Dear Danforth Center Community,

Yesterday morning, Stephanie Regagnon let me know that she will be leaving her position as Executive Director of Innovation Partnerships at the Danforth Center in December, 2024. Stephanie has been an important part of the Center for over four years, joining us at a difficult time early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, I want to recognize Stephanie’s achievements and the mark she’s left on the Danforth Center.

Before taking her position, Stephanie was already heavily invested in the Danforth Center as a volunteer on the Friends Committee. She was particularly excited about our vision for growing and strengthening the St. Louis region through plant science. Her long experience in the agricultural industry made her an excellent choice for the newly created position to lead the Innovation Team, with responsibility for intellectual property management and innovation partnerships. She contributed early to the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan, which articulated goals for a Start-Up Initiative and laid the conceptual foundation for creation of Danforth Technology Company to spin out new companies from the Center.

Stephanie solidified existing partnerships, like with the St. Louis Community College, and developed new partnerships to advance BRDG Park and the broader innovation district, 39North. Among other achievements, she helped recruit or retain several companies in 39North. Until recently, the Danforth Center was the primary organization providing support for the district. Stephanie helped change that when she worked closely with regional partners to define the need for an independent organization to run and elevate 39North, which came to life in 2023. Stephanie serves as a board director for 39North.

Stephanie and team have also worked passionately to grow the geospatial industry here, build up a more equitable and well-trained workforce in the region, bring people together, and create international connections between AgTech organizations in St. Louis and Latin America. She is a very familiar presence around St. Louis, and has represented the Danforth Center enthusiastically on countless occasions.

The Danforth Center has changed in many ways over the past four years, and Stephanie Regagnon has had a productive hand in that happening. I sincerely thank Stephanie for all of the work she’s contributed toward our success!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Most weeks at the Danforth Center, there’s at least one visiting speaker who presents a formal presentation of their research. This week, we invited Steve Fiore (University of Central Florida), a social scientist who studies how trans-disciplinary teams work together. Understanding what distinguishes successful teams from others is a big deal, especially for the Danforth Center, as nearly all of our work is done in collaborative teams with members coming from diverse disciplines. Here are a few insights from Steve’s fascinating work and presentation.

Successful teams remember their ABCs – They pay close attention to Affective (or attitudinal), Behavioral (or skills), and Cognitive (or knowledge) components of their team member interactions. That is, successful teams have members who are attentive to one another’s well-being and needs, go out of their way to understand their colleagues unique perspectives, and productively use team member’s diverse knowledge and experience. Successful teams are not afraid to acknowledge members’ strengths and weaknesses, and to allocate responsibilities that align with individual talents. Successful teams take the time to craft a mission or purpose, around which they align with common goals.

Successful teams tolerate more, and learn from, mistakes – This results in part from the fact that successful teams encourage riskier ideas, and those may lead to more errors. But when mistakes are made, successful teams are better at learning from the experience and adjusting. The key is not to avoid mistakes, but rather to treat mistakes as normal occurrences and use them productively. As one with vast experience in making mistakes, this point really resonated with me. The company Google has taken this further and institutionalized a formal process to detect, diagnose and learn from mistakes without assigning blame or penalty.

Successful teams promote psychological safety – Members of successful teams promote everyone’s input and insights, regardless of hierarchy or status. In other words, successful teams provide a safe place for everyone to offer critiques, point out mistakes, and challenge ideas without fear of repercussions. This promotes more contributions from early-career team members, who often possess more knowledge about, say, modern techniques than the seasoned team members. Promoting psychological safety, Steve pointed out, involves behaviors like active listening and demonstrating empathy towards those team members who may feel vulnerable.

This presentation was not our typical “plant science seminar,” but I cannot recall another from which we can all learn more.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

As a not-for-profit organization, part of our operating budget is funded by donations from individuals and families, foundations, and companies that generously support our work. Some donors may give for specific, designated purposes, like to support a graduate student fellowship or the Proof-of-Concept program. Others may not want their gifts designated for a singular purpose, but instead, directed to support work within a range of priority areas depending on where we have pressing needs. That’s why you should know about the Danforth Center Impact Fund.

The Impact Fund pools gifts from many donors, including those who give annually, to support Danforth Center priorities in four areas (allocation percentage indicated):

• Early-Stage Projects and Research (55%) – This helps get new Danforth Center labs up and running when we recruit a new faculty member, and it provides seed funding to test interesting ideas. This enables preliminary work to be done so that subsequent large project proposals to funding agencies and foundations are competitive.
• Training and Internships (22%) – The Impact Fund enables us to fund more undergraduate Summer interns, and to support the annual CSTM budget. Assuring funding for graduate students from university partners has enabled growth to nearly 40 students over the past year.
• Education and Outreach (15%) – This enables a base of support for education and outreach to maintain continuity of K-12 student programs and teacher training. Partial funding for the core team in Education Research and Outreach Laboratory (EROL) enables collaboration with other Danforth Center lab teams for broader impacts.
• Equipment, Technology and Facility Improvement (12%) – The Impact Fund supports acquisition of shared laboratory equipment and investments in Core Facilities. It enables adaptation of facilities for new purposes when needs change, and flexibility that is needed as technology evolves.

Most of the funding needs in these areas cannot be met by traditional grants or other mechanisms, meaning that the Impact Fund serves a unique role in supporting priorities at the Danforth Center.

Over the past year, approximately 1,100 donors, including many of you, supported our work with gifts via the Impact Fund. And tonight, proceeds from Party With the Plants will benefit the Center through the Impact Fund. I give thanks to the Development team that works so productively in stewarding our supporters, and to everyone who chooses to give generously to the Danforth Center!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I recently saw a group of attendees at a scientific conference we hosted at the Danforth Center looking at the mounted plaques for past recipients of the Danforth Plant Science Award. Visiting scientists frequently stop at the wall commemorating prior award winners and find recognizable names of diverse individuals who have made a big difference in plant science. The criteria used to select Danforth Plant Science Award recipients are fairly simple – exceptional scientific achievements through their research, or exceptional impact in agriculture, food and nutrition, or human health. Some past awardees, like Norman Borlaug or Joanne Chory, are the equivalent of “household names” in plant science. Some others, like Ethiopian scientist Segenet Kelemu, have had impact that vastly exceeds their name recognition.

Like so many past recipients, the next Danforth Plant Science Awardee is someone who has made an indelible mark in science and our understanding of the natural world. She built a career of scientific achievement by asking the simplest of questions like: How and why are these two plants different? Those fundamental questions are relevant to understanding how crop plants evolved from wild relatives. Or to understanding why mature seeds of some plants drop to the ground and others do not. Or to acceleration of breeding efforts for short-stature tef that withstands heavy rain and wind. This year’s recipient is a deeply insightful scientific leader who has made fundamental discoveries about how plant species change over evolutionary time as their environments change, and how they changed for human benefit over the course of crop domestication. And to top it off, she’s one of the Danforth Center’s more admired scientists!

This year’s Danforth Plant Science Award recipient is the one and only Elizabeth (Toby) A. Kellogg. Toby is the Robert E. King Distinguished Investigator and Member, Danforth Plant Science Center, since 2013. She’s been a guiding light within the plant science community for decades, and an entirely influential colleague for all who work with or learn from her. This award both recognizes Toby’s stellar achievements in science, and thanks her for the countless contributions she’s made to the Danforth Center.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

When looking around, I see countless examples of contributions to the Danforth Center community. “Contributions to community” is a term used to describe work we do that is beyond our specific jobs and roles, but that benefits the broader Center community. None of the CSTM co-chairs have to be CSTM leaders, but they contribute to community by serving their colleagues. None of the teams that build displays and interact with visitors at PlantTech Jam or Party with the Plants has to spend time and effort in this way, but they contribute to community through communication about our work and making the Center shine. I appreciate how contributions to community, like these examples, make the Danforth Center a better.

But contributions to the Danforth Center community are not limited to those of us with jobs here. Contributions of volunteer time and effort from across the region and beyond are numerous, and vital to our success. Service on our Board of Directors or other volunteer groups, like the Friends Committee or tour docents, provides governance functions, connectivity with prospective donors, and representation of the Center to the public. The late Jim Knight was one of the earliest such volunteer contributors; we were so appreciative that we created the Newell S. “Jim” Knight, Jr. Volunteer Award to recognize exceptional service. Besides Jim as the inaugural awardee, we have recognized George Fonyo, Jim Johnson, and Molly Cline with this award.

And just yesterday, we were thrilled to honor Ruth Kim as the fifth awardee. Ruth has served and represented the Danforth Center in so many ways, including as a current, highly active Director on our Board and a past member of the Friends Committee. She gives her time, effort and resources generously, but that’s only part of her story. She has introduced hundreds of her friends and associates to the Danforth Center through invitations to lunches, receptions and events like those at which our community member contribute. Ruth’s enthusiastic efforts have grown our base of donors and elevated awareness of the Danforth Center. Along with Jim Knight and past award recipients, Ruth is passionate about the Center’s mission and has achieved superhero status within our remarkable volunteer community!

Thank you to all who contribute to the Danforth Center community in ways that make a difference. And congratulations to Ruth Kim for her extraordinary achievements in elevating the Danforth Center.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Diving deep into a scientific problem always results in surprising discoveries, detailed mechanistic understanding, new and important research directions, or unexpected applications that address real needs. Let’s highlight and briefly explain three recent publications, and recognize three Danforth Center teams that have persisted in understanding three different areas of plant science.

Transposase-assisted target-site integration for efficient plant genome engineering.
Liu P, Panda K, Edwards SA, Swanson R, Yi H, Pandesha P, Hung YH, Klaas G, Ye X, Collins MV, Renken KN, Gilbertson LA, Veena V, Hancock CN, Slotkin RK. Nature. (2024) doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07613-8. The Slotkin team has made numerous, insightful discoveries about how plant transposons, which can jump from place to place in a genome, are either locked in place or enabled to jump. From that deep understanding, the team developed ways to harness the unique attributes of certain transposons to insert new DNA into specific, desired sites in the genome. This opens up vast possibilities to accelerate crop improvement in ways that increase precision and lower costs. You have not heard the last about this new technology!

SymRK regulates G-protein signaling during nodulation in soybean (Glycine max) by modifying RGS phosphorylation and activity.
Choudhury SR and Pandey S. Molec. Plant Microbe Interact. (2024) doi: 10.1094/MPMI-04-24-0036-R. The Pandey lab has focused intensely on how plants respond to changes in their environment, like when certain symbiotic bacteria interact with roots. Legumes like soybean interact with specific beneficial bacteria (e.g. rhizobia), resulting in nodules that churn out a natural form of fertilizer for the plant. The team here revealed several new, critical molecular interactions involving G-proteins and receptors that enable plants to engage with the bacteria.

pyMS-Vis, an open-source Python application for visualizing and investigating deconvoluted to-down mass spectrometric experiments: A histone proteoform case study.
Pesavento JJ, Bindra MS, Das U, Rommelfanger SR, Zhou M, Paša-Tolić L, Umen JG. Analytical Chem. (2024) doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c02650.  The Umen team is well known for longstanding, elegant research to understand how algal cells multiply and differentiate into sexually distinct types. This paper revealed not only new insights into how algal genomes are controlled during the cell cycle, but also an entirely new method that any other team can use to measure and compare different forms of proteins and protein complexes.

I admire the persistence and commitment needed to solve hard scientific problems. And I sincerely appreciate when that effort yields important insight and application beyond what was initially envisioned!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Around 12 years ago, I was sitting next to the late Jack Taylor at a dinner. In 1957, Jack founded and built the company that was later renamed Enterprise Rent-a-Car, which ultimately grew into the seventh largest private company in the U.S., Enterprise Mobility. I knew he had cultivated a great company culture when he was CEO, so I asked Jack, “How did you did you do that?” His initial reply was unsatisfying. “I don’t know, I never understood all of that business culture stuff,” he said. I pressed him some more with, “Seriously, you must have been doing something right.” Then he laughed and said, “I don’t know what I did. I just came in every morning and asked people, ‘Are you having fun?’”

The data are in on the topic of fun in the workplace. In their book, “Work Made Fun Gets Done,” Bob Nelson and Mario Tamayo studied the differences between organizations that do or do not rank among the 100 Best Places to Work (based on employee ratings) as published in Fortune. Eighty-one percent of employees at organizations that made the list described their workplace as fun; at organizations that did not make the list, that number was 31% lower. Research indicates that fun at work promotes engagement and creativity, increases productivity and resilience, and lowers employee turnover.

Encouraging workplace fun doesn’t mean we have a license for disruptive pranks or hazardous horseplay. But it does mean different things to different people. Nelson and Tamayo point out that fun can be gained by turning routine tasks into games or contests (e.g. first to finish). I like little competitions among coworkers, like guessing how many people will show up in person for a seminar presentation. Some find music in the workplace, like in the Café or at Wednesday morning tea times, adds a fun element. Granting a little time for fun, like 40 minutes to compete in Lab Olympics or laughing with colleagues during a work-free lunch, can make a difference. Even our public events, like the upcoming Party With the Plants, have much room for fun engagement with one another.

Jack Taylor found a way to see humor and have fun in most situations, at least those in which I interacted with him. I suspect his sense of fun was infectious, and served as a major ingredient in his company’s success. I think that’s worth emulating.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

At a large gathering of Danforth Center supporters last evening, I shared one of the best things about being a scientist who makes a discovery. For some amount of time – a few minutes, a few days – you are the only person in the universe who knows that particular bit of knowledge. If it’s a collaborative team making the discovery, that’s just as good or even better! And sharing with others what you just learned has its own satisfying rewards. But, what if we left it there and failed to use that knowledge to improve nutrition, or increase sustainability of agriculture, or to realize benefits through some other important application? We would feel good growing our understanding of nature, but we would likely fall short of delivering on our mission.

I then talked about ways in which we enable Danforth Center discoveries, and the technologies we develop, to have tangible impact in the real world. It doesn’t happen magically; rather, it usually requires intention, investment, partnership and ultimately handover to companies that can build a better product, offer a better service, or otherwise deliver benefits in the marketplace. The Center’s Startup Initiative is designed to spin out companies that are based on Danforth Center discoveries. We get a “two-fer” if those companies succeed – our science gets put to work addressing grand challenges that we care about, and we create economic opportunity and growth in 39North and the region.

There are also other routes to impact, as I and Mike DeCamp (CEO of CoverCress, Inc.) described last night. For example, Meter Nusinow and his talented team have collaborated with CoverCress for many years to improve the light, temperature, shade and density response characteristics of pennycress, a recently domesticated cover crop. Discoveries from the Nusinow lab are directly transferable to breed pennycress that grows at higher latitudes, higher densities and with more resilience as growing temperatures increase. CoverCress not only benefits from the collaboration, but they benefit by renting plant growth and processing facilities from the Center.

The scientific process is one of humankind’s greatest innovations. We need it more than ever. We also need creative scientists, entrepreneurs, investors and mechanisms to transform that scientific knowledge into meaningful benefits, and that is just as satisfying as making a great discovery!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Toby Kellogg wrote a fascinating Perspective article in Science magazine recently. I look at all of Toby’s papers because they always address an interesting question in plant development or plant evolution (often both). In this case, Toby reviewed another fascinating article (Satterlee et al.) in the same issue of Science, where the authors asked: Why do some plants have sharp, pointy structures called prickles on their surfaces, but other plants in the same or different species do not? Prickles help plants defend again herbivores, who would rather move on to another plant than get poked by prickles.

Toby highlighted the key finding that, whenever a prickle-less mutant or natural variant was identified in different species, it was always because of a defect in a particular member of the LOG gene family. Nature through the process of evolution, as well as plant breeders through the process of domestication, came up with prickle-less plants independently on many, many occasions, and always by losing the function of the same LOG gene. That gene controls the production of an important plant hormone – cytokinin. Toby then pointed out that, besides answering an important question about how new traits evolve in nature, learning this type of information has practical benefit. Learning how a trait evolves in nature means we can apply that knowledge to breed plants quickly with that same trait, assuming that trait has value.

The prickles study reminded me of another study some 22 years ago by Lellis et al. using the model plant Arabidopsis, which is susceptible to a virus called Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV). Scientists created a large number of Arabidopsis mutants using DNA-damaging chemicals, and then tested thousands of individual mutants for those that lost susceptibility to TuMV. Losing susceptibility is another way of saying that the mutants became resistant to the virus. The loss-of-susceptibility mutants were found to have defects in a particular gene within the eIF-4E family, meaning that TuMV requires this host gene to infect Arabidopsis and cause disease. Once that basic information was learned, just like in the prickles study, scientists quickly figured out that crop plants like peppers and soybeans could be made resistant to TuMV-like viruses by breeding plants with similar defects in their eIF-4E genes.

Both the prickles and the TuMV studies are great examples of how plant science focused on a basic scientific question can lead to practical discoveries and applications. Many thanks to Toby Kellogg for crafting such a nice Perspective in Science, and for reminding me of those old findings with TuMV in Arabidopsis.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Let’s return to something mentioned in my message to the Danforth Center community on July 1, 2024. Referring to my intentions here over the next 11 months, I said “much attention will be focused on resource development for both current priorities and future opportunities, and on those things that promote success for the next President and the Center community.” Since that time, some of you have asked, what does that mean?

The short answer is, I’m focusing a lot of attention and effort towards strengthening those parts of the Danforth Center on which our current and future success depends. We’re a scientific research organization that requires competitive research teams and talented support units, enabling facilities in which to work, and routes to deliver benefits from scientific discoveries in the real world. Those are critical components of Center core strength, and key ingredients driving success of the institution. I’m focused on ensuring that our budget, fundraising and building efforts are aligned with these core priorities.

For example, considerable effort was invested recently to develop a plan to reprioritize $14.75M of existing Center funds, mostly from excess operating reserves and donor gifts, to strengthen core priorities. Half of these funds are focused on ensuring that we have sufficient resources to recruit and equip new Member-track faculty to fill open positions over the next several years. Most of the remaining funds are focused on ensuring that our research teams have sufficient capacity to make investments that maintain the competitiveness of their programs. I’m also working more closely with the Development team to ensure that core scientific and facilities priorities are supported as much as possible through successful fundraising efforts from donors over the next few years.

Bolstering core strengths that underlie success of the Danforth Center is a major objective of mine over the next year. The core priorities today will almost certainly be the core priorities tomorrow, meaning core investments today will pay dividends long into the future. These investments will be important for both current and future Danforth Center community members, including the next person to occupy my seat.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Did you know we run the largest Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in the U.S.? This program brings in around 20 diverse students from around the country each Summer. It’s funded by a National Science Foundation grant, which is supplemented by funds from research grants to PIs and core Center funds. Today, I’m impressed and blown away by the 2024 students presenting their work in the 24^th REU Symposium.

Year after year, each REU cohort exhibits interesting and sometimes surprising features. I spoke with several of you who were involved closely with the program to ask, what distinguishes this REU cohort? I was most pleased to hear the following.

1. Collaborative and community-minded. This group bonded quickly with a Memorial Day BBQ just after arrival, initiating a cohesion that was evident throughout the program. They were often spotted in groups solving problems. They embraced, and integrated into, the broader Danforth Center community. The REU students were looking out for one another! And they formed a tight, entertaining karaoke team!
2. Curious and insightful. This was an inquisitive and thoughtful cohort. On tours of core facilities or nearby companies, they were highly engaged and asked terrific questions. In the meeting with me, they were open, far-sighted, and intentional about developing their careers. They were very engaged and involved in every training session or outreach activity. 
3. Professional. Now, given that this may be our youngest REU cohort ever, this comment was so good hear. They were on time for all meetings, events and trips. When they took a trip to the Field Research Site, everyone was on time for a 7:25 am departure. When REU student Emmy Hood arrived in our lab, she was prepared though advance reading, accurate note-taking, and an orientation to get things done. A deaf REU student, MJ, even mentored some high school interns during the Summer! This cohort’s professionalism far exceeded their very early career status.

Many thanks to Kerri Peer and Monica Alsup (REU administrative coordination), Tessa Burch Smith and Kirk Czymmek (REU Program Directors), and Katie Murphy (Phenocore Director) for your comments about the 2024 students and your great work with the program. My sincere appreciation goes to the lab mentors who guided each REU participant through their projects. And congratulations to all of the 2024 REU students for what they achieved for their careers and contributed to the Danforth Center. I hope to see them back in the future.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Feedback is necessary, useful, and often illuminating. Feedback leads to self-reflection, which is a step on the way to improvement. I hope everyone takes advantage of the upcoming Engagement Survey Listening Sessions (starting July 15) to offer feedback about your experience at the Danforth Center. I’ve received or heard about a lot of feedback from individuals who recently visited the Center, mostly as candidates interviewing for new Assistant Member faculty positions. As their feedback is largely a reflection on the Danforth Center community, I think you’ll be interested in what they said.

“This is the 8^th Wonder of the World.” This direct quote was from a scientific collaborator at another institution. Our site, our facilities, and the way our facilities are maintained are noticed and admired by visitors. Our facilities are exceptional and often envied.

“Wow, you seem really collaborative.” The five recent Assistant Member candidates all commented on this. They were particularly impressed by how nearly all projects are collaborations, and how scientific teams have evolved over time based on those collaborations. The candidates were encouraged to envision how their programs would impact other Danforth Center teams through collaboration.

“The scientific culture seems really different here.” The recent candidates noticed a culture of sharing resources and sharing credit. They commented on how our mission, vision and values really shape what we do and how we talk about our work. They were impressed by a culture of getting things done, and how administrative and non-research community members contributed to and shared ownership in scientific success. They were surprised how efficiently the search was done and by everyone’s helpful attitude.

“The trainees and CSTM members were really engaged.” Each candidate commented about how impressed they were with CSTM members’ participation in the search. They noticed a sophisticated understanding about both the needs as well as the opportunities for mentoring, and at least some of the candidates found this to be eye-opening.

“I’m on board!” This was from one of the candidates, Nadia Shakoor, who accepted our offer of Assistant Member just this morning! We’re excited for Nadia and her team, and for the new opportunities for growth at the Danforth Center. I hope you join me in congratulating Nadia on her new position and for all that she’s done.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Note: The Weekly Message will be on hiatus for a few weeks until I return from vacation. I’ll be out to pasture, think it’s safe to say, enjoying the Rocky Mountain way just south of Mt. Sneffels.

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I hope everyone had a chance to relax or enjoy festivities during the 4^th of July holiday yesterday. Those who were concerned about outdoor events getting rained out may have spent some time watching televised sports, like the early rounds of Wimbledon tennis on ESPN. Had you stayed tuned after tennis, ESPN broadcasted the Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest from Coney Island, NY with a full complement of sports announcers and analysts. Now, I do not consider myself strongly anti-hot dog, especially with the grandson of the inventor of the Ballpark Frank being a Danforth Center community member. But I have a big problem with classifying the over-consumption of hot dogs, or any processed meat for that matter, as a sport. C’mon, man!

Had you kept ESPN on in the background as you prepared to view night-time fireworks, you may have seen the Annual Diving Dogs competition, featuring some true canine athletes. I can only describe this as a hybrid of long jump and competitive fetch, but into a swimming pool. In the featured event and with a jump of 28 feet, a Whippet named Rogue edged out the favorite, Sounders, the one everybody came to see and the holder of eight Diving Dogs world records. I’ve never seen athletes enjoy competing as much as these dogs.

However you spent the day off, you probably did yourself some good. Besides increasing productivity and overall life satisfaction, taking time off from work leads to both physical and mental health benefits, including lower rates of heart disease, reduced depression, lower stress levels, and better sleep. Time off work also gives you a chance to have fun, and fun is highly underrated!

Finally, I want highlight those who deferred time off or worked unusual hours on or around the holiday. Many of you were needed for plant care, security, essential lab work, or unanticipated emergencies on July 4th. Others, like the team that handles payroll, rearranged schedules to ensure work was completed earlier than usual. I give sincere thanks to all those who kept the Danforth Center running through the holiday. They deserve our appreciation!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

When I came to the Danforth Center as President in early 2011, there was no thought about how long I’d be here. There were too many possibilities at hand, and so much to build and achieve together with the Danforth Center community, our partners and our supporters. But over 13 years later, the time has arrived to ask the question, “How long?” After much consideration, I’ve decided to step down as President and CEO of the Danforth Center after one more year, on July 1, 2025. This decision was made with the Danforth Center’s future, my family, and sexagenarian biology in mind, and with peace in feeling that it’s time.

Planning for succession and identifying the next leader, like everything at the Danforth Center, will be a collaborative effort. Penny Pennington (Chair, Board of Directors) will lead the search for a new President. Penny will appoint a search advisory committee, which will include representation from the Board as well as the Danforth Center community. She will start communication soon about the search process, the anticipated timeline, and how input from the Center community and stakeholders will be received.

In addition to my current roles, responsibilities and goals over the next year (I’m not done yet!), I’ll be working to ensure that opportunities for the next President, and for members of the Danforth Center community, are as abundant as they were for me when I started. That means much attention will be focused on resource development for both current priorities and future opportunities, and on those things that promote success for the next President and the Center community.

I love the Danforth Center, our people and our shared purpose. I expect that I’ll always be a part of this unique and impactful institution. And I know the Center will benefit greatly from the necessary renewal of perspective, ideas, and talents that come with a new leader. In the meantime, I look forward to one more year of achievement with you in this position I’ve been so fortunate to hold.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Pat Brown - founder of Impossible Foods, Director on our Board, and recent answer to a clue on Jeopardy! - is one of the most influential biologists over the past 40 years. And with a goal to eliminate animal meat production on a global scale, he’s also one of the most influential food innovators over the past 15 years. Pat was invited recently to a Royal Society meeting on transformation of agriculture, at which he described himself as the designated provocateur! A few of us connected with Pat by Zoom this week to seek his input on a few matters and to give some Danforth Center updates. Here’s a little of what he had to say.

We can grow enough protein for human consumption in plants. Pat is a champion for reducing the environmental impact of agriculture through reducing/eliminating the use of animal meat in our diets. A few simple calculations indicate that we could provide more than enough protein directly from plant-based agriculture. Human consumption of protein from meat worldwide currently stands at about 90 million metric tonnes (mt), while protein produced by soybean cultivation alone amounts to nearly 170M mt. Of course, there would be enormous challenges - dietary, cultural, economic, and technical – to seeing that substitution happen. Concerning the technical challenges…

We need more protein innovation. Realizing Pat’s vision requires that we develop more nutritionally complete, digestible, accessible and safe plant-based protein sources. He sees a wide-open opportunity to apply science to produce at scale proteins that have complete amino acid compositions, better functional properties for food preparation, and greater production efficiency with fewer inputs. He ponders, might we be able to use vegetative plant parts (e.g. leaves), rather than primarily seeds, to produce next generations of plant-produced protein?

Need better understanding of everything underground. Pat is a big proponent of not only reducing animal agriculture, but also of diversifying our agricultural crops and gaining a better understanding of what’s happening below ground. Carbon capture, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and other benefits will be gained by placing far more attention on roots, soils, and subterranean environments. Pat, you’re speaking our language!

It's safe to say, not everyone agrees that Pat’s objective of eliminating animal agriculture is practical or right. But it’s hard to argue that he not driving innovation, behaviors, and markets that are providing measurable environmental benefits.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Let’s start with a quiz. What’s one of the biggest differences between someone who gets a meaningful award and all of their worthy peers who did not? Answer: The award winner had a nominator!

I want to make the strong case for each of us to recognize and celebrate our high-achieving peers, supervisors and direct reports with nominations for awards and honors. This requires someone, a nominator, to spend time and effort assembling a packet of information that describes why an individual has earned recognition. Investing valuable time to submit a nomination is a selfless act of commitment to, and appreciation of, a colleague. It is a high form of respect for what they’ve done. Preparing a nomination means you care enough to advocate formally for a colleague who did well. And when you’re on the receiving end, awards can be powerful affirmation that you’ve made an impact through achievement.

Awards and honors come in all shapes and sizes. There are scientific society awards that recognize a variety of research, scholarly, educational and other contributions. There are awards for individuals in all professional disciplines, like finance or human resources. At the Danforth Center, we give awards to high-achieving graduate students and individuals who have made major contributions to plant science research and service, and we are looking at ways to recognize outstanding members across the Danforth Center with new annual awards. Nominators are the keys that unlock awards for our deserving colleagues.

Many of you are active nominators, and in so doing you are making a major contribution to the Danforth Center community. Thank you! But I ask that everyone spend a few moments and ask, “Which of my Danforth Center colleagues are deserving of special recognition?” Whether it’s a major ASPB award for career-long achievement or recognition as CSTM Member of the Month, being recognized matters. And if you don’t do the work to nominate a coworker, then who will?

Congratulations to all of our recent award winners, like Karla Roeber, who is being recognized this week as Outstanding Member of the Year by the St. Louis Agribusiness Club. Well done, Karla, and many thanks to your nominator!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

One of the organizers said the best thing about the annual Danforth Center Scientific Retreat is the way scientists and teams come together and learn what everyone is doing. The 2024 Retreat this week welcomed over 200 participants, including Penny Pennington (Board Chair) and Silvia Restrepo, President of our peer institution, Boyce Thompson Institute. I’ve been impressed by the quality of every short and long presentation, and the progress shown by each speaker and team. Here, I want to highlight a few presenters who also made their work especially accessible to a broad audience.

Keely Brown talked about developing rapid, predictive breeding methods applicable to perennial crop improvement. Perennial crops present unique challenges, like the multi-year nature of cultivation and long life cycles. Keely is using data science, genomics and phenotyping approaches to more quickly breed perennial crops with high yields and environmental benefits (e.g. high carbon sequestration) in different geographies.

Dhiraj Srivastava is working collaboratively within the Phenotyping core to devise better ways to capture and analyze data from field experiments. He is using drone-based sensors and methods, for example, to measure height of both short and tall varieties of tef over time. He’s extending the PlantCV platform to include important geospatial capabilities. Dhiraj is a great example of a scientist who organizes presentations around a key principle: Make it understandable to a broad audience!

Kris Callis-Duehl gave an overview of the Education Research and Outreach Laboratory (EROL), which seeks to combine science and education to achieve STEM+Ag objectives for students and teachers, workforce development, understanding of how students learn, and more. EROL is a unique program that has impact on economic development, especially in underserved communities in our region, as Precious Hardy elaborated on very nicely in her short talk. The EROL team also works closely with many Danforth Center lab teams for broader impacts through outreach, and for data science skills training as Parag Bhatt described well in tie-dyed color.

I also noticed that Dan Lin, Dominique Pham, Stewart Morley, and Cody Bagnall included notable features in their presentations to make their complicated topics understandable or even entertaining. Learning what our Danforth Center colleagues are doing promotes unity within the community and a strong scientific culture. The time and effort each presenter invested to bring their work to life for all is sincerely appreciated!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Change is a constant at the Danforth Center. It describes our scientific research programs, our people and our facilities. Change is necessary to grow, important for competitiveness, and essential to maintain relevance and impact. Let’s highlight a few changes and celebrate those working hard to make them happen.

Summer REU Program. The Center changes at the end of May each year with the arrival of 20 or so interns in the Research Experiences for Undergraduate program. The summer program has changed much over time, including this year with a younger cohort in which most have just finished just their first or second college years. They will be engaging in a new outreach activity at Oak Bend Branch of St. Louis County Library, where they’ll help 7-14-year olds learn to extract strawberry DNA. I met with the REU students this week and was exceptionally impressed. I sincerely thank them for investing their summer with us.

New Faculty Hiring. Prospects for significant changes within the faculty ranks improved dramatically with a new funding plan to hire for six positions over the next several years. We’re off to a fast start! Over the next six working days, we will host six candidates interviewing for two Member-track positions. New faculty hiring means new teams, changes in our capabilities and capacity, and renewed energy to power unique collaborations. I thank everyone with a hand in organizing the searches, reviewing applications, meeting with candidates, and otherwise participating to show off the best of the Danforth Center.

New working spaces. Everyone can see the new office and meeting facility under construction next to the greenhouse complex. But there are out-of-view changes underway to create new spaces for Grant Specialists and (soon) the Finance team. The Facilities team is simply the best I’ve seen at addressing the ever-changing needs of an organization like ours. Chris Martin, for example, is now renovating one of the 3^rd-level office suites to grow capacity. Come to think of it, Chris always seems to be working hard on a building project, repairing something, or changing a space to accommodate different users. Chris and the rest of the Facilities team deserve our sincere appreciation for constantly improving and evolving our facilities.

Oh, I almost forgot one more change…Karaoke is coming back to the Scientific Retreat next week. But this time, all Danforth Center community members, not just retreat participants, are invited! I look forward to hearing your collaborative efforts at the microphone.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Let’s build this week’s message around two colorful images that I’m excited to share. Both represent important teams or features that we value at the Danforth Center, and that make us unique.

Grant Specialists, Administrative Assistants, and our scientific network. Each year we build a network diagram, thanks to Noah Fahlgren, Melissa Kerckhoff, and Karla Elliott, showing how our scientific teams connect through funded research projects. It’s a representation that dramatically underscores our value of Collaboration within the Center’s scientific enterprise. Not surprisingly, Grant Specialists and Administrative Assistants have some of the most connectivity within the network. Collectively, these two groups facilitate accurate grant proposal preparation and on-time submission. In 2023, their work resulted in 82 submissions and $23M in new grant awards. They help build and manage budgets, and bridge between collaborating teams. They help plan, organize, and run seminar programs, retreats, internship and education programs, and so much more. And they each work across multiple scientific or core facility teams, and frequently with the pressure of tight deadlines. They are critical hubs that hold the network together! With admiration for the vital work they do, I thank the Grants team of Michelle Richards, Missy Rung-Blue, Alex Durdello, Denise Cunningham, Elizabeth Martinez, and Marti Meersman; and the Administrative team of Terri Burton, Monica Alsup, Shannon Gabbert, Kerri Peer, Judy Mitchell and Jenny Kezele.

New art is coming! Last year, I communicated about feedback from the Danforth Center community concerning the artwork displayed on the 2^nd level. That feedback led to formation of a committee, composed of Kerri Gilbert, Sarah Jennings and Anna Dibble to develop ideas for new art that would better reflect our community and purpose. After much investigation, consultation, and consideration, I’m happy to announce that we will install two colorful “moss walls,” composed of preserved mosses and other plant materials, in place of the current four paintings. The Danforth Center prairie was the inspiration for the design. Look for the installation to begin within the next few months. Many thanks to Kerri, Sarah and Anna for your creativity, time and effort.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I spent part of yesterday with a group discussing the following difficult questions: What can we do to better educate and inform “the public” about science and evidence-based decision making, and what can we do about rising anti-science influences in the U.S.? It was helpful that Dr. Sudip Parikh [CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)], and Lauren Seligman (AAAS Senior Director) were part of the conversation. With a mission to “advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all,” AAAS is one of the most important organizations supporting, promoting and advocating for science and research.

The reasons people adhere to beliefs that have apparent anti-science foundations are often not because they are generally anti-science. Among other reasons, social, political or other group affiliation and acceptance, and the information that groups share among members, has been shown to effectively drive and reinforce beliefs independent of consideration of evidence for and against the beliefs. But the same person who argues, for example, against evidence that people set foot on the moon may be a staunch defender of the science and scientists behind a modern anti-cancer treatment that saved their life. The difference is this: the life-saving medication mattered in a most personal, compelling way; belief that the moon landings were a hoax is an option with no apparent or tangible consequences.

The AAAS under Dr. Parikh’s leadership is taking a strategic approach to infuse better understanding of, and comfort with, science and evidence-based decision making within society. In addition to all of the work with scientists, scientific organizations, and educators, AAAS works closely with specific, influential groups to provide targeted education, resources and support. These groups include legislators and elected officials, federal judges, and religious leaders. Working with the latter starts with acknowledging that both faith-based beliefs and science in our lives can and must productively coexist. And the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship program embeds 250 talented scientists and engineers across all three branches of the federal government, infusing scientific and evidence-based perspectives in offices and agencies that need them. The AAAS approach is based on non-partisanship, relationship-building and understanding of the challenges we all face.

I thank Dr. Parikh and Lauren for the great work they’re doing with AAAS for the benefit of all, regardless of ideology, group affiliation, or political identity. I’ve been a card-carrying member of AAAS for most of my life, and now you know some big reasons why.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

When we reported productivity metrics to the Board of Directors last week, I was thrilled to comment on the 40 graduate students who did dissertation research at the Danforth Center in 2023. These students are highly valued contributors, collaborators and colleagues, and we would be a far less interesting, dynamic and fun place without them. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend time with four Washington University (WU) Ph.D. students, including Paty Gallardo (Bart team) and Sarah Pardi (Nusinow team) here at the Center, several WU faculty, and Vi Skukla (Senior Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.)

Much of the far-ranging conversation dealt with how scientific research and the lab environment has changed for graduate students over the years, including during the pandemic. We talked about how the pandemic affected both the preparation for graduate school and life as a student, and what might be the long-term consequences of those difficult years. Paty felt that she learned much less as an undergraduate student during the pandemic and entered WU with too little preparation compared to her peers. (Editorial note: Paty is one of the best prepared graduate students we’ve ever seen!). As a graduate student beginning her research when the pandemic hit, Sarah had to manage all of the rigorous program requirements in addition to science at the bench. Sarah and Paty have excelled despite the headwinds.

We also talked about how remote learning, absence of in-person scientific meetings and overall less direct human interaction during pandemic years might affect career development beyond graduate school. Will students who traversed the last four years be able to build robust professional networks, which are vital to navigate all parts of the scientific research world? I have serious concerns about losses and setbacks of talented individuals from research career paths over the last several years. But if you’re looking for examples of resilient scientists who inspire confidence about future research leaders, spend a little time with Paty and Sarah.

Now, while I was writing this message, Sarah Pardi participated in graduation ceremonies to recognize the award of a Ph.D. Congratulations, Dr. Pardi! It’s a world-class understatement to say you earned it.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

In late 2022, I updated the Danforth Center community on progress towards sustainability initiatives in our facilities, highlighting energy conservation measures, use of renewable energy, and progress toward our goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 28% below 2005 levels by 2025. I also highlighted a few areas in which we needed to ramp up our efforts, like reduction of single-use disposable plastic. Since then, we obtained a sustainability audit by an independent firm, which helped with both short and long term planning. Let’s discuss recent progress and upcoming actions that will move us forward on three fronts.

Reduction of lab plastic waste. We recently installed a Grenova TipNovus Tipwasher in the lower-level media kitchen for cleaning and reuse of plastic pipette tips. The system can complete a wash and dry cycle for four boxes of commonly used, non-filter pipette tips in 25-30 minutes. Although there are limitations with certain tip sizes, all labs are strongly encouraged to explore and use the system to reduce a significant source of plastic waste. I am grateful to Becca Bindbeutel, who will train lab members on use of the tipwasher. Becca is also exploring ways to reduce or eliminate non-recyclable, disposable lab gloves.

Reduction of café plastic waste. The café, which is now part of the Green Dining Alliance, has completed the transition to compostable or recyclable materials for all take-out packaging, containers, bowls and utensils. The recycle and compost bins by the café are now larger and easier to use, and will soon have improved signage to guide use. Many thanks to the café team!

Solar energy at the Danforth Center. Say goodbye to the tents, and say hello to a new solar power-generating pavilion that will be constructed later this year on the Miller Terrace! The solar panel-covered structure will yield an amount of electricity to offset twice that needed for the new Plant Growth Facility office building under construction, and reduce 78-109 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually from fossil fuel-powered electricity generation. Also, through Ameren’s Renewable Solutions Program and the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits, we are helping bring online and use a new solar facility in the region. We anticipate spending up to $50,000/year on this program, and meeting our greenhouse gas reduction goals by the end of 2025.

Shrinking our environmental footprint is a continuous process, and I thank everyone for doing their part.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

The first thing Penny Pennington, the fourth Chair of our Board of Directors, brought up in a meeting with 35 or so Danforth Center community members earlier this week was the birth of her first grandchild, Quinn, just a few days earlier. The rest of her conversation with the group, including why Penny chooses to work with us in addition to her day job as Managing Partner (CEO) of Edward Jones, was also inspiring. In Penny’s own words, I want to share portions of that message with the entire community.

“My ‘why’ is all about helping more people thrive…I want to invest in organizations and in people who are making a difference in the world outside of Edward Jones. I just want to be part of what you do. I want to help facilitate, I want to help enable you and the Danforth Center to do what you do. When I became Managing Partner in 2019, the first off-site that I did with my senior leadership team was here…I wanted us to have an experience of being in the environment that you create. And it's an environment of great ambition. It's an environment of having a North Star that really matters.”

