ANNUAL REPORT 2013 INNOVATION INVESTMENT INSPIRATION ANNUAL REPORT 2013 INNOVATION INSIDE BTI INVESTMENT Board of Directors + Officers 2 INSPIRATION President’s Letter 4 Chairman’s Letter 6 Message from Vice President for Research 8 Return on Innovation Message from VPR + Research Highlights 10 Return on Investment “I want to do something to Technology Transfer + Impact 14 Return on Inspiration get to the bottom of the Training, Education, phenomena of life processes and Outreach 16 Philanthropy 27 and I think a good place Gift Designations 28 to study them would be Financial Statements 30 To advance and communicate in the realm of plants.” Laboratory Reports 32 scientific knowledge in plant William Boyce Thompson biology to improve agriculture, protect the environment, and MISSION enhance human health. FINANCIAL SPOTLIGHT The Boyce Thompson Institute will be known internationally 225% for research excellence in plant biology and for discoveries that 2012 2013 VISION benefit society. $602,515 $1,354,796 USDA GRANTS AWARDED TO BTI OFFICERS Paul Chomet, Ph.D. Senior Scientist, Monsanto Co., Mystic, CT Ezra Cornell, Chair President, Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors, Inc., Machi Dilworth, Ph.D. Ithaca, NY Retired, Director of Division of Biological Infrastructure, National Science Foundation, Kamuela, HI Roy H. Park, Jr., Co-Vice Chair President and CEO, Park Outdoor Advertising of New William Fry, Ph.D. York, Inc., Ithaca, NY Professor, Dean of the Faculty, Plant Pathology and OFFICERS Plant-Microbe Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Laura A. Philips, Ph.D., Co-Vice Chair CEO, WellGen, Inc., New York, NY Gregory Galvin, Ph.D. President and CEO, Rheonix, Inc., Ithaca, NY David B. Stern, Ph.D., President and CEO Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research (BTI), Mary Lou Guerinot, Ph.D. Ithaca, NY Ronald and Deborah Harris Professor in the Sciences, Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Karen L. Kindle, Ph.D., Vice President for Research BTI, Ithaca, NY Gregory J. Hartz President and CEO, Tompkins Trust Company, Ithaca, NY Joan Curtiss, Vice President for Operations BTI, Ithaca, NY Pamela Ronald, Ph.D. Professor, Plant Pathology and the Genome Center Sophia Darling, Vice President for Finance, Treasurer Director, Laboratory for Crop Genetics Innovation and BTI, Ithaca, NY Scientific Literacy (CGI) University of California, Davis, Davis, CA Bridget Rigas, Vice President “Agriculture, for Communications and Development Kira Sheinerman, Ph.D. BTI, Ithaca, NY Managing Director, Burrill & Company, New York, NY Vanessa Greenlee, Secretary Crispin Taylor, Ph.D. BTI, Ithaca, NY Executive Director, American Society of Plant Biologists, Rockville, MD Jane Calder, Assistant Secretary BTI, Ithaca, NY EMERITUS DIRECTORS food supply, BOARD MEMBERS Evelyn Berezin New York, NY Andrew Bass, Ph.D. Associate Vice Provost for Research, Mary E. Clutter, Ph.D. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Washington, DC Alan J. Biloski, Ph.D. social justice Ralph W. F. Hardy Brock Capital Group LLC, New York, NY West Chester, PA Kathryn Boor, Ph.D. Paul H. Hatfield Ronald P. Lynch Dean, St. Louis, MO College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, William Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Paul F. Hoffman Boyce Thompson Chicago, IL are linked.” Peter Bruns, Ph.D. Vice President, Grants and Special Programs, Howard Christian C. Hohenlohe Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD Washington, DC Thomas Burr, Ph.D. Robert M. Pennoyer Director, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, New York, NY Cornell University, Geneva, NY 2 3 well-studied agricultural and model plant species, nature has In the end, however, it’s not how far we reach, but how far that reach carries us, that proves the measure of an organization. we want This year, created a tremendous diversity whose potential is virtually Meeting 21st century challenges will demand that our plant scientists put their best skills to work, and are given the space, to take you beyond the untapped. Earth hosts some 400,000 plant species: through support, and technologies to innovate. In the pages that follow, we describe some of the fruits of our labor in 2013, and how it press releases and beyond the ages, some 7,000 have been consumed as food and connects both within the scientific community and to the populace at large. The return is, we feel, inspiring. the scholarly publications perhaps 20,000 used in some therapeutic context. Plants, in to an exploration of how some capacity, have learned to thrive in virtually all environ- EDUCATION: RETURN ON INSPIRATION our Institute holds itself ments on planet Earth, and are the foundation for all life. A much-discussed component of the Decadal Vision is its call to reimagine graduate training in the plant sciences. A particularly accountable to the great These chemical wizards have created as many as 500,000 telling statistic is that five years after receiving a Ph.D. in the United States, only about one of six recipients has a traditional PRESIDENT’S LETTER PRESIDENT’S faith our supporters place unique compounds, the