Great ride
It's been a great ride! After nearly nine wonderful years, it's time for me to step down. When I came on board, it was my hope to make plant sciences grow and flourish at Iowa State, and I couldn't be more pleased to see what has happened. The institute has emerged as a premierresearch organization having recruited 37 energetic, new plant science faculty to the university. What a difference they will make for the future of this institution!
The institute grew during a time when there were enormous advances in plant sciences - particularly in the field of plant genome research. Because of our investments, Iowa State scientists led or tied with other institutions nationally in landing awards and subcontracts from the prestigious National Science Foundation Plant Genome Program. All of this culminated in the recent unveiling of the two plant genomes most important to Iowa - those of corn and soybeans.
If that wasn't enough, the national quest for new energy sources opened a floodgate of new opportunities for plant sciences. But it has been a roller coaster ride, and we've seen the popularity of biofuels rise and fall. Nonetheless, Iowa has a firm position in the biofuels arena, and it's an area where the institute has contributed important research. For the future, the institute needs to take lead- ership in research on climate change and sustainability. There is little that can impact our lives and agriculture more broadly than climate and the preservation of our land, and these issues are important new goals for biotechnological research.
