Noted Swiss biologist to discuss world food needs Oct. 19

Wilhelm Gruissem, one of world's leading plant biotechnology experts, will discuss "Can We Still Feed the World?" Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Skidmore.

Free and open to the public, the talk will begin at 8 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium, Palamountain Hall. Gruissem is the College's Distinguished Visiting Scientist for the fall semester. In addition to his public lecture, he'll meet with members of Skidmore's science faculty and present to several biology classes while on campus.

In his talk Gruissem will discuss how to feed a world population that is expected to total nine billion people by 2050. He will address how to significantly improve the yield of major crop plants - as well as how to improve the nutrient qualities in the crops - to assure a healthy diet to feed a large and economically challenged population.

The key question, said Gruissem: "Will it be possible to reach the needed crop yields and nutritional improvements with our current breeding germplasm under rapidly changing climatic conditions, and using sustainable agricultural production methods?" According to Gruissem, plant research, consumer education, and broader acceptance of modern breeding methods, including gene technology, will help reach sustainable food security for future generations.

David Domozych, Skidmore professor of biology, said, "Anyone interested in the future of our planet, its ecosystems, and the fate of human population with dwindling agricultural resources will be interested in this presentation."

A plant biotechnologist in the Department of Biology at ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) since 2000, Gruissem researches systems approaches to understand pathways and molecules involved in plant growth control. He also directs a biotechnology program on trait improvement in cassava, rice, and wheat.

He earned a Ph.D. degree at the University of Bonn in Germany and completed post-doctoral research at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He taught at the University of California at Berkeley from 1983 to 1998. From 1998 to 2000 he directed a collaborative research program between Berkeley's Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute.

Gruissem is an elected member of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences and the American Society of Plant Biologists. He has been recognized by the Eiselen Foundation in Germany for his work on trait improvement in cassava.