It's an environment of innovation, of collaboration, of looking long-term and saying, ‘what can we do to make a difference in the world using the skills and the tools and the expertise that we have?’ So that's my ‘why’ for Danforth Center (engagement) and my thanks to you for what you do. I want to be the best version of a Board Chair that I can be. I want to learn from you…I'd really like to spend some time with you.

I've now got the fourth generation of my family alive. And I tell you what, there's nothing like having another generation to say, my gosh, what is happening in the world and what can we do to make a difference that really matters for people. It's never mattered more to me than it did as of a week ago when Quinn was born.”

Penny’s devotion of time and effort here is an investment in each Danforth Center community member. If you see her in the hallway, please introduce yourself, ask how Quinn is doing, and let her know what you do. I’m certain she will appreciate learning how her investment is growing.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

If you’re a fan of those who know what they need, and then roll up their sleeves and get to work, you will be impressed with the Committee for Scientific Mentoring and Training (CSTM) at the Danforth Center. As a voluntary assembly of postdoctoral trainees, graduate students, research associates, technicians and other non-faculty scientific professionals, CSTM members seek to acquire new skills, enhance their careers, build community and make life better at the Center. The group is led this year by co-chairs Vanessica Jawahir, Melette DeVore, Myia Elliott and Dhiraj Srivastava, with some notable big lifts by Seth Edwards and Lily O’Conner, and they have a significant agenda. Besides the annual BioBash and PlantTech Jam events, here are just a few of their priorities for 2024.

Science communication skills. CSTM recognizes the high value of being able to engage scientific and non-scientific audiences better, so a workshop focusing on public communication is being planned. They want to learn the skills of those who connect with and inspire broad audiences so well. I applaud this and plan to participate by sharing a thought or two.

More social events. Wait, is this just about having fun? Well, CSTM members understand that fun is highly underrated! They also understand that a work environment in which you know, appreciate and enjoy spending time with your colleagues is a more productive and satisfying workplace. Social events like monthly happy hours and casual gatherings are also golden opportunities to stir up new ways of thinking about research. As Vanessica told me, “We come up with more innovative projects when we interact with people who have diverse ideas.” It’s the “interact” part that is critical, and it’s vital for the culture we desire.

Recognition of CSTM members. The team is creating more opportunities to recognize and celebrate their peers. Did you see that Somnath Koley, Research Scientist, was the March 2024 CSTM Member of the Month? This kind of recognition is important not only to call out those making significant scientific contributions at the Center, but also to learn more about our diverse community. The co-chairs highly encourage new nominations! Also, Travel Awards recognize and help those CSTM members who are gaining professional exposure at scientific conferences.

The secret sauce of CSTM is high motivation and willingness to explore new routes to career growth, to build a supportive culture, and to work hard. I’m a big fan of CSTM!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

We recently held a one-day Faculty Retreat at the Forest Park visitor center. I always look forward to this annual event. It’s an investment of time and effort to concentrate on issues that directly or indirectly affect every team at the Danforth Center. It is particularly useful to gauge opinions and gain input on potential investments, resource allocation, new opportunities and issues of concern. So, what did we cover?

Space Allocation. We reviewed and discussed the near-final draft of a new space allocation policy, which will be available soon on Workvivo. As communicated in the January 19, 2024 message, space allocation is challenging because space is a limited resource. We discussed the key factors when assigning space – What are the needs, what is available, and what is reasonable within the broader context (e.g., competing needs or future plans). We also discussed the goal of achieving fairness, in part through transparency.

New Faculty Hiring. Encouraging progress was reported on searches for a new Assistant Member and a mid-career Mizzou-Danforth Center joint faculty member. I am optimistic we’ll have two new research team leaders later this year.

Sources of Funding and Funding Needs. Sources of Danforth Center funding for projects, equipment, graduate students, and other research needs were reviewed, followed by a poll and lively discussion of pressing needs for flexible research funding. I have committed to work with Becky Bart (Interim VP for Research), and Hal Davies and Djuan Coleman (Finance), to review options and identify funding sources to address some of these needs within 2024.

Field Phenotyping Opportunities. A significant grant was awarded to both refurbish the Bellwether Phenotyping facility and develop new phenotyping capabilities at the Danforth Center Field Research Site. We have the opportunity to build or adapt technologies to elevate our programs. The discussion and workshopping focused on possible forms and functions of new technologies or facilities that would meet the needs of the most Danforth Center teams. The wisdom of the retreat crowd will be incorporated into plans under development now.

Developing Leaders. We reviewed and discussed the range of leadership training opportunities at the Center, and heard from several recent participants in the Developing Scientific Leaders program. I am sincerely thankful to all who using these opportunities to become better team leaders.

I also appreciate everyone’s contributions to an interesting and productive Faculty Retreat!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

“Simplicity doesn’t need to be greased.” – Billy Joe Shaver

I would bet that most of you have never heard of Billy Joe Shaver. He was a highly respected songwriter and a founding force of the outlaw country music movement in the early 1970s. He wrote dozens of notable songs for Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and many others. Though he was hardly a role model in life, he provided this absolute pearl of wisdom. Though his statement about simplicity dealt with the songs he wrote, I believe it can be applied by anyone wanting to achieve anything important. Here’s why.

Simplicity helps focus on the most important goals. Simplicity is not about aiming lower, but rather, helping to focus on the most important work to achieve goals. I remember serving on a review board for a scientific institute in Europe. After questioning one of the PIs about their very long, complicated report, their response was a semi-serious, “Yes, my team is tightly focused on 16 different projects.” How many of those projects were distracting? Were the most promising projects under-resourced? Were team members receiving the attention they needed?

Simplicity is more efficient. In terms of achieving a big goal, I always advise to concentrate really hard on the next step, as opposed to over-worrying about the next six steps. That does not mean ignoring or abandoning a plan, but rather, keeping attention focused on achieving meaningful progress. There is no substitute for progress! Distraction due to over-complication is exhausting, expensive, progress-inhibiting and demoralizing. Teams that are able to simplify steps move faster, and are able to anticipate, understand and respond to problems more efficiently.

Simplicity is easier to understand. This is a big one. How many scientific seminars or technical training sessions have you attended where the speaker used excessive acronyms, complicated and specialized language, or an overbearing Powerpoint presentation? Even those who are specialists in the particular field are often confused due to the complexity and coded language. Simplifying a message is a gift to everyone listening to you talk or reading your report. Those who are unfamiliar with the topic have the possibility to learn something important or be inspired, and the specialists in the field will appreciate it because it’s refreshingly different!

Might you or your team benefit by adopting more simplicity? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

You would never confuse Phil Needleman for a card-carrying plant scientist. Rather, Phil was a rigorous biochemist and pharmacologist who made life-changing discoveries that impacted millions of people. Phil discovered key parts of biochemical pathways that influence blood pressure, blood clotting and inflammation. He led teams that studied the enzyme COX-2 and COX-2 inhibitors, leading directly to the anti-inflammatory drug, Celebrex, for the treatment of chronic pain associated with arthritis and other conditions. He was highly recognized, awarded and admired for his vast contributions to science and medicine.

Despite his lack of plant science bona fides, Phil made tremendous contributions to the Danforth Center. In 2005, he was cajoled by his friend Bill Danforth to join our board of directors, where he remained for nearly 19 years. He was the Center’s interim president for over a year, providing both leadership and stability prior to hiring of new guy in 2011. From my perspective, Phil made his most important contributions in three ways. First, he was a scientist’s scientist. He cared deeply about the importance of a scientific question, the quality of an experiment, and the clarity of results. Phil believed in data. He wanted to see it, and he wanted to talk about it…a lot! He once had a sign on his door that read, “If you have data, knock then enter. All else requires an appointment.”

Second, Phil constantly encouraged, demanded really, that we apply what we learn to solve big problems in the world, and he supported us in doing so. In part because he was inspired by many of you, Phil became interested in the Nitrogen Problem in agriculture – there’s too much greenhouse gas emission and other environmental impact due to current reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. He wanted to learn what we were doing about it, but he was even more interested to work with a team to organize new approaches. This was how the Subterranean Influences on Nitrogen and Carbon (SINC) center was conceptualized, and then launched through generous donations from Phil and his wife, Sima.

And third, Phil provided wisdom, mentoring and personal support to so many of us at the Center and on the board. At this point, I have a confession to make. On a few occasions, I plotted covertly with Phil ahead of a board of directors meeting. Before proposing and seeking approval for new ways in which to create start-up companies, for example, we had this exchange. “Phil, I know you support this, but I need you to help make the case in the meeting,” I said. “Don’t worry," Phil replied with his usual wide grin. "I’ll be ready with fist-pounding support when the time comes." Phil relished opportunities to help me and countless others.

Phil Needleman’s life ended abruptly this week. But his legacy, example and will to make the world better through science lives on.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Several of us hosted a visit today from the Honorable Francis Gatare, cabinet-level head of the Rwanda Development Board. As leader of the agency that oversees the national economy of Rwanda, Francis Gatare has a mandate to accelerate and enable Rwanda’s economic development through private sector growth. You might be surprised to learn that Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa. Ninety percent of employment comes from the food and agricultural sector, which accounts for 35% of Rwanda’s gross domestic product.

From his position leading Rwanda’s economic growth, Francis Gatare’s top priority for agricultural economic development is increasing productivity of crops. And that’s where the Danforth Center is playing a role. In 2019, colleagues at the Rwanda Agricultural and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB, the national agricultural research organization) joined Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA), the Nigel Taylor-led effort funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID to address the major virus diseases of cassava in East Africa. Given that earnings from cassava exports declined by 40% due to Cassava brown streak virus between 2016 and 2017 in Rwanda, there’s a great need for resistant varieties. The VIRCA goals in Rwanda include testing performance of recently developed varieties in field trials, training scientists, obtaining approvals, registering improved varieties, delivering seed to smallholder farmers, and training entrepreneurs.

“Wait, what’s with training entrepreneurs,” you ask? One of the biggest challenges to delivering virus-resistant cassava in target geographies, like Rwanda, is the lack of effective, sustainable seed distribution systems. There are no companies to scale-up planting materials, steward varieties, and sell improved cassava seed to farmers. To reach 90% of the 700,000 cassava farmers in Rwanda, the VIRCA team aims to help develop and train 250 Cassava Seed Entrepreneurs (CSEs) who would multiply, quality-assure, and sell cassava seed to farmers. The CSEs will build private businesses that serve an unmet need and provide a source of income. In partnership with Rwandan entrepreneurs, developing private-sector cassava seed systems that are economically sustainable is now one of the top objectives of VIRCA.

I was thrilled to meet Francis Gatare and discuss the opportunities to both increase agricultural productivity and build economic strength in Rwanda through a partnership about which we should all be proud.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Today, I’m honored to celebrate International Women’s Day and recognize the remarkable community of women at the Danforth Center. This year’s theme is Inspire Inclusion, which emphasizes the importance of diversity and empowerment of women in all aspects of society. Inspire Inclusion is about encouraging everyone to recognize the unique perspectives and contributions of women from all walks of life, including those from marginalized communities.

I’m inspired every day by women at the Center and the unique contributions they make. Within the teams in which I work and collaborate, I appreciate Allison Brown’s and Diane Moleski’s commitment to our community through their organizational skills. I am thankful for Kira Veley’s determination and Kerri Gilbert’s creativity. I admire Myia Elliott’s desire to grow professionally and help others. And I celebrate collaborator Becky Bart’s inventiveness and abilities to reach lofty goals. Across the Center, I know each of you are similarly inspired by women on your team or those you work with regularly.

In addition to International Women’s Day, March 8 this year is also Grant Professionals Day. Talented contributions from proposal preparers, managers, and grants finance team members, nearly all of whom are women, are absolutely essential for our work and our success. The Grant Specialist team members – Kelly Brinton, Alex Durdello, Denise Cunningham, Elizabeth Martinez, Marti Meersman, Missy Rung-Blue and Michelle Richards (Grant Support Manager) – are sincerely appreciated for their professionalism, responsiveness, tenacity, and endurance. I have comparable admiration for Finance team members - Cathy Kromer, Melissa Kerckhoff, Jackie Gonzalez, Heather Bowen, Darine Kube and Julia Ruvinov - who have key roles in proposal submission, grant fund management and compliance. I also point with high praise toward Development team members – Lee’at Bachar, Sarah Jennings, Matt Wichmer, and Debbie Davis – who collaboratively organize, write and manage philanthropic proposals and subsequent gift funds.

I hope everyone takes some time to honor and appreciate the inspiring women at the Danforth Center, as well as the committed community members who make grant proposals and grant funding possible. Today reminds me just how fortunate we are!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

One reason I periodically highlight a few research articles published by Danforth Center scientists is because it helps me dive deeper into what our teams are discovering and thinking about. Here are a few such articles that I enjoyed reading this week.

Murphy, K.M., Ludwig, E., Gutierrez, J., Gehan, M.A. (2024). Deep learning in image-based phenotyping. Annu. Rev. of Plant Biol. doi: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-070523-042828.

This expansive review focuses on deep learning, a form of artificial intelligence using deep neural networks, to extract meaning from the fast amount of image data collected through phenotyping research. Teams here and elsewhere face unprecedented bottlenecks when analyzing massive datasets, and AI-based approaches are the only practical options to gain insights at scale. Katie and co-authors provide a great review of the progress, promise and challenges with deep learning for plant scientists.

Li, M., Liu, Z., Jiang, N., Laws, B., Tiskevich, C., Moose, S.P., Topp, C.N. (2024). Topological data analysis expands the genotype to phenotype map for 3D maize root system architecture. Frontiers Plant Sci. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1260005.

Speaking of phenotyping, Mao Li and colleagues analyzed the genetic underpinnings of phenotypic variation of three-dimensional root characteristics between maize lines that differ in their nitrogen uptake and assimilation properties. This team is pushing the boundaries for how to use image-based phenotyping, mathematics and statistics to learn how plant roots take their shape. They demonstrate that the genetic basis for root architecture, and also the ways to describe and quantify root architecture, and far more complex than we currently understand.

Sankoh, A.F., Adjei, J., Roberts, D., Burch-Smith, T.M. (2024). Comparing methods for detection and quantification of plasmodesmal callose in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Molec. Plant Microbe Interact. doi: 10.1094/MPMI-09-23-0152-SC.

Amie Sankoh and the Burch-Smith team are pioneers in discovering how plants transmit information, important molecules and invasive viruses between cells. For example, they are leading the way in showing how plasmodesmata (PD) – channels that connect adjacent cells in leaves and other organs – are controlled by deposition of callose (a carbohydrate polymer) when plants are responding to infection. This article compares different methods to rigorously quantify callose accumulation around the microscopic PD channels, and paves the way for deeper understanding of how the plant immune system works.

Congratulations to each co-author on these published studies. Well done!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Let’s start with a statement about a primary function of the Danforth Center: We are in the business of creating new knowledge. We’re a research organization built firmly around the idea that learning something new can lead to something better in the world. Scientific discovery through our research is an engine that powers innovation, new technologies, new applications, and new or better businesses that address big challenges in the world.

Scientific research is hard! For organizations like ours, coming up with topics to study and ideas to test require a unique combination of deep knowledge, imagination and creativity. Grant proposals to fund research projects are time-consuming and exhausting, and only a minority of those get funded. Designing and executing experiments is tedious, laborious, and subject to failure and frequent restarts. There are no guarantees that productive, publishable advances will occur. But far more often than not, scientists will tell you, “I love it!” Why is that?

There are countless answers I could give, or that other scientists have told me. Research offers a feeling of purpose, and that’s part of what unifies us at the Danforth Center. One colleague recently told me that contributing and collaborating with other researchers, and seeing ideas and results validated, is really fulfilling. For me, the discovery process to explain a part of nature is like putting together a puzzle, except you don’t know how many pieces you have and there’s no picture on the box! It’s a challenge that rewards curiosity and persistence.

But there’s something else about discovery that’s both deeply personal and magnificently communal. When you make a discovery, or for the first time understand the answer to a previously unanswered question, you possess a piece of knowledge about the natural world that nobody else knows! It belongs exclusively to you or a small handful of team members. The reveal to your colleagues and the rest of your scientific community is even better, as is the satisfaction of being recognized for you’ve done.

I believe the culture of discovery should encompass all corners of the Center, not just the PI-led research teams. Might there be opportunities to better integrate elements of scientific discovery into, say, philanthropic fundraising efforts or development of Center facilities? I’m proud of the culture of discovery at the Danforth Center and believe it should be nurtured and grown.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

With recent or upcoming retirements that were announced recently, and the upcoming departure of Blake Meyers and part of his team, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about comings and goings. Research organizations like the Danforth Center experience a steady flow of individuals leaving for other opportunities, but also a corresponding influx of new community members who carry on the work. Departures frequently result in short-term challenges, but just as often, incoming community members present opportunities to reassess, reorient, and grow in new directions. Within scientific teams, there is sometimes tension between fulfilling our obligation to train early career scientists and patching holes that open in programs when talented technicians, graduate students and Ph.D.-level scientists actually leave to advance their careers elsewhere. But let’s go back to Blake Meyers.

Blake will be leaving soon to take the position of Director of the UC Davis Genome Center, which focuses faculty, core facilities, and “omics” approaches to address questions across the breadth of biology. While I’m excited to see Blake grow with this opportunity, I’m also pondering how much he and his team will be missed. Blake’s journey to the Danforth Center started at the 2014 American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, when I asked him over dinner at Departure Restaurant, “What would it take to get you to the Danforth Center?” He arrived in 2016 with a sizable team as the first joint faculty hire with the University of Missouri – Columbia.

Since then, Blake and team have done pioneering research resulting in over 100 research papers, mostly focused on small RNAs in plants. They discovered the complexity, diversity, and functions of plant small RNA classes, such as those required for pollen formation in maize and other crops. The work revealed insights into evolution of plant genomes, mechanisms of disease resistance, and how plants reproduce, and has potential applications that include development of new hybrid crops. For these and numerous other contributions over the past 25 years, Blake was elected as a Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2022.

We exist in world where people come and go. Nonetheless, the loss of Blake and team will be felt for quite some time. They are important contributors who have made the Danforth Center community better. But we’re a resilient Center, and bringing on board new faculty and team members in the months ahead are things we can anticipate with excitement.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Towards the end of 2024, we’ll celebrate the invaluable contributions of Hal Davies, VP for Finance and Chief Operating Officer, who has been bedrock at the Danforth Center since early 2001. Hal informed us that he will retire at year end, meaning he will depart as one of the two longest-serving members of the Danforth Center community.

When Hal first joined the Center as Controller, or lead accountant, he led a finance department with only one other person. Few systems and procedures were in place to manage grants, pay bills, plan budgets and handle the myriad complexities of finance. And there was the minor complication that Hal no grants experience! “I learned grants on my own,” Hal told me recently. “I was originally the grants compliance person, too.” All of the financial systems to run the Center in those early years were developed from the ground-up by Hal and his small team.

Working closely with Sam Fiorello, by 2011, Hal managed of a sustainable funding model for Center operations involving grants, annual donations and draws on our endowment. Along with ambitious fundraising plans, this allowed preparation for and execution of the Expansion Phase (2011-2020) in which we doubled the numbers of Center community members, grew the endowment and financial reserves, constructed the WHD Building, and built several new plant growth and technical facilities. Sustainable growth continues to this day.

I asked Hal what has been most surprising during his journey at the Danforth Center. He said, “Learning what plant scientist do, and how we make impact. Participating in the growth of the Center and the quality of science is personally fulfilling. Even though I’m not a scientist, I feel like I’ve contributed to the science.” Hal reflected further on what it’s meant to him personally to contribute to this organization. He said, “Being part of Bill Danforth’s vision and seeing that become a reality…it changed my life. I think I became a different person, realizing there is something bigger to achieve.”

I deeply appreciate Hal’s longstanding contributions to the Danforth Center, and his constant commitment to help our scientific and administrative teams succeed. I will communicate more about planning for a successor at a later date, but for now, let’s all thank Hal for a job well done!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Bonus Content: On a personal level, I credit Hal for giving Teri and I one of the biggest thrills during our time in St. Louis. Hal used to own a set of four season tickets for great seats in section 347 at St. Louis Cardinals baseball games, and he would share the cost with friends who bought sets of tickets. For years, we bought two tickets for eight games. One time, we could not attend a game for which we held tickets, so Hal offered to trade for one of his game dates. What did we get in the exchange from Hal? Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, one of the greatest games in Cardinals and World Series history. Thanks, Hal!

Dear Danforth Center Community,

How about a roundup of recent happenings and events that are worth highlighting for the Danforth Center community? I’m going to start with something we’re taught never to lead with…

…an Apology. This past Monday, the St. Louis region experienced hazardous morning driving conditions due to icy roads. Just ask a local fire truck crew if you need a reminder! Due to concerns about safety, we closed the Danforth Center to non-essential personnel. But unlike schools and many other organizations on Monday, we failed to communicate the closure until 8:31 am. The late notice was distressing to many community members, including those who had already driven to the Center and those who had arranged child care prior to the announcement. I sincerely apologize for the late notification and aggravation this caused. We will review our inclement weather closure protocol, including how and when we notify the community, and make changes to ensure this does not happen again.

Core Facility Orientation. I heard and read great things about the Core Facility Orientation last week! This is a new, recurring program timed to coincide with new community member orientations. A primary purpose of the program is to inform existing and potential core facility users about the services provided and how to gain access. So, I was surprised to learn that the majority of attendees were from administrative and non-scientific departments. These attendees participated because they want to learn more about our scientific work, our technologies and our impact. This is such a positive reflection of how community members across the Center identify with the mission and want to learn about how our core facilities contribute to meaningful outcomes. Many thanks to each core facility team for delivering the event, and to all participants for attending.

Bioinformatics and Beer. Did you say you want to learn more? I hope to see you at Bioinformatics and Beer this afternoon (2:00 pm, AT&T Auditorium). Among the 15 regional speakers giving short talks on data science-intensive topics, five are from Danforth Center teams. The event is intended to build regional collegiality, collaboration and strength in data science-relevant research, and to get to know better our colleagues from Washington University, Saint Louis University, and other organizations over a refreshing beverage. I appreciate the good work from each of the speakers, organizers, event team members, and participants.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

High quality working space for Danforth Center teams is one of the most important, sought after, guarded, and sometimes envied features of our facilities. Unlike the cosmos, space at the Center has clear limits. While people, projects and priorities are dynamic, our physical working space is relatively slow to change. Let’s consider Danforth Center space, how space decisions are made, and what we do when space needs change.

How are space assignments made? For the Plant Growth Facility (PGF) or the Field Research Site (FRS), requests are submitted by PIs or teams and assigned based on availability. Space is assigned and managed by facility personnel through processes that may involve input from the facility oversight committee. Space allocations in PGF and FRS can grow or contract over time based on the needs; because retaining space has a cost, there is an economic incentive for teams to relinquish space that is no longer needed.

For laboratories and offices, spaces are assigned to research groups, departments and programs by the Space Committee, composed of me and Becky Bart (formerly Toni Kutchan) in our roles as President/CEO and VP for Research, respectively. Additional laboratory and sit-down space requests are common due to the addition of research team members brought on board with new funded projects. The Space Committee considers a number of factors when a request is made: What is the NEED, what is the AVAILABILITY of space, and what is REASONABLE in the broader context. The broader context includes competing needs, planning for future space assignments (e.g. for a new Assistant Member and team), and fairness. Sometimes the committee seeks to address the needs of multiple groups simultaneously. This is usually the case when an entire team is relocated to cover their needs, and the vacated spaces are used to address the needs of others. Recording and implementation of space assignments are managed well by Todd Hornburg as VP for Facilities.

What happens when critical needs are high but space is simply not available? With some careful planning, fundraising and budgeting, we can construct facilities like new greenhouses or the building extension that we’ve initiated adjacent to the PGF. We can also redesign existing space to better address current and foreseeable needs, like what was done to provide new instructional and training space.

Space can be a contentious issue, but I sincerely appreciate the professionalism and patience that I see regularly from Center community members who have needs.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Two of the most important types of investments we make at the Danforth Center involve recruiting new people and building new facilities. Let’s get everyone up-to-speed on recent developments in these two areas, each with important ramifications for our future.

Assistant Member/PI search. We recently activated a search for an Assistant Member/PI, who will build and lead a new research team. Bringing new research groups to the Center can have a big impact through introduction of new ideas, strengthening key priority areas, bridging important technical gaps, and broadening our network of collaborators. The search committee composed of Malia Gehan (Chair), Noah Fahlgren, Armando Bravo, Doug Allen, and Myia Elliott is just now beginning work.

Joint Mizzou-Danforth Center Faculty search. Our partnership with the University of Missouri – Columbia aims to have two joint faculty members based at Mizzou. A restart of the search for the second Mizzou-based joint faculty member is underway with a new committee, which includes Tessa Burch-Smith and Keith Slotkin. The search is focused on senior or mid-career candidates who qualify for appointments as both a tenured professor at the university and an Associate or Full Member at the Danforth Center. These cost-shared joint appointments aim to increase collaboration and partnerships, and to elevate plant science across the region.

New Building Construction. Speaking of hiring, the addition of new teams can put pressure on availability of space. We have experienced serious space limitations in recent years, including within the Plant Growth Facility (PGF). Despite the dramatic growth in size and scope of greenhouse and growth chamber facilities, and in the size of the PGF team needed to run the PGF, the amount of office, meeting and sit-down space for PGF team members is entirely insufficient; space for these purposes has remained static for over 20 years. We will solve that problem with construction of a 6500 sq. ft. building extension to the west side of the PGF headhouse area. In addition to the PGF team, the new space will house teams from the Phenotyping Core and Environmental and Health Safety/Biosafety. Construction begins next week.

I sincerely appreciate and thank everyone working on the new searches and the building project. Their efforts will have long-lasting impact on the Center! I wish everyone a thoughtful and meaningful Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday on Monday.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Early January is an interesting time for some. Goals are set, self-reflection occurs, and New Year’s resolutions for self-improvement are made. I’ve never made a New Year’s resolution, though I wish all the best to those who do. This year, however, I did do something that I hope will benefit me and others in the Danforth Center community: I asked eight trusted Center colleagues, “What can I do better in 2024?” Here are the responses.

• Be better at communicating important things proactively or immediately
• Make Faculty Meetings more interesting
• Find better ways to make Faculty Meeting conversations more substantive
• Provide more clarity on how decisions are made
• Convene President’s Faculty Advisory Council (PFAC) more frequently
• Give more information about changes in the Leadership Team
• Just help me know what’s going on better
• Make sure everyone is recognized
• Help set up a comprehensive strategy for my team
• Join me for lunch some time!

While this is not a complete list of things you might think I can do better 2024, I do note a few themes. Most clearly, over half of the comments relate to doing a better job communicating about happenings, decisions, and achievements around the Danforth Center. There are a lot of sources of information that go to the Center community, and I commit to finding ways to better communicate news and other content that needs to, or should, come from me. Perhaps the Weekly Message can be used more effectively.

Two respondents zeroed right in on doing a better job using the time we have in Faculty Meetings. I can use some help in this regard, and I encourage attendees to provide ideas for content or discussions that are more relevant, engaging or necessary. One respondent surprised me with a suggestion that I could be more active in helping with strategic planning with their team. Although we have a Center-wide strategic plan through 2025, planning at the department or lab level may be just as important, or more so, for team members.

I sincerely thank all those who offered their input for how I can do better in 2024. And if anyone else has helpful suggestions, maybe we can have lunch together. I wish everyone a positive and productive 2024.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

While arriving and walking to my office the past two mornings, I’ve passed Chuck Maye and Chris Martin (Facilities team) working on installation of a new water bottle-filling station on the 3^rd level. As I told them, I’ve had the same thought both days: “Wow, are you guys always here working hard?” Given that today is Friday, December 22 with the holidays at our doorstep, most of the Danforth Center community is taking advantage of well-earned vacation leave. Passing Ryan Delpercio with a cart full of soybean plants, Tira Jones carrying a full tray, and Ron Smithey moving quickly between work sites were reminders that Chuck and Chris are not the only ones so active on site today.

That leads me to conclude 2023 Weekly Messages with a few simple thoughts, starting with my sincere thank you to everyone who gives effort that is above and beyond, like those who serve essential functions or are on-call during weekends and holidays. Thank you to everyone who contributed so much to a productive year at the Danforth Center. We succeed because individuals and teams focus on their distinct roles and collaborate with others across the Center. And I thank everyone who takes the Danforth Center mission to heart and does their job with the belief and knowledge that real people in the world will benefit from their effort.

As I finish writing this message, I was just interrupted by Bill Stutz and Andrew Witthaus (Information Technology team) and Allison Brown asking how they could help with a meeting that I’ll be hosting in a few minutes. I am reminded again that it’s an honor to be surrounded by hard-working people who contribute their professional efforts so generously at the Danforth Center. Happy Holidays!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

There’s working quietly behind the scenes, and then there’s Ann Kruse! I suspect most of you have never met Ann. But since joining the Danforth Center in 2007, she has had an outsized but under-the-radar impact on our work, primarily as the manager of grants, budgets, consultancy agreements, and more for the multi-national Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA) project led by Nigel Taylor. The VIRCA project is delivering improved cassava varieties to small holder farmers in East Africa, first in Kenya, and has involved hundreds of scientists, trainees, communications specialists, regulatory experts and support teams from the U.S., Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Canada.

Supporting an international project with multiple funding sources (currently Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, U.S. Agency for International Development) is an enormous challenge requiring exceptional skills in organization, financial management and project management. Ann has been that skillful individual working stealthily, quickly, accurately and effectively to hold so much of the project together. She manages budgets for teams in multiple countries; she organizes international meetings and travel; she helps students and visiting scientists come to the Danforth Center. I cannot possibly list everything does, but I can say that she navigates all of her diverse functions with remarkable focus, patience, good humor. And when the VIRCA project manager (PM) left a few years ago, Ann stepped in and took over many of the PM roles on top of her numerous other responsibilities. “Without her I could not have kept the project running over this period,” Nigel recently told me.

Now, if you think my and Nigel’s opinions of Ann are high, you ought to hear what the international leads of the VIRCA partnership have to say about her! I recently read comments from seven such individuals. They praised Ann with terms including diligent, patient, meticulous, fantastic, genuinely caring, respectful, and “bedrock for VIRCA”. One of them said, “You have been a strong pillar for all, especially the partners and how you have managed us with so much professionalism and efficiency.” Ann has a lot of admirers overseas and at the Danforth Center because she’s helped so many succeed!

After 16 years and so much that she has achieved, Ann will retire from the Danforth Center next week. I am sad to see her leave, but so proud of what she’s done. I hope everyone joins me in expressing sincere appreciation for Ann and her commitment to the Danforth Center, the VIRCA project, and the numerous international partners with whom she has worked.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

A few weeks ago, our Board of Directors met for the third and final time in 2023. The work that the Board does affects the Center in countless ways, and the work by so many of you to communicate our purpose, plans and achievements to the Board makes a big difference. The great efforts to guide a tour or deliver a presentation to Directors, or to develop the Center budget for Board consideration, are just a few examples of contributions that are clearly noticed and appreciated by Directors. I thank everyone who helped our Directors do their work and better understand us in 2023.

Several important matters that affect the Danforth Center community were discussed and decided at the recent meeting. Here is a recap of a few highlights, some of which I’ll return to in the near future.

• Kirk Czymmek provided a wonderful overview of the Advanced Bioimaging Lab, including descriptions of new, bleeding-edge instrumentation and the breadth of research enabled for our scientists and partners.
• The 2024 Center operating budget of $46.3M, as well as the capital and non-operating budgets, were approved. The operating budget includes a 3.5% overall pool for merit increases.
• The 2023 Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) report was presented by Eric Ward, SAB Chair. The favorable report focused on the work presented by a subset of PIs and Core Facility Directors at the SAB annual meeting in September.
• I presented a report on 2023 usage and new construction at the Field Research Site. The research and achievements made by Center teams on 65 planted acres, and within working facilities under active development, were truly appreciated by the Board.
• And though you will hear more about this from me later, I want to let our community know the exciting news that Penny Pennington was elected as new Chair of the Board. Penny, who leads the brokerage and financial advisory firm, Edward Jones, will serve a five-year term as Chair. I am excited to work with her.

Finally, during the meeting and dinner afterwards, the Board expressed appreciation to the outgoing Chair, Todd Schnuck, for his impactful work since 2019. Todd has been instrumental in our success over the past five years, and he deserves our sincere thanks!

I will be traveling all of next week, so the next Weekly Message will be on
Dec. 15. Until then, take care.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I want to return to my October 11 message to the Danforth Center community in which I expressed deep concern for all those who were directly or indirectly impacted by the October 7 attacks in Israel and subsequent conflict. At the time, over 1600 people were either killed or kidnapped, including some with connections to Center community members. Since that message, an escalated war in Gaza and the West Bank has resulted in nearly 10-fold more deaths, mostly among Palestinians, and displacement of nearly 2 million people, again mostly Palestinians. This human tragedy is all the more staggering given the death and suffering of large numbers of innocent people, including young children. The geopolitical history underlying or influencing this tragic conflict offers little encouragement for the future.

As I’ve heard from many of you, the past six weeks have been difficult to process and comprehend. These events affect all of us, regardless of political, religious, or social views. I have spoken with community members who originate from Israel or Palestinian territories, or who identify with affected populations. These individuals carry a unique burden at this time, and are further pained by Islamophobia and anti-Semitism that has grown significantly in recent weeks. They and their families are changed by these events, just as they have been shaped by histories that extend long before the current conflict. And these community members are facing the uncertainty or fear about what comes next.

This message is written to recognize and support of all those within the Danforth Center community who are hurting, and to encourage the entire community to reach out to colleagues who might need a little help or just a sympathetic friend to talk with. These expressions of concern can make a big difference. Our values compel us to reach out and seek understanding about our diverse community members, especially in times of need. And for those in need of professional help, as most of us do from time to time, our Employee Assistance Program is there for you at no cost.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

We were pleased to hold the first Todd Mockler Memorial Lecture this week, a new annual event to remember Todd and to hear from a speaker who was uniquely impacted by him or his work. We were thrilled to honor Malia Gehan as the inaugural lecturer.

Malia spoke about her journey from being a postdoctoral fellow in Todd’s lab to a leader of her own team as a soon-to-be Associate Member and PI at the Danforth Center. She talked about how she learned from Todd to think bigger and attack important problems outside of her comfort zone. When the Bellwether Phenotyping system was installed 10 years ago, it was Malia and fellow postdoctorals Noah Fahlgren and Max Feldman who led development of new computer vision software, called PlantCV, to extract meaning from the voluminous data now on our hands. This was all the more impressive since Malia was not exactly what one would call a “skilled coder” or “accomplished programmer” at that time. But her determined drive to build computing tools that any plant scientist could use productively resulted in PlantCV becoming a widely adopted standard within the image-based phenotyping community. Malia’s highly collaborative research uses genomic, computational and other approaches to understand how plants deal with environmental stresses, like high temperature.

Malia had several concerns about this lecture ahead of time. First, she wanted to represent well those who have worked with Todd through the years; she was spectacular in doing just that. And second, she was uneasy about speaking in front of her everyday colleagues. “I was more nervous speaking in front of a Danforth Center audience than in front of an outside group,” she told me. I could relate to this. There’s something about speaking in front of a familiar crowd that raises anxiety, perhaps because you sense that they know too well exactly what you’re really like. That voice of the imposter inside our heads often gets louder as we approach a microphone in front of discerning associates.

I thank Malia for accepting the invitation to be the first Mockler Lecturer, and for representing so well her past influences, present achievements and future impact. She embodies the best of both the Mockler legacy and the Danforth Center community.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Let’s start with a big “Thank you” to everyone who participates in the broad range of donor-based or philanthropic fundraising that supports the Danforth Center and our strategic priorities. Though we have a talented and experienced team in Development that spearheads our fundraising endeavors, this is really a shared effort with every other team at the Center. Indeed, success in fundraising is shared success that benefits all corners of our organization.

 Our fundraising priorities track closely to the priorities, initiatives and desired outcomes specified in the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. Generally, fundraising from philanthropic sources enables us to construct and support facilities, develop core capabilities, undertake new initiatives, and do those things that cannot be easily supported through competitive grants from research funding agencies. Without philanthropic support, we would be unable to function as an institution. The non-philanthropic funding agencies (e.g. National Science Foundation), on the other hand, support research projects led by PIs and acquisition of some instrumentation.

Here are just a few of the many recent shared successes in raising support from donors.

• Support for Core Facilities – The Advanced Bioimaging Lab was able to acquire the Hydra Bio Plasma-FIB for ultra-high-resolution cellular cryo-tomography (for fun, repeat that quickly 5 times). We have initiated building of a new office, meeting and working space for PGF, Phenotyping, and Environmental Health and Safety teams. The Phenotyping Facility will soon start on both a major refurbishment of the Bellwether Phenotyping Facility and a significant new field phenotyping initiative.
  

• Development of Field Research Site – Speaking of the Field Site, most of the $11.2M for acquisition and development came from philanthropic donations. Construction of mechanical, storage and working facilities at the site is underway now. 

• Support for Graduate Student Fellowships – We will be expanding support for graduate students with a new annual, named fellowship that will start in 2024. 

• Authentic Research Experiences (pre-college) – This important program led by Education Research and Outreach has received philanthropic funding for student support, development of resources, and transportation. 

These and all of the other recent fundraising successes have involved collaborative participation for critical conversations about needs, proposal planning and preparation, and cultivation and stewardship of donors. In some cases, you have stewarded and built trust with prospective supporters long before a gift is proposed. I and the Development team are deeply appreciative of all your shared efforts!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I met with the President’s Faculty Advisory Council (PFAC) yesterday to undertake the annual process of reviewing and revising faculty committee assignments. I know, that’s not the best hook to draw you in, but please keep reading. Though work on committees is necessary to cover important roles and responsibilities, like oversight of core facilities, for me it was an opportunity to reflect upon the following question: Are we expecting too much from our hard-working, over-achieving and sometimes over-stressed Danforth Center community members?

We have a large number of productive, ambitious, self-driven individuals who are achieving big things here. We have countless scientists, technical specialists, administrative personnel, facilities personnel, fundraisers, and other professionals who take on heavy lifts representing more than their fair share. Many have additional responsibilities or shared appointments with other institutions, or commitments beyond the Danforth Center. Some take on and achieve more as part of their intrinsic nature. Some are motivated to do more by our mission and vision, and the possibility of improving the lives of others. There are those who we’re over-assigning, or are self-overloading, with expectations that may exceed their capacity. And then there’s the important reality that some of our over-stretched community members may feel under-appreciated for the work they do.

Learning about how many of you feel about these issues in recent weeks and months has been helpful and, in some cases, eye-opening for me. It provided part of the motivation going into yesterday’s PFAC meeting to lessen the overall burden of committee assignments. Generally, we sought to shrink the size of committees that do not need large membership. We sought to limit the numbers of committees each person sits on, and to be more even-handed in balancing workloads. We also factored in the fact that many serve on committees or have important responsibilities at other institutions.

Of course, there is much more to consider beyond committee assignments. Are we over-assigning work to our most talented team members rather than reaching out to others who are capable but need a little help? Are we over-asking our best communicators to give tours and presentations rather than bringing along others who are willing but a little less experienced? I encourage all of our leaders and managers to give some additional thought to how we’re working with those who have more-than-full plates, what we’re asking of them, and how we can better express our appreciation.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

After the recent announcement about Toni Kutchan’s upcoming retirement at the end of this year, several of you have asked, “What will we do to fill the vacant Vice President for Research position?” I’ll get to the answer in just a moment, but first let’s consider what the Danforth Center VP for Research (VPR) actually does.

The VPR serves as the Center’s senior scientist and a key member of the Leadership Team. They are influential in setting strategic directions and priorities. The VPR’s roles and responsibilities partly include:

• Faculty Development – The VPR leads the Promotion and Retention process and mentoring program for faculty in the Member track. The VPR is instrumental in all new faculty hiring, and as a member of the Space Committee, helps decide how working spaces are allocated.
• Allocation of Special Funding – The VPR leads the processes to award competitive grants for new equipment, graduate student fellowships, and internal research projects.
• Research Compliance – The VPR oversees or participates in our programs for biosafety, environmental health and safety, research integrity, and management of regulated materials.
• Oversight of Core Facilities – Among other roles, the VPR oversees the directors for several core facilities.

