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The Hub Volume 17, Issue 1 March 2015 The Hub Volume 17, Issue 1 From the Hot Seat David Stern, President In This Issue... As everyone probably knows, in early January I “returned” from a six month sabbacal from the Presidency. This was a chance to reconnect with my lab and the scienfic community and to work closely with Bridget Rigas as she has developed BTI’s communicaons and fundraising Grants & Awards 2 strategy. Upon my return the leadership team was both old and new: Joan Curss and Karen Conference Rooms 2 Kindle had departed, and Eric Richards returned as Vice President for Research. The tenth anni‐ versary of my Presidency (August 1st, 2014) also occurred during this period. Paylocity 3 For the remainder of 2015, our main focus will be on bringing in the next generaon of faculty‐ Communications News 3 level sciensts, and ensuring their success. This will require appropriate infrastructure, direct Strategic Plan 4 support for research and importantly, increased opportunies for success in raising external funds. How can and should BTI lay the groundwork for renewing the staff that directs the most BTI Welcome 5 important thing we do – make discoveries in plant biology? The answer to this queson lies in both internal and external acvies. Silent Auctions 5 Password Safety 6 Recently, BTI faculty spent considerable me framing and discussing future hiring. Our intenon is to coordinate hiring with the School of Integrave Plant Sciences, while enriching BTI science Liz Brauer Wins 7 through the hiring of junior‐level researchers with excing ideas. Some areas of parcular inter‐ McClintock Award est are the microbiome/phytobiome, and also small molecule chemicals and their biological Promote Your Research 7 roles. Either of these areas, and indeed a number of others, would strongly link to BTI’s exisng strengths in mechanisms of signal transducon, genomics and bioinformacs. You will hear more BTI Safety Email 8 about our next faculty search by early summer. BTI Data 8 Providing resources for both our exisng and ancipated new staff is of highest priority. We BTI People 9 were very excited to learn, for example, that the Triad Foundaon increased our research fund‐ ing by 40% for our next four‐year period. Fundraising from non‐tradional (i.e. non‐Federal) Media Services News 9 sources requires different strategies, and engagement of Bridget’s team and a range of BTI scien‐ Education & Outreach 10 sts with the Triad Foundaon, to educate them about our good work, resulted in their in‐ creased commitment. In a similar vein, I and two other BTI faculty members, Zhangjun Fei and Lukas Mueller, met with Bill Gates during his visit to Cornell last fall. His desire to impact food security in developing countries has led to substanal investments on this campus; some $6.62M will be expended at BTI to help meet this worthy goal. Among the various projects is an ongoing creaon of a bioinformacs workspace on the second floor. I also recently returned from Wash‐ BTI Mission: ington, DC, where I met with both legislave offices and officials from NSF, ARPA‐E and NIFA. While it was grafying to hear strong support for plant research on both sides of the aisle, it will To advance and com- be the responsibility of the research community to keep the pressure on so that our compeve municate scientific resources do not fall vicm to parsan brinksmanship. knowledge in plant biolo- BTI’s commitment to faculty renewal and resource development are two pillars of our strategic gy to improve agriculture, plan, which was renewed in 2014. For more details on this plan, I encourage you to see a more protect the environment detailed descripon on page 4 of this issue. and enhance human life. Sincerely, 1 David March 2015 Volume 17, Issue 1 New to BTI The Hub Grants and Awards Gary Blissard, co‐PIs Zhangjun Fei (BTI) and Lukas Muller Ping Wang (Cornell) Gates/FAU USDA/NIFA Metabolic engineering of carbon pathways to December, 2014 Modifying Insect Midgut Responses to Patho‐ enhance yield of root and tuber crops gen Aack 2015‐2020 Jeff Brockway, Mechanical 04/01/2015 ‐03/31/2018 $640,957 Shop $455,000 Alex Ogbonna, Mueller Lab Nicole Waters-Fisher, Lukas Muller. Co‐PI Susan McCouch (Cornell) Education & Outreach Frank Schroeder, co‐PI Nancy Keller (UWI) Gates/Cornell NIH/UWI 6/18/14 3/10/15 Comprehensive analysis of NRPS‐derived Delivering a high‐density genomics breeder's metabolomes of three Aspergillus species toolkit 12/5/14‐11/30/18 12/01/14 ‐ 11/30/19 $469,202 $1,802,506 January, 2015 Alexander Artyukhin, Schroeder Lab Lidia Campos Soriano, ts Harrison Lab n ra Lori Dempsey, Business & G Admin. Team ew Joseph Matragrano, N Schroeder Lab Philippe Nicolas, Catala Lab Patricia Waldron, External Relations Conference Room Updates The 4th floor conference room (room 415) is in the process of being updated: carpeng, furniture, paint. Once complete, it will be a much nicer video conferencing area for BTI use. The 3rd and 1st floor conference rooms (room 313 / 119) are on the schedule for updates as well. Watch for more informaon soon. Your paence is greatly appreciated as this upgrade work connues. 