 66% will be produced by the primary U.S. colleges contributing to this pool.
This shortage already has begun to impact the seed industry, with several of the major companies reporting incidences of not being able to recruit sufficiently qualified personnel for U.S. positions. In addition to the need for a greater number of graduates, the education of these future plant breeders must be broad in scope and of high quality. This becomes especially important considering the rapid and increasing pace of scientific advancements in genetics/genomics needed to meet the growing demand for food, feed, and now fuel.
In response to these needs, the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, together with faculty from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, is establishing a Plant Breeding Center. Rita Hogan Mumm assumed the position of director of the Plant Breeding Center in June 2008.
Mumm received her B.S. in agricultural science and Ph.D. in genetics and plant breeding from the University of Illinois. Mumm worked for DEKALB Genetics in the 1990s, leading the establishment of transgenic corn product development as well as the molecular breeding program. She went on to become head of biotech trait development for Syngenta, directing efforts across a number of crops including cotton, rice,and wheat. Most recently, Mumm has provided consulting services to the seed industry as principal for GeneMax Services in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
"We are extremely pleased to have Dr. Mumm join our faculty," said Bob Hoeft, head of the Department of Crop Sciences. "She has clearly demonstrated her ability as a scholar, both as a student at the University of Illinois and in her roles in industry. Having worked in industry, she has an in-depth understanding of the training that will be needed for our graduates to be successful in the plant breeding industry and she also brings many new ideas for research that will enhance the plant breeding process. As we searched for the director of the Plant Breeding Center, the name that consistently came to the top of the list from industry and from academia was Dr. Mumm."
"The center's vision is to become the premier institution in the U.S. supplying skilled and innovative plant breeders to the seed industry and the national model for education and research in plant breeding," said Mumm. During a five-year period, the center will escalate capacity for graduate education in order to increase the number of M.S./Ph.D. graduates to a level of 25 per year.
The virtual center will draw upon a cohesive team of 30 faculty members who are leaders in their fields. Several initiatives are underway to ensure the center's success in meeting its goals, including steps to; ? Improve curriculum ? Expand faculty and staff ? Proactively recruit gifted students ? Promote a new image for plant breeding ? Develop research collaborations with industry partners ? Craft innovative channels for continuing education ? Garner support from the government and other industry organizations.
"A cornerstone element will be new linkages forged with industry partners, both in research and in graduate student education," said Mumm.
Plans to establish the Plant Breeding Center have met with enthusiasm. New resources have been committed by the Department of Crop Sciences, the College of ACES, and the University of Illinois. Several companies and individuals already have come forward to provide support for the center. Gifts and commitments have included 10 new fellowships and a professorship. Hoeft stated, "It cannot be emphasized enough that private support is critical to shaping the future of plant breeding education and research and to meet the demand for outstanding plant breeders." Priorities for resource development include support for student fellowships and student recruitment, new faculty positions, equipment and facility upgrades, and field operations.
For more information on how you can support the Plant Breeding Center, contact Barry Dickerson, senior development officer, bdickers@illinois.edu or 217-333-9355.