In addition, when we experience surprises, emergencies or other unanticipated situations (e.g. a global pandemic), the VPR provides invaluable leadership that keeps the Center moving forward. While Toni deserves our thanks and appreciation for the great job she’s done in all of her roles, she deserves special recognition for her out-of-view contributions in dealing with various crises.

Moving forward upon Toni’s retirement, we will appoint an Interim VP for Research from within our senior faculty for 2024. The Interim appointment is intended to be of limited duration, though the expectations for this position holder to lead, contribute and help move us ahead remain high.

Oh, I almost forgot. Becky Bart has generously agreed to serve as the Interim VP for Research. Becky has been at the Danforth Center since 2013, leading an ambitious research program, directing the SINC Center, and serving in numerous other capacities. I’m thankful that Becky is willing to take on significant new responsibilities, and excited to work with her in this new role.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I hope everyone takes a few minutes to visit the recently installed feature that recognizes and honors those who lived on this site prior to the arrival of European and U.S. settlers. Overlooking the Danforth Center prairie near our main entrance, just east of the water garden, stands a plaque that reads:

As an institute focused on preserving and renewing the environment through plant science, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center recognizes and honors Indigenous Peoples as the original stewards of the land. The Danforth Center acknowledges that it is located on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Osage, Missouri and Illini people, who were removed unjustly, and that we in this community are the beneficiaries of that removal. By recognizing Indigenous Peoples and their traditional homeland, we express gratitude for their enduring stewardship of the land. We honor and respect Indigenous Peoples, past and present, by building a more inclusive and equitable space for all.

Populations of indigenous nations and tribes that lived on this land were dynamic. The Osage, for example, originated from populations that migrated over a few centuries from the Ohio River valley towards the Mississippi River, eventually moving further west to become the dominant power in central and western Missouri by the early 19^th century. The Illini were estimated to number approximately 10,000 people across 12 or 13 tribes (including the Cahokia in this region) along the Mississippi River valley in the 1600s. Due to conflict and disease, however, the Illini numbers were reduced to a few hundred by the late 1700s.

Starting in the early 1800s, the U.S. government instituted a series of policies that resulted in displacement of Native American populations. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 wrote into law that the government could legally take land from Native American nations and tribes, and force relocation to designated territories in the west, mainly in what is now Oklahoma. The Osage, Illini and other Indigenous Peoples from this region ultimately suffered this fate, as well as further harm when the U.S. failed to fulfill terms of agreements made during forced relocation.

Thank you to all of the Danforth Center community members and external partners who advocated for, facilitated, wrote, built, and installed this plaque that stands as a permanent reminder of the original inhabitants of our site.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the logic used for decision-making in my role at the Danforth Center. In retrospect, I undersold the fact the nearly all major decisions involve a collaborative effort of many people through information gathering, assessment, persuasion or consensus-building. Creation of the Danforth Center annual budget is a great example of such teamwork. The budget lays out anticipated revenue and expenses for the year, and once approved by the Board of Directors, serves as the financial blueprint for our work. We’re a not-for-profit organization; but don’t forget, we’re also a not-for-loss, so the budget needs to balance. We’re well underway in developing the 2024 budget, and I think it’s worth understanding what goes into that process.

Let’s start with anticipated revenue. The money that supports our salaries, supplies, and most everything else comes predominantly from two types of sources – competitive grants and philanthropy. Grants support most of the direct costs (e.g. lab supplies) and some indirect costs (e.g. facilities support) of research projects managed by PIs. Philanthropic gifts cover most other Danforth Center costs, and they enable us to function as an organization. As per the intention of each donor, some gifts are made to support annual mission-relevant activities, and some are given to grow our endowment. We draw an amount from the endowment each year by a formula. For the current 2023 budget, we planned for $19.1M in grant revenue, $2.4M in annual donor gifts, and $20.1M in draw from the endowment. We also planned for $5.9M from a variety of other sources (e.g. external user fees for core facilities), bringing the total anticipated funding level to $47.5M.

On the expense side of the budget, the leaders of each department submit a detailed budget request in the Fall for the upcoming year. Proposed spending is reviewed carefully with an eye toward meeting essential needs, supporting strategic priorities and good opportunities, financial sustainability and stewardship. Department leaders are appreciated collaborators in the budget process. For 2023, we budgeted for operating and non-operating costs totaling $46.3. The slight anticipated surplus at year-end will go into our operating reserve, which we maintain to cover unexpected events or future income shortfalls.

The budget planning process is managed, overseen, and executed with great skill by Djuan Coleman, Hal Davies, Leticia Slack, Darine Kube, Karla Elliot, and Heather Bowen in the Finance Team. Let’s all thank them for their hard work!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

It occurred to me that I’ve not highlighted any Danforth Center scientific publications recently. Let’s remedy that right here with three excellent papers, and with a few comments to help the non-specialists. Congratulations to all of the contributors!

Yu, Y., Hu, H., Voytas, D.F., Doust, A.N., and Kellogg, E.A. (2023). The YABBY gene
SHATTERING1 controls activation rather than patterning of the abscission zone in Setaria viridis. New Phytologist 240, 846-862. DOI: 10.1111/nph.19157.

Plants have highly evolved mechanisms to shed or drop organs (abscission) in response to environmental or developmental cues. It’s why you have to rake leaves in the Fall! But in agriculture, the natural shedding of flowers or seeds is detrimental, and cereal crops with abscission-inhibiting mutations in certain genes, like SHATTERING1, have been bred to dramatically increase yield. Using Crispr gene editing and detailed analyses, Yu et al. show for the first time some mechanistic features of abscission in the grasses, including the role of the plant hormone auxin.

Ludwig, E., Polydore, S., Berry, J., Sumner, J., Ficor, T., Agnew, E., Haine, K., Greenham, K., Fahlgren, N., Mocker, T.C., Gehan, M.A. (2023). Natural variation in Brachypodium distachyon responses to combined abiotic stresses. Plant J. DOI:10.1111/tpj.16387.

Understanding how native plants deal with extreme temperature, drought, and other environmental stresses offers insights into how crops can be bred to better withstand the harsh realities resulting from climate change. Ludwig and collaborators studied the genetic variation in how 149 different accessions of the grass Brachypodium distachyon from diverse Mediterranean and Middle East locations deal with heat, drought and combined heat+drought stresses. They found surprising relationships between heat and drought responses, and at least one new genetic determinant that controls the amount of stress damage.

Geng, S., Hamaji, T., Ferris, P.J., and Umen, J. A conserved RWP-RK transcription factor VSR1 controls gametic differentiation in volvocine algae. (2023). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2305099120.

This most recent work from the Umen lab gets at the critical control mechanism for sex determination in single-celled and multicellular algae. The capacity to produce distinct mating types (e.g. male and female) is the foundation for reshuffling of genetic material within a species, which maintains genetic diversity and capacity to adapt in different environments. Geng et al. discovered that the key regulatory protein VSR1 either interacts with itself (VSR1-VSR1 complex) to induce female gametes, or with MID protein (VSR1-MID) to induce male gametes. The data show elegantly why either male or female gametes form, and they give reasons why this mechanism may also occur throughout the plant kingdom.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

As I’ve indicated often in the past, I spend a lot of time speaking about the Danforth Center and our work with public, non-scientific audiences. Largely through trial and failure, minimal formal training, a lot of observation, and more analysis than you would ever guess, I enjoy speaking to and interacting with public groups. And I have fun doing so, especially bringing the human element into the conversation about what we do.

Which brings me to the first 10 minutes of a Story Collider podcast episode called “Food Science: Stories About Things We Eat,” featuring Katie Murphy, Director of the Center’s Phenotyping Core Facility and PI. Katie talks about her unpredictable journey becoming a TikTok star, bringing the joy, excitement, inclusiveness and magic of plant science to the fickle, impatient social media audience. Like almost nothing else I’ve heard, Katie’s story shows what happens when scientists let the public in on the mysteries to be solved and surprises to be learned when we use science to answer a question. With humor, kindness, wonder and accessibility, Katie shows through TikTok and the podcast what most non-scientists rarely hear or see: life in the lab is funny, annoying, interesting, boring, surprising and quirky. That is, Katie shows us that a life in science is a very human, relatable life, and anything but a separate existence of elites looking to impose their will on society.

I think spreading this idea about the human nature of science, as Katie shows, has enormous power to break down barriers that have grown between scientists and much of the public. But we have too few people within the scientific community who are willing, capable and brave enough to face the public, armed with the amusing imperfections of a scientist, and risk criticism, hostility or indifference. I believe it’s exactly those amusing imperfections that scientists need to lean on to reach and relate to broader audiences. I think that’s a big part of what Katie’s outreach is actually doing.

I hereby deem Katie’s podcast required listening for everyone who talks to others about science or the work we do. And do your own followers a favor by passing it along. Have a good weekend.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

At a monthly meeting today for a collaborative project between the Carrington and Bart labs, much time was spent discussing project priorities. There are not enough people, resources, funding, space or time to do everything optimally for the project. Prioritization is a necessity. But because the nature of future results is rarely clear, prioritization intrinsically involves the risk of making ‘wrong’ choices, even though the choices today might seem sensible.

Prioritization and decision-making with uncertain consequences are major sources of worry in my role at the Danforth Center. Most prioritization decisions involve allocation or reallocation of funding, space, or peoples’ time and effort. With a few questions and real examples, let me share the process I use in making decisions.

• Is this a ‘must do?’ Decisions to get the ‘must dos’ done are often the easiest. We must maintain our facilities in working order, or comply with federal requirements. We must provide ASL interpreters to support our Deaf community members. Funding will always be allocated as a budget priority, or identified in the case of unbudgeted emergencies.
• Is this a strategic priority for which we’ve planned? Priorities in the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan are baked into our budgeting and fundraising plans. Some of these priorities, like development of the Field Research Site, are expensive, multi-year commitments, and we match up the pace of spending with the pace of fundraising. The open decisions are often about when to start.
• If this is a good idea outside of the strategic priorities but worthwhile doing, can we afford it? Here’s where we sometimes have interesting or difficult conversations, and often the answer is ‘no,’ or ‘not this year.’ But really good ideas are worth talking about because we may be able to apply for new grants from funding agencies, or secure other sources of novel funding.
• For each of the categories above, what are the collateral consequences? If we prioritize a Field Research Site, how does that affect future Center budgets? In support of Deaf community members, to whom are new responsibilities assigned and how do we rebalance workloads? If we assign additional lab space to a team, how will that affect our ability to recruit new teams? Broadly, how does a decision in one area affect others? What might seem like unnecessary delays in decision making is often because of the need to anticipate and plan for the collateral consequences.

My goal in all decision-making is not perfection, but to be reasonable. I thank all those who collaborate with me to achieve that goal.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

“How did they do that?” This was a question I heard immediately after the Big Ideas 3.0 presentations last evening. The program featured three teams of three early-career, Danforth Center scientists or educators. In front of a public audience of over 350, and 300 more online, each team presented a 14-minute talk about an ambitious, impactful idea that extends from their work, and then fielded questions from three panelists (thanks to Janet Wilding, Benjamin Akande and Marilyn Bush, and to MC Chip Lerwick) who had no prior exposure to the topics at hand. Each team performed brilliantly with engaging, audience-inspiring flair. But, how did they do that?

Part of the answer is rather obvious. Over 11 weeks, they worked incredibly hard on collaboratively formulating their ideas, and then organizing, agonizing, re-organizing, refining and rehearsing their presentations. At weekly convenings with a coach, each team also helped the other teams improve their talks. No one witnessing this would have guessed it was a competition!

But the other part of the answer is less obvious: they learned and practiced the big secrets about connecting with an audience. In addition to their accessible, plant science-based content, they incorporated anticipation, surprise, emotion, humor, movement, interaction, and other verbal and non-verbal tools to reach every corner of the audience. Early in the 11 weeks, they learned by studying and dissecting what all of the great performers, including singers, bands and stand-up comics, do onstage to engage an audience. It turns out that Louis Connelly saying, “I still find myself asking, what are plants made of?” can be just as compelling as Bruce Springsteen belting out, “Roll down your window and let the wind blow back your hair” if they’re using the same tools to connect with an audience. With practice and preparation, the result in both cases is the magic of sprezzatura and a special bond with the audience.

I will forever admire, and be grateful for, the nine talented Big Ideas 3.0 speakers: Poonam Jyoti, Somnath Koley and Stewart Morley (Team EcoTAG from Doug Allen lab); Antonio Brazelton, Zach Stafford and Kurly Taylor (Team Whatley from JJK-FAN and Kris Callis-Duehl team); and Louis Connelly, Britney Millman and Allen Hubbard (Team Metablify from Ivan Baxter lab). They were amazing! Along with behind-the-scenes sprezzatura from the Development, Events, IT, Facilities and PR teams, and Allison Brown, I cannot imagine a better representation of the Danforth Center and our community!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

It’s a good idea to occasionally ask yourself, “Who am I, and what am I doing?” I suppose you could interpret and answer these questions in a number of ways depending on your motivations, like a desire to justify one’s actions or alter a career path. I’m frequently asked variations of, “What is the Danforth Center, and why are we doing what we do?” These questions come from first-time visitors to long-serving Center community members. Let’s consider two variations of these questions that I’ve been asked recently.

“We’re a plant science discovery organization, so why worry about all this other stuff?” By “other stuff,” the questioner meant things like spinning out companies and outreach to the community. We were founded on a vision of plant science discovery leading to positive impact for food, the environment, and the St. Louis region. The Danforth Center invests in people and facilities to discover important things about how plants function and interact with the environment, but we also invest in moving discoveries out of the Center and into the hands of organizations and people who can benefit. Those benefits come in many forms, from products with better sustainability properties made by companies in 39North, to a better trained or enabled workforce. We are, indeed, a discovery organization, but we’re also a scientific engine that intentionally connects to other parts within our region and beyond.

“I thought the Center’s purpose was to help smallholder farmers around the world, so why not focus only on that?” In fact, our founders had a close eye on the benefits that smallholder farmers and their communities could gain by more access to scientific advances, and we’re committed to doing so through translational and product-focused work of IICI and lab groups around the Center. But we were created with the broader idea that scientific discovery from both applied and basic researchers would unlock possibilities for smallholder farmers and for other domestic and international beneficiaries. Bill Danforth was inspired by how scientists studying esoteric-sounding properties of viruses, like buoyant density and Svedberg values, enabled breakthroughs that led to the poliovirus vaccines in the 1950s. Center discoveries in a wide range of areas, from epigenetics to gene editing, are continuously used to explore and identify new ways to apply our science.

We are a combination of talents, interests and motivations, and we work on many different things. But unified around mission and vision, who we are and what we do are big parts of what makes the Danforth Center unique.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Contrary to common wisdom, the “vacation month” of August always seems as busy as ever around the Danforth Center. On top of the everyday non-stop activity, many community members are cramming to get work done ahead of upcoming time off. That’s me today. But before I head out tomorrow for a week of cooler clime and remarkable scenery, I want to recognize some of the good work I’ve witnessed in recent days.

InfoEd implementation. This complex, difficult initiative to deploy a new grants management system is nearing completion. Kinks are being ironed out, existing grant data are being uploaded, and training of users is underway. I thank Melissa Kerckhoff for leading the implementation effort, Michelle Richards for excellent training, and everyone who has helped integrate InfoEd into our financial, proposal submission, sponsored projects, and other systems.

Great events. It was nice to participate in this week’s inaugural Ignite event, which seeks to bring people together from the region and inspire actions that align with our mission. Thanks to the numerous individuals and departments, led by Stephanie Regagnon and the Innovation team, that collaborated to raise funds for, organize and deliver Ignite. Next up: Big Ideas 3.0 on August 31.

Plant growth facility and field site management. Plants in the Plant Growth Facilities and Field Site do not get an August break. That means we owe a deep debt of gratitude to the managers, horticulturalists, farm team members and others who care for the invaluable plants in our experiments through the hottest time of the year.

Donuts and Donations. Many thanks to the Development team for hosting a donut-packed tea time to celebrate the 130 donors within the Danforth Center community this week. Pat Baldrich and Katie Murphy explained why they contribute financially to the Center, how those donations are used, and the importance of high donor support from within. Thank you Pat, Katie, and all of our in-house donors!

I’ll write again in two weeks after returning from where the water tastes like wine and the climate suits my clothes. Take care.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Ten weeks of hard work. Twenty-one undergraduate student researchers. Twenty-seven mentors. Incalculable career-long benefits.

For the 23^rd time, the Danforth Center has hosted a talented, motivated cohort of students in the Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Though they are science majors at colleges and universities around the country, most REU students arrive with very limited or no experience in a research environment. Nevertheless, each student is immersed quickly in the deep end of the research pool. The fact that they achieve so much, as shown today during their end-of-program symposium presentations, reveals both their newly developed talents and their intense work. But that success also depends on some of the hidden REU program heroes – the mentors.

An REU mentor is usually a Danforth Center graduate student, postdoctoral scientist or senior research scientist who guides a student through the program. They help formulate a project, train in research methods, help collect and interpret data, and advise on all aspect of the REU experience. They do this on top of their full-time responsibilities, meaning they are doing something extraordinary. Dan Lin has been an REU mentor for six different students since 2016. He is a model of commitment, consistency, and compassion in this role, and the students with whom he has worked have achieved great things. I asked Dan what makes a good REU student mentor, and what he’s learned over the years? He had three things to say.

• “Mentors need to understand that students come from diverse backgrounds and experiences and with varied personalities and needs. Expectations need to be explicit, reasonable and aligned.”
• “Mentors need to be engaged and invested in the success of their mentees and adaptable in the face of challenges.”
• “Trust is crucial for a good mentor-mentee relationship; a good mentor needs to know how to foster and maintain this.”
  

It’s no wonder that Dan succeeds as a mentor year after year, as do many others who take on this important responsibility. In addition to REU program directors and coordinators Tessa Burch-Smith, Kirk Czymmek, Judy Mitchell and Monica Alsup, I thank all of the mentors for investing time and energy to “pass the baton” to the next generation. In the years ahead when our current REU students are mentors themselves, the lessons they are living through with their Danforth Center mentors today will be remembered and passed along again.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Several of us boarded a bus with eight Board Directors to take a trip out to the Danforth Center Field Research Site this week. The Board approved acquisition of the 140-acre property last year, and has since seen numerous presentations about site development plans and progress. What most of our Directors had yet to see was the actual work underway at the new facility. Our goal was to immerse the Directors and accompanying Center community members in the purpose, ongoing research and teams at the Field Site. The secondary objective was to survive the heat anticipated on the hottest day of the year.

In front of multi-year trial plots of intermediate wheatgrass, or Kernza, they heard from Molly Hanlon and Matthew Rubin about research to improve yields and sustainability benefits of perennial grain crops. Daniel Mullins showed how he and Molly are continuously imaging and measuring perennial plant roots using mini-rhizotrons. At a plot with diverse sunflower varieties, Toni Kutchan talked about research to identify new, high-yielding sources of natural rubber. Allison Miller and colleagues from Saint Louis University presented our Taylor Geospatial Institute collaborations around drone-based phenotyping to monitor plant performance across the entire Field Site.

Under a welcoming shade tent, Getu Duguma showed the first field trial of short-stature tef developed at the Danforth Center. Shorter varieties are needed to prevent lodging (plants falling over from wind and rain) in geographies like Ethiopia where tef is a staple; everyone could see dramatic evidence of the benefit of Getu’s work. Andrea Eveland then walked us through the Maize Maze, an education and outreach resource to demonstrate the wonderful world of corn genetics. After comments in Mockler House (Field Site headquarters) on site development, perennial roots and cover crop research from Katie Murphy, Allison Miller and Chris Topp, and the fabulous gift of Kernza brownies from Matthew Rubin, we were back on the bus for the ride back to the Center. The entire trip was a masterclass in organization and coordination.

As several Directors mentioned during the Board meeting later that afternoon, it was so exciting to see the Center’s work extending out of the lab by talented people with so much enthusiasm and purpose. I thank everyone who made this visit a reality, including all those mentioned above, Diane Moleski, and the entire Field Research Site team of Terry Beeler, Nelson Curran, Kevin Hava and Jenna Wood. You each demonstrated the very best of who we are!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

For years, Allison Brown (Executive Assistant in my office) has been asking, “When can I get rid of the 10 or so boxes of reprints of your old papers?” Each box weighs in at around 30 pounds and sits in a secret closet up on the 3^rd level.
I mentioned this to a group in my lab recently and got the following question: “What is a reprint?”

For the younger scientists, reprints were physical paper copies of individual research articles that you received from the journal after a paper was published in the old days. By that I mean before scientific articles were widely available through open-access or subscription online. Here’s how it worked in, say, the 1980s. When you published a paper, the journal would send a bill for publication fees, typically a few thousand dollars, with extra charges for each fancy color image. Long papers costed more. They would also send a “Reprint Request Form” for you to request official reprints at a price of $10 or more each, provided that you bought a minimum of 50-100. By now, the younger scientists should be asking, “What the…?” and “Why in the world…?”

Here's how it worked. Scientists used to go to libraries, buildings that had books and scientific journals sitting on shelves. They would open the journals, one by one, and look for articles of interest. A not-insignificant number of scientists would also bring a stack of “Reprint Request Cards,” which were little postcards that you would mail to corresponding authors to ask that they send an official reprint of a specific paper. Upon receipt of the card, the author would mail a reprint to the requestor, whereupon the requester would possibly read it but definitely file it in a cabinet. Many authors would count, and save, the reprint requests cards they received, using them to gauge how much their colleagues were interested in the paper. Yes, before download metrics, likes, hearts and thumbs-up, we had reprint request cards!

Now you may be asking, since copy machines have been around since 1949, why didn’t people just photocopy the desired articles? The answer to that involves a combination copyright law, publisher greed, and mystery. All I know is now I have a few hundred pounds of non-requested reprints that I’ve been lugging around since 2005. But if you want one, you now know what to do.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Many thanks to everyone who came out last Wednesday to celebrate the Danforth Center being named a “2023 Top Workplace” in St. Louis. The basis for selection for a third straight year was our annual engagement survey results, which we use to assess how the community feels about the Center, our working environment, and our culture. According to survey data, the top-scoring culture drivers at the Center this year are:

• Development (Managers help community members learn and grow)
• Interdepartmental Cooperation (Different teams work together well)
• Open Mindedness (Different points of view are encouraged)

It is gratifying to see these three aspects of our culture ranked highest by the community. It means we come together, recognize our unique talents and perspectives, and help one another. This was on full display this morning during a lengthy collaborative team meeting between members of Bart and Carrington labs working on a Gates Foundation-funded project (Epigenetics in Cassava). I was deeply impressed by how Becky Bart (Lead PI) guided the entire team to diagnose challenges, think creatively, and design solutions that draw upon the unique talents and perspectives within the team. The meeting was all about how we could better help one another be more effective contributors to the project. In the process, I saw several team members, like Myia Elliott and James Rauschendorfer, embrace the opportunity to grow in their roles.

Then there are instances of community members helping each other spontaneously every day in ways that might seem small. Yesterday, I was with a small group in the Riney Family Greenhouse complex (B-range), looking to record some video for the upcoming Big Ideas event. My lack-of-planning failure to arrange for someone to give us access to a specific room meant that we encountered only locked rooms as we wandered the corridor. Then I met Eric Petit (Horticulturalist in the Plant Growth Facility), who approached and asked most politely, “Can I help you?” I explained what we were hoping to do, and within a few seconds he guided us to the one unlocked room and helped arrange some space for the brief video shoot. Thank you, Eric!

Helping one another in “small” ways makes a big difference. Lending a hand builds trust, confidence and appreciation between team members, cooperators, and those who are simply crossing paths. It’s a big reason we are a Top Workplace!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

“If I kept my front yard like you keep yours, I’d get fined by the city!” Starting in 2016, the year we seeded the Danforth Center prairie with 70+ native plant species, we received numerous phone calls like this from angry and appalled local residents, puzzled by what looked like a disorganized mess on our property. And we still get the occasional call. Today, with the prairie displaying the latter stages of a spectacular, month-long bloom of Rudbeckia and Coreopsis species, it’s hard to imagine anyone complaining. Because so many Danforth Center community members were not here when we transformed our landscape, let’s talk about the prairie and why it was developed.

Prior to construction of the William H. Danforth wing, the front landscape was a typical corporate grass lawn with ordered shrubbery and rows of ornamental pear trees. While the landscaping drew little attention, it was hardly a reflection of a creative plant science institution. Reconstruction of a Missouri tall-grass prairie, which dominated this region for 10,000 years after the glaciers receded, was based on several ideas:

• To honor the vast importance of native landscapes and natural diversity in the world;
• To acknowledge that native plants are the ultimate genetic base for all cultivated crops;
• To show that nature has already invented ways for plants to deal with diseases, pests, temperature extremes, droughts and floods;
• To maintain a far more environmentally sustainable property that sequesters more carbon, retains rainwater on site, recycles nutrients, and provides habitat for wildlife.

At the same time that the prairie was seeded, the pond at the front entrance was converted from a blue pool with a fountain to a living water feature containing aquatic plants. The bridge spanning the water was intended to be a functional walkway leading to the prairie and a symbol of the connection between the natural world and the research we do in our facilities.

The prairie is also one of our most important tools to inform and inspire the public about the work we do. From the tour route with interpretive signage to helping audiences understand how perennials work, the prairie has many “touchpoints” that we can all use when interacting with the broader community. I now get much enjoyment when I hear a local resident tell me, “I had no idea what you were doing on your site, but I get it now. It’s amazing!”

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Several community members have asked if the Danforth Center will be affected by the recent Supreme Court decision that will nullify Affirmative Action programs in higher education. As I usually try to do in these messages, I’ll seek to avoid politics or out-of-my-lane commentary on Constitutional law. Let’s consider both direct effects and indirect effects of the Court’s decision on the Danforth Center.

The Danforth Center will not be affected directly by this decision. The ruling applies only to Affirmative Action programs at colleges and universities. These programs include those intended to promote a more diverse student body. According to Charlotte A. Burrows, Chair of the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, the ruling “does not address employer efforts to foster diverse and inclusive workforces or to engage the talents of all qualified workers, regardless of their background. It remains lawful for employers to implement diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs that seek to ensure workers of all backgrounds are afforded equal opportunity in the workplace.”

But because we partner with colleges and universities for training students, and we hire graduates of colleges and universities on a regular basis, the Danforth Center may be indirectly affected by the ruling. If the diversity of students admitted to our partner universities goes down, so will our ability to attract diverse undergraduate and graduate students to the Center. If future graduating classes are less diverse, the pools from which we seek to hire new community members will be less diverse as well. Over time, these may negatively impact our strategic goal to attract more individuals from historically underrepresented groups to the Center and STEM careers.

I am concerned about the long-term, indirect impact this ruling may have on us. Data from real studies show that a diverse workplace is more productive, has more satisfied employees, is more innovative and creative, and has a more positive culture. Irrespective of our individual opinions on Affirmative Action programs or Supreme Court decisions, I hope we can all agree that a diverse and included Danforth Center community is worth our continued, collective efforts.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

A majority of community members recently participated in our annual engagement survey, one of several tools we use to assess how the community is feeling about life at the Center. The 460 written comments were particularly informative; I read each one. Most comments revealed positive feelings, but let’s look at a sample of both favorable (+) and less-than-favorable (-) comments across five of the survey themes.

Values and Culture
(+) “How the organization lives the mission and values…many organizations have great missions and visions, but they are not integrated into the culture. However, at Danforth Center these are integrated into the day-to-day work.”

(-) “When I make suggestions for cultural change and/or general operation improvements, I have felt resistance and hesitancy to that suggestion. Feeling like my experience is not valued/appreciated because I don't have a higher degree…”

Collaboration
(+) “I'm genuinely impressed by the cooperation between all departments.”

(-) “Research/lab departments could do better with respectfully communicating with PGF and other departments. Listening to others about proper practices and use of space, following rules, and using common sense goes a long way.”

Efficiency and Communication
(+) “Danforth center does meetings, gatherings, and communications efficiently and well.”

(-) “Teams don't pass information along well. People in some areas aren't included in planning that involves their jobs.”

Senior Managers
(+) “Strong emphasis on regular communication through multiple platforms. Lots of outreach to community and stakeholders, not only community members.”

(-) “Lack of explanations make us not trust them. And, I think the senior management could maybe do a better job informing individual labs about the general direction of the center.”

Overall Comments
(+) “I work with great people who try their best. The resources available are the best available anywhere in the world. The science is creative, cutting-edge and expanding. I get a chance to try new ideas and take risks.”

(-) “When asked what ideas we have, or we are forced to do surveys like this…We can bring ideas to the table all day, but most are never accepted or just fall on deaf ears because what we say is not what some people want to hear. What is the point of this survey?”

I very much appreciate the entire range of feedback. While our community overall feels pretty good, not everyone feels included, heard or appreciated. Learning where we have concerns, and then working with leaders and managers to address issues within their teams, is precisely the point of the survey.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

We are concluding an interesting week at the Danforth Center featuring numerous activities and events under the theme, Threads of Culture: The Power of Story. Community members were welcomed at gatherings - sometimes large and sometimes small – to share our family and cultural traditions, our different foods, our unique celebrations, and the stories behind who we are. I participated in the community potluck lunch, a discussion about our names (and families), and several cultural performances. As Jennifer McDonnell in People and Culture recently told me, “The purpose behind this week was meant to share the commonalities that we have within our individual cultures and life experiences…these are aspects of our community members that we may not know about, but they are a part of who they are and how they show up.” With so many cultures represented at the Center, I found this to be a brilliant way to celebrate and encourage understanding about all of us.

The notion that we have commonalities across different cultures and traditions is really worth thinking about. We have so much intersection of values, needs, ambitions and purpose regardless of whether one comes from Redondo Beach, CA or Rubongi, Uganda. We stand united around the Center’s mission, for example, even though we originate from nearly 30 different countries. We work hard and do our jobs with diligence regardless of our sexual orientation or what we prefer to be called. We seek the best for our families regardless of our racial heritage. I appreciate how elements of unity came through this week.

Too often, our perception of individual differences interfere with understanding about what or how our other community members are actually contributing. What might be perceived by a less-than-fully-aware observer as meek or non-assertive behavior of a colleague may, in fact, be careful strategic thought and productive patience. I’m guilty of making erroneous judgments about people based on such superficial observations.

Weeks like this one at the Danforth Center should encourage us to continue seeking ways to find unity through our differences. Special thanks go to the entire People and Culture team and the DEI Council for their ideas and efforts to bring Threads of Culture to life. I wish everyone an enjoyable and thoughtful Juneteenth holiday on Monday!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This message is being written while listening to fantastic presentations from Danforth Center scientists at the annual Scientific Retreat. I’m struck by how much this event has changed since the first one I attended in 2011. The Scientific Retreat today is attended by over twice as many community members compared to 12 years ago. The quality and scope of oral and poster presentations have grown dramatically over the years. The style of oral presentations have changed, now emphasizing shorter, snappier talks that are more accessible to the broad audience. We now have ASL interpreters for our deaf community members. And the location is different. Rather than an offsite retreat at Pere Marquette or Trout Lodge, this year we are using facilities at the Missouri Botanical Gardens and Danforth Center on consecutive days.

The post-pandemic decision to stay close to home rather than travel to an overnight location was not due to the sometimes-too-rustic facilities, the cafeteria cuisine, or the hungry ticks in Potosi. Instead, staying in town was intended to make the Retreat more inclusive and accessible to as many as possible. This includes parents and caregivers with limited travel capacity, and those who need to be onsite for their jobs. The recently constructed conference facilities at the Botanical Gardens offer an interesting new venue for a more inclusive offsite portion of the Retreat.

We’ve put a lot of thought into making the annual Scientific Retreat more respectful, safe and welcoming to our diverse community. How can we make it better? Pre-pandemic, the overnight retreat featured evening social activities, like karaoke. Turns out that for some, the life they love is making music with their friends. What can we do in the future that is fun, inclusive and promoting of a more cohesive community? The retreat organizers (Armando Bravo, Meter Nusinow, Kerri Gilbert) will welcome feedback.

Finally, many thanks to all those who make the Scientific Retreat successful, including the speakers, poster presenters, organizers, attendees, and administrative, AV, catering and facilities teams. Now, I need to get back to the talks.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

A frequent conversation topic with people who are learning about the Danforth Center concerns how we realize impact from our research. I sometimes talk about the rationale for fundamental research, the intrinsic value of scientific discovery, and our critical role in training scientists and STEM professions. But often, they are more interested in how our research and discoveries lead to new products and services that address important problems. And those conversations frequently include everyone’s favorite topic – Intellectual Property (IP), most commonly patents.

Why are patents necessary for the Danforth Center? If we make discoveries or develop technologies (inventions) with potential to contribute to more sustainable agriculture, more productive crops, higher value crops, or other benefits, we will file patents to “protect” those inventions. A patent give us the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling the invention for a limited period of time. While to some that might sound counter to our non-profit mission to improve the human condition through plant science, patents are a critical part of the route that inventions must take before they are used in the marketplace. The Danforth Center licenses our patents to companies big and small, including start-ups that spin out of the Center. Without those patents and the assurance of the right to commercialize, companies will not touch our inventions. And if our inventions do not reach the marketplace, farmers or other consumers will not benefit.

What about humanitarian uses of our patented discoveries and technologies? For these uses, the Danforth Center will grant royalty-free licenses. This is important when we engage in product development to benefit smallholder farmers in developing countries.

How do we go about filing patents? We are fortunate to have Erica Agnew (Director, Intellectual Property and Technology Management), a talented scientist and attorney, within the Danforth Center community. She has a law degree from Florida State University and, since 2021, has been a registered Patent Attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Erica works with Center scientists to help identify patentable inventions, facilitate and coordinate patent applications, and manage our portfolio of IP. She also participates in negotiations with companies, helps craft licensing agreements, and works with the leadership team on overall IP strategy.

Erica adds great value to the work we do, and is an essential contributor towards making impact at the Danforth Center. Thank you, Erica!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

If you participated in PlantTech Jam last Saturday, you were part of a significant event at the Danforth Center. We welcomed 563 guests from across the region with a wide range of hands-on experiences, geared primarily for kids. As a more plant-centered event that evolved from the former Raspberry Pi Jam, PlantTech Jam was a big success!

I was deeply impressed by the broad participation from Danforth Center teams that organized interactive tables, the inventiveness of participating partner organizations, and the large numbers of Center and external volunteers that helped with tours, soldering and much more. The creativity on display at the team tables was remarkable. Every station provided active engagement with Danforth Center scientists around a scientific principle or idea. Data show that participation-type experiences, like those offered at PlantTech Jam, improve students’ science process skills, STEM career interests, and motivation for STEM fields compared to the students lacking such experiences. Kids start identifying as scientists when that connect with real scientists around meaningful, inquiry-based activities. PlantTech Jam is something we can do uniquely to inspire future scientists and STEM professionals in St. Louis. Special thanks go to the organizers (Kris Callis-Duehl, Malia Gehan, Meter Nusinow, Noah Fahlgren, Jenny Nguyen, Cat Currens and Tam McGuire) and the many dozens of Danforth Center community members who were involved!

Other interesting opportunities for public engagement are on the horizon. One that I’m particularly excited about is Big Ideas 3.0 on August 31. Three teams of three scientists from the Center will compete by presenting a solution to a big challenge, based on their current work, in front of a public audience. If you’ve not seen either of the two prior Big Ideas events, think in terms of TED Talk meets Shark Tank. This is an exceptional platform to showcase nine young, talented Center scientists. And as shown previously, the big ideas can stimulate new thinking that turns into major focus areas within the team labs.

I’m also looking forward to seeing public outreach at the new Field Research Site, where the Eveland lab is creating a “maize genome tour” using a chromosomally ordered series of dramatic, colorful maize mutants. We all have unique talents and ways in which we can reach out beyond the Center’s doors. Let’s keep using them!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Two things of note happened around the same time 33 years ago. First, Gus Vogt, a Senior Laboratory Technician in the Meyers lab, was born. And second, now 86-year old Bobbie Miller moved into her second-floor apartment unit in which she has lived ever since. The two met for the first time last Friday evening, shortly after Gus heard screaming from the direction of Bobbie’s apartment building next to where he lives.

Gus quickly realized that the neighboring building was on fire. Panicked residents were running out to the front, and Gus immediately went over to help. When he arrived, Gus could see that the fire was located in the middle of the second floor. He quickly asked, “Are there people inside?” The short response was, “Yes.”

With few thoughts other than a compulsion to help, Gus entered the burning building. There were staircases at both ends of the 12 or so units on each floor. He ascended to the second level at one end and encountered thick, pitch-black smoke that completely obscured visibility above six inches from the floor. He crawled down the hall, banging on doors and calling out to anyone who might respond. He felt the heat of the fire, which prevented Gus from traversing the entire hallway. Without finding anyone, Gus crawled back and went downstairs. He then went up the stairs on the other side!

As he crawled to the first unit on the right, Gus saw the door was opened slightly. In the living room inside, he encountered a scared but conscious Bobbie Miller lying face-down on the ground, holding a wet towel over her mouth. Gus quickly helped her up, and with a combination of urgent assistance and forceful dragging, got Bobbie down the stairs and out of the building safely. When they exited, the stunned man who lived across the hall from Bobbie asked Gus, “Are you an angel?” Others asked, “Who are you…where did you come from?” Soon after, the firefighters and emergency responders arrived. And soon after that, with no one other than Bobbie and those who witnessed his heroism knowing what he had done, Gus was back in his apartment and ready to call it a night.

Each week, I look forward to writing about the wonderful achievements of Danforth Center community members working to deliver on our mission. This week, I am honored to recognize and thank Gus for his remarkable display of humanity, shown at great risk to himself and in service to people he had never met.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

P.S. Bobbie suffered little if any injury and is doing well. Bobbie and her fellow apartment residents were provided temporary housing and assistance from the Red Cross. As of today, no media or public safety officials have contacted Gus.

Dear Danforth Center Community,

When you organize an event, there’s nothing better than a packed house! Whether it’s to teach, inspire or celebrate, a full room of willing attendees adds incalculable energy and enthusiasm. I want to recognize four events that were at or near “standing room only” in the Langenberg Theater over the past week.

Kiona Elliott’s Thesis Defense. Well-earned congratulations go to Dr. Kiona Elliott, who successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation this week in front of a large audience. Kiona completed an ambitious research program in Becky Bart’s lab to understand cassava bacterial blight disease, and to explore new ways in which the disease might be controlled. As someone who has followed her progress closely, I was not surprised with Kiona’s exceptional, Ph.D.-worthy performance. And I enjoyed spending time with her proud mother and grandmother, who told some wonderful stories about Kiona!

Core Facilities Roundtable. The Danforth Center community came out in numbers to hear the leaders of Core Facilities and the Field Research Site present about their ongoing services, new developments and future directions. These facilities are a competitive advantage for our scientists, with the directors and their teams continuously balancing ongoing services with integration of new technologies. And they also provide accessible points for interactions with the AgTech companies in 39North.

“Roots, Shoots and Flutes.” This Development team-sponsored event for prospective new supporters showcased the Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa program and advanced X-ray imaging technology, presented by Nigel Taylor and Keith Duncan, respectively. This well-attended event also feature the personal perspective of Danforth Center friend and supporter, Benjamin Ola. Akande, who communicated how cassava was part of life for him growing up in Nigeria. It was terrific to see and meet so many others from the Nigerian-born community in St. Louis.

RCR training. A big part of the scientific community recently attended a discussion of ethics around AI-assisted writing tools in science, presented in partial fulfillment of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training requirements. The RCR program is a vital, ongoing part research life at the Danforth Center. And with new technologies like AI, the range of relevant RCR topics continues to grow.

Many thanks to all who came out to support, or participate in, each of these events and programs. And thanks to all of the presenters and organizers. They know how to draw a crowd!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

As a young man, Kevin Cox was a best-in-his-class over-achiever in the Hazelwood public school system. He was also a Black man growing up in North St. Louis County, dealing daily with the consequences of racial division. If he needed to drive across town, he knew to take a non-linear route to avoid streets patrolled by police officers who were accustomed to stopping a Black man driving an old car. Kevin earned his way into the University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL) as a Biology major, but as the only Black student in several classes, he often questioned if he was doing the right thing. Kevin supported himself and his young family by working part-time jobs.

