Advocating for Growth: Bridging Science and Society in Plant Research was the theme for the 17th annual Plant Science Symposium held April 25 in the Cargill Building on the St. Paul campus.
Featured speakers were Thom Petersen, Minnesota agriculture commissioner; Kathryn Anderson, director of the Food and Environment Program of the Union of Concerned Scientists; Kevin Folta, a professor in plant molecular biology and genomics at the University of Florida; and David Bubeck, a research director and seed product development external science advocacy lead for Corteva Agriscience.
The University of Minnesota Plant Sciences Symposium, which is planned and managed by students in the Applied Plant Sciences graduate program, began in 2008 and was the first student-led symposium to partner with Corteva Agriscience. Now the Symposia Series by Corteva Agriscience includes 60 institutions in 16 countries and holds 30 to 40 events per year.
The 17th annual Plant Science Symposium was organized by chairs Chase Krug and John Larsen and committee members Reecha Acharya, Maybell Banting, Sapphire Coronejo, Grace Doyle, Isabella Fiore, Kayla Grennes, Alejandra Quinones, Lovepreet Singh, and Maicy Vossen. Missing from the photo above are Lovepreet Singh and Sapphire Coronejo.