2 March 2015 The Hub Volume 17, Issue 1 New to BTI Paylocity: New Online Time Submission Portal Beginning with the pay period starng 3/28/15 all employees will need to complete me February, 2015 sheets online, using Paylocity. You can register in advance by following the steps below: Junsik Choi, Richards Lab hp://www.paylocity.com Eden Doh, Kochian Lab Select “Login” then “web pay” Select “Register User” and enter requested informaon Radmila Kovac, Stern Lab Company ID: 11614 – complete registraon process Amber Parker, Van Eck Lab Answer security quesons Stephanie Watts Williams, Harrison Lab A Self‐Service Portal guide is available online at: hp://b.cornell.edu/?p=9029 Ashley Wong, Richards Lab Watch for more details from the HR Office or contact [email protected] March, 2015 BTI Communications Team News Marc Claassen, Schroeder Lab FLASH SCIENCE! Contest of three minute science presentaons in plain English. Applicaon Bryan Ellerbrock, Mueller deadline was March 20th. Presentaons will occur on Friday, April 24th, 2:30 PM, in the BTI Lab Auditorium. Henry Le, Schroeder Lab First prize wins $500! All parcipants win a Wegmans gi Ruie Liu, Giovannoni Lab card. Come and listen to the talks and aend a recepon Robin McNabb, Business & hosted by PGS before announcement of the winner and runner‐up. Admin. Team Contact Bob Kohut, Annie Kruse, Daniela Floss or Barbara Hufnagle for more informaon. ART@BTI recepon Thursday, April 23, 5‐7 PM, photos by Nancy Ridenour of Ithaca Garden Club. The Ithaca Garden Club has kindly underwrien scholarships for high school interns at BTI. Flowers and gardens were central to Nancy as a child growing up in Schenectady, which led to a major in biology at Cornell University. The natural science thread has been strong through‐ out her career as a biology teacher at Ithaca High School, in her personal life of gardening and flower arranging, and now her focus in rerement of digital arsc photography. Are you signed up for the BTI e‐newsleer LabNOTES? Click on the open envelope icon at the top of BTI's web site home page if you would like to receive this monthly newsleer. BTI has a Facebook page, twier feed and Linked‐In site as well, so you can stay connected to BTI and our alumni! Or just email us at [email protected]. 3 March 2015 The Hub Volume 17, Issue 1 Departures BTI Strategic Plan for 2015—2020 Acknowledgements: In spring 2014, the Boyce Thompson Instute parcipated in a strategic planning process with The Hart‐ man Group to define the Instute’s goals over the next five years. The process included interviews with key BTI constuents: board members, senior leadership, project leaders, December, 2014 support staff, research associates, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. Focused‐group conversaons were held to follow up on interview results, and intensive working meengs were conducted with the Senior Karen Kindle, VP Research Leadership Team. The work resulted in a renewed Strategic Plan for 2015‐2020. Patricia Manosalva, Klessig To all those who contributed their me, experse and talents, the Instute’s leadership expresses its thanks. Lab Mission: To advance and communicate scienfic knowledge in plant biology to improve agriculture, protect the environment and enhance human life. Values: Innovaon, Integrity, Mutual Respect, Excellence, and Collaboraon January, 2015 Objecve 1.0: Science Excellence Linyong Mao, Fei Lab This objecve encompasses faculty renewal, facilies and training, primarily as they relate to research ca‐ Hee-Jin Park, Harrison Lab pacity and producvity. 1.1 Renew Faculty through hiring. Marina Pombo, Martin Lab 1.2 Assess and reimagine enabling facilies and technologies. Hernan Rosli. Martin Lab 1.3 Strategically manage discreonary research funds. 1.4 Diversify training opportunies for young sciensts. Michael Schramm, Kochian Objecve 2.0: Organizaonal Excellence Lab This objecve encompasses opmizaon of scienfic and management leadership roles and the Instute’s organizaonal model. Opmize scienfic leadership roles for President, Vice President for Research, and the Scienfic Advisory Board. Support a high performing Senior Leadership Team. February, 2015 Establish a comprehensive compensaon strategy for BTI researchers and staff. Evaluate BTI organizaonal model to increase efficiency and producvity. Zhilong Bao, Martin Lab Nurture BTI culture that encompasses BTI values. Xiangjun Zhou, Kochian Lab Objecve 3.0: Development Excellence and Growth This objecve encompasses the need to establish a compelling mission statement for development, a ro‐ bust system for garnering donaons and an efficient team capable of conducng the work. Develop provocave and compelling case for funding Create communicaon and development organizaon to support goals Create a strong fundraising board and Naonal Advisory Council Develop benchmarks for success.
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