One of those jobs, as a technician in Todd Mockler’s lab at the Danforth Center, changed his life. He made outsized contributions to development and implementation of a Brachypodium plant transformation pipeline. And he interacted with other diverse people who were making discoveries and having impact. Kevin eventually realized that he belonged in science as much as anyone else. Despite a few doubts about his own abilities, he was encouraged to apply to graduate school. Kevin was accepted and embraced with a fellowship at Texas A&M University, where he excelled in the field of molecular plant-microbe interactions. He returned to the Danforth Center as a postdoctoral scientist in Blake Meyer’s lab, subsequently being awarded a prestigious Hanna Gray Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Kevin took on the big challenge of developing new ways to understand spatial control of gene expression plants. 

Which brings us to today and the honor I have to announce that Kevin has accepted a joint faculty position between Washington University and the Danforth Center. Beginning in July, 2024, Kevin will be a shared Assistant Professor/Assistant Member between our two institutions. He had many offers and choices among some of the most prominent U.S. universities, but Kevin decided to stay in his hometown. He wants to be part of taking plant science to the next level. At Washington U., he wants to participate in positive change within the academic world. And he wants to show people, especially those from neighborhoods like those in which he was raised, what science and the Danforth Center is all about. Kevin sums it up well with, “I want to set a positive example.” Kevin, you already have.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This week’s brief message highlights an important milestone we reached in growth and development of the 39 North ecosystem. 39 North was declared as a 600-acre innovation district in 2016 by the city of Creve Coeur, St. Louis County, several economic development organizations, and members of the agtech and plant science research community, including the Danforth Center. Among our many roles in 39 North, the Danforth Center serves as a research engine, a source of vital facilities, a launchpad for new startup companies, and a facilitator of community-building across the district. But as we announced along with six partners on Tuesday evening, we now have an official organization called 39 North AgTech Innovation District [a 501(c)3 non-profit] that will lead the district into the future. The new organization will be led by Emily Lohse-Busch, a well-known and respected innovation community leader in St. Louis.

Over time, expect more identity and visibility for 39 North, more spaces and facilities for growing agtech companies and relevant organizations, and more development and activity to support our innovation community. This is great news for the Danforth Center, as we will have more opportunities to create positive impact through our work. And it’s great news for the region!

Finally, many thanks to all Danforth Center community members who have been contributing to 39 North over the years. Special thanks go to Stephanie Regagnon and the Innovation team, and Karla Roeber and the Public Relations/Government Affairs team. Their great work was on display at the announcement event this week.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Amie Fornah Sankoh arrived here from the University of Tennessee as a Ph.D. student in Tessa Burch-Smith’s lab when the team moved to the Danforth Center in 2021. Like all students navigating the path to a Ph.D., Amie has taken on an enormous challenge. But unlike almost all of the others, Amie is doing it as a Deaf student.

Let’s all try imaging just how difficult this would be. Completing original research in Amie’s focus area of intercellular signaling in plants, as well as all of the other requirements for a Ph.D., is tough enough. But doing so while Deaf, along with the unique challenges of being a Black women in science? How does she access all of the resources and people with whom she needs to interact without verbal communication that most of us take for granted? How does she a attend a professional conference with multiple concurrent sessions, none of which have sign language interpreters? And remember that pandemic we struggled through? How was Amie supposed to read lip movements and facial expressions behind our face coverings? The difficulties boggle the mind!

Amie embarked on this journey with Tessa Burch-Smith, who had some prior experience working with Deaf undergraduate students. By refusing to accept “We can’t accommodate you” from anyone or any organization, Amie and Tessa pierced through access barriers that had never been breached. For example, for the first time the American Society for Plant Biologists (ASPB) agreed to provide interpreters at the annual meeting, and to work with Amie and her specific schedule. There is now a permanent budget line for Deaf scientist access at the annual ASPB conference as a result. Within the lab, Tessa established a policy to ensure that Amie had equitable access to everything: “If Amie couldn’t do it, nobody could do it.”

I am proud of the many ways in which the Danforth Center embraced and included Amie. Tessa recently told me, “Amie felt like a scientist at the Center, not a deaf person struggling to make it. The Danforth Center community had a big impact on her.” Today, Amie presented the results of her research and successfully defended her thesis in front of her Ph.D. committee. In doing so, Amie will become the first Black, Deaf woman to earn a doctorate in a STEM field. Amie is a pioneer who has earned our respect, admiration, and appreciation, and who has taken the Danforth Center to a better place. Dr. Amie Fornah Sankoh, congratulations and thank you!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

The Danforth Center engages many dozens of external volunteers, board members, and advisory scientists. For example, we have 26 members of the Board of Directors serving oversight and governance functions for the Center. The six members of the Scientific Advisory Board serve to assess the quality of our scientific research programs. And we have tremendous volunteers, like those on the Friends Committee, that help raise philanthropic support, connect with regional communities, and serve as ambassadors for the Center. Appointments of those who serve in these and other capacities are done for many reasons, including expertise, leadership experience, and demographic representation.

Broadening demographic representation in all of our external groups continues to be a high priority. Though we have more work to do, overall we have made significant progress. Consider that our Board of Directors in 2011 was only 8% female and 8% non-White. Today, Directors on the Board are 35% female and 35% non-White; 19% of Directors are Black. We have also increased geographic representation on the Board. In 2011, only one elected Director was from outside of the St. Louis region; today there are five.

Members of our Boards and volunteer groups serve for fixed periods of time. That means we are continually welcoming new members who bring in fresh perspective and different skills. This week, I want to highlight and thank seven exceptional individuals who are joining the Board of Directors or the Scientific Advisory Board in 2023. Starting four-year terms on the Board of Directors are Lisa Ainsworth, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Bill Polk and Chris Danforth. And beginning four-year terms on the Scientific Advisory Board are Jen Heemstra, Jennifer Nemhauser and Carolyn Lawrence-Dill. You can learn a little more about each by clicking here and scrolling down the page.

Service on our boards and volunteer groups is a significant investment of time and effort, and we benefit greatly as a result. The next time you encounter these generous individuals, let them know who you are and what you do at the Danforth Center. They will be interested to learn your story!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

At the 25th Anniversary tea time celebration last Wednesday, I asked, “How many of you met Bill Danforth?” Less than 25% of those in attendance raised their hands. With so many having joined the Center relatively recently, that was not surprising. But as I indicated, it is important to keep alive an understanding of how and why the Center came to be, and that story revolves around Bill.

Bill Danforth retired as Washington University chancellor in 1995, but he was far from finished in his work to improve the St. Louis region and humankind. As a physician, a scientist, a scholar and a humanitarian, he asked, “What can I do in ‘retirement’ that would have the greatest impact on human well-being?” Over the years, his scholarly inclination led to learning about science-based advances in agriculture in the second half of the 20th century, most notably the work of Norman Borlaug, a plant breeder and father of the Green Revolution. Bill frequently noted that Borlaug’s work was critical in preventing starvation of at least one billion people around the world. Bill was profoundly inspired.

With some creative thinking with friends and St. Louis leaders (e.g. Peter Raven, Ginny Weldon) and a vision to connect research institutions, universities and corporate partners, the idea of a plant science center was literally sketched out on the back of a napkin. With support from donors and partners, and long-term commitments from his brother (Senator John Danforth) and other trustees of the philanthropic Danforth Foundation, the Danforth Center was officially launched at a mid-1998 ceremony with a keynote address from former-President Jimmy Carter. The Danforth Center was off and running with an initial mission to make fundamental plant science discoveries, apply those discoveries to agriculture and allied fields, commercialize discoveries, and train scientists from around the world. After working in rented or borrowed facilities for three years, our current A-building and greenhouse A-range opened in 2001.

Through the years, Bill marveled at how we grew and changed. What started as an ambitious idea is now the largest organization of its kind with over 400 committed people, exceptional facilities, pioneering research, and impactful outcomes in the region and around the world. Bill was proud of what the Danforth Center became and achieved. And when he passed in 2020, he was confident in you, the Danforth Center community, and in the direction you were heading.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

There are no shortages of reasons to celebrate at the Danforth Center! This week, I want to highlight three good reasons to celebrate some remarkable people, milestones and achievements.

Impact of a Danforth Center scientist-entrepreneur. On Saturday, April 1 (5:00 pm), I look forward to celebrating the life and legacy of Todd Mockler at a special event with family, friends, colleagues and the broader community. Todd’s presence is missed dearly, but what he achieved in science and the entrepreneurial world, and for the Danforth Center and our region, will live on for a long time. We will hear the story of Todd’s journey and the lives he touched along the way. Everyone is welcome to attend the program and the reception to follow.

Happy 25th anniversary! Did you realize that the Danforth Center just turned 25 years old? It’s remarkable to consider what we’ve achieved over a quarter-century, and how much we’ve changed! We will celebrate this milestone with a Special Tea Time on Wednesday, April 5 (10:30 am). I look forward to seeing the winning design for the 25th anniversary t-shirt, and to share a few stories about our unique organization.

Core strength. No, I’m not referring to the new Danforth Center gym facility, though that is worth celebrating as well. This week at the Faculty Retreat, we put a spotlight on our six core facilities. We discussed the facility teams, technologies and services, achievements, challenges and future directions. I celebrate our good fortune to have such capable and forward-looking teams and facilities to serve the diverse needs of our scientists and collaborators. And I look forward to all of the new technologies and capabilities that are on the horizon.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

There is no question that research at the Danforth Center must be done with honesty and integrity. In fact, our credibility as scientists and as a research institution depends entirely on our colleagues, funding agencies and the public seeing and believing that we adhere to high standards of research conduct. The responsibility for doing so is shared between researchers, PIs, support teams, leadership team, and the institution. Which brings us to Jim Umen, who recently assumed the role of Research Integrity Officer (RIO) at the Center.

What, you ask, is a RIO? As a recipient of National Institutes of Health and other federal grant funds, we are required to have people and processes in place to assure responsible conduct of research, and to effectively respond to allegations and instances of misconduct. We are also required to report annually to the Office of Research Integrity within the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services on possible research misconduct, which could relate to data falsification, data fabrication, or plagiarism. The RIO receives all allegations of misconduct, and leads an inquiry or formal investigation. The investigation process is rigorous and involves the President and VP for Research, as detailed in the Center’s Research Integrity Policy (posted on Workvivo under the “Integrity of Research” space.) The RIO also submits our annual report to the federal government, regardless of whether or not any allegations or investigations were done.

The RIO at the Danforth Center also participates in the review and reporting of potential conflicts of interest. We have an annual process whereby financial or other potential conflicts of interests are declared and reported to our Board of Directors. As part of that process, the RIO and the VP for Finance meet with potentially conflicted individuals, as well as with team members who might be affected. They review rules and boundaries necessary to prevent a potential conflict of interest from becoming a real problem.

I sincerely appreciate Jim Umen for stepping into the important RIO role. If we all do our work responsibly and with high integrity, we can make Jim’s job easy. And finally, many thanks go to Toby Kellogg, who has served generously, effectively and wisely as RIO for nearly a decade. Toby, we are a better Danforth Center because of your efforts!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

P.S. Anyone with any concern about potential research misconduct should contact Jim Umen directly, who will maintain confidentiality to the maximum extent possible.

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Along with Toni Kutchan and Malia Gehan, I recently helped facilitate a discussion about mentoring with the cohort of participants in the initial offering of the Danforth Center leadership development program. Given the high number of scientists and professionals (especially those at early career stages) who could benefit from mentors at the Center, a better understanding of the skills, attributes and habits of good mentors will pay generous dividends. Understanding how and where mentorship fits in among the many roles of a leader is well worth exploring.

In our discussion, we asked a question: In your career, what was the best input you received from a mentor? The responses revealed some great advice, some qualities of good mentorship, and how mentors can fundamentally impact careers. Here they are.

• Choose your fights carefully. Battles take their toll in time, effort, damaged relationships, and professional casualties. There is often a better path forward.
• Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This advice serves as permission of sorts to get things done, and move on to the next important step.
• Be more average. This counter-intuitive wisdom was directed towards an over-achiever who needed to hear, “Enough! You can’t do everything.”
• Take the job! Advancing in a career often means leaving a job in which you are quite comfortable. This is an example of a unique role of mentors, where the individual’s career growth is of primary concern.
• You will do well in this science business. The incredible power of a mentor communicating that you are on track for success, and that you belong, cannot be overstated.
• You will be your best postdoc when you start as a PI. Getting your research program off the ground successfully means you need to get your hands dirty at the bench!
• Seek out career growth, even though it might be disruptive. Change is often upsetting, for you and your colleagues. But growth is the reward. 

I noticed during the discussion that those who have had patient, empathetic, trustworthy and willing mentors have no problem quickly recalling the impact those mentors have had. One can even get a little choked up talking about it. Many thanks to all who serve others through investment of time and wisdom as a mentor.

Jim Carrington,

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Today I offer pure appreciation for everyone who works hard to make the public face of the Danforth Center welcoming, informative and inspiring. The complete list of content, displays and events, and all of the teams who contribute, is prohibitively long for a single message. But four sets of teams and contributions have caught my eye recently.

North American Plant Phenotyping Network (NAPPN) annual meeting. The five-day NAPPN meeting a few weeks ago was the best organized and most attendee-friendly scientific conference I’ve ever seen! From program content to the slightest organizational details, this meeting was amazing. I had numerous attendees tell me how they appreciated the entire set-up, the meeting spaces, the food, and the entire stylish vibe. This meeting made a big impact on all attendees! Among the dozens of contributors from many teams, special thanks go to the events team of Jenny Nguyen, Cat Currens and Tam McGuire.

Recent web and social media. Maintaining fresh, invigorating content on our web and social media channels is a continuous job done by the talented team of Dena Holtgrewe, Kristina DeYong and Karla Roeber. Their work is guided by priorities in our strategic plan, and probably more systematic and analytic than you think. They have the difficult tasks of timely information-gathering, writing content, and then adapting that content to the various online platforms. Their work communicates enthusiasm for our mission, which rubs off on the public.

Bringing science to life every day. The video and display resources around the facilities help tell our story to both visitors and Center community members in creative ways, and I thank the entire IT team for keeping them up and running. I’m always impressed with the content developed by Kirk Czymmek and displayed outside of the Advanced Bioimaging Lab (ABL). Have you noticed that Leonardo Chavez, Joseph Duenwald and Katie Murphy recently installed a pen board on the Bellwether Phenotyping window, and use it with scientific teams to communicate easy-to-understand explanations of current experiments? These resources effectively communicate what we do and why we do it.

Tour guides and docents. Finally, many thanks go to everyone who leads visiting groups on Center tours, including our enthusiastic, knowledgeable group of volunteer docents. By leading or assisting with tours, the docents enable us to accommodate the many requests from the broader community to experience the Center.

Jim Carrington,

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I’ve had several conversations recently about roles and responsibilities of Principal Investigators (PIs) at the Danforth Center. We all know that PIs are Ph.D.-level leaders of funded research projects and programs, but you might be surprised to learn that “PI” is not an official position title. The “PI” designation denotes the important functional role of leading, managing and being held accountable for externally funded research projects. To understand the various kinds of PIs, let’s consider the three Danforth Center positions that allow one to apply for grants and serve as PI.

Member. Full, Associate and Assistant Members comprise the majority of our PIs. They build teams primarily through external grants that fund most of the Center’s research activity. Once promoted beyond Assistant Member, Associate and Full Member’s appointments are renewed on a five-year basis, pending successful internal and external reviews of their research and other contributions. Members are also assessed every other year by our external Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Among other duties, Members provide invaluable service across the Center, including oversight of core facilities.

Scientific Director/Executive Director. Scientific Directors build and lead teams to do original research through external grants in the same ways as do Members. They differ from Members in having major responsibilities to lead the core facilities, or units like Education Research & Outreach and the Institute for International Crop Improvement. Directors lead facilities or units with strategic or practical importance to the Center, for which they are provided a budget from the central funds. Directors are renewed annually, and subjected to occasional review by the SAB.

Senior Research Scientist. Senior Research Scientists (SRSs) may also apply for and manage research grants as PIs. These individuals serve significant leadership roles within a Member’s or Director’s research team, and they sometimes help manage large multi-institutional projects. They usually supervise at least some of the other lab members. An SRS with great ideas and who successfully competes for a grant as a PI has achieved a major career milestone, and is able to assemble their own team within a Member’s or Director’s lab. We have around 10 very talented Senior Research Scientists at the Center, over half of whom have served as a PI.

I thank every one of our PIs for obtaining grants, leading projects, and guiding progress forward at the Center.

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

The origins of Black History Month are found in the 1920s, when several states recognized the week of Frederick Douglass’ (February 14) and Abraham Lincoln’s (February 12) birthdays. The historian Carter G. Woodson organized early campaigns for Black history recognition, arguing that it was crucial for survival of Black people and culture. He wrote, “If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.” U.S. national recognition of Black History Month started in the 1970s, when President Ford asked Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

I encourage everyone to learn a little more about influential Black St. Louisans who changed your favorite pastimes or passions. For example, if you love blues and jazz music like I do, learn about Scott Joplin and how ragtime shaped generations of musicians that followed. St. Louisan Albert King changed how the blues guitar was played, creating a style that heavily influenced Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Are you aware of Johnnie Johnson? He was the unsung foundation of Chuck Berry’s music in the 1950s here in St. Louis, and a true founding father of rock and roll. The National Blues Museum in St. Louis is a wonderful place to learn more.

If you love baseball, learn more about the all-Black St. Louis Stars (formerly St. Louis Giants) of the Negro National League prior to integration of Major League Baseball in the 1940s. Underappreciated for decades, Black players on the Stars and Giants were among the greatest ever. Oscar Charleston was ranked between Henry Aaron and Ted Williams as the 5th best baseball player of all time in Joe Posnanski’s book, “Baseball 100”. James “Cool Papa” Bell was one of the greatest ever base-stealing players, and is honored with a bronze statue outside Busch Stadium. Among many Black players from the St. Louis Cardinals, learn more about center fielder Curt Flood from the 1960s. His stand against being traded from the Cardinals fundamentally changed professional baseball by leading to free agency.

Opportunities abound in our backyard to gain a better understanding of how Black history shaped all of our lives. I look forward to hearing about what you learn!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This week, let’s take a pop quiz! As February 11 is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, I asked four Danforth Center women scientists about the most important influences that catalyzed their careers in science. Your quiz question is: What do all of the following responses have in common?

Kiona Elliott –  While a high school student in Florida, one of her teachers received a grant to engage students in microbial research. Kiona was actively recruited to participate. “She wanted to give me an opportunity,” Kiona said. She connected with science as something real through that experience.

Katie Murphy – As a young girl, Katie was always encouraged by her parents to read. “My mom gave me a chemistry book when I was about 10,” Katie said while recalling what got her hooked on science. Then as an undergraduate student, professor Ginny Walbot reached out and said, “Come into my lab and I’ll teach you everything you need to know about plants.”

Ketra Oketcho – Though her early expectations were to become a physician, a chance encounter and conversation with a plant science professor opened her eyes to the world of biotechnology. He actively followed up by sending Ketra more information about plant science, and continues to serve as a mentor in her career journey. 

Kerri Gilbert – As a second-year university student taking Introductory Genetics, Kerri encountered a young, new professor. “It was the first time I’d had a science class taught by a woman, let alone someone who didn’t look that much older than me,” said Kerri. As a role model, this instructor fueled a love for genetics that has propelled Kerri’s career ever since.

Give yourself full credit if you answered: Each of these women had at least one role model or an individual who cared to actively engage them in science. Only 28% of the STEM workforce is comprised of women; that percentage is even lower in math, computer and engineering fields. But there are proven ways that work to increase participation and retention. Offering inclusive experiences in science early, and serving as engaged role models or mentors, are known to be effective. Evidence that they work is all around us at the Danforth Center. Many thanks to Kiona, Katie, Ketra and Kerri for sharing their experiences. I hope they inspire you to help others!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

A conversation with John McDonnell seven or eight years ago seeded an idea. During one of numerous conversations about leadership when he was Chair of the Danforth Center Board, John said, “At McDonnell Douglass when I was CEO, every person who was hired into or promoted to a supervisor or team leader role had to first undergo six weeks of leadership development training.” The idea - a formal leadership development program for those in supervisor and leadership roles at the Danforth Center - transitioned into real planning by Jennifer McDonnell and Anna Dibble (People & Culture team) a few years ago. With Jennifer leading the way, we began the first modules of a unique, 19-hr Developing Scientific Leaders series, with nine participants in the pilot group.

Despite the name, Developing Scientific Leaders was designed for all leaders and supervisors at the Danforth Center. The program consists of a people-centered curriculum to help leaders understand themselves and their tendencies; people interactions and dynamics, including navigating difficult situations; relationship-building and psychological safety; the power of influence; emotional intelligence; diversity awareness and inclusion; and mentoring and coaching. Most scientists receive little or no exposure to principles or practice of leadership during their training years, yet they may find themselves leading large teams within a few years after graduation. With both internal and external instructors, and with lots of participatory engagement, our program will provide a consistent, shared training experience among all leaders and supervisors at the Center.

Supporting better-equiped leaders will have numerous benefits for teams and team members, and for the Danforth Center overall. If successful, Developing Scientific Leaders will result in more team cohesion, less dissatisfaction with leaders and supervisors, fewer stressful situations that rise to intractable problems, and higher achievement across the Center community. As a strategic priority, this program represents a significant investment to elevate all aspects of our work.

Many thanks to Jennifer and Anna for bringing Developing Scientific Leaders to life. And special thanks go to Kris Callis-Duehl, Amy Funk, Meter Nusinow, Tessa Burch-Smith, Russell Williams, Terry Beeler, Djuan Coleman, Nigel Taylor, and Mindy Darnell for their willingness and bravery to be pilot participants. Their feedback and input will greatly benefit subsequent cohorts!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

This week, let’s celebrate a few notable research articles published by Danforth Center teams over the last few months. Congratulations to all of the contributors!

Dowd, T.G., Li, M., Bagnall, G.C. et al. (2022). Root system architecture and environmental flux analysis in mature crops using 3D root mesocosms. Frontiers Plant Sci.13:1041404. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1041404.

This paper reports on a novel system to visualize, measure and analyze full-size root systems by the Topp lab. They developed large, customized plant growth boxes called mesocosms, which are loaded with sensors to measure environmental factors around the roots. Complete root system can be imaged and visualized in 3D through photogrammetry. These mesocosms enable discovery of new root traits and better understanding of the impact of subterranean biotic and abiotic factors on crop plant growth and development.

Veley, K.M., Elliott, K., Jensen, G. et al. (2023). Improving cassava bacterial blight resistance by editing the epigenome. Nature Commun. 14:85. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35675-7.

Epigenetics is difficult for non-specialists to get their head around. Very simply, epigenetics involves reversible ‘decorations’ that get bonded to, or layered upon, parts of an organism’s DNA. One such decoration is DNA methylation, which is often associated with turning off gene expression. In this paper, a Becky Bart-led collaboration between UCLA and Danforth Center teams showed that DNA methylation can be directed to new sites in the cassava genome using gene editing-like technology. Targeting methylation to the MeSWEET10a gene was shown to decrease gene expression and, as predicted, increase resistance to an important bacterial pathogen.

Beyene, G., Chauhan, R.D., Vilmer, J., et al. (2022) CRISPR/Cas9-mediated tetra-allelic mutation of the 'Green Revolution' SEMIDWARF-1 (SD-1) gene confers lodging resistance in tef (Eragrostis tef). Plant Biotechnol J. 20: 1716-1729. DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13842.

Bringing advanced technologies to orphan crop improvement will be important to elevate food availability, nutrition, and livelihoods of small holder farmers. This collaborative work led by the Institute for International Crop Improvement (IICI) team used gene editing to create mutations in the Semidwarf-1 (SD-1) gene in tef, a staple grain crop grown most commonly in Ethiopia. Like wheat, tall varieties tef are susceptible to lodging (falling over during heavy wind and rain), which limits productivity. But here, some of the SD-1-edited tef were 28-42% shorter than the original varieties, and had lodging-resistant characteristics. These new traits may have great value in breeding improved tef varieties.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Prologue – With the intent to bring new and diverse perspectives to the Danforth Center community, this week’s message was written by a guest. The content and opinions were developed entirely by our guest, though I suggested some topical areas in the form of questions, as shown. Except for the questions and a few comments from me in parentheses, content was used verbatim from our guest writer. Jim Carrington

Dear Danforth Center Community,

The Danforth Plant Science Center is an important research facility because it conducts research in the field of plant biology, which has many real-world applications.

Why is the Danforth Center important? By studying the basic biology of plants, scientists at the center aim to understand how plants grow, how they respond to their environment, and how they can be improved to produce more food and other products more efficiently. This research can lead to the development of new, more resilient crop varieties that can help to feed a growing global population and address issues such as climate change. Additionally, the center also serves as a hub for collaboration between scientists, academics, industry, and government, promoting the transfer of knowledge and technology to the broader community. (JC: our guest appears to have a good grip on what we do and why. Impressive!)

What has caught your attention recently about what we’re doing at the Center? I am not aware of any recent developments or news from the Danforth Plant Science Center specifically…and I do not have real-time information access. However, the Danforth Plant Science Center is a research facility that focuses on plant biology, and they are likely continually working on various research projects and initiatives in this field. You can check out the Center’s website and social media channels for the latest updates and news. (JC: this is a little disappointing. Frankly, I expected more from our writer.)

What are your thoughts about Jim Carrington, Danforth Center president and CEO? I do not have specific information on a person named “Jim Carrington” as the President of the Danforth Center. As my knowledge cutoff is 2021, it is possible that he is not the current president or that he is not a public figure in the field. However, the Danforth Center is a nonprofit research organization and the President and CEO is a key figure in the organization and is responsible for leading the Center’s scientific and strategic direction. (JC: Seriously? Talk about not knowing your audience!)

ChatGPT
January 20, 2023

Postscript from JC: ChatGPT is a new, publicly available AI chatbot that is triggering widespread excitement, concern, hype and fear. I hope this message focuses attention on a few important issues we need to confront as these technologies increasingly contribute to what we consider or accept as “knowledge.”

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

In late 2010, I asked Todd Mockler to stop by my Oregon State University office to chat. Todd was an OSU associate professor and rising star, hired several years earlier through an initiative organized by the Center I directed. He could tell something was brewing when he arrived. I asked him what he knew about the Danforth Center. Todd picked up on the vibe and with an interested smile said, “Not much. Are you moving there”? I let him know I’d just accepted the position of Danforth Center president, and why. It was the “why” that fired Todd’s imagination.

At OSU, Todd was ascending in the plant biology field as a fearless, computationally savvy genome biologist who wanted to understand how plants respond to changes in their environment. He helped develop Brachypodium as a model, create new tools to analyze high-throughput sequencing data, and bring genome sequencing to numerous crop species with countless collaborators. He also started flexing his entrepreneurial muscles by cofounding a start-up called Intuitive Genomics with Doug Bryant and another guy. Intuitive Genomics was helping scientists and companies gain insights into their newly acquired genome expression data. Over time, however, Todd and the small Intuitive Genomics team recognized the difficulties for such start-ups in Corvallis, which had a limited culture of support for scientist-entrepreneurs. That was a big part of the “why” we discussed that day in my office.

I explained to Todd the Danforth Center mission and vision, and the ideas to grow the innovation ecosystem to support start-ups that would emerge from Center science. He clearly saw his future at the Danforth Center and, in mid-2011, moved his lab, family and Intuitive Genomics to St. Louis. Within the next year, he met Matt Crisp and co-founded Benson Hill to develop more productive crops, leading to one of the most exciting St. Louis start-up successes and a new headquarters building on our campus. Within a few more years, Intuitive Genomics was acquired by NewLeaf Symbiotics, with Todd and Doug leading the company’s data science efforts to develop new beneficial microbes in agriculture. All this was happening while Todd’s lab at the Danforth Center grew and flourished in new directions.

Todd was vastly important as a model for how we could deliver benefits from Danforth Center science to society, and how our work could lead to positive economic impact for the region. During recent strategic planning for ways to create more start-ups from the Danforth Center, Todd was the shining example of a scientist-entrepreneur to encourage and support. Someone at a university once asked me, “How can we create more start-up companies from our faculty?” My quick answer was, “How many Todd Mocklers do you have?”

Todd departed from us far too soon. But he left us with a legacy that only a remarkable scientist-entrepreneur could build.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Congratulations to everyone who made it through the Holidays and graduated to 2023! It seems that we were all affected over the last few weeks by the air travel meltdown, the weather, or infectious agents spreading through family and friends. It was as if ornery 2022 was saying, “Wait, I’m not done with you!” But I want to start the new year by highlighting a few items that caught my attention on two “Best of 2022” lists. These are particularly noteworthy to us at the Danforth Center and to everyone who cares about the work we do.

“10 Ways the World Got Better in 2022” from Time. Coming in at #5 was the first harvest of vitamin A-biofortified rice (Golden Rice) in the Philippines. While Golden Rice has been in development for decades, critical advances toward commercialization and release were made possible by the careful work of Don Mackenzie and team at the Danforth Center over the past several years. Golden Rice offers hope that vitamin A deficiency, which can cause blindness and premature death, can be relieved through nutritionally enhanced staple crops. It also represents, along with insect-resistant cowpea, another breakthrough for improved staple crops developed through advanced technologies by the public sector.

“2022 Breakthrough of the Year” from Science Magazine. At #2 on the 10 Runners-up list is development of high-yielding perennial rice (PR23). Anyone who has heard Allison Miller or her team members speak knows about the concept of replacing annual crops with perennial crops. If yields of perennial varieties of rice, wheat and other crops can improve to levels competitive with traditional annual varieties, they may offer significant benefits like enhanced soil quality, lower farming costs, and reduced inputs on the farm. As published in Nature Sustainability, PR23 was shown to produce relatively high yields in multiple location in Asia, and to deliver the benefits predicted for perennial grain crops. There was also a substantial reduction in labor requirements starting in the second year. The team also showed some limitations, like a reduction of PR23 yield over the course of several five years, but the level of success demonstrated was a breakthrough nonetheless.

Recognition of these two milestones by Time and Science Magazine reflects a growing awareness of the critical role of plant science toward improving the human condition. That’s great news from 2022!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

During each of the Professional Development Conversations I’ve had with team members recently, goal-setting for 2023 has been a primary focus. In my view, setting worthwhile, meaningful, and achievable goals is one of the most important things everyone can and should do at the Danforth Center, regardless of one’s position, roles or responsibilities. I especially appreciate goals that emphasize the unique contributions that a community member can make. Goals not only define what we seek to achieve, but can instill confidence that one is on board with the broader aims of a team or the Center. Many thanks to everyone who has or will set goals for the coming year.

I set goals annually in collaboration with the Chairperson of our Board of Directors, and using a few simple criteria in doing so. First, my goals need to align with or enable the desired outcomes of our 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. Second, they need to be consistent with the goals of those who report to me…let’s avoid the sparks that occur when wires are crossed! And third, my goals should be connected to what I can uniquely influence, even if I’m only a fractional contributor. In fact, my goals often include things that involve heavy lifting by other individuals and teams.

Some of my 2023 goals involve targets for fundraising to enable strategic priorities, planning for strategic initiatives, and implementation of a leadership development program at the Danforth Center. If my goals are achieved by this time next year, the Center will be on a more secure financial footing, major strategic investments will be closer to (or actually) returning significant dividends, and our community members will have better-equipped leaders and mentors. I look forward to the challenge of meeting my goals.

Finally, with the goal of rejuvenating and recharging, I will be investing a few weeks in vacation to warm up in a sunnier location and visit family prior to the holidays. So, this will be the last weekly message from me in 2022. Take care, everyone!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This week, our 2023 budget proposal was approved by the Danforth Center Board of Directors. This culminated a months-long process of organizing short-term and long-term strategic priorities, assessing needs and requests from department leaders, analyzing overarching Center needs, and identifying ways to pay for everything we propose do, build or acquire. Like your personal budget, creating the Danforth Center budget involves a priority-driven reconciliation of what we need, what we want and what we can afford. Our budget is also a representation of Danforth Center core values. Sincere thanks go Finance team members Djuan Coleman, Leticia Slack, Heather Bowen, Darine Kube and Hal Davies for developing a better-than-balanced 2023 budget!

Here's one reason why everyone should care about the budget process – annual merit increases. The merit increase process starts with annual benchmarking against regional institutions (e.g. local universities) and U.S. independent research institutes. We assess data for pay ranges within position categories we have at the Danforth Center to determine pay competitiveness. We also determine what merit increase levels are planned at other organizations, and assess national trends for salary increases. Every three years, we do a detailed dive into all job categories to ensure that our salary structure is competitive and consistent with compensation trends. In 2022, we also embarked on an internal pay equity analysis, which will be the subject of a future message. All of these annual and periodic analyses are done rigorously by Anna Dibble and the HR team.

We* then decide on the amount to recommend for an overall merit increase, and for a pool to fund individual increases due to promotions, market-based adjustments and other factors. The merit increase amount takes into account a lot of factors, like inflation and how much we think we can afford. We take our recommendation to the Compensation Committee of our Board prior to submission of the overall budget. For the 2023 budget, the Compensation Committee approved our request for a 5% merit pay increase, and a 1% pool for promotions and other adjustments. This will be the highest merit pool we’ve ever had at the Center.

The budget affects everyone at the Center. I hope this and future communications shed some light on how we’ll be impacted and what we’re committed to achieve in 2023.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

*“We” is me, Hal Davies (VP for Finance) and Anna Dibble (VP for Human Resources).

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Someone once asked me, “Why do we hold so many large events at the Danforth Center?” Let’s discuss the purpose of events and what makes them as successful as they are. We host several types of events like scientific symposia, AgTech Next, and Raspberry Pi Jam that serve direct mission-relevant purposes. There are supporter- or donor-based events where we steward those who invest in the Danforth Center; hearing about the return on their investment is critical for those who contribute financially. And there are events held by a wide range of external organizations that use, and pay for, our facilities and event-organizing expertise, and these help build valuable connections and identity within the St. Louis community. Each type of event serves an important purpose.

The consistent feedback that I and organizers receive from these events overwhelmingly indicates that Danforth Center events are special! The recent AgTech Next conference, which spotlights opportunities for innovation to address global challenges in agriculture and food, is a good example. With purposeful leadership and collaboration from the Innovation, Events, Public Relations, Facilities, Development, IT, café, and scientific teams, and external partners, AgTech Next delivered a unique program and experience. Those resulted from content that was important and timely to attendees; valuable accommodations for individual needs; over-delivery on logistical and technical needs of participants; and careful attention to detail at every point. In other words, we executed very well on AgTech Next.

But there is something else about AgTech Next and so many other events, and that’s the Danforth Center itself. It is one thing to hold a conference about AgTech innovation at a nondescript conference Center or hotel. It’s quite another to hold it at a place that really cares, that showcases science and impact, and that exists to help bring about the change that AgTech Next intends to catalyze. This “special sauce” is ubiquitous, from the views out of our windows to the interactions with our people. A brief but positive encounter of a guest with a postdoctoral scientist, or a member of the Plant Growth Facility team during a tour, is very powerful.

Thank you to everyone who contributes to events at the Center. Like AgTech Next, they all involve a lot of hard work, and they really do help move us forward.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

We held an interesting mini-symposium at the Danforth Center this week, with 12 PIs giving short talks on research projects related to Outcome 3 of our Strategic Plan - Sustainable Crops and Systems. This was organized by Becky Bart, who also led the Outcome 3 action planning team when the Strategic Plan was being implemented in 2021. The mini-symposium was intended to take inventory of active research projects – from fundamental science to actual delivery of products – related to sustainable crops and systems, and to shed light on the opportunities and challenges to translate discoveries in the lab into actual beneficial products.

The mini-symposium highlighted not only interesting and important work going on across the Center, but the different ways in which meaningful outcomes can be achieved. Beyond publishing research results, real world outcomes can happen by licensing technologies to the private sector for product development and delivery to customers. Two of the active projects presented have been or are being moved into commercial development or deployment through Danforth Center spin-out companies. But for small-holder farmer communities in regions lacking access to commercial advances, we may stay involved in public sector product development all the way through delivery, as we are doing with improved cowpea and cassava in west and east Africa, respectively. Four or five of the projects presented are following this route toward impact.

The remaining 12 or so projects presented are at early foundational or applied research, proof-of-concept or prototyping stages. These are critical stages to learn basic information from which applications might be conceived, and to assess what might be feasible in the marketplace. The Danforth Center embraces work at each stage. Some of the most fundamental science in one team turns out to be important for later stage research in other teams. Great contributions in basic cell biology from Jim Umen’s lab, for example, affects Kirk Czymmek and Dilip Shah teams working to develop sustainable ways to fight plant diseases.

There are many challenges to moving Danforth Center discoveries through to new products with sustainability benefits, including difficulty obtaining the necessary funding and a lack of collaborators or partners with product development expertise. I hope the mini-symposium stimulates a lot of conversation and casts a little light on how some of the difficulties are being overcome. Many thanks to Becky and all of the presenters for contributing to an outstanding event!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Environmental sustainability is a consistent theme in much of the research done at the Danforth Center, yielding discoveries and technologies that may be applied to increase water-efficiency in agriculture, decrease the need for synthetic fertilizers, and improve soils health. But what are we doing to ensure that the Center is operating in a manner that aligns with our core value of Environmental Sustainability? And are we doing enough?

We have focused the largest amount of sustainability investment towards reducing energy usage and greenhouse (GH) gas emissions at the Center. We signed onto the OC3 coalition proclamation, along with Washington University and several dozen local organizations, in 2019 and pledged to reduce regional GH gas emissions to 28% below 2005 levels by 2025, and to 80% below 2005 levels by 2050. We have made significant headway – approximately 72% towards our 2025 reduction target – through making numerous investments, including:

• Energy efficient infrastructure – Improvements to heating, cooling and ventilation systems, automated lighting controls, and other efficiency measures have been taken. When the WHD Wing was opened in 2016, improved infrastructure contributed to earning LEED Gold status.
• LED lighting conversion – Virtually all interior lighting is now provided by LED bulbs. The partially complete LED conversion program in the greenhouses is replacing 1448 conventional fixtures with 1275 LED fixtures, and the LED conversion in growth chambers will start in 2023. This $1.5M investment will reduce lighting-related energy consumption by a minimum of 31%.
• Use of renewable energy – We are growing our commitment to using energy from renewable sources (wind, solar) by purchasing additional renewable energy certificates from Ameren. This will ensure that we meet or exceed our GH gas reduction goals. 

The lowest scoring statements were (descending order):

• “I have not considered searching for another job in the past month.”
• “Senior managers understand what is really happening at the Danforth Center.”
• “I feel well-informed about important decisions at the Danforth Center.”

Do these scores mean we are doing badly in these areas? Not necessarily, as the data indicate positive overall responses to even the lowest rated statements. But their scores relative to others mean we will put more attention to understanding both broad concerns and issues that might be felt more intensely by specific departments or teams. The written comments are particularly informative in guiding where attention needs to be focused.

But there is far more that needs to be done. For example, we have a long way to go to reduce or eliminate waste, especially single-use disposable plastic. While we have some important programs in place already, we need to better understand our sustainability deficiencies across the Center, establish a broader sustainability plan, and set goals. We will be increasing our investments in 2023, starting with a sustainability audit.

Thanks to all who are already contributing to these important efforts. And special thanks to Pat Baldrich, Nigel Taylor, Stephanie Regagnon, Kevin Riley and Chris Topp for providing valuable Center sustainability leadership as a group.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent pulse survey of Danforth Center community member engagement. The purpose of the survey is to assess factors that contribute to how community members feel about the Danforth Center as a place to work. We are committed to doing these pulse surveys regularly to understand how engagement is changing over time, to identify new or persistent areas of concern, and to learn if our culture-building efforts are paying off. The survey consisted of 10 statements to which disagree/agree ratings were provided on a Likert scale, as well as open-ended written feedback related to each statement. Over half of you completed the online anonymous survey, and you collectively submitted 425 written comments, each of which I read.

Among the 10 survey statements, those with the highest scores were (descending order):

• “I would highly recommend working at the Danforth Center to others.”
• “Danforth Center operates by strong values.”
• “My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful.”