vast majority of whose biological tenure-track faculty position. Though some of the other five may still be seeking such a position, many of them are gainfully in plant research to address role and therapeutic potential is unknown. employed in industry, law, venture capital, journalism, teaching, advocacy, or government service. Because of these many the Grand Challenges of the career options and the prognosis that academic jobs will remain in short supply, 21st century. We’ve asked ourselves, how do the three I’s Despite there being so much yet to learn, however, re- the Decadal Vision argues that doctoral candidates should be supplied with the identified as the theme of this year’s Annual Report — Inno- searchers face a great challenge even in interpreting existing multiple skills required for scientific success in the Digital Age. Indeed, both NIH vation, Investment and Inspiration — accomplish BTI’s mis- information about plants. New technologies have led to a and NSF have very recently rolled out programs that recognize and attempt to sion of advancing and communicating scientific knowledge torrent of new data — a force that threatens to become a mitigate this problem. One mechanism by which BTI is working to fill the skills gap Plants, in some in plant biology for the purpose of improving agriculture, flood in the absence of adequate tools and strategies for is through its Postgraduate Society, which encourages graduate students and post- capacity, have learned protecting the environment, and enhancing human health? managing large storehouses of information. The Decadal doctoral fellows to learn about alternative career paths, teach community college Innovation inspire leads to new discoveries, which in turn Vision thus points to computational biology as a critical courses, create communications for public dissemination, and assist with social to thrive in virtually individual careers, and ideas for problem solving. When frontier, both in its ability to derive meaning from Big Data, media. Many BTI postgraduates also learn mentoring skills through participation in those ideas are implemented, or when those individuals in but also in developing better connections between biolo- the various activities of BTI’s Center for Plant Science Teaching and Learning. all environments investment turn inspire others, the return on is realized. gists and programmers. Such connections will mitigate the ever-increasing reliance on technological devices, where the on planet Earth, and RESEARCH: RETURN ON INNOVATION end user too often cannot critically evaluate the information Sincerely, While BTI research is diverse and extended through global provided. are the foundation connections, the whole of plant science consists of an extremely broad array of disciplines ranging from ecology IMPACT: RETURN ON INVESTMENT of all life. to molecular biology, agricultural sciences, energy sciences, History reminds us that the returns on investing in research and computational biology. One of the most significant are profound. From the Green Revolution to landing on the David B. Stern, Ph.D. external activities of the President’s office this year has Moon, from completing the human genome sequence to President & CEO been helping to achieve a consensus among many of these the happenstance discovery of penicillin, the most far- voices as to the most promising research directions for the reaching impacts on society can inevitably be traced back coming decade. A document entitled Unleashing a Decade to scientific voyages into uncharted waters. The Decadal of Innovation in Plant Science: A Vision for 2015-2025, was Vision reminds its readers that discoveries made in plant broadly disseminated in July 2013, and has been used to research can help address our greatest global challenges. inspire and educate granting agencies, policymakers, and The flat federal investment in research has taken a great toll academic leaders. The “Decadal Vision” serves as a scientific on innovation: jobs have been lost, laboratories closed, and road map to strengthen our ability to understand, predict, programs shuttered. BTI is extremely fortunate in that during and alter plant behavior to meet the planet’s food, energy, such a difficult time, our faculty has remained competitive and environmental demands in the face of climate change for funding and that we continue to garner support from our and a burgeoning population. endowment developed through the generosity of private donors. Still, the missed opportunities are many, and the The Decadal Vision takes the view that while we should seeds we fail to plant today will create a dearth of innova- continue to delve deeply into the intricacies of the relatively tion in the years and decades to come. 4 5 In a financial climate such as this, private donations to BTI BTI For 90 years, are more and more crucial to our success. For example, in scientists have been world 2013 private donations helped two bioinformatics leaders in plant science laboratories start new projects and allowed four high school research and education. students to participate in a competitive summer internship The range of our faculty’s program.