These responses are consistent with prior surveys showing strong affinity of community members with our mission, and reflect the considerable work we have all done to better integrate values in everything we do. But I would also say that we can and will do much more on the values front, as some suggested in the survey comments. For example, we will be broadening our efforts, and increasing funding for, environmental sustainability on our site and in our facilities

The lowest scoring statements were (descending order):

• “I have not considered searching for another job in the past month.”
• “Senior managers understand what is really happening at the Danforth Center.”
• “I feel well-informed about important decisions at the Danforth Center.”

Do these scores mean we are doing badly in these areas? Not necessarily, as the data indicate positive overall responses to even the lowest rated statements. But their scores relative to others mean we will put more attention to understanding both broad concerns and issues that might be felt more intensely by specific departments or teams. The written comments are particularly informative in guiding where attention needs to be focused.

We take these pulse survey results very seriously. They spur additional learning, and real actions and investments are taken as a result. I encourage everyone to participate when we periodically roll them out. Have a good weekend!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This was a busy week around the Center, with considerable amount of effort directed towards the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) Meeting. The annual SAB review serves a critical accountability function to assess 1) the nature and quality of our research, and 2) whether or not our research is leading to important, mission-relevant outcomes. The SAB met with and heard presentations from PIs, learned about strategic priorities and initiatives, and interacted with graduates students, postdoctorals, scientific staff, and department leaders. The SAB will deliver an evaluation of scientific progress and impact to the Board of Directors. But here, I want to highlight two ways in which I was impressed during the presentations and interactions during the SAB visit.

Better vision beyond the lab. Half of the 12 presenting PIs mentioned Proof of Concept (PoC) grants they received or were planning to apply for. The PoC grant program was implemented in 2021 to better support development of technologies with commercial potential arising from Danforth Center labs. The program supports the strategic goal of spinning out more start-up companies and licensing more technologies to the private sector. I was struck by both the progress made and the creativity in envisioning how basic scientific progress can translate into practical solutions to big challenges. The PoC projects have already helped one start-up company form and several technologies advance toward marketable applications.

Better story-telling about Center research. Story-telling about our people, our struggles to overcome challenges, and our inspiration is one of the most effective way to communicate about the Center. The SAB heard the amazing scientific story – from tragedy to triumph – of discovery of the CMD2 gene from Becky Bart. They heard the remarkable story of Baxter team computational scientist, Allen Hubbard, who while struggling under the unbearable weight of metabolomics big data-overload and a broken elbow, had his moment of clarity for how to reinvent the way complex mass spectrometry data are analyzed. And during lunch, Meyers lab graduate student, Ryan Delpercio, told the story of how a wild idea led to a gift of funding from Phil Needleman, and then refinement and development of the idea through several funded projects in the lab. The original idea turned into key discoveries that may lead to new hybrid crops.

Many thanks to everyone who participated in the SAB review. Your vision for impact and inspiring communications had me smiling throughout the program.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This week, the Committee for Scientific Mentoring and Training (CSTM) at the Danforth Center is organizing and hosting BioBash, an annual, regional gathering of young scientists for career networking and discussion of opportunities in the life sciences. This two-afternoon event brings together graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, research professionals and employers from across St. Louis, and is yet another example of leadership from CSTM members to promote their growth and success. Coincidently, the journal Science just published the results of a large scale study by Rajkumar et al. (and accompanying Perspective article) that explains why BioBash is so important for the careers and job-seeking prospects of those who participate.

The power of one’s social network in job seeking success has long been appreciated. The current paper describes a massive analysis of job-seeking data from 20 million LinkedIn users to determine the kinds of social interactions that are most important for job-getting success. They tested the causal impact of having strong ties (like family members and close friends) and weak ties (like friends of friends) on successful job movement. Counterintuitively, it turns out that weak ties are collectively more important than strong ties as connections that result in job-seeking success! Having at least a moderate number of weak ties has the strongest causal effect. This work strengthens an earlier hypothesis about weak ties serving to bridge diverse networks and to reveal opportunities about which one may not be aware. Strong ties, on the other hand, more frequently limit knowledge-sharing about, say, a new job opportunity to information that people in the group already know.

The new results provide support for the notion that people are willing to help one another based on a weak connection or on having something in common, like attending BioBash as one of a few hundred participants. Consider how much larger everyone’s weak tie network becomes due solely to attendance at this event. We now have research to show just how important that is.

Many thanks to CSTM and all other Center community members who are organizing, attending and enabling BioBash. Your efforts will matter for a long time to come!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

The recent buzz about new start-up companies based on Danforth Center science and technologies is exciting. Starting new companies is an entrepreneurial goal shared by many community members, and is a strategic priority of the Danforth Center. Much work has gone into identifying and actively supporting Center breakthroughs that might promote sustainable benefits in the marketplace, and to create structures that help start-up companies lift off. At the same time, much work has also gone into ensuring that this is done with ethics and integrity and without problems arising from conflicts of interests (COIs).

The involvement of Danforth Center personnel with companies - as founders, advisors, or managers of research funding - usually comes with the potential for various COIs. They could include financial conflicts, conflicts of time commitment, or exploitation of Danforth Center resources or team members. It is important to realize that the potential for conflicts cannot be entirely eliminated. Doing so would require that we eliminate all interactions and engagement with the private sector, which would be counter-productive and prevent us from delivering on our mission.

Rather, we have put in place policies* and procedures to ensure everyone with potential conflicts of interest 1) abides by a code of ethics, 2) declares any and all substantive potential conflicts, and 3) adheres to an approved conflict management plan, if necessary. These declarations and management plans are reviewed annually by the team of Toby Kellogg (Research Integrity officer) and Hal Davies (COO), who meet with those who are managing potential COIs and often with their team members. The declarations and management plans are then presented to the Conflict of Interest Committee of the Danforth Center Board of Directors. The Committee members meet annually with me, Toby and Hal to discuss potential COIs and offer feedback that may help manage or avoid problems. These policies and procedures aim to detect the potential for conflicts early and to avoid trouble before it develops. And while we work hard to avoid problems, we are prepared to take actions if the need ever arises.

I thank everyone who actively manages and minimizes conflicts of interest. It is an expression of our value of Integrity, and critical to the Danforth Center’s goal of delivering benefits to society based on our hard work.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

*The Employee Handbook posted on Workvivo outlines, and links to, our policies on Ethical Conduct, Research Integrity, and Conflicts of Interest.

Dear Danforth Center Community,

The Labor Day holiday is just around the corner, so I hope everyone who can is planning a little relaxation. Given the pace of work I’ve witnessed recently, most of you could use a break! The diligence and continuous effort needed to run our facilities and operations at a high level, and to respond efficiently to problems and crises that arise, should be appreciated by all.

Keeping the Danforth Center engine running involves a commitment to service, creativity and flexibility across all departments, and much hard work that is out of view. Coordination of the recent onboarding of 18 new Center community members by the Human Resources team, for example, happened seamlessly along with all of HR’s other duties. Nine grant proposals were readied for submission to federal agencies this week, the culmination of countless hours of coordination, writing, budget development, and review by scientists, Grant Specialists, the Finance team, and many others. And the Plant Growth Facilities team continues to do heroic work every day, including weekends and holidays, to support the scientific teams in the greenhouses, growth chambers and field, often under difficult working conditions.

Then there is the heavy-lifting done by the Facilities team to prepare, build and maintain our working spaces and infrastructure. They are always available on short notice, like when they were needed to disassemble and move furniture and cabinets that we’re donating to the JJK Center this week. How about the Events team and evening custodial crew? Last week, they moved an entire sit-down dinner event for several dozen guests – in the middle of the meal - from the Miller Terrace to the Lower Atrium just before a surprise thunderstorm rolled through.

This handful of examples is representative of the work ethic, spirit and commitment across the Danforth Center community. On this Labor Day holiday weekend, I thank you all!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

What an honor it is to recognize and celebrate those who achieve important things! Four Washington University Ph.D. students who are doing their thesis work at the Danforth Center recently received competitive fellowship awards to support their research. Kiona Elliott (Bart lab) received the 2022 Danforth Plant Science Fellow, an annual award established at the Center through an endowed gift from Diana and Roy Vagelos. Stephanie King (Nusinow lab), Pratheek Pandesha (Slotkin lab) and Antonio Brazelton (Topp lab) each won four-year William H. Danforth Fellowships in Plant Sciences, which are awarded by Washington University through an endowed gift to promote plant-related graduate education at the university and the Danforth Center. The awards are key milestones in the careers of these four young scientists, and will enable interesting work in important areas of plant biology.

Kiona Elliott. Also a NSF Graduate Research Fellow and a Gates Millennium Scholar, Kiona studies interactions between disease-causing bacteria and plants. She focuses on the genetic basis for susceptibility or resistance of cassava to the cassava bacterial blight pathogen, work that has relevance to improving the livelihoods and food security of smallholder farmers in developing countries.

Pratheek Pandesha. Pratheek’s research deals with how plant genomes are controlled through a process called RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). Through detailed genetic and biochemical studies, Pratheek is deciphering the ways in which the RdRM molecular machinery is activated to place methylation marks at specific sites in DNA. This research may lead to more robust, advanced breeding methods for crop improvement.

Stephanie King. Like you, plants have internal timekeepers called circadian clocks that control numerous physiologic functions over the 24-hour cycle. Stephanie investigates how cold temperatures affect circadian clock function by analyzing molecular components of the clock and how they interact with proteins that convey temperature information. Understanding how the circadian clock is regulated may help breeders develop crops with higher performance in different environments.

Antonio Brazelton. Urban agriculture on vacant lots or land with prior uses has unique challenges. Antonio seeks to analyze root traits, including heavy metal uptake and accumulation properties, with relevance to urban farmers and consumers in different varieties of collard. This research will set the table for breeding programs that are tailored to the special needs of urban farmers, chefs, and culinary customers.

Congratulations to Kiona, Pratheek, Stephanie and Antonio!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

In writing about outgrowing the capacity at our current leased field research site a few weeks ago, I made reference to “some exciting news in the weeks ahead.” Research in the field has grown in both scope and importance among at least a dozen Center teams, and will continue to expand as more of our fundamental discoveries in the lab point the way towards real-world solutions. As a priority within the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan, we have been seeking a long-term solution for a field research resource that measures up to the exceptional facilities on the Danforth Center campus. The exciting news is…we just finalized acquisition of a 140-acre farm that will be developed as the new Danforth Center Field Research Site!

The new site is an exceptional, highly productive farm located on Highway 94, just over the Missouri River in St. Charles County. It is a speedy 20-minute drive from the Danforth Center, and features the following:

• Fertile, well-draining soil at non-flooding elevation. These critical features mean that planting and experiments can be done on a more predictable schedule, and results will be more consistent. These are essential for a research-grade facility.
• Ample existing buildings. The farm comes with buildings and structures totaling over 123,000 sq ft for equipment, storage or potential working space.
• A house. The property also comes with a 3200 sq ft. house that will undergo substantial renovation to provide office and meeting rooms, restrooms, and other spaces needed to support people working at the site.
• Room to grow! Considering that we are using 16 acres at our current, leased site this year, the new facility will accommodate vastly more activity in the years to come.

This acquisition represents one of the most significant expansions of Danforth Center research capacity in our 24 year history. We are now moving forward to assess and develop essential infrastructure (electrical, irrigation, etc.) that will enable some use as soon as this Fall, and to put in place a masterplan for long term development of the site. Many thanks to all who contributed the hard work to make this facility possible!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

P.S. Summer vacation will take priority over the Weekly Message next week, so I’ll write next in two weeks.

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This week’s message is being written while attending the Danforth Center’s 22nd REU Internship Symposium, the capstone event for the summer undergraduate research program. Students are presenting their findings from the last 11 weeks and why their work matters. These students are spectacular! Not only are their results are on par with those of seasoned scientists, but their presentations are being communicated with clarity and precision, as well as humor, purpose and life.

The more I listen, the more I recall my questionable maturity and limited skills when I was their age. How could I possibly have competed with them? The differences between what we’re hearing from the REU students today and my early scientific presentations are boundless, given that mine were certified disasters. This included my first lab meeting presentation, during which I froze after just a few minutes and could not continue. This was due to overly casual and careless preparation, and to the blunt realization that I had no idea what I was talking about! An early scientific seminar presentation I delivered was cut short by the convenor because I went 10 minutes over time, meaning that I could not deliver the other half of my material. These were brutal, embarrassing lessons in the immeasurable value of preparation that our current REU student have learned far earlier than I did.

And it’s not only the summer REU cohort developing these talents at an early age. A day earlier, an amazing group of high school students working with mentors at the Danforth Center and the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation presented posters on their recent projects in food, agriculture and nutrition. One young man, who articulately described to me his impressive work on different varieties of maize, could easily have been mistaken to be a high-achieving graduate student.

As the REU symposium wraps up, I feel optimistic about science and the scientists who are at the dawn of their careers. It is an honor to work with these exceptional young scholars and to witness their early contributions. It’s also a relief knowing I do not have to compete with them!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

It is worthwhile informing the Danforth Center community about the workings of our Board of Directors, which serves vital governance functions to ensure we are operating in accord with our mission, with high business standards, and with good stewardship of our resources. Directors are limited to two consecutive terms (8 years), and the staggered election schedule means that a few new Directors join the Board each year. This past week, we welcomed Dr. Pat Brown to his first Board meeting since becoming a Director earlier in 2022. 

Scientists in molecular biology and genome science fields know Pat for his seminal discoveries and contributions, like the revolutionary invention of microarray technology in the 1990s. This enabled researchers to simultaneously query the activities of thousands of genes in any kind of organism. Scientists from all fields know Pat because he and a few visionary colleagues pioneered open-source scientific publishing through founding of Public Library of Science (PLoS) in 2001, giving everyone access to papers published in PLoS-family journals without needing a costly subscription. And in the “What Have You Done for Me Lately?” department, we all know Pat as the founder of Impossible Foods Inc. in 2011 and his mission to replace consumption of animal meat with more environmentally rational plant-based meat. The Impossible Burger is not only a tasty tool in the arsenal to combat climate change, but also a platform that has raised awareness around the world of the ecological cost of animal farming

Pat brings scientific leadership, entrepreneurship and vision for a healthier planet to our Board. Those attributes and outlook co-align well with what the Danforth Center is all about. It was satisfying this week for Pat and the Board to hear about the big scientific and environmental challenges that the SINC team is tackling, and the new company we just spun out through the Start-Up Initiative. If you run into Pat at the Danforth Center during a future Board meeting, introduce yourself and share what you do. He will be interested!

Finally, this is the first Weekly Message to post to our new intranet, Workvivo. Many thanks to the large cast of community members who organized, tested and implemented this interactive resource. Have a great weekend!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

If you’re not in one of the teams that needs field research facilities, or you have a strong aversion to Missouri summer heat, you might not know much about our Field Research Site (FRS) at Planthaven Farms, 26 miles northwest of the Danforth Center. Planthaven owners Pauline and John Cella have generously provided access to productive farmland and associated facilities, and we cannot thank them enough. The FRS operation has supported research in at least a dozen labs, the Institute for International Crop Improvement (IICI), and the SINC Center over the past few years.

The site is managed expertly by Terry Beeler, who came on board just before the current growing season. Nelson Curren and Jenna Wood round out an exceptional FRS team that works fearlessly with each research group to meet their diverse needs. The team manages heavy equipment, planting operations, irrigation systems, weed and pest control, and much more. Terry, Nelson and Jenna, thank you for your hard work and invaluable contributions!

This season, Danforth Center teams have research on about 14 FRS acres. This includes performance testing of dwarf versions of the small grain, teff, developed by Getu Duguma and IICI collaborators for small holder farmers. Scientists in the SINC Center are testing hypotheses about the beneficial interactions of microbes and crop plants, with an eye on those that reduce the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. Multi-year projects on the soil-regenerating effects of cover crops and perennial crops are underway by SINC, Topp and Miller teams, and Eveland and Mockler teams have new projects involving maize, sunflower and hemp. With nearly 4.5 acres, Nadia Shakoor’s team working on the impact of sorghum genetics on carbon sequestration in soil takes the prize for “Most Acreage in Use.”

But growth of Danforth Center research requiring FRS facilities has created a new challenge: Our needs are overrunning capacity and capabilities at the current site. We have some ambitious scientists addressing global challenges with a vision that requires a more expansive FRS, customized systems for field phenotyping, and dedicated support facilities. Developing such a site will propel research from Danforth Center teams and collaborators, elevate our competitiveness for funding, and advance research towards impactful outcomes in agriculture. This is a strategic priority. Look for some exciting news in the weeks ahead!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Ben Mansfeld, a very talented postdoctoral scientist in the Bart Lab, described a big problem at a social gathering this week. This is a scientist who 1) is doing spectacular research, publishing outstanding papers, and exemplifying our values, and 2) understands the vast importance of communicating his and others’ scientific work to the broad public, including Danforth Center stakeholders and supporters. The problem, however, is the fact that communicating with non-scientific audiences involves a distinct skill set for which Ben was never trained. Doesn’t this require dedicated specialists who know what they’re doing?

Ben is not alone. Universities and scientific training paradigms almost exclusively train for technical needs to function within specialized fields. An informal survey of seven Center scientists during lunch recently revealed none had any public communications training during their undergraduate or graduate education. Further, given the demands of being a scientist at a research institute, adding “Public Communicator” to already stressed workloads is a daunting prospect.

But building skills to effectively communicate with non-scientists may not be as onerous as one might imagine. Here are three simple things we can do to build a deeper inventory of tools to interact better with public audiences: 

• Scientists, start with reasons to care. You are already writing papers and speaking in seminars about your research. Instead of starting these with tedious scientific background information, try beginning with the “Big Why,” or the compelling impact you hope will ultimately result from your work. Developing the habit of starting with a meaningful purpose will pay off with more interested and inspired audiences!
  
• Non-scientists, ask your Danforth Center scientist colleagues about their work. There are two good reasons for our administrative and non-scientist community members to do this. The scientists will get practice explaining their work in relatable and impact-driven ways, and the non-scientists will learn a lot of interesting things that they can relate to friends, colleagues and groups with which they interact. 
• Everyone, participate in events involving the public. The Danforth Center hosts numerous in-person events, like Conversations or Center tours, with opportunities to interact with visitors and supporters. Guests always appreciate hearing about our mission, vision and achievements from community members doing the work. Flexing those communication muscles strengthens your skills and gives our visitors a gift that they will remember.

I look forward to hearing your experiences, and sharing more about what I’ve learned.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I had the opportunity to meet with the 22 current Summer REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) students earlier this week. It’s a meeting I look forward to having annually with each REU class. There is much to learn about these talented scientists and the work they’re doing in Center labs, but also about their outlook and concerns for the future. This year, I asked the group two questions, which elicited some interesting and illuminating responses.

What are your concerns about the future of science? They had quite a few.

• Misinformation and pseudoscience.
• Ethics in science, including unethical behavior for profit making.
• Whether or not science can make a big enough impact on environmental sustainability and stewardship.
• Whether or not scientists can make an impact with the current state of the world.
• Concerns about doing enough as scientists, and doing the right things that will have impact.

Their responses indicated that they’re highly cognizant of major global issues and challenges. They are concerned that science and scientists are being undermined by misinformation campaigns from anti-science factions. And they are aware that science is a unique endeavor done by imperfect people who must make judgements, some of which may be in error.

What are you learning at the Danforth Center this Summer?

• The importance of collaboration in science.
• Effective communication skills.
• The importance of technology, and how helpful it is to understand broad aspects of plant science.
• Actual understanding of what big data and bioinformatics mean.
• Effective time and resource management skills.

It was great to hear that the students identified broadly applicable skills that will pay dividends throughout any career path they may take. What they’re learning will help equip them to address some of their expressed concerns about the future. Their experiences are going far beyond plant science and preparing them for the next big steps. Many thanks to the 2022 REU students for investing so much in their professional growth, and for their valuable contributions to the Danforth Center community. 

Have a great weekend!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

There has been much talk recently at the Danforth Center and around town about the Center spinning out start-up companies based on our science and technologies. The creation of Peptyde Bio, a new start-up co-founded by Dilip Shah and Kirk Czymmek, has only intensified the chatter. Let’s answer a few questions I’ve been getting about the start-up activity.

What is the Danforth Center Start-Up Initiative? This is a strategic priority to accelerate movement of Center discoveries into the marketplace to address global challenges in agriculture, food and the environment. The Initiative will:

• Help PIs and teams recognize opportunities for marketable applications of their research and secure intellectual property.
• Fund proof-of-concept research to further develop ideas and technologies with marketable potential.
• Provide entrepreneurial talent and guidance to assess new start-up ideas and technologies.
• Fund lift-off and early stages of start-up companies through Danforth Technology Company (DTC), our subsidiary designed to enhance start-up success.
• Release start-up companies into the St. Louis AgTech ecosystem to raise additional capital, grow and compete in the marketplace.

What are we doing differently? Quite a lot! We established an integrated pathway to more intentionally identify and support scientific teams developing technologies with commercial potential. A Proof-of-Concept program was created to fund and cultivate those technologies and solidify intellectual property. In-house entrepreneurial talent now enables early assessment of start-up ideas. And DTC was formed as a new for-profit vehicle to get start-up companies funded and off the ground. DTC investment also serves to nucleate additional early stage capital from external investors. Peptyde Bio is the first company to emerge through the Start-Up Initiative.

Why is this important? Solutions to big challenges on which Center scientists work require that innovative products and services ultimately make it to the marketplace. Think of the science-to-marketplace progression like a relay race – Danforth Center scientists run the first few legs, but then hand the baton to private sector companies that run the remaining legs and reach the finish line. In the case of Peptyde Bio, what started as fundamental science at the Center will lead to companies selling more environmentally friendly products to reduce crop diseases. If we do this Start-Up Initiative right, we will deliver on our mission and realize our vision at the local, national and international levels in many more impactful ways.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I do my best to navigate around most polarizing political topics when in my official capacity at the Danforth Center, including in these weekly messages. When I have commented on political or politicized issues, like immigration policy or human rights, it’s because the issue directly impacts our diverse community members or our ability to deliver on our mission. But today, many within the Danforth Center community were deeply affected and distraught by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and I believe a few words are in order.

I do not feel compelled to give my personal opinion on the Supreme Court’s action, though like most everyone else I have my views. But I am compelled to speak in support of those who are hurting in our community. Just from those who have reached out since noon today, many are feeling that women have been demoted to a less-than-equal position, and that a longstanding and hard-fought right to self-determination or self-empowerment has been reversed. There are concerns that access to quality healthcare options will diminish for tens of millions of women. Some are deeply concerned that this decision foreshadows future Supreme Court decision to rescind other hard-fought women’s rights and those of historically marginalized communities. Many in our community are feeling vulnerable.

With this message, I encourage all of us to better understand and support our colleagues who are in pain, and who feel discouraged about the prospects for future generations of women. Though it seems a difficult ask in today’s polarized environment, I hope that those with opposing views on this issue can seek better understanding of one another and greater mutual respect. I also hope those who need help at this time will take advantage of healthcare, including mental health resources, through our health insurance plans, or through the Center’s Employee Assistance Program.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

On June 19, 1865, two months after the Civil War ended and two and one-half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Union troops led by General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, where Granger read General Order No. 3. In part, that order read, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United states, all slaves are free.” Texas was the last Confederate state in which the Union army established a controlling presence and enforced the ban on slavery. Many of those who were freed joined together in celebrations, which began the traditions now associated with Juneteenth, or Freedom Day. Prohibition of slavery was formalized in the U.S. Constitution about six months later with ratification of the 13th Amendment.

Although the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution between 1868 and 1870 gave citizenship rights, equal protection under the law, and other rights, the struggles of Black people and communities after emancipation through racial discrimination, segregation, and violence were not over. Among many consequences, this continuing adversity drove two waves of a vast migration of millions of Black Americans from the South to Northern cities, including St. Louis, and West Coast cities during the early and mid-20th century.

I encourage everyone to spend some time during the long Juneteenth holiday weekend to learn more about the history leading up to June 19, 1865, as well as the aftermath of emancipation of enslaved Black Americans. You may be interested in attending Juneteenth celebrations and programs at the Missouri Botanical Garden, Grand Center, Missouri History Museum or any of several street fairs and festivals around the region. Have a safe, enjoyable and fruitful Juneteenth!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Last week, I made a passing reference to Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training at the recent Scientific Retreat. The Danforth Center’s RCR program aims to develop understanding of issues bearing on all aspects of responsible research conduct, from ethical best practices to research misconduct, among all scientific staff through four hours of required training per year. It is also intended to strengthen a culture of research integrity at the Danforth Center. Over the past several weeks, I’ve had several valuable conversations with various PIs about the RCR program and ways in which we can strengthen our research culture.

It is every scientists’ obligation to be educated and informed about RCR issues, and to incorporate that learning into the conduct of their work. Principal Investigators have unique obligations to ensure their lab members complete RCR training annually, to keep RCR issues in view and discussed during mentoring and professional development, and to model behaviors that reinforce ethical and conduct standards. The RCR program (link accessed through W3 intranet) offers numerous opportunities for training, including:

• Group discussions of ethical or conduct scenarios at the Scientific Retreat;
• Attending presentations by the RCR Committee members (Kirk Czymmek, Toby Kellogg, Keith Slotkin, Ru Zhang and Terri Burton) or invited speakers;
• Reading, listening to, or viewing relevant books, podcasts or videos;
• Ethics courses at universities;
• Discussion of any RCR-relevant topic in individual lab group meetings.

Topical discussions in lab team meetings are a particularly useful and easy way to gain RCR training. There are numerous RCR topics in which PIs and lab members have knowledge or expertise (usually more than they realize!), like accurate and accessible record-keeping, avoiding authorship disputes, examples of scientific misconduct, confidentiality during peer review, and many more. In other words, we all have experiences and insights that are worth sharing, and we all benefit from diverse perspectives on how to recognize and avoid tenuous or damaging situations.

Several Center community members believe that re-dedication to RCR training and careful attention to research culture are particularly important now, given the stresses and disruptions over the past two years. I agree. And come to think of it, that might be a valuable RCR discussion topic! Many thanks to everyone who has been considering, and working to reinforce, research integrity at the Danforth Center.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Spring is a revitalizing time around the Danforth Center. Plants in the prairie are back with new vegetative growth and early season flower displays. Springtime at the Center also brings to life two perennial scientific programs – Research Experience for Undergraduates and the Scientific Retreat.

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) – Since 2003, the NSF-funded REU program has provided a rich, 11-week immersion in scientific research for undergraduate students. This year, 21 talented students have joined with mentors to do original research projects in collaboration with host labs across the Center. The intensive program aims to cultivate a passion for science, provide real-life experiences on which to base a STEM career, and showcase St. Louis as a hub for plant science. And it has been wildly successful in training over 300 students since inception, with 94% of participants obtaining degrees or careers in STEM fields. It is common to run into graduate students, scientists and STEM professionals who say, “I was in the Danforth Center REU program several years ago and it changed my entire career direction!” Thanks go to Sona Pandey and Tessa Burch-Smith for leading the 2022 REU program, Judy Mitchell and Monica Alsup for strong administrative support, and all of the mentors working with REU students. This is Sona’s 12th year leading the program!

Scientific Retreat – One of the first events in which REU students participate is the Scientific Retreat, held each year around the beginning of June. Normally an overnight offsite event, the Retreat was held in-person (with online option) this week over two days at the Danforth Center for COVID-19 mitigation reasons. There is another reason to hold the Retreat a little closer to home – inclusive participation. Center scientists who are caregivers, or who have obligations that restrict overnight travel, are able to participate if the event is in town. I was so impressed with the quality of research presented by 36 Center scientists and external plenary speakers, and by the thoughtfulness of those engaged in the Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) training session. Not only was the science outstanding, but we had much needed face time with one another during the first in-person Retreat since 2019. Thanks go to all of the Retreat organizers, speakers, RCR organizers, Events and Catering teams, and Facilities and AV teams.

I wish all the best to the 2022 REU students and hope the Scientific Retreat provided some Spring rejuvenation for all who attended.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

At each Spring meeting of our Board of Directors, I present data on several important Danforth Center outputs, including publications, grants, intellectual property, and other measurable results of our work from the prior year. There were many highlights from the 2021 metrics presented to the Board this past week. Here are just a few.

The Network. With many thanks to Darine Kube, Melissa Kerckhoff, Karla Elliott and Noah Fahlgren, the metrics start with a current network diagram of Danforth Center interacting scientists, illustrating the fact that we function as an interconnected, collaborative team of teams. I appreciate that this year’s network includes administrative assistants, grant specialists, and core facility collaborators, who are all so critical to each team’s success!

Publications. We published 133 scientific papers last year, bringing our total to nearly 1700 since inception. The 2021 number was just shy of last year’s blowout number, but our trajectory over time continues to rise. With 24 papers, the Meyers team were publication champs for the year!

Grants. With new grant awards totaling $24.9M in 2021, we had our best year ever for competitive funding. That was nearly $9M more than the average from the prior four years, the result of great ideas, talent, collaboration, hard work! Federal agencies account for about 72% of current grant funding, with National Science Foundation and Department of Energy being the top two sources. Private foundations (23%) and companies (7%) comprise the remaining sources.

Intellectual Property (IP). We reached our highest annual totals ever in 2021 for invention disclosures filed (13), provisional patents filed (9) and non-provisional patents pending (11), all good indicators that our teams are recognizing useful applications from their work. This also reflects outstanding efforts by Erica Agnew, IP Portfolio Manager, who works closely with PIs, scientific team members and others on the Innovation Team.

Graduate Students. We reached the high mark of 40 graduate students from partner universities doing their thesis work in Danforth Center labs last year. Growth of the graduate student population at the Center has been a priority over the past decade, and we’re a far stronger organization because of their contributions. I thank everyone for making the past year a most productive period, despite the many challenges. I’m proud to be associated with you!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I’ve received a lot of feedback recently on the Danforth Center’s approach to dealing with COVID-19 and specific COVID-19 policy updates that were implemented in recent weeks. Let me state up front that the feedback, including criticism, is welcomed. The aim of our COVID-19 policy is to promote a working environment that minimizes risk of exposure and transmission onsite while also enabling us to do our work. Critical feedback tends to concentrate around requirements for masking in certain indoor spaces and restrictions on eating indoors in groups. There is both understandable irritation that the Center is more restrictive than many other places in town, but also the fact that some of the rules interfere with doing certain kinds of work, such as hosting external groups that need lunch. I receive feedback indicating our policies are too confusing, too frequently changed on the two-week review cycle, and too open to interpretation. And, there is also the occasional positive feedback and thanks for the efforts to balance safety and getting things done.

Setting the Center ground rules against a continuously changing COVID-19 landscape is neither easy nor enjoyable. In fact, it’s a miserable task that considers current pandemic conditions, the rate of cases among our community members, guidance from public health experts, our needs to function, our needs to plan ahead, and our rather unremarkable abilities to predict the future. Over the past month, community members reported 15 COVID-19 cases, including a cluster of five that very likely resulted from onsite transmission; 23 individuals were exposed through close contact to the 15 infected individuals. For a one-month pandemic period, these are the highest numbers we’ve recorded, by far. In addition to illness, these cases are highly disruptive to the infected individuals and partners/families, those who were exposed, and the Human Resources team that does contact tracing, tracking and follow-up. On the other hand and importantly, the current COVID-19 wave is causing only low numbers of severe cases and hospitalizations to date. Consideration of all factors for the current two-week window led to maintaining indoor masking and group eating restrictions, but allowing larger Center events and gatherings that adhere to the rules. Eating at many of those gatherings over the next six weeks is being accommodated outside under a temporary tent covering on the Miller Terrace.

Reasonable, well-intentioned people disagree on what’s logical, where to draw lines, and how to fulfill our responsibilities to the Center community. Our updated COVID-19 policy is imperfect to me and to everyone else, because all options have significant downsides. But we are open to feedback, suggestions, and creative ways to continue moving forward. Thank you to everyone who is providing critical and helpful feedback and solutions. Stay safe this weekend!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

P.S. Why don’t we simply follow CDC “guidance” for indoor masking and eating in groups? The CDC migrated to a regional, risk-based system designed to assist personal, individual decision-making about masking and interacting with others. CDC provides no guidance, and is glaringly inadequate for, decision-making at the Center-wide level where responsibility for providing for well-being of the community resides.

Dear Danforth Center Community,

When Blake Meyers was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) earlier this week, it was cause for celebration. It also triggered a lot of questions from several Danforth Center community members. Let’s answer the three most common questions I’ve received.

What is the NAS? The NAS is a non-profit organization of a few thousand elected member scientists. It was created in 1863 by Congress and approved by Abraham Lincoln to provide independent, objective advice to the nation on matters of science and technology. It was formed at a time when the U.S. government recognized the need for science to underpin agriculture, transportation, and other needs of a growing nation, despite being in the midst of the Civil War. Considering its purpose, it might seem surprising that NAS receives no government funding. As an institution providing science-based information and guidance, the functions of NAS are just as relevant today as they were 159 years ago.

How does one get elected? Only current members can nominate new candidates for NAS membership. Any group of members can formally nominate any active scientist who has made pioneering discoveries over a career, and who has contributed to the scientific enterprise in broader ways. Nominated individuals are presented and discussed in meetings of NAS Sections representing different fields (e.g. Chemistry, Plant Biology), and then Sections conduct a series of votes over the course of a year to narrow down the list to a small handful that get presented to the entire Academy for a final vote. For Blake and the 2022 class, that vote was last Tuesday. The process has several mechanisms to ensure that diverse scientists are identified and supported, and the election process is confidential, even for nominees. So getting the call that you’ve been elected is a thrill for each new member.

What does the NAS do? The NAS provides an authoritative voice for science and science-based policy. Through consultation with Executive and Legislative branches of government, the NAS issues numerous reports each year identifying and analyzing pressing issues, like vaccine safety, climate change, or agricultural sustainability. Authored by both NAS members and non-member experts, these reports contain recommendations on which policymakers can rely. Among many other functions, NAS publishes journals like Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), organizes symposia, and runs several programs to promote public understanding of science.

Feel free to send any more questions my way, and have an enjoyable, safe weekend!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Did you attend the restart of Tea Time last Wednesday morning on the Café Terrace? This was a more significant event than it might initially sound. First, it marked the return of recurring, in-person Tea Time social gatherings, the first since early 2020. Second, Tea Time was re-thought and re-formatted to be more appealing and community-appreciative, and with a compelling elevation of food and drink. Many thanks go to Café and Catering team members Ehrin Barry, Mike Shelton, Amanda Hickman and Angie Shelton! And third, the new Tea Time was combined with the weekly scientific seminar reception to provide a more inclusive, more Center-wide foundation to get together regularly. Judging by the attendance, the vibe and the feedback, it was a success!

Our work also requires that we resume gathering with external partners and stakeholder groups at the Danforth Center. Education and Outreach, donor-based fundraising, scientific seminars and symposia, and many other activities are most effective when done in-person. With further relaxation of Phase 2 policies, I expect we will soon see more gatherings of external groups or invited guests, though with restrictions or requirements that promote safety.

Our community needs the regular face-to-face interaction time for both social and professional reasons, despite the fact that COVID-19 continues to wax and wane. At this point, the pandemic in the U.S. appears to be transitioning to a long-term endemic phase, where high levels of combined vaccination and prior infection provide residual immunity against severe disease and hospitalization for most people. Like with the flu viruses, the endemic phase does not mean that SARS-CoV-2 will disappear, or that cases involving hospitalization or death will cease. But it does mean that severe cases will be a much lower proportion of overall cases compared to those earlier in the pandemic. I believe we can gather if we minimize risk by acting sensibly and responsibly, which for now includes:

• Gathering outside whenever possible.
• Continuing to use high-quality masks for indoor gatherings.
• Staying home if you feel poorly or ill, testing regularly with at-home COVID-19 detection kits, and reporting positive tests or exposures to HR.
• Continuing with vaccination boosters as per CDC recommendations.

Thank you to everyone for your patience and active roles in navigating through this phase of COVID-19, and I look forward to seeing you again at Tea Time!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I want to highlight two recent, noteworthy advances that are well-worth our attention. One involves reaching an important discovery destination following a remarkable journey by Danforth Center scientists. The other represents the beginning of a new journey that will have great impact on the St. Louis region.

Identification of the CMD2 gene. One of the most significant genes for small holder farmers in Africa is the cassava CMD2 gene, which confers natural resistance to Cassava mosaic virus in certain varieties. Cassava mosaic disease is one of two devastating virus diseases affecting cassava in East Africa, but the disease is of little concern if the CMD2 gene is introduced through traditional breeding. A near decade-long, collaborative quest to determine the identity of CMD2 reached a major milestone last week with posting of the publication preprint, “Mutations in DNA polymerase δ subunit 1 mediate CMD2-type resistance to Cassava Mosaic Geminiviruses” by Y.W. Lim,B.N. Mansfeld, P. Schläpfer, K.B. Gilbert, N.N. Narayanan, W. Qi, Q. Wang, Z. Zhong, A. Boyher, J. Gehan, G. Beyene, Z.D. Lin,W. Esuma, S. Feng, C. Chanez, N. Eggenberger, G. Adiga, T. Alicai, S.E. Jacobsen, N.J Taylor, W. Gruissem, and R.S. Bart (Danforth Center scientists underlined.) The CMD2 gene was identified as a mutant version of an essential gene encoding part of the machinery that replicates plant DNA and the Cassava mosaic virus genome. This discovery paves the way to understand why plants are virus-resistant, and opens up vast new possibilities to breed virus resistance into other crops that succumb to viruses like Cassava mosaic virus.

Establishment of the Taylor Geospatial Institute (TGI). After months of planning, the TGI was announced earlier this week. Founded by a significant gift from the Taylor family, the TGI is a geospatial science research collaborative involving eight regional institutions, including the Danforth Center. The goal is for the region to ascend as the epicenter of geospatial science and technology, including geospatial research at the nexus of agriculture, food and the environment. Is this a new area for the Danforth Center? Certainly not, as the Center has established leadership positions in geospatial-relevant science, like high-resolution plant phenotyping. But the TGI offers new collaborative resources and funding to accelerate progress, which for the Danforth Center could lead to more sustainable technologies on the farm, faster breeding cycles, and better understanding of native plant ecosystems.

Meaningful progress appears in many forms, and I congratulate and celebrate all who contributed to these landmark developments.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I do not like the fact that this weekly message recasts a spotlight on COVID-19. But the pandemic headwinds are blowing again, and they’re affecting us at the Danforth Center. At least five Center community members, some of whom were in close contact with one another onsite, tested positive for COVID-19 over the past week. The spike in our reported cases, the emergence of highly infectious subvariants, and the unreliable case reporting in Missouri combine to create concerns that we have not had since the Omicron wave several months ago.

There are several new versions of SARS-CoV-2 circulating around the U.S., including some Omicron offshoots (subvariants BA.2.12, BA.2.12.1) causing rapidly increasing cases in the Northeast and elsewhere. Early data suggest that these generally do not cause more severe disease, but severe cases occur far more frequently in unvaccinated individuals. And the new subvariants are progressively more transmissible, meaning that the chances of becoming infected after exposure are higher than after exposure to earlier variants, like Delta or Omicron. The extent to which these or other variants are affecting the St. Louis region, however, is unclear because of slow, low quality reporting by the state of Missouri, which recently went from daily to weekly data releases. To me, this is like driving down a busy highway in a thick fog with little visibility. But we should assume that highly transmissible new variants have arrived and are affecting us today, and we need to act on that assumption.

In response to the changing situation and our concern for the health and well-being of the Danforth Center community, Anna Dibble will be communicating soon about readjusting some of our Phase 2 rules and guidelines, which we substantially relaxed over the past month. If you are onsite in the meantime, please ensure that you remain masked, and refrain from gathering or eating in groups in small enclosed spaces (like conference rooms). Please remain aware of the possibility that anyone with whom you interact could be infected, and take reasonable steps to protect yourself and others. Thank you for your continued contributions to maintain a safe community!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This week, I’m highlighting several invaluable contributions from five individuals working to make the Danforth Center better, safer and more responsive to community member needs. These efforts and achievements involve dedication and talent behind the scenes, and they’re critical for the Center to deliver on its mission

Let’s hear it for the team of Andrew Witthaus and Bill Stutz, who devise and run our rapidly evolving audiovisual systems for events like seminars and retreats. Before the pandemic, Andrew and Bill built reputations for upbeat responsiveness and dependability. Through the pandemic, they have over-achieved in handling virtual systems, and now they are implementing creative hybrid event capabilities. Their goal is to make hybrid events equally engaging for both in-person and online participants.

A few rounds of applause, please, for Jim Cox and Mindy Darnell, who lead compliance programs around safety. Jim Cox works hard to ensure we have proper training so that workplace hazards do not turn into workplace injuries. Jim manages in-person and online safety training, supplies of PPE, hazardous chemical protocols, and more. Recently, Jim spearheaded the program to eliminate use of radioactive research materials, which will have both safety and financial stewardship benefits. Mindy has worked tirelessly over the past few years to revamp and reimplement our biosafety program, which has both safety and federal compliance ramifications. For example, through collaboration and continuous improvement, Mindy has managed the development and refinement of new Institutional Biosafety Committee protocols for approvals to work with regulated biological materials.

And three cheers for Stephanie Regagnon, who has worked tenaciously to bring additional childcare capacity to community members. Stephanie quietly explored potential sites and partners to develop a facility to serve the growing needs of those living around, and working in, 39North. These efforts were rewarded with the announcement that the YWCA Metro St. Louis will lead creation of a new early childhood education facility just a few blocks from the Center, with partners at the Miriam School and Learning Center, the City of Olivette, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and the Danforth Center. Ultimately serving 170 children, the new facility will open in 2023.

Thank you Andrew, Bill, Jim, Mindy and Stephanie for helping to build a better Danforth Center and community. We appreciate you!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Publication of scientific discoveries at the Danforth Center is off to a fast start in 2022! Let’s get everyone caught up on a few new articles from the past few weeks. A common theme through each is the critical importance of careful measurements to understand both big and small distinctions that make different plants unique.

Zhu, C., Box, M.S., Thiruppathi, D., Hu, H., Yu, Y., Martin, C., Doust, A.N., McSteen, P., Kellogg, E.A.Pleiotropic and non-redundant effects of an auxin importer in Setaria and Maize. (2022) Plant Physiol. doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac115.

The latest from the Kellogg lab and collaborators show how the control of the hormone auxin has unique effects in different plant species. Auxin is important for a broad range of plant functions during growth and development, and we’ve learned a lot about it using the model plant Thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana). How much of that knowledge applies to other plants? Here, the team shows that genetic disruption of genes necessary for auxin influx into cells in two well-studied grasses, green millet (Setaria viridis) and maize (Zea mays), have distinct effects on vegetative and reproductive development, including flower formation and fertility.

Zhang ,N., Pazouki, L., Nguyen, H., Jacobshagen, S., Bigge, B.M., Xia, M., Mattoon, E.M., Klebanovych, A., Sorkin, M., Nusinow, D.A., Avasthi, P., Czymmek, K.J., Zhang, R. Comparative phenotyping of two commonly used Chlamydomonas reinhardtii background strains: CC-1690 (21gr) and CC-5325 (The CLiP Mutant Library Background). (2022). Plants doi: 10.3390/plants11050585.

The Zhang lab, along with the Nusinow, Czymmek and collaborating groups, did a careful study of two commonly studied strains of Chlamydomonas, a single-celled green plant that swims. Chlamydomonas is a terrific model to study processes like photosynthesis. But the two strains under study have unique characteristics, and these differences can potentially affect the results of experiments. The team carefully measured a wide range of features, from circadian rhythms to cell wall morphology, in both strains under controlled conditions. This work will help guide more meaningful experimentation, and help explain potential discrepancies in results that might occur when using different strains.

Duncan, K.E., Czymmek, K.J., Jiang, N., Thies, A.C., Topp, C.N. X-ray microscopy enables multiscale high-resolution 3D imaging of plant cells, tissues, and organs. (2022)
Plant Physiol. doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiab405.

The Topp and Czymmek teams continue to press the technological boundaries of plant imaging. Here, they develop and demonstrate new methods that combine x-ray microscopy, computed tomography and advanced scanning electron microscopy to generate unprecedented, multiscale views of cells, organs and whole plants in the same sample. The beauty of their approach is seen in the computationally reconstructed “volumes” of developing flowers, roots, and other parts that can be viewed in 3-D down to the subcellular level. And besides new knowledge, it yields some of the most impressive scientific art I’ve ever seen!

To all of our scientific teams with new papers, congratulations!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

The impact of the Russian invasion on the Ukrainian people, including family and friends of Ukrainian scientists at the Danforth Center, is unimaginable and condemned in the strongest terms. We stand with Ukrainians who are suffering, have lost loved ones, and have lost their homes. As an institution committed to international collaboration, we offer our support to members of the Ukrainian scientific community who are under enormous stress or may be dislocated.

The invasion of Ukraine will have consequences far beyond Eastern Europe in ways that most have yet to grasp. Let’s start with the fact that Ukraine, with 32 million cultivated hectares and some of the world’s largest farms, is a vital agricultural producer that ranks as the #5 exporter of wheat, the #4 exporter of corn, and the #1 exporter of sunflower oil. Combined, Ukraine and Russia contribute around 25% of the world’s traded wheat. Production and export of grain from Ukraine are now uncertain due to disruption of labor, blocks to shipping, and occupation of key territory. Exports to much of the world from Russia are now blocked due to sanctions and exclusion from major financial systems. What happens when Ukrainian and Russian grain drops off the market?

First, the price of wheat, corn and other affected commodities shoot up for everyone. The invasion has pushed wheat and corn prices to, or near, all-time highs. And second, at a time when global supplies are squeezed, countries with established histories of wheat purchases from Ukraine and Russia need to find alternative sources and/or rapidly increase domestic production. Consider Egypt, one of the largest importers of wheat; about 80% of Egypt’s wheat imports come from Ukraine and Russia (roughly 60% of wheat consumed in Egypt is imported). In response, Egypt is seeking both alternative suppliers and attempting to increasing farm acreage for domestic production. But increasing production is limited by quality of farmland, technology, and skyrocketing costs of energy (oil and gas) and fertilizer, both of which are vastly more expensive due to the invasion. Even if domestic production increases and alternative import sources are found, the cost of critical food staples, like bread, will be significantly higher. This will surely impose food scarcity upon Egypt’s population through shortages and financial hardship, with the poorest people affected the most.

Turkey, Nigeria, Bangladesh and many other developing countries that import grain are in situations similar to that of Egypt. And history teaches us that such situations often lead to social and political upheaval with worldwide consequences.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Just prior to introducing Tessa Burch-Smith at a virtual event this week, I asked her, “What’s the most interesting thing about St. Lucia?” Knowing that Tessa originates from the tiny Caribbean nation, I expected an interesting answer. “With only 180,000 citizens, St. Lucia has produced more Nobel laureates per capita than any other sovereign nation,” Tessa replied without pause. “We’ve had two Nobel Prize winners – one for Economics (William Arthur Lewis) and one for Literature (Derek Walcott). And remarkably, they have the same birthday!” Not only was this great content for a more interesting introduction, but our conversation gave me a little better understanding of Tessa.

One of the best ways to learn about people you meet, like new Danforth Center community members, is to talk about the places we’re from. Many of you may recall being asked about that during our first encounter. I’ve been thinking a lot about where we’re from over the last four weeks, as I’ve been working remotely from my boyhood home on the edge of Torrance and Redondo Beach, outside of Los Angeles. With her health in decline, my mom needs some help in the house that’s been her home for the past 65 years. This is the most time I’ve spent here continuously since leaving for college in 1978.

This place I’m from is obviously different today. The bedroom that was mine is only a fraction of its original size. Someone definitely shrunk the house. The LA traffic has become a nightmare. And when did all these people start complaining about Winter temperatures in the mid-60s being “just plain cold?” Miraculously, a spectacular view of the entire Santa Monica Bay was somehow installed at the beach I grew up on at Avenue A, just a mile from the house. When did all these changes happen? Of course, none of them happened! Only my perception has changed, which got me thinking about just how much autobiographical editing in our minds contributes to our concept of “home” as we go through life.

So, if you ask me today about where I came from, the answer might be a little different than it was before. But I hope it will be interesting nonetheless and help us to understand each other better.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Celebrations at the Danforth Center serve a few different purposes. High achievement, promotions, a great discovery, or a paper accepted for publication are all good reasons to celebrate by doing something special. We also celebrate role models, people we admire, those who sacrificed, and cultures and communities that contribute and lead in unique ways. That’s why we celebrate Black History Month.

Thank you to everyone who is participating and contributing in Black History Month events, like the recent discussion of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” This document, as relevant today as when written in 1963, brilliantly exposed the calamitous effect of apathy and bystanding during the struggle for civil rights and racial equality. King wrote, “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.”King’s letter compels us today to ask: Are we satisfied with our efforts to understand each other and actively support diverse community members at the Danforth Center?

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to learn more about Black plant scientists, including three who made unique contributions to science and society. In learning more about George Washington Carver, Marie Clark Taylor and Robert Jones (currently a Director on our Board), I was particular struck by the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the careers of each. This underscores both the importance and the opportunity of our collaborations involving students and faculty at HBCUs, such as Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis.

Taking the time to celebrate Black history and Black scientists is an investment in our community with far-reaching benefits. As Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “We are caught in an unescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

During a virtual lunchtime event with Danforth Center supporters and guests this week, I had the good fortune to talk briefly about the research of Katie Murphy, a postdoctoral fellow in the Gehan lab. Katie was in attendance and followed up with how she is using TikTok (@real_time_science) to communicate about scientific research, the Danforth Center, and much more. With entertaining short videos featuring science factoids, what an experiment entails, why plant science is important, and the quirky life in the lab, Katie is stealthy injecting a little humanity and humor about what we do into the scrolling habits of TikTok users. Well done, Katie!

This got me thinking again about the tremendous contributions our community members make to reach public audiences in creative and important ways. Several scientists, including Shrikaar Kambhampati, Elisa Morales, and Becky Bart on the Center for Subterranean Influences on Nitrogen and Carbon (SINC) team devoted on-camera time to explain the SINC Center’s purpose and work in a fantastic new video. Tom Laurita spent time recently communicating with journalists about how and why the Danforth Center is creating new start-up companies. Ivan Baxter and colleague Liz Haswell host The Taproot, a podcast that focuses on the people and stories behind scientific publications. Many of these and other efforts to reach out beyond our doors are facilitated by the good work of the public relations team (Karla Roeber and Monica Zawicki) and individuals in the Development team (Patrick Bowey and Elizabeth McNulty).

And then there is the remarkable story-telling done informally by so many of you. On numerous occasions while touring the Center with visitors, we’ve stopped spontaneously in a greenhouse to speak with a Plant Growth Facility (PGF) team member or a lab member encountered along the way. “Please tell us what you do,” I’ll say. Invariably, the visitors hear about the purpose of our work and the impact we seek, like what Stephen Kraeuter from the PGF recently communicated: “We know that caring for the plants is just one way that we are part of a more global effort of feeding those around the world.” There is no better way than hearing directly from community members to spotlight the Center’s mission and vision. Thank you to everyone who, in big and small ways, communicate with and inspire the public.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

With the rapid, welcome drop in daily COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks, let’s address the possibility of relaxing Phase 2 restrictions that were tightened when the Delta and Omicron variants swept through the region. We have been reassessing, and then either renewing or updating, Phase 2 rules and guidelines every two weeks, taking into account both the conditions at the time and the outlook. Looking ahead, you can confidently assume that we will begin relaxing some of the rules and guidelines at the next two-week cycle beginning February 15. Assuming that case numbers keep trending in the right direction, we should expect further relaxation at subsequent two-week cycles.

What about the return of in-person events, like social gatherings, seminars, and other events? We can anticipate this happening in a staged, incremental way with subsequent reassessments. We had prepared for hybrid scientific seminars with limited in-person attendance at the beginning of 2022. While we postponed implementation due to Omicron, we should be able to reconsider timing of the hybrid plans relatively soon. While smaller gatherings are already allowed with restrictions, the timing for larger events (dozens to hundreds of attendees) is a little more difficult to predict, though the flicker ahead might be light at the end of the tunnel. Daily COVID case trends give me optimism about, for example, holding some outdoor Center community celebrations in the Spring. And we have quite a backlog of reasons to celebrate!

Thank you all for doing your part and more to maintain a safe community and working environment. Our first consideration is always safety and well-being, and the optimistic lean of this message is my way of saying that we’re seeing a clearer path to some of the normalcy we need. We won’t traverse that path overnight, but we can take significant steps in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

In sharing results of the recent “check in” survey of Danforth Center community members’ well-being, we encouraged everyone to stay connected with their colleagues, offer understanding to colleagues who are parents of school-age kids and caretakers, and prioritize mental and physical health, including making time to exercise. About that exercise. Admittedly, this has been more difficult at the Center since we closed the gym at the start of the pandemic, and understandably, the closure has caused concern or irritation that we’ve heard about through feedback from users. But the positive news is that we’ve used the down-time to envision and plan a completely renovated, upgraded exercise facility that will be larger, modern and more accommodating. Here is what we can expect when construction finishes and the facility reopens in the Summer.

• A larger facility. The Danforth Center gym is being redesigned to be bigger, brighter and more useable. The increased size will come from conversion of adjacent storage and office space into the facility. Our friends at Christner Architects designed the new footprint, finishes and layout for what will be a more productive and appealing facility. Many thanks go to Christian Lastarria and Todd Hornburg for managing the project.
• New machines, equipment and technology. All of the existing exercise machines, which are 10-15 years old, are being upgraded with modern replacements. The new machines will have newer technologies with capabilities to connect with fitness apps on users phones. Free weights and other strength equipment will be upgraded to be in line with current needs and trends. The new facility will have three 85” TV screens with audio fetch devices that allow users to listen privately through apps on their phones.
• More showers, lockers and bigger restrooms. The two current, single-user restrooms with showers will be replaced by two larger restrooms with twice the amount of space. Each will contain lockers and two showers with individual changing areas.

Developing an expanded, improved exercise facility is part of our commitment to do more for the overall well-being of Danforth Center community members. For those planning to use the renovated gym, I ask for a little more patience until the facility is finished and ready to open. I also look forward to hearing your feedback!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Impact from the Danforth Center frequently starts with scientific discovery, and most of those discoveries are published in peer-reviewed journal articles. Our teams published over 130 such articles in the past year, showcasing both scientific advances and thought leadership. With brief descriptions geared for non-specialists, let’s highlight a few notable, recent papers.

Choudhury, S.R. and Pandey, S. SymRK-dependent phosphorylation of Gα protein and its role in signaling during soybean (Glycine max) nodulation. (2022) Plant J.  doi: 10.1111/tpj.15672

The latest paper from the Pandey lab on G-protein signaling might sound a little inaccessible to the non-specialist. But simply put, G-proteins help plants process information from the environment (e.g. drought) and from within the plant. They help plants to adjust their functions accordingly. The new research reveals more about the biochemical machinery needed for G-protein function, and the importance of that machinery in forming associations with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soybean roots. This work is revealing more and more ways in which crops can be improved in sustainable ways.

Griffiths, M., Delory, B.M., Jawahir, V., Wong, K.M., Bagnall, G.C., Dowd, T.G., Nusinow, D.A., Miller, A.J. and Topp, C.N. Optimisation of root traits to provide enhanced ecosystem services in agricultural systems: A focus on cover crops. (2021) Plant Cell Environ. doi.org/10.1111/pce.14247

This paper from several Center collaborators zeros in on beneficial ecosystem services provided by cover crops. Cover crops are planted between crop cycles, such as over winter, to help reduce soil erosion, add soil organic matter, retain and replenish nutrients in soil, and confer other benefits. Can we develop and breed better cover crops? Absolutely! This article highlights the below-ground or rhizosphere traits can be measured through advanced technologies and improved through breeding.

Nan, G.L., Teng, C., Fernandes, J., O’Conner, L., Meyers, B.C. and Walbot, V. A cascade of bHLH-regulated pathways program maize anther development. (2022). Plant Cell  doi: 10.1093/plcell/koac007

This longstanding collaboration between the Walbot (Stanford Univ.) and Meyers labs has yielded numerous insights into how plants make pollen. The research here identified the intricate series or cascade of gene expression programs that are activated to enable pollen production, and showed where regulatory RNAs (phasiRNAs) function in that sequence. Despite the paper’s title, which leans toward the esoteric, this work has practical importance for increasing yield and producing new hybrid crops.

Many thanks and congratulations to all of our scientists who are pressing the frontiers of science through publishing their important work.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Would you be better off without disruptive crises that happen from time to time? Most would answer, “Heck, yeah! Sign me up.” Whether it’s a chronic worldwide pandemic or an acute disruption to our federal grant submission capability, the disturbances and hardship during a crisis are unbearable. But during those times, remarkable things happen that showcase our values, our capabilities and our support for others.

The 3-day grant submission interruption this week occurred at the worst time, with several proposals due. The crisis deepened as the nightmare scenario of missed deadlines started happening, despite all out efforts to find remedies. By Wednesday evening, the week’s final proposal, a $3M+ NSF project to support post-baccalaureate training, was looking doubtful to meet the Thursday afternoon deadline. Enter Missy Rung-Blue, the Grant Coordinator working with Kris Callis-Duehl and collaborators on the proposal. Missy, Kris and team devised a longshot plan to transfer the proposal to a collaborating institution (Univ. of  Kansas) as lead.

With less than a day, and the needs for proposal reconfiguration, coordination with KU and more, if this was even possible was doubtful. Missy began the heavy lifting required to move the proposal at 6:00 am on Thursday. Remarkably, the proposal was fully transferred by late-afternoon and successfully uploaded to NSF through KU with Danforth Center as a subrecipient. Then at 4:00 pm, with Melissa Kerckhoff working furiously with NSF and Karla Roeber pressing other federal routes, we learned the Center’s block to submitting proposals was finally cleared.

What happened next was simply a heroic display of dedication. With only 45 minutes available and the slimmest odds of success, Missy put the call out to her amazing colleagues Michelle Richards, Dana Benedicktus, and Holly Costello to help move the proposal back to the Danforth Center as lead. The team divided the work to re-upload the entire proposal in an all-out dash like we’ve never seen. In the end, the work was too much for a time too short to meet the deadline, but the collaborative teamwork and motivation to get as far as they did was phenomenal. Thank you Missy, Michelle, Dana and Holly for your fearless effort!

We have work remaining to recover from the past week. This work will be guided by our values, judged by how we act, and inspired by some remarkable members of our community.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Each morning, I spend five or 10 minutes reviewing local and national COVID-19 numbers. I’m looking at, for example, how cases and hospitalizations are trending in the St. Louis metropolitan region and beyond, and how cases distribute between vaccinated and non-vaccinated people. These data have been critical for decision-making at the Danforth Center. But the data that really have my attention this week concern how COVID-19 cases are impacting healthcare system capabilities, like availability of emergency room and intensive care services.

COVID-related hospitalizations in the region are 40% higher today than they were at the previous high point in Nov/Dec 2020. This is placing excessive stress on hospitals and intensive care units, which are operating at or near full capacity in the region and across the country. The surge is happening while we have a deficit of frontline healthcare professionals, like nurses, that is widening due to departures from burnout, early retirement, and leave time due to COVID-19 itself. This means that the entire in-patient healthcare system is in crisis, and as a result, all of us are at risk.

Some of you are experiencing this crisis first hand, as in the case of a family member who suffered a stroke recently and was taken to a hospital emergency room (ER) by a daughter. It was understaffed with overflow ER patients in the hallway. The daughter was refused entry into the hospital due to elimination of all hospital visitors because of elevated COVID-19 restrictions. This meant none of the ER patients had anyone to speak for them in their moment of dire need. The patient was admitted overnight, but only after 10 hours because rooms were unavailable. This is typical today in our hospitals during the current COVID-19 surge.

Many of you have told me how you are advocating in your home communities and school districts to promote higher vaccination rates and proven COVID-mitigation measures, like masking. Thank you are working hard to protect people in your communities, even those who might disagree with you. You are helping to lessen the load on the region’s hospitals and healthcare providers. And that helps all of us.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

In between spending time with some family, catching up on a little work, and scrupulously avoiding crowds, I spent a fair amount of time reading over the recent holidays. My preferences generally span non-fiction genres, from biographies to anything funny. I’m particularly interested in books with relevance to the Danforth Center and how organizations function. I crossed three such works off the reading list this season.

1. “What You Do is Who You Are” by Ben Horowitz. I enjoyed Horowitz’ first book, “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” several years ago, appreciating his irreverent insights into navigating decisions that have only bad choices. “What You Do is Who You Are” is about building the culture you really want in your organization. Drawing from four unlikely examples of culture-builders, including Genghis Kahn and an enlightened prison gang leader, Horowitz builds a strong case that cultures within organizations are driven less by simply declaring values, and far more by consistent, visible and often-difficult decisions and actions (virtues) taken to resolve everyday problems.
2. “Humor, Seriously” by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas. This book makes the case for more levity and humor in the workplace. More lightheartedness and laughs on the job? Yes, please! Aaker and Bagdonas, who teach Stanford University Business School students how to lighten up, show how humor enhances others’ perceptions of us, elevates trust, increases creativity, and reduces stress. They reveal the many important ways humor can be integrated productively at work, and dissect the obvious fact that a little levity simply makes our jobs more fun! Just remember what many of us learned the hard way: keep the humor appropriate!
3. Doctoral Dissertation by Sarah Jennings. I’ll bet no one else read a research dissertation over the holidays, but this one has high relevance to the Danforth Center. Just prior to joining our Development team in mid-2021, Sarah received her Doctor of Public Administration from the University of Illinois, Springfield, with dissertation research focused on factors contributing to productive fundraising environments in nonprofit organizations. Her work underscores the importance of an organization’s leader in understanding, supporting and building a culture of philanthropy, to which all community members can contribute. Such a culture is critical to our future!

I hope everyone found time for some end-of-year relaxation. And if you read some interesting books, I’d love to hear about them! Stay safe.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

From my position, this year was filled with high achievement across the Danforth Center, significant impact in the region and beyond, and ambitious planning for the future. I admire what you’ve accomplished, and I’m grateful for your hard work, creativity and resilience, especially in the second year of an exhausting pandemic. But rather than more from my perspective in this last weekly message of 2021, I asked six community members a question: “What are you most proud to have seen the Danforth Center do or achieve in 2021? I received six inspiring responses!

"I am most proud of our REU students this year - the progress they made as young scientists despite being remote reminded me the future of science is in good hands. It was an honor to work with them" - a Postdoctoral Scientist.

“I’m proud that the Danforth Center demonstrated that we are a science-based institution. We all got vaccinated and are wearing masks, keeping each other safe” – a Principal Investigator.

“We celebrated our first Danforth Center Spirit Week…the best event was the visit from the Red and Black Brass Band. The dancing, singing, and brief time of just being in that moment made me so proud to be a part of a resilient and cool community” – a Manager.

“I am most proud of the number of grants that the Danforth Center proposed this year and our incredible win rate. It’s really a testament to the science being accomplished here and funders’ confidence in our success” – a Grants Specialist.

“Definitely the work in our community building - DEI, connecting with people in creative ways during COVID, and continued work with values adaptation” – a Vice President.

I’m struck that these statements of pride about the Center’s achievements relate primarily to building up our community, serving one another, and living our values. In fact, these were all encapsulated by the sixth response, with which I’ll conclude. Thank you all, and Happy Holidays!

"The Danforth Center continues to emphasize and live up to its strong values. The support provided by the community to the community at every level is unparalleled. Be it financial support by the Danforth Cares program, admin support towards grant submission, or encouragement of mental health discussion by the Human Resources group; one does not need to look far for reasons to be proud of this community” – a Postdoctoral Scientist.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

We often refer to the Danforth Center as a team of teams that work together to get things done. With teams organized around 30 principal investigators and many facilities and administrative departments, we have a lot of team leaders. How do we gather feedback on team leader performance, identify areas for leadership growth, and help team leaders develop?

One important tool we use is called 360 Dimensional Feedback, which collects systematic information from team members (anonymous), peers (other leaders), and the supervisor. The tool aggregates input within each group, and helps build awareness of how others and the leader perceive behaviors, performance, strengths and opportunities for growth. Results focus around 12 leadership competency areas, such as Empowers Others, or Handles Challenges. Many thanks to our friends at Psychological Associates, who not only administer the 360 reviews but help interpret results and provide coaching. All of our leaders have either undergone, or will soon undergo, a 360 review. I have undergone two 360 reviews in recent years.

The supervisor’s participation is non-anonymous, meaning that the reviewed individual knows exactly how the boss evaluates them. For me, this has helped develop more effective ways to deliver direct, straightforward feedback. Input from team members is often the most illuminating part of the review, sometimes revealing gaps between the leader’s and team member’s perceptions. Team member reviews sometimes expose needs to provide additional individual and team coaching, more clarity on expectations, and opportunities for delegation of responsibilities. Feedback from peers provides valuable perspective on leadership contributions to the Danforth Center, and how the individual is perceived as a co-leader or collaborator.

I have been thoroughly impressed with how each reviewed leader has received, processed and moved forward with the 360 results. I am grateful that each has participated with an open mind. I am also thankful to all of the reviewers – 10 to 15 for each 360 review - and the Human Resources team for the investment of time and energy each one requires. Coupled with other training and a willingness to learn, the 360 process is helping our leaders become better, which will pay dividends well into the future.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community

We have many reasons for optimism about moving beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, including the fact that the Danforth Center community is now 98.2% vaccinated. That’s remarkable! Boosters with exceptional efficacy are now available to all adults, and a COVID-19 pill (Paxlovid) with a reported 90% efficacy at preventing severe disease is on the horizon. Testing and variant tracking have never been better, with 1 of every 7 COVID-positive samples in the U.S. now undergoing complete virus genome sequencing. As such, we are planning for more in-person and hybrid activities in 2022. But that optimism is challenged by the disturbing upswing in COVID-19 caused by the Delta variant, and by serious concerns about the new Omicron variant. Let’s discuss what we know today about Omicron.

Will current mRNA vaccines protect against the Omicron variant? It is too soon to tell. The best guess among experts is that there will be at least partial protection, especially following a booster. The basic problem is the 30 mutations or differences between the Spike gene used to make current vaccines and the Spike gene of Omicron. That means antibodies from vaccination (or infection by Delta and previous variants) might be less effective against Omicron. A better sense of vaccine-mediated protection will require another few weeks, though more accurate quantitative data will require several months.

Is Omicron more transmissible or virulent? Information is limited, but a recent report indicates that Omicron quickly became the dominant variant in South Africa and is better able to cause reinfection of individuals who were infected by prior variants. Omicron reached nearly 40 countries and at least seven U.S. states, including Missouri, since initial detection in November.

How did the Omicron variant arise? Omicron is most closely related to a minor variant that was detected in mid-2020. But Omicron contains a large number of mutations that seem to have appeared suddenly in COVID-positive samples in South Africa and neighboring countries last month. Intermediate strains that progressively acquired these Omicron mutations, however, are like missing links and have never been seen. SARS-CoV-2 is known to mutate extensively during long-term infections in immunocompromised individuals, so some virologists suspect that Omicron evolved over a long period of time in one chronically infected person with a weakened immune system.

The Danforth Center community has been proactive with, and adherent to, vaccination and anti-COVID-19 measures. These are the best tools we have to deal with Omicron and to maintain optimism about 2022.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community

With the Thanksgiving Holiday approaching, we are presented the opportunity to reflect on those things for which we are thankful. ‘Opportunity’ may be the wrong word; ‘gift’ might be more appropriate. Spending time to ponder who enables our success, what good comes from our efforts, or what brings happiness to our lives ought to make us a little more empathetic, appreciative and balanced, wouldn’t you think? Here are three reasons I am thankful today.

Our impact in the real world. Many of us contributed recently to a video (thank you, Elizabeth McNulty!) showcasing some of the Danforth Center’s successes and achievements in 2021. It was so satisfying to consider that we helped deliver more resilient crops to smallholder farmers abroad. We made discoveries and developed technologies intended to slow down or lessen the impact of climate change. We contributed significantly to economic growth in the region, to greater opportunity in overlooked and neglected communities, and much more. I am so thankful for your relentless dedication to deliver on our mission and realize our vision in the world.

COVID-19 vaccine boosters have arrived. The science is in, and COVID-19 vaccine booster shots work really well! In a large-scale, peer-reviewed study on the effect of third-dose boosters of mRNA vaccines administered at least six months beyond the initial two doses, people who received a booster shot were over 11-times less likely to experience severe COVID-19 compared to those who received no booster. As breakthrough cases of COVID-19 in vaccinated individuals are known to increase over time, I am thankful that effective booster shots are now available to all adults. This is an important development that will help us find post-pandemic stability.

Friends and family. Being with friends and family has taken on new significance for most of us over the past 20 months. While I will not be able to see all of our family in person, I am thankful that we’ll at least see a few who can fly in or be visited over Thanksgiving. I am also thankful that so many of you will welcome into your homes community members who cannot be with their own families over the holidays. These acts of kindness and friendship will not be forgotten.

I trust you will find time to ponder your reasons to be thankful. I hope you will share a few with your colleagues!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

“We must seek out opportunities for continuous learning. We must become a learning organization, because learning opens our minds to change and new ways of doing things.” – John F. McDonnell (from 90 Days Number 2, 1989)

Six or seven years ago as Chairman of the Danforth Center Board of Directors, John McDonnell asked me a question in one of our twice-monthly meetings: “How would you characterize your leadership style?” I recall rambling through a dull, unremarkable answer. He never said exactly why he asked, but clearly he saw great benefit in the Center president gaining a deeper understanding of how to become a better leader. He described his own journey from an introverted strength engineer on Project Gemini in the early 1960s to CEO and Chairman of McDonnell Douglas. Using himself as an example, John focused on the idea that effectively leading people is a learned skill, often requiring leaders to work against their own natural tendencies. That and countless other conversations with John had profound impact on me and the Danforth Center.

John’s mentoring led to new formal training for me and our leadership team, PIs, and directors. It led to implementing 360 reviews, in which Center leaders get extensive feedback from team members, peers and supervisor. It eventually led to the hard work of improving our culture and changing the ways in which we relate to one another within our community. A program we are creating called Developing Plant Science Leaders traces back to John. The learning and changes that John triggered are even more important today as our community approaches 400 members in size.

With his family, John has also contributed greatly to the Center’s science through generous donations, including one to establish the Institute for International Crop Improvement (IICI) in 2012. The McDonnell International Gallery displaying dozens of national flags reflects John’s commitment to international understanding, cooperation and progress, which align seamlessly with our mission, vision and values. And John has been remarkably effective at promoting the Danforth Center, helping build the innovation community around the Center, engaging other donors, and helping us grow.

After 21 years of service as a Director, Vice Chairman and Chairman on the Danforth Center Board, John McDonnell will step down at the end of 2021. Thank you, John, for your patient leadership, invaluable mentorship and broad-ranging contributions that have meant so much to so many of us. Your example inspires us to continue learning, discovering, and growing.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This year is shaping up to be our most successful year in winning competitive research grants, the fuel that powers most projects at the Danforth Center. Recently, I asked several PIs: What are some of the most important reasons for your grant-getting success? They had plenty of answers!

A culture of collaboration. Malia Gehan says, “I’m fortunate to work with PIs and scientists at the Center that value a collaborative environment that is key for getting funding; these are people that I want to work with.” Keith Slotkin adds, “We want to collaborate with each other, we support each other, we cheer each other on, yet there is a healthy amount of competition.”

Important discoveries prior to proposal submission. Blake Meyers says, “The review panels want to see that you’ve already made substantial progress and discoveries, rather than just have a neat idea. I’m fortunate to have a highly productive team, publishing a lot of work with which to support the next round of proposals.”

Great facilities and support teams. Malia Gehan says, “One of the most important reasons for our grant getting success is the grants administrative support. The level of support at the Danforth Center is unique and allows us as PIs to focus on the science. The facilities and support staff are key...we have the expertise and facilities that outside collaborators seek out.” Keith Slotkin states, “The Center has been able to maintain a supportive environment throughout the pandemic chaos.”

Our proposals have purpose. Allison Miller says, “The general public is becoming more interested in how to adapt our agricultural systems to changing climate, and with how we might adjust agriculture such that it provides ecosystem services as well as agricultural products.” Dilip Shah adds, “Support for proof of concept studies has made it possible to move several new small antifungal peptides toward practical applications in Ag and medicine.”

We write thoughtful proposals. Nadia Shakoor states, “I’ve tried my best to spend the time to really understand what the granting agency is looking for. I try to consider agency program officers as if they were an intellectual part of my team...and then try to design a project that would advance scientific goals as well as...the granting program.”

Allison Miller sums it up well with, “The greenhouses and field research site, phenotyping and other facilities, the collaborative culture, the incredible grants and support staff, the strong mission and values - all of this makes it possible to develop competitive proposals.” I enthusiastically agree, and it’s why supporting and strengthening the foundational core of the Danforth Center is so, so important.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I heard someone question recently why the Danforth Center gets involved in education and science-based outreach. Aren’t there enough schools with focus in these areas? We’re a research organization, right? The answer to why get involved is simple: there is an enormous need and the Danforth Center has a unique contribution to make. I’ll give you a great example.

For a few years, Kris Callis-Duehl, Lisa Walsh, Ruth Kaggwa and (recently) Darius Pikes in Education Research and Outreach have been working with University of Illinois Extension and the Jackie Joyner-Kersee (JJK) Center in East St. Louis to develop and implement an ambitious program around food and nutrition innovation (JJK FAN) for school-age kids. The JJK Center is a remarkable place, and I was fortunate to visit this week. It is a beaming, bright light in one of the most disadvantaged urban areas of the country, providing Kindergarten through first grade school and after-school academics and athletics programs to youth through high school ages.

The JJK FAN program will benefit from our keen interest in bringing plant science and agriculture into underserved communities through collaborative development and delivery of culturally relevant curriculum. Our teams will engage with JJK FAN students in urban agriculture, research, and demonstrations through programming at the JJK Center and internships at the Danforth Center. The University of Illinois Extension will collaborate with us in cross-regional programming that connects rural and urban students. They also bring unique expertise in food preparation and nutrition, and eventually a scholarship-based pathway for East St. Louis students to attend the University of Illinois. A new master plan for the JJK Center site calls for a plant growth complex and other dedicated facilities to support JJK FAN. It’s a big plan that will impact a lot of lives.

The opportunity for the Danforth Center to connect with those lives, in a regional community that has been overlooked for generations, is possible because of the remarkable commitment of one woman, Jackie Joyner-Kersee. If there is anyone who is more personally invested in helping kids succeed against seemingly long odds, I’ve not met them. One of the greatest athletes of all time spends nearly all of her time working with and inspiring kids, and growing the JJK Center as a brighter light in East St. Louis. And that includes her personal involvement in the JJK FAN endeavor. We are more than lucky to be a partner with Jackie!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Each year around this time, I get to sit in on a video call to introduce the newest William H. Danforth Plant Science Fellow awardee to P. Roy Vagelos. On the occasion of Bill Danforth’s retirement as Chairman of the Danforth Center Board, Roy and his wife Diana made a financial gift to endow this fellowship to support an outstanding graduate student doing their dissertation research at the Center. In fact, Roy and Diana are among the most generous U.S. philanthropists, particularly in support of scientific research and education. You will hear more about the 2022 Fellow in an upcoming announcement. This message is about Roy.

From humble beginnings during the Great Depression as the son of Greek immigrants, Roy became an M.D. (cardiology) and research biochemist. He chaired the Biochemistry Department at Washington University Medical School, where he developed a life-long friendship with Bill Danforth. In 1975, Roy was attracted to Merck and Co. as head of research, adapting better biochemistry principles to develop numerous new medicines, like statins to lower cholesterol and the first Hepatitis B vaccine. By the mid-1980s, he was CEO and Chairman of the company.

The humanity and impact of his leadership at Merck is best illustrated by what he did with the drug ivermectin, a highly effective treatment for parasitic diseases (no, not COVID-19!) like River Blindness and Elephantiasis. He led Merck to give the drug away for free in under-developed countries, resulting in treatment of over 250 million people who otherwise could not afford the drug. This eliminated River Blindness as a major disease in the savannah areas of West Africa. After retirement from Merck in the mid-1990s, he joined a little-known biotech company, Regeneron, as Board Chairman, a position he still holds. Today, Regeneron is a powerhouse that delivers novel therapeutics based on monoclonal antibodies.

The Danforth Center benefitted from Roy’s service as a Director on our Board for 16 years, until 2014. My introduction to Roy happened in 2010, prior to coming to the Center, when he phoned my Oregon State University office and said, “Jim, this is Roy Vagelos. I’m chairing the search for a new president of the Danforth Plant Science Center, and I’d like to talk with you about it.” Since then, Roy has been a friend, a valued advisor, and a role model that I greatly admire. As a leader, Roy is always focused on how he can help others be better and achieve big things; not surprisingly, this is precisely the quality that Roy admired in Bill Danforth.

I am so thankful to see this kind of generous leadership impacting the careers and lives of students at the Danforth Center today.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

You can regularly see groups touring the Danforth Center with community members and volunteers. These groups are often from companies that want to learn more about us. Companies are active Center supporters, a fact reinforced when tour groups walk by signage recognizing some major contributors. While connections to companies are made through many points in our network, special thanks go to Isabel Acevedo and Sarah Jennings in Development for building relationships with key individuals in companies and foundations that are, or could be, Center supporters. Isabel, Sarah and the Development team then work with many of you to craft proposals for grants, gifts and sponsorships. Financial support reflects co-alignment of Center and company interests, goals or values, and provides key funding for strategic priorities.

Companies support the Center in many ways, including with grants to fund research projects and education programs. In fact, companies provide several million dollars of research and education funding each year. Valent Biosciences and Sumitomo Corporation support research in the Topp lab focused, in part, on understanding beneficial interactions of roots and microbes in soil. Bayer Crop Science has funded part of the VIRCA-Plus project led by the Taylor group, and research to accelerate precision breeding in the Slotkin lab. Vesteron supports anti-fungal peptide research in the Shah and Czymmek groups, and Wells Fargo has funded nearly a dozen teams working closely with innovative start-up and small AgTech companies through the IN2 program. Boeing has been a vital supporter of several education and outreach programs through the years.

Companies also provide support for events through sponsorships, and for the Center to grow as a dynamic institution. Partners like AON and KWS sponsor events like AgTech Next, BioBash, and many others. Bank of America has supported the Danforth Center because they view us as a catalyst for positive growth in the St. Louis region. Edward Jones identifies with our mission and vision, and they want to be a part of what we’re doing. Bunge and Millipore Sigma have been consistent supporters through annual giving, which enables hiring of new PIs, purchase of equipment, and so much more. And Enterprise Holdings and the Taylor family have made major gifts to develop our plant growth facilities, establish a research institute, and expand the Center.

All of this support matters greatly to our success! Thank you to all who work with our partners in the private sector, and to all of the companies that invest in the Danforth Center.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Have you have noticed more Danforth Center community members working onsite in recent months? Nearly 45% more people are coming in today compared to six months ago (thank you, Joy Knuckles, for tracking). We’re up to around 70% of the number of community members working onsite, at least partly, compared to pre-pandemic numbers. But many of you are asking when we’ll transition to Phase 3, in which we operate freely without COVID-19-driven restrictions and resume large in-person meetings, seminars in the Theater, and face-to-face onsite events. The answer is: We have not yet set a date for this transition. The pandemic has been too unpredictable to confidently mark a Phase 3 date around which we can plan. Despite some encouraging recent trends, note that numbers of COVID-19 cases in St. Louis County are over 5-fold higher today than when we transitioned to Phase 2 in June.

Some of you are also asking when everyone will be required to return onsite. The answer here is: We do not anticipate setting such an across-the-board requirement. We expect to maintain a policy that gives team leaders reasonable discretion to assess and allow hybrid/remote work arrangements for team members. In a recent survey (thanks to Jennifer McDonnell, Maria Higa and Anna Dibble), the vast majority of team leaders said they are comfortable with team members working a hybrid or remote schedule.

The survey data also reveal needs to better enable a productive hybrid community over the long-term. Three needs stand out:

• New kind of workspace – Providing workspaces to accommodate dynamic or infrequent onsite activity for some community members on a hybrid schedule will require that we implement flexible “hotelling” spaces. We envision piloting the use of large, multi-user tables in place of assigned desks or cubicles in some areas.
• Technology – Tools must be expanded to enable hybrid meetings, seminars and events in which everyone feels more connected and present. Technologies like Meeting Owl in the Schnuck’s Conference Room need to be implemented in more creative, robust, and ubiquitous ways in meeting spaces, lecture rooms, and gathering places throughout the Center.
• Training – Training and tools to help hybrid team leaders, and to convey best practices between teams, were also identified as needs.

I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts about the future Center work environment in the weeks and months ahead. Have a safe weekend!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I communicated last week about Danforth Center research with relevance to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration and lowering of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. This week, let’s look at Center research focused on adaptation of crops to future climate conditions. Adaptation is defined as learning how to adjust to, or live with, climate change that has already been set in motion. Agriculture must offer significant solutions to climate change through both mitigation and adaptation, but both will require major investments in scientific research and technology development.

Understanding Plant Responses to Environmental Challenges. This NSF-funded, $3M “Rules of Life” project involves teams led by Keith Slotkin (Lead PI), Malia Gehan, Blake Meyers, Sona Pandey, Chris Topp and collaborators, and seeks to understand how plants will respond to environmental challenges when carbon dioxide levels are higher. The project will build models of how elevated carbon dioxide and stress affect growth of diverse plant species, and how those changes may be inherited (epigenetically) in subsequent generations. As the team points out, “Understanding plant responses to environmental stress is important to secure our future...interest in maintaining agricultural productivity and preserving the environment.”

Mechanisms Underlying Abiotic Stress Resilience in Sorghum. Andrea Eveland (Lead PI) and Todd Mockler teams and collaborators are exploring the genetic basis of drought tolerance in sorghum in this Department of Energy-funded, $2.7M project. It involves phenotyping experiments in the Arizona desert to measure effects of drought in genetically distinct varieties of sorghum. In many agricultural regions of the world, future climates will be both hotter and drier, with more frequent extreme conditions like prolonged drought. This work will enable crop breeders to deliver varieties that better tolerate these conditions.

Climate Adaptation Research Across the Center. This is a consistent theme around the Center. Ru Zhang’s team works hard to understand how photosynthesis is affected by elevated temperatures. Ivan Baxter’s group is figuring out how plant genome composition affects growth and nutritional status in different environments. Sona Pandey’s and Dmitri Nusinow’s groups aim to discern how plants biochemically sense and respond to environmental changes and stress, while Malia Gehan’s and Noah Fahlgren’s teams are delivering better, more useful ways to measure effects of stress. And Toby Kellogg’s group is analyzing natural variation in wild species for traits with relevance to climate adaptation.

I hope these last few messages convey both the importance we’re placing on climate change and the urgency with which we need to act.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I’ve had more conversations and meetings around the topic of climate change than just about any other topic recently. Agriculture around the world is a major contributor to greenhouse gas accumulation, the cause of anthropogenic climate change. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, the most significant greenhouse gasses, are emitted by various agricultural practices. Science and technology to address challenges at the nexus of agriculture and the environment have never been more important, and that’s where the Danforth Center comes in. Let’s highlight three major research initiatives with greenhouse gas reduction objectives at the Danforth Center.

New Roots for Restoration Biology Integration Institute (NRR-BII). This $12.5M, multi-institutional initiative led by Allison Miller seeks to understand plant traits, plant communities, and the soil ecosphere to restore natural and agricultural ecosystems. A major driver of NRR-BII is development of effective, scalable ways to better capture carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas, and sequester it in soil. Consider that a tall grass prairie can sequester 0.3 to 1.7 metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere each year. It’s time to apply what we can learn from natural systems to move towards climate resiliency!

Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI). Led by plant biologists at the Salk Institute, this initiative now includes a $6.2M program led by Nadia Shakoor at the Danforth Center to develop sorghum with more carbon sequestration potential. Sorghum has high appeal for capturing and storing atmospheric carbon underground because it’s also relatively drought tolerant. Nadia’s team is investigating the genetics and phenotypes of sorghum needed for improved varieties with potential to sequester more carbon.

Subterranean Influences on Nitrogen Cycling (SINC) Center. The SINC Center, currently composed of teams from four Danforth Center labs and Data Science, is about using microbes and plant genetics to lower the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. A major motivation is the need to lower emissions of nitrous oxide gas, which has roughly 275-times more heat-trapping potential than an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide. Seventy-five percent of total nitrous oxide emissions is due to nitrogen fertilizer and other agricultural practices. With initial seed funding from a $1M gift, the SINC Center seeks to develop technology that lowers the need for synthetic fertilizer by 12%.

So, the next time you’re asked about research we’re doing at the Danforth Center to address climate change, you now have three good examples to share! Have a safe weekend.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Here are a few facts you may not know about Danforth Center research grants:

• Roughly 50% (over $17M) of Center revenue in 2020 came from research grants
• 68 grant proposals were submitted in 2020; 57 proposals were submitted in the first seven months of 2021
• 34.1% of competitive grant proposals submitted in 2020 were funded
• 199 grant-funded projects and fellowships are under management at the Danforth Center

From these numbers, we can discern the importance of grants to our overall funding, the increasing volume of proposals submitted annually, and the large number of funded research projects for which we successfully compete. This week, I want to shine a light on the tremendous contributions of the five Grant Specialists – Dana Benedicktus, Holly Costello, Terri Green, Michelle Richards and Missy Rung-Blue - whose talents and hard work enable all this to happen. Each Grant Specialist works in close partnership with a group of PIs and their teams, a terrific Administrative Assistant (Terri Burton, Shannon Gabbert, Justino Gordon, Judy Mitchell, or Angie Wright), Cathy Kromer as coordinator, and Melissa Kerckhoff and members of the Finance and Accounting team.

Among their critical roles in preparation of a competitive proposal, the Grant Specialists gather information about grant programs, determine requirements for submission, organize content for the multiple proposal sections (project description, personnel, and much more), and help develop a budget that complies with both granting agency and Danforth Center requirements. Grant Specialists work under immovable submission deadlines, and often with multiple proposals at the same time. They navigate around obstacles when they appear, interface with collaborating partners who are late, and serve on the front lines when systems and requirements change. Currently, they are in the process of learning, testing and adapting to a new proposal and grants management system that will affect every aspect of their work. Then if a proposal is funded, they work with the PIs and Finance to manage budgets, meet deadlines and otherwise ensure that the project runs smoothly. Terri Green also serves a special function as the authorized individual who submits all Center proposals online to the funding agencies. Terri serves in this role with efficiency, patience and willingness to work at all hours when problems occur at submission deadlines.

I admire and appreciate the work and professionalism of Dana, Holly, Terri, Michelle and Missy. They are the gears that make the research machine run at the Danforth Center, and they deserve our frequent acknowledgement and thanks!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

With the Labor Day Holiday on Monday, I want to thank everyone for your hard work and countless contributions to the Danforth Center. As most of you enjoy the extended weekend, I ask that everyone celebrate the results of your dedicated efforts. I also ask that everyone recognize with gratitude and celebrate those Center community members whose work makes it possible for us to do our jobs or who contribute to our success.

I want to give special thanks to all those who, despite the Labor Day Holiday, will be working onsite over the weekend or on Monday to care for plants, ensure security, tend to ongoing experiments that need attention, and respond to any emergencies that arise. These individuals are serving unique roles with sacrifice, but with immense benefit to the community.

I hope you enjoy the weekend with family or friends, and please stay safe!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

From time to time, I find myself reading articles in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the disease epidemiology digest published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) since 1930. Now, I understand if MMWR is not in your regular reading rotation. First of all, we can agree that the journal title is quite a downer. The journal originally had a more uplifting name, Weekly Health Index, but it was changed inexplicably to the bleak-sounding Weekly Mortality Index in 1941. In a full-gloom-and-doom move, the word Morbidity was added in 1952 after what must have been a spirited editorial board meeting. With deep dives into the clinical and statistical weeds, MMWR rarely caters to the casual reader. But, if you want the best, most recent scientific data on spread of infectious diseases and vaccines, MMWR is for you!

This week, MMWR published several studies showing real-world effectiveness of vaccines (mostly Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech) in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 severe disease, hospitalization and worse. For example, in a 35-week detailed study of 4217 U.S. healthcare professionals, vaccines were 91% effective at preventing any infection prior to emergence of the Delta variant in early 2021. That is, vaccination lowered the likelihood of becoming infected by 10-fold when earlier strains were circulating. Later in 2021, vaccines were 61% effective at preventing infection in places where the Delta variant dominated, though interpreting the decline from 91% is complicated (see below). However, other studies showed that vaccines were over 90% effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalizations, regardless of the variant. The new data are clear: the risks of severe disease and death reside overwhelmingly with non-vaccinated people, even with the growing number of vaccinated individuals who are carriers.

Some questions arise from these studies. Importantly, although they are still relatively low, why are the numbers of vaccinated individuals with carrier or breakthrough infections rising? Does immunity after vaccination simply wane over time, or is the Delta variant overcoming immunity in a higher proportion of vaccinated people? There are data supporting both ideas. Importantly, early studies show that booster shots dramatically re-elevate protective antibodies.

What do the new findings mean for the Danforth Center? First, the studies clearly validate the notion that everyone who is able should get fully vaccinated. Second, even with the Center’s high vaccination rate, they underscore the importance of masking, distancing, indoor meeting and gathering limits, and other anti-COVID-19 measures, as anyone can potentially acquire and carry the virus. And third, we intend to follow CDC recommendations regarding booster shots, including encouraging those with compromised or weakened immune systems to consult with their healthcare providers soon about the advisability of a booster.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Many of us spend a lot of time communicating with the public about the Danforth Center and our work. Most would agree that effective, purposeful communication through written, verbal, online or other means involves really hard work! Effectively speaking to audiences is particularly difficult for many because it’s often complicated by fear of public speaking (glossophobia), which affects nearly 50% of people. That’s about the same as the percentage of people with a fear of stumbling into a nest of hissing snakes (ophidiophobia)! Most of us were never trained in the art of public communication, especially public speaking. In fact, most scientists develop skills to communicate in highly technical ways that are geared toward specialized audiences; such an approach rarely works well with non-scientific groups.

Through lots of learning from mistakes, feedback, and continuous practice, I’ve concluded that effective communication about the Center and our work hinges on two essential concepts – accessibility and authenticity. Accessibility is about connecting with an audience on their terms, regardless of their scientific knowledge or understanding about us. That means getting a grip on the audience’s background, using the audience’s vocabulary, and learning what they care about. Authenticity is about staying true to and accurate about what we do and discover, no matter who comprises the audience. Authenticity contributes to credibility. Accessibility combined with authenticity yields communication that is simple, clear, and accurate. Being simultaneously accessible and authentic requires work and practice, but I’ve seen many of you learn and apply these concepts at Conversations events, Big Ideas presentations, donor gatherings, and in other public settings. And I’ve seen audiences inspired and moved to action as a result!

I am thrilled to see other ways in which community members are working to improve communication skills. Postdoctoral associates Dhineshkumar Thiruppathi, Saima Shahid, Junpeng Zhan and Kevin Cox (and Yunqing Yu and Alex Harkess in the recent past) are serving as Assistant Feature Editors for Plant Physiology or The Plant Cell (TPC), where they publish brief articles that summarize recent research papers for the broad journal audiences. Their articles should bring awareness of scientific advances to plant scientists who are far afield from the topic of the original article. That is, they need to be accessible for non-specialists and scientifically authentic. I’m proud that these talented young scientists have taken on this important job, and I’m glad they are developing and honing skills that can also be applied while communicating with non-scientific audiences.

Have a good weekend, and please stay safe out there.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

How do we more equitably and inclusively grow the St. Louis economy and develop a workforce with full participation from all communities in the region? That was the topic of a panel in which I participated this week during presentation of the State of the St. Louis Workforce report, which is prepared annually by the St. Louis Community College (STLCC) and partners. The panel, which was moderated by Jeff Pittman (STLCC Chancellor) and live streamed from the Nine PBS studios, was interesting for two reasons. First, the discussion centered squarely on challenges that the Danforth Center is committed to address. And second, the other panelists – Marilyn Bush (President, Bank of America, St. Louis), Art McCoy (Leader of STL.Works), and Valerie Patton (Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Greater St. Louis, Inc) – were fascinating. Each is a strong community leader working hard to achieve inclusive growth in unique ways. I was honored to be seated alongside them.

This panel was an opportunity to talk about what we are doing to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive Danforth Center, and how we are helping to grow opportunities in underserved communities outside of our doors. These are, after all, integral parts of our Strategic Plan. I talked about our People Initiative in which we are re-developing DEI training and education, re-imagining our hiring and retention processes, and re-engaging our community around key diversity goals. And I talked about how we are reaching into communities to engage students of color in authentic research experiences, where students who are underrepresented in science and other STEM fields can start identifying as scientists. Such identity is critical for retention of these students in STEM education pipelines. While these Danforth Center efforts do not address every challenge in building a diverse and inclusive workforce, they are ways in which WE can uniquely contribute.

The panel also provided an opportunity to talk about industries that can have an outsized impact on economic growth in St. Louis. I made the case that we can grow and strengthen the economy with private sector companies that are solving global challenges, like food insecurity and climate change. I was proud to point to the expanding AgTech ecosystem on and around our campus in 39North, enabled in part by the Danforth Center. But while we are seeing entrepreneurial success and investment in exciting companies in our neighborhood, are we doing enough to ensure that all communities are prepared, and feel welcome, to participate? I look forward to continuing the work with our partners, like the St. Louis Community College, to make sure that happens.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

P.S. Many thanks to Kris Callis-Duehl and Stephanie Regagnon for providing thoughts and ideas in advance of the panel discussion!

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Each time we bring new scientific teams to the Danforth Center, I am thankful we have had the capacity and resources to grow. With construction of the WHD Wing, collaboration with partner universities, and successful fundraising efforts, we planned for growth to accommodate around 30 PI-led research teams. I am thrilled we will reach that target with the addition of two new PIs, Dr. Tessa Burch-Smith and Dr. Armando Bravo, in the near future.

Tessa Burch-Smith joins the Center as Associate Member and PI on Monday, August 2 when she arrives from the University of Tennessee with a team of three graduate students - Amie Sankoh, Mohammad Azim and Samantha Nuzzi. Tessa and team work to understand how plant cells communicate with each other through intercellular channels called plasmodesmata (PD). Plants are actually a vast network of interconnected cells that exchange essential molecules like sugars, proteins and RNA through PD during growth and development. And viruses exploit PD channels to move from cell to cell as they spread through plants. Tessa and team are shedding light on two important plant biology topics - how different parts of a plant exchange signaling molecules and metabolites, and how viruses interact with their hosts to cause disease. Tessa has already made valuable contributions through collaboration with Kirk Czymmek to test and acquire the new transmission electron microscopy system being installed now in the Advanced Bioimaging Laboratory. Tessa, Amie, Mohammad and Samantha - we are excited to welcome you next week!

Armando Bravo accepted our offer just this week to join as Assistant Member and PI, starting later in 2021. Armando is coming from the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University, and will initiate a program focused on plant-microbe symbiosis. Armando works on interactions between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which live underground in tight association with plant roots. AMF help plants to take up nutrients like phosphorous from soil, and to tolerate environmental stress. In exchange, plants offer up essential carbon-containing compounds necessary for AMF to grow. We care about this because AMF and other symbiotic microbes offer enormous potential to sustainably reduce the use of synthetic fertilizer, water and other inputs in agriculture. Armando, we look forward to welcoming you in the Fall!

Thank you to all who have worked so hard to identify, recruit and onboard these talented scientists. And many thanks in advance to Tessa, Amie, Mohammad, Samantha and Armando for your future contributions to the Danforth Center community!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I had an interesting call this week with Brett Begemann, a Director on our Board and the recently retired Chief Operating Officer of Bayer Crop Science US. Brett has been a strong supporter of the Danforth Center since the beginning, and an encouraging source of wisdom for me over the past several years. We were talking about how the Center community might change in the post-COVID world (assuming we get there!). This is occupying a fair bit of planning time given the changing expectations and attitudes about flexible and remote work arrangements among current and prospective community members. The potential impact that such changes will have on our culture, for example, presents uncertainty that most organizations with a knowledge-based workforce are facing.

While discussing the difficulty of predicting how decisions we could make might affect our community, Brett articulated clearly the sensible approach that smart organizations will take. It starts with the simple acknowledgement that we don’t know how decisions we make today will fully play out tomorrow! Acknowledging that fact clears the path to find ways to measure the effects of changes, and then to adjust course if the data point in a different direction. Smart organizations don’t need perfect plans to navigate an uncertain future, but they do need ways to assess how things are going and a willingness to change course based on what they learn. Brett effectively defined what it means to be a reasonable and rational organization in the face of uncertainty.

With our Strategic Plan, the community is developing and implementing a number of new initiatives. None of the planning anticipates every wrinkle or challenging scenario that will be encountered. The new Field Research Site has involved a lot of course adjustment to date, and will require more adjustment in the future as we learn from the experience of building a new facility. The Innovation Initiative has involved piloting of programs and iterative learning to figure out better, more productive ways to catalyze startup companies around Danforth Center technologies. We’re figuring out how our education, outreach and training programs can be scaled in new ways, despite the fact that clear blueprints for doing so do not exist. In fact, every new initiative underway has some unpredictability and, therefore, risk. The question for me is not, “Do our plans anticipate every challenge and eliminate all risk?” but rather, “How well can we recognize and understand problems as they arise and adjust our course of action appropriately?”

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This week, I had the pleasure of sitting in on a progress update for a new Danforth Center research initiative – theSubterranean Influences on the Nitrogen Cycle Center of Excellence (SINC Center) - focused on developing solutions to the “nitrogen problem,” which arose through the widespread adoption of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer in agriculture. The ability to efficiently manufacture nitrogen fertilizer in chemical factories helped grow yields of Green Revolution crops starting in the mid-20^th century, but it came with enormous environmental costs through pollution of waterways and oceans, destabilized soils and significant greenhouse gas emissions. Just how much synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is used to produce our food? Consider the fact that 50% of the total nitrogen in our bodies was chemically processed in a factory!

The SINC Center currently involves members of the Allen, Bart, Baxter, and Topp labs, the Data Science team, and critical support from the Field Research Site and Plant Growth Facility teams. They’re working in cross-lab collaborative teams to identify and understand native microbes that can reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizer; to understand the role of host plant genetics in promoting beneficial interactions with microbes; to understand how variation in root functions affect nitrogen-promoting interactions; and to understand the metabolism affecting exchange of nitrogen between plants and microbes. That was a mouthful because the SINC Center has an ambitious research agenda. But the work all focuses toward a single goal – to develop new technologies that reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizer while maintaining high yields. The SINC Center features prominently in achieving the goals of Outcome 3 – Sustainable Crops and Systems – in our Strategic Plan.

While each of the SINC Center labs has been working for years to understand how plants relate to nitrogen, the new effort is different. It intertwines team members in novel focus areas; it has actual outcome targets with great practical value; and it was initiated because of the far-sighted vision and generosity of Phil and Sima Needleman, who provided the initial funding to get the SINC Center off the ground. Thank you, Phil and Sima!

Let’s go back to the update given by SINC Center co-directors Becky Bart, Doug Allen, Ivan Baxter and Chris Topp to Phil and three advisors. The overwhelming sense of pride I felt was due to the display of creativity and rapid progress from the first five months of work. It also came from the fact that this initiative is possible because of our exceptional scientific leaders and teams, our collaborative ethic, our unique and adaptable facilities teams, and our amazing supporters. Thank you to everyone who is contributing!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I’ve received several good questions recently with relevance to the community, so let’s share them along with responses in this week’s message.

Are you happy with the Center-wide full vaccination rate? YES! As of Friday morning, July 9, we were at 93.4% fully vaccinated. Prior to vaccine distribution, we surveyed the Center community and calculated that 95% would get vaccinated. I’m guessing we will hit that mark once all cards are filed with HR. I am proud that we not only reached a high mark, but that we did so at a pace that far exceeded the pace of local, state and national vaccination. We are a safer community as a result!

Are you concerned about the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2? Definitely. The Delta variant is now the dominant strain circulating in Missouri and responsible for the disturbing upward reversal in infection rates. Daily infection rates in Missouri are 2.5-fold higher today than they were one month ago. The Delta variant, which is causing disease, hospitalization and death almost exclusively in non-vaccinated individuals, spreads about twice as easily as strains that circulated during the first year of the pandemic. It accumulates to higher levels in infected individuals and is likely more easily transmitted to non-vaccinated children. I am not so concerned about our near-fully vaccinated Danforth Center community, but I am concerned about non-vaccinated family members. I’m also concerned about the fact that low vaccination rates in large parts of the country provide large reservoirs of people in which new variants, like Delta, can evolve, take hold and prolong the pandemic. That negatively affects all of us.

Are we just about ready to return to “normal” operations (Phase 3)? Not quite. Phase 3 will have no COVID-related restrictions or protocols, but expect some modified policies that affect our work environment. There are a few things in the way of advancing to Phase 3. First and foremost, the pandemic is still with us...see prior paragraph. And second, we need to collect more information (ongoing now) on expectations and needs within our community concerning how the work environment could or should change in the future. To what extent should work-from-home options be normalized? To what extent will more flexible work arrangements be a recruiting or retention advantage? And how will any changes affect our culture? While we know the workplace of the future will be different from the workplace of the past, we need to be mindful of all parts of our community before a course is set.

Have a great weekend! And as always, please stay safe.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Many are traveling out of town, planning local trips and celebrating with family and friends over the Fourth of July holiday, so I’ll give you a break with a very brief message this week. With hope that you find ways to reward yourselves for the outstanding work you’ve done this year, enjoy the long weekend!

And remember, we are not out of the woods yet with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Delta variant has significantly and dangerously increased the threat to non-vaccinated individuals, including kids, in Missouri. Please stay safe out there!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Did you see the news this week about approval of virus-resistant cassava in Kenya? Nigel Taylor has been leading the Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA) project for most of the past decade. Nigel’s team, the IICI team and collaborators at several African national agricultural organizations developed cassava varieties that resist two destructive virus diseases, Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and Cassava mosaic disease (CMD), which threaten food security and livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers in east and central Africa. Resistance against CBSD was generated using RNA interference (RNAi). Through a long, determined VIRCA project journey, the Kenyan National Biosafety Authority approved for environmental release cassava with the new CBSD resistance trait, which the team combined with naturally occurring CMD resistance. This is the first approval of a product using modern biotechnology in east Africa.

Because cassava is such an unusual and often difficult crop, the VIRCA project has been a roller coaster of ups, downs and rescues from near disaster. It’s exciting to witness such an impactful application of RNAi, an area of science that is close to home for me. It was thrilling to see the “proof-of-concept” cassava plants resisting CBSD in early field trials during a trip to Uganda in 2012. It was then devastating to see the farmer-preferred varieties that the team subsequently developed completely succumb to disease during a trip in 2014. The RNAi-mediated resistance to CBSD was fine, but the plants inexplicably lost the natural resistance to CMD. Why the plants were suddenly susceptible to CMD was entirely baffling, but it gave the project funders and collaborators serious reason to doubt the viability of the project.

What happened next was a tour de force of scientific creativity and energy. The team crafted three approaches to regain CMD resistance, but without knowing the cause, the risk of failure for each was very real. Long story short, they hypothesized that CMD resistance could be restored through genetic crosses with specific other cassava varieties, and they succeeded spectacularly in doing so. With a big pivot, they pulled the project back from the brink. By the way, this all led to a significant collaboration with Becky Bart’s team and others to understand natural CMD resistance and why it unexpectedly disappeared.

The recent approval paves the way for final stages of testing, registration of new varieties and release to smallholder farmers in Kenya. I am so appreciative of Nigel’s team members and how they have persevered; they’ve lived our values of Innovation and Collaboration. I am thankful to Don MacKenzie, Getu Duguma and the IICI team for masterfully navigating the regulatory landscape in Kenya. And I am so thankful to have exceptional partners, like our Kenyan colleague Catherine Taracha, on this important project.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Juneteenth occurs on the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when 250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas were finally freed by Union soldiers after the Civil War ended. The date marks the actual emancipation of slaves nearly two and one-half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to legally free slaves in rebel states. The first celebrations of June 19 began as Jubilee Day within Black communities in Texas in 1866, despite barriers and ordinances that restricted assemblies of Black people in many public spaces. The name “Juneteenth” was established in the late 1890s, though celebrations were suppressed as Jim Crow laws were passed to discriminate against and disenfranchise Black people in the early 1900s. Despite the significance and symbolism of Juneteenth in U.S. history, broad recognition and awareness of Juneteenth in this country has required over 150 years.

Many individuals and organizations have campaigned over the years for Juneteenth to be recognized as an official federal holiday, but no one has done as much as 94-year old Opal Lee, a retired teacher from Texas who is known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth. In 2016 and 2017, she organized and marched in dozens of 2.5-mile walks – corresponding to the 2.5 years between the Emancipation Proclamation date (issued Jan. 1, 1863) and June 19, 1865 – across the country to raise awareness of Juneteenth and advocate for federal holiday recognition. She was present this week at the White House for the signing of legislation that finally established Juneteenth as a national holiday.

We observed Juneteenth as a Danforth Center holiday on Friday, June 18. I hope everyone will have an opportunity this weekend to reflect, to read, to view or to learn about the history leading to Juneteenth and the struggle that Black communities have faced ever since.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

For several months, teams have been developing action plans to make our Strategic Plan come to life. If the Strategic Plan is about the outcomes and goals we want to achieve, then the action plans are about the steps and resources needed to get from here to there. Thank you to each team member for your creativity and good work!

The good news is that we have an abundance of great plans to implement, ideas to try and aspirations to ponder. The other news is that we lack the money to pay for much of what the plans call for. Facilities development and new fellowships, for example, are important to achieve our goals, but funds are not in hand for these and other necessary items. But note I did not call this “bad news.” That’s because we have excellent fundraising professionals in the Development team, led by Tom Bander (VP of Development), dedicated to raising money for these purposes from philanthropic sources.

Let’s talk about how we pay to operate the Danforth Center, with funds (over $34M in 2021) arising largely from two sources. Half of the money comes from competitive grants that our PIs and teams secure from sources like the National Science Foundation. These grants pay for supplies, team member salaries, and other project expenses, and for some major equipment. Most of the other half (around $16M) originates from philanthropic gifts from generous donors, foundations, and companies that believe in the Center’s work and our mission. As per donors’ wishes, some gifts are used soon after receipt, and others go into our endowment that we draw from using a formula (over $13M this year). Donor-derived funds pay for mission-critical people, programs, and facilities that scientific grants do not or cannot support, and for large capital projects like new buildings or greenhouses. This is why our donors - our investors - are absolutely essential partners with us at the Danforth Center. We could neither function nor exist without them. Importantly, most of the new initiatives, facilities and programs specified through the recent planning process will require new donor-based support.

The Development team identifies and stewards donors through relationship-building, network-building, organizing events and volunteer groups, and communicating with the public. And they have a secret weapon...the Danforth Center Community! Our donors want and need to hear about our motivation, our discoveries and our impact from those who are doing the work. I am proud each time I hear you communicate such at an event or on a tour. And for us to achieve our strategic goals and desired outcomes, we need your continued engagement with the Development team and donors. We can do it, but it will require a Center-wide effort.

Thank you to each member of the Development team, and to all who contribute time and talent to work with our philanthropic partners. Our success depends on you!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This week was a significant step forward for the Danforth Center with transition to Phase 2 operations. It was also a big step forward for me and my family, as Teri and I hosted our two sons - Ross from Seattle and Jason from New York - for a week-long, post-vaccination vacation of sorts. This was our first time seeing Ross in person since early January, 2020, which was also the last time we saw anyone else from the family’s West Coast contingent that includes mom, two daughters, son-in-law and four grandkids. I took time off from work for most of the week, the first time that’s happened since, well, January 2020.

The week was filled with music and laughs, card games and Scrabble, favorite foods and beverages, long walks, and our first Cardinals game in two seasons. No big adventures, and nothing particularly story-worthy (though there’s still two days to go). Really, the big step forward this week was the gain of some recognizable normalcy with at least part of the family, and a renewed appreciation of what most of us have missed while finding our way through the pandemic. This week highlighted for me the remarkable value of vaccination in not only reducing pain, suffering and worse from COVID-19, but in regaining the little things bring happiness to our lives.

That’s all I have to say. Enjoy the weekend!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Wednesday, June 2. That’s when we transition from Phase 1 to Phase 2 operations at the Danforth Center! Phase 2 will relax certain limits to onsite access and open up of some job-related activities. Two criteria were met to trigger the transition. First, the Center community reached our target of 75% full vaccination, a milestone achieved far ahead of the region and the state. And second, though COVID-19 persists, cases in the region have remained at relatively modest levels for several months. We have sought to apply scientific knowledge about the protection afforded by the vaccines while also considering the health and safety of those who are not fully vaccinated or have declined vaccination.

Please read carefully the Safer You, Safer Us: Phase 2 document, which contains the new operating rules and guidelines relating to onsite access, daily wellness certification, business travel, masking, meetings and gatherings, short- and long-term visitors, and other items. There are changes that affect everyone. For example, while work-from-home will still be supported, Phase 2 now allows all community members to access onsite facilities. But only those who have not sent completed vaccine card copies (or who have sent declination forms) to Human Resources will be required to submit daily wellness certifications prior to coming onsite. In some circumstances, voluntary disclosure of fully- or not-fully-vaccinated status among coworkers will guide an appropriate course of action, but under no circumstances will anyone be required to disclose vaccination status outside of HR or be judged for choosing not to voluntarily disclose.

I strongly encourage all labs, departments and teams to discuss the Phase 2 document soon to ensure understanding of changes we’re implementing. The document does not ponder all imaginable scenarios, but we think the principles outlined will serve to guide in most situations when coupled with reasonable judgement. Further, some core facilities (e.g. PGF) will implement Phase 2 changes that affect user access or operations; details regarding such changes will be coming from the relevant facility directors.

Thank you to all who worked hard to develop, and provide feedback on, Phase 2 plans. While it does not get us back to “normal,” Phase 2 is a step in that direction.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

During the “Alternative Scientific Careers” panel at BioBash this week, moderator Stephanie Regagnon asked, “What was the scariest transition you ever made in your career?” This reminded me of a move I made as a postdoc when my advisor, Bill Dougherty, moved from North Carolina State University to Oregon State University. At 5:00 a.m. on moving day, our two-vehicle caravan to Corvallis departed with Bill, his partner Dawn and their large dog in his van, and me in my 1978 Datsun King Cab truck with a leaky camper shell.

Several hours later on I40, my vehicle started lagging behind Bill’s on the uphill climbs through the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. The gaps seemed to widen on successive climbs, though I always caught up on the downhills. The trail of oily black spots I was leaving on the highway, however, and a funny smell signaled undeniable trouble, so we turned off at exit 287 in Cookeville, TN and found an auto service shop just as smoke from the engine started obscuring my view. A few minutes later, a mechanic was pointing to engine parts and shaking his head, then politely summed up my big problem with, “Sir, you’ve got a big problem.” I asked, “How long would it take to fix?” After more head-shaking, he said, “It could take a week or so.”

Bill, Dawn and I discussed our bad and worse options for an hour. Then I asked the mechanic, “How much would you give me for the truck, as is?” With no more hesitation than had I asked him his first name, he said, “Four hundred dollars, cash.” Done! After cramming my stuff in the van, which had only two seats (did I mention the big dog?), we were headed west toward the Nashville airport. “I’ll fly the rest of the way,” was all I could say. An hour later, a cheerful agent at the American Airlines counter told me, “The cheapest flight today is...$395.” Well, isn’t that convenient, I thought.

The point to make with this story is, moves and career changes can be stressful, chaotic, and uncertain experiences as the BioBash panel discussed. But can you imagine making a move or taking a new position during the past year, with all the disruptions and disconnections due to the pandemic? We’ve welcomed at least 68 full-time or part-time community members to the Center since March, 2020. I admire the courage shown and effort made by these individuals. Training and integration has been more difficult, and some have never met their teammates in person. Data suggest that people hired during the pandemic are at risk of being less engaged and feeling more disconnected from supervisors and coworkers. I want to raise sensitivity to, and awareness about, these issues that affect our whole community.

I look forward to meeting in person and hearing the stories of our newest community members. But until then, let’s do all we can to help those who have joined recently to build connections, grow engagement and feel a sense of belonging that we all want.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

A lot happened around the Danforth Center this week, so there’s a lot on my mind. Let’s touch on three important recent events or issues.

Plotting a Plant-Based Meat Revolution. Talk about provocative! Pat Brown communicated his vision to eliminate large-scale production of animal-based meat - all of it - by 2035 during his virtual Conversations presentation this week. Despite your reaction just then, we should listen carefully. Pat Brown is founder and CEO of Impossible Foods and the most recognized name in the plant-based meat industry, one of the fastest growing segments in food. He’s motivated by the imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and loss of global biodiversity; replacement of farmed and ranched animals with high-protein, plant-based products at large scale could achieve these outcomes. Concerns about environmental impacts of animal farming are why many of us have adopted reduced-meat, vegetarian or vegan diets. The migration toward plant-based alternatives has high relevance for the Danforth Center, as Pat noted the critical need for research to improve composition, quality and uses of plant protein and other constituents to make more diverse, desirable and affordable foods that consumers choose over animal-based foods. As Pat also stated, consumer choice will determine just how close he gets to realizing his vision.

A Unicorn on Danforth Center Campus. This week’s announcement that Benson Hill will be going public as a unicorn (valuation greater than $1 billion) created a sonic boom in the AgTech world. Benson Hill, with deep roots in, and technology from, the Danforth Center is the most prominent start-up success story on campus. They’re growing rapidly in the EDGE@BRDG building and delivering products that include high-protein crops and ingredients for the plant-based meat and animal-alternative markets. Benson Hill’s success sends a loud, positive signal to other companies, start-ups, investors and talented people who are considering 39North as a home. It also inspires the question: What will the next unicorn from the Danforth Center look like?

Shedding the Mask? The updated CDC guidelines for mask-wearing and distancing by vaccinated individuals are intended to be a significant step toward normalcy. The guidelines are grounded in the high efficacy of current COVID-19 vaccines in protecting against illness. How will the new CDC guidance affect operations at the Danforth Center? This will take a little more time to answer, because our current situation is complicated by having both vaccinated (62% reported as of May 14) and non-vaccinated individuals onsite. While we are targeting 75% fully vaccinated before transitioning to Phase 2 and relaxation of several restrictions, details about masking requirements and a few other workplace arrangements have yet to be fully defined.

Take care and have a good weekend.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Last year, our scientists and teams published 137 scientific papers, more than in any prior year in our history. That’s great news! But even for someone really motivated, it’s difficult to keep up with the advances reported in all of these papers. I’m also cognizant that many of you, especially those in non-science roles, are less than familiar with most of the Center’s discoveries and advances. To connect more of our community with recent scientific developments, I want to highlight a few recent publications and explain briefly their significance. Here are three papers from work involving seven lab groups in diverse research areas.

Wilson ME, Tzeng SC, Augustin MM, Meyer M, Jiang X, Choi JH, Rogers JC, Evans BS, Kutchan TM, Nusinow DA. Quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics support a role for Mut9-like kinases in multiple metabolic and signaling pathways in Arabidopsis. (2021) Molecular and Cellular Proteomics. doi: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2021.100063.

Fear not the cumbersome title! This collaboration among the Nusinow, Kutchan and Evans teams focuses on molecules that control circadian rhythms in plants. Plants (like people) have an internal clock, and if you take your favorite potted plant on a flight to Nairobi, it will experience jet lag! The Nusinow team has spent years identifying key parts and roles of the circadian clock, and this new work shows how the time-keeper connects external cues (like light) to molecular responses to environmental stress. Meter and team are now working to produce plants with altered circadian rhythms as a way to breed crops suited to different environments, such as for indoor agriculture.

Wester ER, Walsh LL, Arango-Caro S, Callis-Duehl KL. Student engagement declines in STEM undergraduates during COVID-19-driven remote learning. (2021) J. Microbiology and Biology Education. doi: 10.1128/jmbe.v22i1.2385.

Do you know about research led by Kris Callis-Duehl on how students learn, and its relevance to delivery of the Center’s education and outreach programs? Here, her team asked: How has the shift to online classes during the pandemic impacted STEM student’s engagement in class? The team detected an alarming “decrease in emotional engagement, with students reporting a drastic decline in positive attitudes toward science.” This kind of research can be applied to help mitigate or address some of the problems resulting from recent disruptions in education.

Veley KM, Okwuonu I, Jensen G, Yoder M, Taylor NJ, Meyers BC, Bart RS. Gene tagging via CRISPR-mediated homology-directed repair in cassava. (2021) G3 (Bethesda). doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab028.

The Bart, Meyers and Taylor teams collaborated to develop a broadly applicable method to edit and analyze plant genomes in more precise, informative ways. The method offers better tools to study what genes do, how genes are expressed, and the biology controlled by different genes. They applied the technique here to study plant-pathogen interactions in cassava, a crop that is difficult to work with but important as a food security crop around the world.

Many thanks to everyone who makes scientific progress happen at the Danforth Center!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

The Danforth Center’s online communication efforts are important for our community, our colleagues, and our stakeholders. Our website, social media platforms and public relations channels convey who we are, what we do, and what matters to us through telling our stories, celebrating our successes, and delivering content that underscores our purpose and strategic priorities. Special thanks go to Monica Zawicki and Karla Roeber, who keep our online communications machine running productively and evolving continuously. Thanks also go to all who contribute directly or indirectly to content we deliver.

I met recently with Monica and Karla for a 1^st quarter analytics report on our online impact. We collect data on each platform, what gets viewed, and which platforms/content are prompting desirable actions (all data are anonymous). These data feed back into content development, allocation of financial resources, and adjustments to our communication strategy. Here are some highlights of what I learned for January-March, 2021:

35,317. That’s how many sessions we had on our website, with sessions averaging three pages per visit. After the homepage, the Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates application and information pages were the #1 and #3 most visited pages, respectively. The Principal Investigators page with links to each PI held the #2 spot.

You’re #1, Ivan! – The most searched-for PI was Ivan Baxter. It’s a good thing Ivan and team have an interesting story to tell!

Most read news story and blog post. Generation of cassava with both virus resistance and enhanced nutrition by the Taylor lab was the most read news story on our website. Spotlight on Women in Science, featuring Elizabeth Castillo, Taylor Harris, Sona Pandey and Ru Zhang was the most read blog post.

Making 128,762 and 57,567 impressions. That’s how many times @danforthcenter content was viewed on Twitter and LinkedIn, respectively. Among our four social media platforms, Twitter reached the most people, but had the least number of engagements (shares, likes, etc.) per post; Instagram had the highest engagement per post, but reached the least number of people.

What’s engaging? Not surprisingly, it’s the diverse people in our community generating the most engagement! The most engaged posts from across the four platforms featured Kevin Cox, Early Career Award-winners Andrea Eveland and Malia Gehan, Tira Jones, Allison Miller, Diego Cuerda-Gil, the four “Spotlight” scientists (see above), Nadia Shakoor, Veena Veena, Toni Kutchan and the new Directors on our Board.

Please keep the contributions coming to our online and social media efforts, and thanks for following!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

In the weeks ahead, a strategic program to encourage, incentivize and support new start-up company formation from Danforth Center scientists and technologies will be rolled out. Already, the strategic planning process has led to new research directions, facilities development, and progress in diversity, equity and inclusion at the Danforth Center. Elevating start-up company creation and success is a strategic priority (see Outcome 5 – Economic Impact – in the strategic plan) intended to grow our impact in the region and the world. Without innovative companies delivering products to solve real problems, our Center scientific research will not reach its full potential to make the world a better place.

The program to achieve this goal will focus effort and resources in several key areas:

Increase the effectiveness of intellectual property (IP). IP, such as a patent, is often a vital piece around which on new companies form. The Innovation Team (Stephanie Regagnon, Tom Laurita and Claire Kinlaw) has been rethinking how we go about securing IP from our research, how to make IP easier to file, and how to make investments in IP more strategically.

Enable critical proof-of-concept research. While competitive grants for fundamental research are available from many sources, funding for proof-of-concept (PoC) research to test an idea that might be marketable is almost non-existent. This kind of research, however, is critical to determining if a technology has commercial viability. To partially bridge this gap, we are committing resources over the next several years to fund promising PoC projects at the Center.

Provide in-house entrepreneurial leadership and training. As co-founder and former CEO of NewLeaf Symbiotics, Tom Laurita (Dir. of Entrepreneurship) brings extensive experience as an entrepreneur in AgTech. Tom provides in-house knowledge for how to start and run companies, and can potentially serve as an initial CEO for new Danforth Center start-ups. We see this benefitting prospective scientist-founders of companies, as well as students and researchers with career interests in entrepreneurial businesses.

Create better mechanisms to start and initially fund companies. The Danforth Center is putting corporate structures in place to enable start-up companies form more efficiently and with initial funds to operate. We do not envision running companies beyond early stages, but we believe this will catalyze more company creation and help to better attract investment capital, talented entrepreneurs and skilled personnel.

If you want to see our research lead to solutions to global challenges, this is an exciting time to be at the Danforth Center! Have a good weekend, and stay safe.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Working in interactive teams makes obvious and intuitive sense. None of us possess the skills, energy or time to achieve big things by ourselves. But true collaboration - people and teams working together as co-equal contributors to new ideas, problem solving and ultimately achieving worthwhile goals - has effects that go far beyond just getting a project done. Research shows that productive collaboration fuels motivation, elevates persistence during challenging work, increases interest and satisfaction in the work, improves performance, and drives willingness to engage in subsequent projects. Among Center scientists, collaboration has additional emergent benefits, including increased competitiveness for grants, unexpected discoveries, and unique ideas for new commercial applications.

We don’t just talk about collaboration as an ideal at the Danforth Center. We actively seek a collaboration mindset when hiring new community members. We elevate collaboration (and other Center values) during professional development conversations, and we seek to reward it. We also analyze it! Each Spring, Noah Fahlgren, Melissa Kerckhoff and Karla Elliott collaborate themselves to understand who among Danforth Center scientists is collaborating. They ask the question: Who is working with who on funded projects? Using computational tools (Cytoscape and visNetwork) borrowed from systems biology, collaborative interactions are built into a Center-wide network and graphically represented with color codes for each PI’s team. The 2021 Danforth Center Network of Scientists is shown here – thank you Noah, Melissa and Karla!

It is immediately striking that all of our scientific teams are linked within a Center-wide network of interactions. These are genuine collaborations funded by a granting agency, foundation or company. The network diagram shows that the Center’s scientific enterprise is not a collection of PIs and teams working on isolated projects, but rather is an organism of sorts with multiple, interconnected parts! We’ve noticed that the network has become denser with more interactions over time, meaning we continue morphing into a more connected, interactive community. That’s really good for the Danforth Center.

Through increased communication that comes with working together, greater collaboration is also helping us stay better connected, understand each other’s needs, and empathize with others who are experiencing unique challenges during the pandemic. It is no wonder that Collaboration is a core value at the Danforth Center!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

P.S. Noah created and posted an interactive online version of the collaboration network, allowing individual teams to be highlighted. Note: the network online has the same connections as shown above, but uses a computationally less-intensive graphing tool that creates a slightly different look. Have fun visualizing how Danforth Center scientists work together! Thanks again, Noah.

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Thank you to all who are helping plan for, or giving feedback on, how and when the Danforth Center advances from Phase 1 to Phase 2 operations. Phase 2 operations will enable more community members and activity onsite, though a transition date has yet to be set. Two major factors will influence when the transition occurs – 1) the rate and extent of vaccination among community members, and 2) the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding the former, we have yet to define vaccination thresholds for Phase 2; vaccination data from the Center community will be critical for doing so. Regarding the latter, new or emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants that are more virulent or transmissible are a major concern, though it’s reassuring that current vaccines provide protection against variants circulating widely now.

The outlook for safely operating in Phase 2 was brightened with the recent release of real-world, post-vaccination data. In one large placebo-controlled study, individuals who received mRNA vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech) in the U.S. were tested weekly to determine if they nonetheless became infected by SARS-CoV-2, albeit without symptoms. The results were clear: vaccination has been 89% effective at preventing any detectable infection, meaning that the overwhelming majority of vaccinated individuals are highly unlikely to be sources of new transmission. These data underscore the logic for widespread vaccination among community members before entering Phase 2.

While not all of the details are set, some plans for Phase 2 are firming up. These include:

Onsite access – The approval process for access to facilities by community members will be eliminated, though monitoring of entries will continue. Work-from-home for those who can will continue to be supported.

Wellness certification – Self-administration of wellness checks will continue, but the requirement for daily submission of wellness certification online will be eliminated for fully vaccinated individuals. Those exhibiting symptoms of illness should still stay home.

Safety measures – Wearing of masks, distancing and sanitation practices will continue according to CDC recommendations.

Travel for business – Current restrictions will be relaxed to enable travel on public transportation, though quarantining may be required upon return for non-vaccinated individuals.

Quarantine after suspected exposure – Quarantine requirements will be in effect only for non-vaccinated community members exposed to COVID-19-positive (or suspected) individuals.

In the weeks ahead, more information about timing and other changes to implement in Phase 2 will be sent. In the meantime, please complete the survey (sent April 9) on vaccination adoption and progress. Your feedback is critical for moving forward. Take care!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Several times every week, I find myself in discussions with Danforth Center community members, partners, Directors on the Board, volunteers, and business people about new ideas for things we could do at the Center. We are fortunate in that ideas from just about anyone can be heard and considered. New ideas are essential to keeping us moving forward. New Danforth Center goals and initiatives, new faculty recruiting, and important new projects are all recent outcomes that started with good ideas.

Of course, not all ideas are feasible or aligned with what the Danforth Center is about. “Let’s increase awareness of the Center by building a theme park in the prairie, with rides built entirely from used pipette tips!” That’s a creative idea, but a little off the mark. An old friend who was particularly skilled at responding to impractical ideas from well-intentioned people would often reply with an encouraging, “That’s a very imaginative idea,” before effortlessly changing the subject. One day, long after learning how my friend did this, I presented him with a great new idea. He thought carefully, smiled appreciatively, and said “You always have such imaginative ideas!” We then changed the subject.

How are new ideas to start or build something at the Danforth Center vetted? I use a simple method that involves three questions: 1) Will it help us deliver on our mission and realize our vision? 2) Do we have the capability (people, expertise, facilities) and capacity to take it on? And 3) Is there a productive way to fund it within our financial model? If the answer to each question is “Yes,” then we may be on to something interesting and worth exploring. If any of the answers is “No” or “I don’t know,” then the new idea may need more work, a redirection or a polite explanation of why it might not fit.

This disciplined approach – seeking the intersection of our purpose, what we’re good (or best) at and able to do, and financial sustainability – to assessing new ideas is derived from the Hedgehog Concept articulated by Jim Collins 20 years ago in the book, Good to Great. It helps anchor decision-making to things that matter most and make the Center unique. Sometimes, this approach reveals the need for significant investments to bridge capability or capacity gaps that have opened due to changing needs. Such was the case with the Danforth Center field research site, and for other needs that were prioritized in our Strategic Plan.

Thank you to all who are working on ideas that move us forward. Working with you to see ideas transform into a better Danforth Center is one of the most satisfying parts of my job. Take care and stay safe.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I’m impressed by the creativity and endurance you’ve shown in securing COVID-19 vaccinations recently. I continue to hear numerous stories of road trips to vaccination sites, the longest being to Anderson, MO, 36 miles south of Joplin. But I’m also hearing of growing numbers getting vaccinated at local sites, some as a result of grueling online registration odysseys and others from random, drop-in-your-lap good luck! I’m also hearing new questions and concerns about the vaccines, two of which were sent my way this week. Let’s dispel another vaccine myth/misconception and inform about some late-breaking scientific research.

Question 1: I had COVID-19, and I read that the vaccines will erase the natural immunity I now have. Is that true? NO, that is not true. To the contrary, the data show that getting vaccinated serves to boost anti-COVID-19 immunity if you were infected previously. There is no scientific evidence or reason to think that a vaccine would erase immunity resulting from infection by SARS-CoV-2. Given the safety and efficacy of current vaccines, the CDC recommends that previously infected and recovered individuals should get vaccinated.

Question 2: Do we have any better sense for how long immunity will last after getting a COVID-19 vaccine?  There is encouraging new research (Nature family preprint) indicating that at least the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine activates a part of the immune system that controls long-term immunity. As essential background, when one receives a vaccine or is infected by viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the immune system responds within days by producing short-lived, antibody-generating plasma cells. The 2^nd vaccine dose boosts the number of plasma cells, which heightens and extends the protective antibody response. But whether or not the immune system retains memory of the vaccine or virus infection to confer immunity years later depends on whether or not a different set of cells – germinal center (GC) B cells – are produced in lymph nodes, and whether or not those cells migrate to and persist in bone marrow. The new research revealed that the mRNA vaccine triggered accumulation of GC B cells, and that these were boosted strongly after the 2^nd vaccine dose. Interestingly, evidence that the vaccine tapped into immune memory of other common cold-inducing coronaviruses was presented, meaning that the vaccine could be enlisting the help of long-term immunity against related viruses.

These data reveal that the mRNA vaccine triggers an early marker for long-term immunity, though research over several years will be needed before we know if long-term protection actually occurs. In the meantime, these results should further bolster confidence in mRNA vaccines, and give even more reason to keep scrambling to get vaccinated as quickly as possible. Take care and keep safe!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

The shootings that targeted predominantly individuals with Asian ancestry in Atlanta this week, resulting in eight deaths, were horrifying beyond words. These shootings are among the latest in a deeply disturbing trend of hateful, terrorizing and deadly acts with racial, anti-Asian motivations. The appalling escalation of violence and discrimination against Asian individuals and communities across the U.S. is condemned here in the strongest terms. I want to state clearly my strong commitment, and that of the Danforth Center, to stand proudly in alliance with our Asian and Asian American colleagues at the Center and across the nation.

The rise in anti-Asian violence and discrimination is painful to see and difficult to comprehend. But we should have no difficulty understanding that the targeted communities are under tremendous stress as a result. Nearly one-quarter of the Danforth Center community identifies as Asian, or Asian American or Pacific Islander (AAPI). Our values, especially our commitment to diversity and inclusion and to integrity and respect, compel us to raise our voices and act in support of these vital colleagues. I reached out to some of these individuals to better understand what they are feeling today.

One said, “I think it’s fair to say that the (AAPI) community is right to be worried that anti-Asian sentiment is leading them to be violently targeted. These events are a reminder that we must be vigilant when discussing groups of people, to be mindful about...unfairly attributing certain qualities upon them in a blanket manner.”

Another said, “We came to this country for better education and better life. We have seen many cases of misled hate-violence targeting Asian faces across the country. Every time...I felt truly angry and deeply sad. The recent tragedy that happened in Atlanta may happen again somewhere else, if people keep their eyes shut and pretend to be incapable to change. Such senseless acts of violence left Asian communities devastated, and many paralyzed with fear.”

Another community member indicated that emotions are too high and feelings too raw to share now. What I am hearing and feeling from our Asian and AAPI colleagues is real frustration, anger, fear, pain and sadness. And when one part of the community suffers, we all suffer.

I ask that everyone find ways to help lift up our colleagues who might benefit from your support during these troubled times. Those could be things as simple as having conversations to learn about a co-worker’s experiences, or attending an event like the StopAsianHate vigil (March 20, 7:00 pm) with some of our Asian and AAPI colleagues. Let’s take care of one another! For those in need, our Employee Assistance Program with professional counselors is available, any time of any day.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Due to our demographics, relatively few Danforth Center community members have qualified for COVID-19 vaccination to date. For those who have qualified, I’ve been struck by how many have needed to travel long distances to smaller towns like Hannibal and Waynesville for shots. I’ve mumbled more than once, “Why are there not more vaccination sites in the St. Louis region?” Well, based on a recent tweet from the Governor, this may be changing:

@GovParsonMo: “Vaccine interest is often highest in urban populations, so starting next week, we will begin transitioning mass vaccination teams to accommodate more events in Region A (Kansas City region) and Region C (St. Louis region). We expect a full transition by April 1.”

This tweet from Gov. Parson received a fair bit of derision of the “No kidding” variety. But let’s remember that solving complex problems is difficult, and it takes no particular talent to criticize. I want to commend the Governor for recognizing a need, and then changing course accordingly. Delivering the COVID-19 vaccine has been one of the most challenging public health initiatives this country has undertaken, and it has placed unusual burdens on the states. I am encouraged by the pace of increase in vaccinations and optimistic that all adults waiting to get shots will receive them by the beginning of summer.

Finally, over the past year, I’ve focused a lot of attention in the Weekly Message on coronaviruses and vaccines. Collectively, they offer science-based information that is as relevant today as when initially posted. Here is a listing of those messages, all of which are accessible from this link:

• February 6, 2021 - Science Behind a New COVID-19 Vaccine
• January 30, 2021 - Viruses, Variants and Vaccines
• January 23, 2021 - Misinformation, Myths and Concerns About COVID-19 Vaccines
• December 5, 2020 - COVID-19 Vaccines and RNA Technology
• November 14, 2020 - COVID-19 Update
• September 12, 2020 - The Science Behind Flu Viruses and Vaccines
• July 2, 2020 - COVID-19 Cases Rise Again
• May 9, 2020 - Coronavirus Basics
• April 11, 2020 - Coronavirus, Science, and the Public

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

During our Black History Month celebration this week, I came away appreciating something that sounds rather obvious: history is the aggregate experiences of unique individuals who lived through their unique circumstances in their unique environments. If we want to know and understand the themes and lessons of history, we need to learn the stories of individuals, like the remarkable chemist Percy Julian and the fascinating great great grandmother of Ann Marr, Marie Laveau. Learning about individuals’ challenges, achievements, and influences on others helps to humanize history and make it more relatable, and shouldn’t that help bring people together?

Which brings us to over 400 enslaved and free Black children who were taught to read at the Bray School between 1760 and 1774 in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Bray School, which was located just off of the grounds of the College of William & Mary, was definitely not a philanthropic initiative to improve the lives of Black children. Rather, it was built to Christianize those of African descent, to teach students to appreciate their enslaved or subjugated status, and to increase the value of enslaved individuals who might then be able to do work requiring the ability to read. Some of what we know about the Bray School and the students who attended comes from Williamsburg historical research and the work of The Lemon Project at William & Mary. The Lemon Project was formed to help William & Mary understand, and reckon with, its past embrace of slavery and subjugation of Black people, starting from its founding in 1693.

Understanding those Black students’ stories took a big step forward with the recent discovery of the Bray schoolhouse, as reported this week in Washington Post and New York Times articles. This was due in large part to the dogged determination and curiosity of Terry L. Meyers, “retired” professor emeritus of English at William & Mary, over a 15-year period starting in 2004. Meyers’ research led to memoirs, documents, letters, archeological findings and architectural forensics that ultimately pinpointed the actual schoolhouse. The modest four-room structure was sitting on the William & Mary campus, having been moved there in the 1930s. But it was completely hidden and obscured due to extensive renovation and additions to the structure over time. Terry Meyers’ detailed work and discoveries are helping to restore the schoolhouse structure, educate about Black history in America, and understand those 400+ Bray School students and their descendants.

Which brings us to the question, who is professor emeritus Terry Meyers? Besides being a gifted educator, historian, and authority on Victorian poetry, he is none other than the father of Blake Meyers, PI at the Danforth Plant Science Center. You can learn more about Blake’s dad and his work, including that on the Bray School for Black children, at his website.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

On occasion, I attend a meeting without saying a word. I know what you’re thinking: “I’ve been in many meetings with Jim and have never been so lucky!” Well, sometimes I’m so on-board with what I hear and impressed by those speaking, it’s just obvious I have nothing more to add. So it was at a recent meeting of the Committee for Scientific Training and Mentoring (CSTM).

CSTM is a unique, self-governed Danforth Center group that brings career training and development opportunities to non-PI scientists, fosters community through scientific and social functions, and facilitates communication throughout all levels of the Center. The group is inclusive with graduate students, research scientists, postdoctoral associates, lab technicians and research assistants who seek to advance their careers. Part of CSTM’s secret sauce is the fact that new co-chairs are selected each year. Rachel Jouni (graduate student, Meyers lab), Erin Matoon (graduate student, Zhang lab), Sarah Rommelfanger (graduate student, Umen lab) and Trish Tully (postdoctoral associate, Allen lab) stepped forward to serve as co-chairs in 2021. Postdoctoral associates Yu-Hung Hung (Slotkin lab) and Hudanyun Sheng (Gehan lab) are serving as this year’s CSTM seminar coordinators. New CSTM leaders each year keeps energy levels high and perspectives fresh, and allow more opportunity for leadership experience.

CSTM provides professional development awards to attend scientific conferences, participate in workshops or gain important training. They sponsor seminars, workshops and panels with professionals in plant science-relevant fields. They organize regional career and networking events, like BioBash, and host get-togethers and social events to bring the community together. They are influential contributors to the scientific retreat, our Responsible Conduct in Research program, and the weekly seminars. And they are exceptional volunteers who engage the public through tours and outreach programs. CSTM members are building their professional skills, experience and networks that go hand-in-hand with achievements in the lab. Had I participated in CSTM as a graduate student and postdoctoral trainee, I would have been far more prepared than I was for the next steps in my career!

CSTM also provides valued advice and input to the Center leadership team. CSTM was recently consulted, for example, to help plan for next steps in the Center’s work on diversity, equity and inclusion. They are influential in creation and modification of Center policies, programs and processes.

Though I spoke not a word at the recent meeting, I left a departing note in the chat box with all that needed to be said: “CSTM is amazing!! Thank you for all of your efforts and planning for the year. I love the new ideas...Thanks for letting me listen in and learn.”

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Look up the word “celebration” in the thesaurus and you will see synonyms like festivity, observance, party, honor, and recognition. Those terms most definitely apply to the Danforth Center celebrations of International Women and Girls in Science Day on Feb. 11, and Lunar New Year on Feb. 12. I am so proud that we celebrate the diverse composition and cultural heritages represented in our community. By celebrating, we declare that our strength lies in the unique attributes and varied backgrounds of our people. These celebrations also remind us of our individual and collective responsibility to ensure that everyone has an equitable chance to contribute and succeed.

The coronavirus pandemic has driven our events online, but that has not limited the creative contributions to celebrations. Lunar New Year celebrations in East Asian countries feature themes around happiness, prosperity, good fortune, family and food, and we learned about traditional Spring Festival food from China and New Year’s food from Korea and Vietnam. Dozens of community members contributed to the “Happiness” theme with photos and video clips of moments that brought on a smile, and we tested our knowledge of Lunar New Year with Kahoot! trivia. The Year of the Ox is off to a great start!

Celebration of International Women and Girls in Science Day focused a spotlight on participation and success of women in science, math and other STEM fields. Throughout the event, it was clear that we have some wonderful role models and mentors for women in our community. I was impressed by the video montage showing the many ways in which individuals from across the Center support the success of women. These examples were juxtaposed in the video to a special young woman named Madison, age 8, whose favorite subject in second grade is math. According to the National Science Foundation, the percentage of women getting degrees in Mathematics and Statistics declined by 5% between 1995 and 2014; in computer science, the decline has been much worse at nearly 30%. These are troubling numbers. They suggest that if a woman like Madison is to succeed in these fields, she will need strong women as role models and mentors, like those we have at the Danforth Center.

Thank you to all who organized, contributed to and participated in these celebrations. The time and effort invested in these events is time and effort invested in one another, and we’re a better community as a result. I’ll see you at the celebration of Black History Month on Feb. 25!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

I believe that demystifying the science around the new COVID-19 vaccines is important for several reasons. First, for those planning to get vaccinated but who have concerns, clear information may help put minds at ease. Second, for those with vaccine-hesitant friends and family members, being informed may help to have productive conversations with them, though scientific information alone will likely be insufficient to migrate beliefs. And third, the science is really interesting, and not just for us virologists!

We’ve discussed the 2-dose mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna in past weeks. What about the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine, which should be approved soon? In a 1-dose trial with nearly 44,000 people, it was 66% effective overall (72% in U.S.) in preventing COVID-19 symptoms. In South Africa, where the problematic B.1.351 variant has spread quickly, the J&J vaccine was 57% effective. However, the vaccine was highly effective at preventing severe COVID-19 cases, including all COVID-19-related hospitalizations and death, across all geographies in the trial. It appears to be safe, though some recipients experienced temporary, moderate side effects similar to those seen with the mRNA vaccines. The data indicate this is a good vaccine.

Is the J&J vaccine more potent than the others, hence the need for only one dose? That is not known and should not be inferred. The reason a single dose will be used is because that’s what J&J tested, and providers must adhere strictly to the tested protocols. Might two doses provide better protection? Probably, but we’ll know only after the ongoing 2-dose trials are done. There are a few other differentiators with the J&J vaccine, including the fact that it can be stored in ordinary refrigerators. That means it will be less expensive to administer and can be taken to places that lack freezer capacity required for the mRNA vaccines.

The other differentiator is the vaccine technology, which was applied previously to make an effective Ebola vaccine. It uses a DNA-containing virus called Adenovirus 26 as a vector to deliver the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein gene during immunization. Adenovirus 26 is normally a nuisance that causes the occasional common cold. When adapted to deliver a vaccine payload, the Adenovirus is first inactivated by removing genes required for replication. The replication-defective Adenovirus cannot establish an infection, but it can still attach efficiently to cells and deliver the Spike gene, which leads to production of the Spike protein that triggers the COVID-19-suppressing immune response. Like mRNA vaccines, the Adenovirus-based vaccines can be updated to target new variants, which will be critical in the months and years ahead.

I hope these last three messages on the science behind the new vaccines is useful. As always, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts, and hopeful that you stay safe.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Last week, I addressed misinformation, myths and concerns (MMCs) about coronavirus vaccines, focusing on what the science says in relation to widely circulated false rumors and claims. Good debunking information is available from many credible scientific sources, but it’s worth emphasizing because high vaccination participation will be essential for return of the Danforth Center community back onsite. I’ve got one more MMC to address below, but first let’s get up-to-speed on SARS-CoV-2 variants that are emerging around the world.

How about we start by explaining why new variants of SARS-CoV-2 were always expected. The RNA genome of coronaviruses is replicated or copied in infected cells through the activity of a virus-encoded enzyme called RNA polymerase. Unlike DNA polymerases that copy DNA genomes – those of plants, people and DNA viruses (e.g., Herpes viruses, Papillomaviruses) – RNA polymerases are highly error-prone. For a typical RNA virus genome, there will be at least one error, or mutation, per copy. Nature creates vast numbers of RNA virus variants in every infected cell! Now, most of these variants are defective in some way and fail to efficiently accumulate and spread...except for very rare variants that gain an advantage. The advantage could be the ability to replicate to higher levels, to attach more efficiently to cells in newly exposed individuals, or to evade the immune system. RNA virus evolution resulting in these changes is observable and measurable over time.

The three SARS-CoV-2 variants that emerged in Britain (B.1.1.7), Brazil (P.1) and South Africa (B.1.351) appear to have gained the ability to spread more effectively from person to person. They each have multiple mutations, including some in the gene coding for the Spike protein, to which neutralizing antibodies bind. Data show that current vaccines are effective at preventing severe COVID-19 caused by all three variants, though there may be some reduction in the strength of the response. Against the original virus, the current vaccines are exceptionally effective. Against the variant strains, the current vaccines are good enough to protect the vast majority of recipients against serious illness. The Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine that may soon be available also appears, based on limited information from the company, to protect against severe disease caused by the variants. The bottom line is the current vaccines will protect against severe COVID-19 disease caused by the original virus and recent variants, but we should expect a growing need for vaccines that optimally target new variants. These are in development now.

Finally, let’s dispel a fourth MMC after three last week: MMC#4 - The Danforth Center will require ALL community members to get vaccinated. This is FALSE. Vaccination is not expected for those prone to severe allergic reactions, those with other relevant medical conditions, or those with sincere religious or other personal objections. The Center policy issued Jan. 28 strongly encourages and incentivizes vaccination by those who are able, and I am delighted that the recent survey revealed at least 90% of community members plan to participate.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Given that science revealed early on both the seriousness of the coronavirus threat and ways in which the threat could be mitigated, I’ve been taken aback by the continuous cycles of challenges we’ve faced during the pandemic. We showed how effective broad testing was in containing outbreaks, only to see it undermined by disorganization and false messaging. We proved how effective masks were in reducing spread, only to see masks shunned by large segments of the population. And several vaccines were developed and tested with remarkable speed, only to see undermining misinformation about safety, effectiveness or devious intent. It’s like the film, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” where Indiana Jones works his way out of danger, only to quickly encounter another near-impossible situation. “Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?”

Misinformation is a unifying thread through these challenges and missteps. Misinformation can be tricky, as it’s often adjoined to legitimate concerns that reasonable people might share. So, let’s devote a few Weekly Messages to discuss Misinformation, Myths, and Concerns (MMC), specifically about the current vaccines. For basic, reliable information about the vaccines, an excellent video was linked within the HR COVID-19 Community Support newsletter on Jan. 22.

MMC #1 – The vaccine will cause illness as bad as, or worse than, COVID-19. This is FALSE. The vaccines do not contain live virus, so they cause NO infection. Actual data show they do not cause miscarriages or other serious problems that are claimed and propagated on social media and dubious websites. Now, for some recipients, there will be modest but temporary side effects, like mild aches, chills, fatigue or low fever, which are like those that some will experience with other vaccines. These effects are healthy signs that the immune system is responding properly, and will disappear within a few hours or by the following day.

MMC #2 – The current vaccines are useless because the virus, SARS-CoV-2, has already mutated. This is FALSE. The current vaccines are about 95% effective at preventing COVID-19 disease. It is true that the virus is undergoing changes around the world through mutations, some of which may cause an increase in transmissibility. But scientific data indicate that the current vaccines will still be effective against them. Depending on how the virus changes over time, it’s possible or even likely that the vaccine will need to be updated on a regular basis, like the annual flu vaccine.

MMC #3 – The vaccines are part of a covert operation to implant tracking devices, mind-altering nano-bots, or the Mark of the Beast. This is FALSE, though I give style points for creativity and imagination.

I’ll have more next week, but in the meantime, remember to consider the source of vaccine information. Is it an identifiable and reputable scientific source, or a source associated with conspiracies, non-experts, the political outer limits or discredited advocacy? Stay safe!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

"It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have." - James Baldwin

On Monday, January 18, the Danforth Center celebrates and remembers a great American, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the most recognized leader of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Dr. King advocated for and practiced non-violent means as potent protest tactics, even while facing violent responses from police and communities in which he organized, marched, and spoke. He co-organized the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, where he delivered his remarkable “I Have a Dream” speech. Dr. King was instrumental in passage of the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965). He was killed by assassination on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, TN.

Dr. King was influential with, and influenced by, other civil rights leaders of the time, including Medgar Evers. As an effective member of the NAACP, Evers focused on desegregating schools and public facilities in his home state of Mississippi. He helped James Meredith become the first Black individual admitted to the University of Mississippi. Evers was assassinated at his home in Jackson, MS by a racist gunman in 1963. His friend, Martin Luther King, Jr., responded by leading a peaceful march of 5000 people through the streets of Jackson.

Some civil rights leaders of King’s era rationalized use of non-peaceful tactics. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Malcom X (Malik Shabazz) argued that non-peaceful approaches might be necessary to achieve civil and human rights, though he moderated his message in later years. Dr. King met with Malcom X only one time, while both were attending the debate of Civil Rights Act legislation in the U.S. Senate in 1964. Less than a year later, Malcom X was assassinated as he prepared to speak in New York City.

Which brings us back to James Baldwin, the brilliant American novelist, essayist, playwright and activist of the mid-20^th century. Baldwin wrote about race, class, and other human struggles, and used his celebrity status to argue for understanding of the history and depth of racial injustice. When he died in 1987, Baldwin had an unfinished manuscript titled, “Remember This House,” a memoir focusing on his three good friends – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers and Malcom X. A few years ago, this unfinished work formed the basis for an important documentary film titled, “I Am Not Your Negro,” which you can stream. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day should be a time of service and reflection. Consider watching this film to gain a better understanding of Dr. King and his contemporaries, and a deeper appreciation of the roots of racial inequities that remain with us today.

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

P.S. Thanks go to Tom Laurita, who first recommended that I watch “I Am Not Your Negro.”

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Maybe it was the relaxation over the holidays, or the fact that 2020 was such an over-the-top difficult year, but I was very optimistic going into 2021. What more beyond a deadly pandemic, racism and brutality, economic collapse, severe stress on families and political divisiveness could possibly go bad this year? Well, how about a riotous insurrection and violent occupation at the U.S. Capitol Building?

I want to keep my thoughts here non-political. That said, most of us would agree that a major contributor to the events at the Capitol Building was persistent, incendiary misinformation from influential people, repeated and amplified through social media and other channels. Last July, I wrote about why people believe in and act upon verifiably false claims, conspiracy theories and other information that misaligns with reality. Such beliefs and actions have exacerbated and prolonged the coronavirus pandemic, and they contributed to the overrunning of the Capitol Building this week. We are experiencing epidemics of misinformation, and the resulting disease is irrational and destructive behavior.

Social media has a special role in misinformation epidemics due to ease of delivery and amplification of false content. Not only do falsehoods spread, but engaging with such content on social media platforms usually makes it worse! The Danforth Center, like many organizations, is targeted on occasion by individuals or groups spreading false or harassing content. I believe how we handle ourselves in these situations says a lot about us. We do not engage in Twitter spats; we consider doing so at odds with our values of integrity and respect. We might directly communicate with individuals who have concerns, and we might take other actions if antagonistic online behavior persists, but we do not engage in hostile social media exchanges.

There is much about our work, our results and our people that is worth communicating through the same online channels that promote and propagate misinformation. For example, Anna Dibble (VP for Human Resources) and I made a blog post this week about the many positive steps our community has taken over the past 30 months to build a stronger culture in the aftermath of a challenging event at the Danforth Center. We aim to increase the online visibility of positive and productive contributions from community members, particularly on social media. We seek your help to better communicate inspiring stories and how we are living our values. While a focus on communication about high achievement and values at the Center might not stop the epidemics of misinformation harming the world today, we can do our part to slow them down.

Take care and stay safe!

Jim Carrington, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Danforth Center Community,

When we started adjusting to pandemic realities earlier this year, I worried about a lot of things. How will we keep the Danforth Center community safe? How will we get our work done? How will we keep our community together? How long will this last? As we were reorienting in March with much uncertainty, I committed to communicating my thoughts with you in various ways, including through weekly messages. This is the 38^th such message, collectively comprising more than 20,000 words, 1800 sentences and 350 paragraphs. If you were reading “The Old Man in the Sea,” you would be about three-quarters of the way through.

At first, I thought these messages would serve as straightforward weekly updates. But I slowly realized that they serve different purposes, not the least of which is helping me stay closer to all of you. I’ve learned that different community members value different things in these communications. Some look for guidance about when we’ll return to normal, or the science behind COVID-19 and vaccines. Some want to learn how we’re responding to broader issues, who is doing great work, or what we’re planning for beyond the pandemic. Some ask questions and get them answered. Others prefer the silly stuff and observations on daily life. The reality is that these communications serve all of these purposes, because these are some of the things that keep a community like ours connected. While I cannot meet with each of you every week, I can nonetheless help you understand what I’m thinking about and give you an opportunity to respond with your thoughts. I really do welcome comments and feedback. And I am sincerely thankful that you spend time reading.

I’m going to give the weekly messages a rest in the upcoming two weeks. In this last message from 2020, I want to express my sincere gratitude for all you’ve done in a demanding year. None of us predicted or planned how the last nine months would go, but you all made major adjustments, difficult personal and professional sacrifices, and countless contributions that helped the Center community make it through. Thank you! I wish you and your loved ones the happiest of holidays!

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Over the past few weeks, I’ve gone from reasonably encouraged to fairly excited that several safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines will be available within the next six months. Enthusiasm is elevated because Pfizer and BioNTech released more Phase III trial data showing 95% effectiveness (prevention of COVID-19 disease) and a good safety profile; there is every expectation that the FDA will grant approval later this month. Equally positive results were released for a second mRNA vaccine from Moderna. We will not know for many months or years how long immunity lasts, how exactly the immunity or symptom prevention works, and if there are rare adverse effects. But this much is clear: mRNA-based vaccine technology seems to work really well and should be broadly applicable to other viruses. Let’s learn a little more about it and why science around RNA is also so important at the Danforth Center.

The appeal of mRNA vaccines is the speed and simplicity with which new, effective vaccines can be developed. Think of mRNA almost like a piece of software that codes for production of a viral protein against which the immune system acts. These mRNAs can be designed rapidly against any virus with only a few hours of work and then produced at large scale in factories. The mRNA design and manufacturing is basically the same for any prospective vaccine, meaning that lots of candidate vaccines for different viruses can be designed and tested quickly in pilot experiments. Key breakthroughs for these vaccines occurred over the past 10 or 15 years when scientists figured out how to keep the mRNA stable and functional after injection. For those craving details, this is done by manufacturing the mRNA with modified nucleotides and packaging the mRNA in tiny nanoparticles composed of fat. Yes, nano-fat particles are a thing, and they’re going to help us get past the pandemic.

RNA is also a big thing at the Danforth Center. Some of us have spent entire careers working to understand how different kinds of RNA function, including how RNA can be used to immunize plants against viruses. Nigel Taylor and team developed a form of genetic immunization through a mechanism called RNA silencing to develop cassava varieties with resistance to the destructive cassava brown streak virus. These varieties have been tested with remarkable success in many locations in east Africa and are working their way through the approval process to small holder farmers. Blake Meyers and team pioneered high-throughput sequencing to understand the wide world of “small RNAs,” which control so many aspects of plant growth, development, and antiviral defense. His team has learned how to tweak small RNA functions to produce male-sterile plants, which points the way toward new technology to breed improved hybrid crops. Keith Slotkin and team are doing great work to understand the roles of various RNAs in maintaining plant genome stability. They’re inventing new technologies to learn how RNA works with other molecules in cells, which could lead to numerous practical applications in agriculture.

Expect to hear more about RNA long after COVID-19 vaccines are available. In the meantime, please stay safe!

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

The Thanksgiving Holiday experience in my family changes from year to year. Teri and I sometimes travel out-of-state to various relatives’ homes, and sometimes we gather one or a few family members here in St. Louis. I am not particularly useful to the traditional family-team effort that goes into crafting the Thanksgiving meal, especially at the homes of our more ambitious holiday hosts. This reflects both my limited culinary competence and my fear of crowded, messy kitchens. Thanksgiving food preparation doesn’t mesh well with my concept of mise en place and insistence on using the clean-up-as-you-go method. How do I ask, “Is there anything I can do to help?” when I know the answer will be, “Can you make Fried Mashed Potato Balls with Andouille? We’ll move the toaster if you want any space.” Nevertheless, with courage a few years ago, I bravely recreated Grandma Carrington’s cornbread stuffing, which was a clear highlight of my childhood. With a few unusual ingredients that I proudly recalled from a mere five decades earlier, our guests reacted with real-life frowny faces and questions like “You put WHAT in the stuffing?” My contributions now are largely confined to beverage selection.

What can I say about the meaning of Thanksgiving this year? With all of the professional disruption and personal distress, giving thanks is not necessarily our first impulse in 2020. But, can we use the upcoming holiday as a reminder to maintain hope that the difficult days we’re living through, including separation from friends and family, will pass? Can Thanksgiving help motivate us to keep dealing conscientiously with the coronavirus pandemic, if only to regain some of those things we miss this year and for which we are normally so grateful?

This year, I am sincerely thankful to have so many colleagues working hard to keep our community safe, productive and focused on our mission. I am thankful that we have a community with so many who are looking over the horizon, beyond COVID, to where we need and want to go as an organization. And I am thankful to be part of a special team with the honor of leading the Danforth Center, stewarding our resources, and lifting up our people.

I know you will find your unique way to give thanks during this unique year. Please stay safe during the holiday.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

With the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases nationally and regionally, St. Louis County just announced new restrictions on activities beyond work and school, medical needs, exercise, and essential shopping. Along with mask mandates and some closures, they are limiting gatherings to “social bubbles” of 10 or fewer people. How does this affect the Danforth Center, and are we getting close to an effective vaccine?

Does the Danforth Center have plans to further restrict onsite activities or access? As communicated on November 11, and until further notice, we’ve asked those working with Phase 1 access to 1) limit time at the Center to the absolute minimum required; 2) eliminate all non-essential interactions with others onsite; 3) work remotely, if possible; and 4) continue adhering to requirements for daily wellness certification and confidential reporting of illness to Anna Dibble. Additionally, we insist that everyone stay diligent and always wear a properly fitted mask outside the home, maintain ample social distance, avoid all crowds, and practice personal hygiene. These measures prevent transmission as well or better than a vaccine! To date, we have had no instances of Danforth Center community transmission onsite. So, as long we adhere rigorously to these practices, which satisfy the County’s requirements, we can maintain a safe environment onsite without further restrictions or limitations of activities...at least for now.

Are we more optimistic about a COVID-19 vaccine being available soon? The news this week of a commercial vaccine candidate, developed in part a few miles down Olive Blvd. from the Danforth Center, having 90% efficacy sounds very good. While I don’t want to be a Donnie Downer, there are reasons to guard against over-excitement. First, we have not yet seen the placebo-controlled results from the Phase III trial, which is still ongoing. Second, the FDA has yet to review the vaccine’s safety and efficacy, which must be done with public transparency prior to approval. And third, even under the most optimistic approval timeline, we do not expect broad availability for at least another six months.

This vaccine candidate, however, is very interesting. It’s a new kind of vaccine composed of messenger RNA (mRNA) coding for a SARS-CoV-2 feature called spike protein. After injection, the mRNA is taken up by cells and codes for production of enough spike protein to mount an antibody response that neutralizes the coronavirus. The big problem with this vaccine is the requirement for costly and cumbersome ultra-low temperature transportation and storage, which is necessitated by the fragility of mRNA at higher temperatures. The big unknown about mRNA vaccines is whether or not they will confer long-term immunity for many years. That will depend on whether or not the immune system’s memory component, including several types of T-cells, is sufficiently activated. There are reasons to think that may be possible. We know a lot more than we used to about designing vaccines that trigger memory T-cells, though doing so may require a few additional rounds of development. In the meantime, please stay safe!

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Let’s add “Presidential Election” to the list of traumatic and trying experiences of 2020. I asked a few Danforth Center colleagues for their thoughts on the election, and here’s what I got.

“I'm pretty amazed by general turnout this year.” It was historically high! Based on numerous conversations, I believe participation among eligible Danforth Center community members was close to 100%. Participation is critical to a robust democracy, and an important role of the Danforth Center is to help educate and inform those participants.

“The first thing that comes to mind for me is the level of obsession. I mean, everyone usually pays attention to presidential elections, but it seems like it has just taken over the lives of everyone I know for months. And this week it has been total obsession.” Well, that explains why I feel exhausted!

“I am amazed to see the ability of self-correction in American democracy.” This was an insightful comment from a community member who is in the process of emigrating to the U.S. I took this not as partisan commentary, but as a statement about the potential of the system to maintain some sort of equilibrium.

“Democracy is the highest form of social organization...humans are one of the few species with the ability to settle their differences without fighting.” This was from former Congressman Dick Gephardt, who serves on our Board of Directors, and it elevates the election to a level I had not considered. This year, Congressman Gephardt and 39 other former U.S. officials formed the bipartisan National Council on Election Integrity to promote confidence in America’s ability to hold a free and fair election. Thank you, Congressman Gephardt, for your work! It is reflected in the last quote...

“I find it both remarkable and reassuring that the election process proceeded with so few problems.”Despite the usual minor glitches, the decentralized system of 50 state election processes worked undeniably well, even with the introduction of new mail-in and absentee processes in most states.

Finally, can we now draw at least some attention back to the COVID-19 pandemic? Numbers of cases skyrocketed during election week at the national, state and local levels. It is more important than ever to adhere rigorously to those things we know to be effective at limiting spread – wear a good mask that fits properly; avoid crowds and indoor gatherings; wash your hands often; and stay home if you feel ill or have been diagnosed recently.

Thank you to all who shared your thoughts on the election. Have a peaceful, safe weekend!

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

We held our 2020 Annual Scientific Retreat virtually on October 29 and 30. The Retreat is normally done in the Spring as an off-site, overnight event with scientific presentations, training in responsible conduct of research, and social activities. This year, as community members were joining the Zoom room before the second day’s session, I saw Hayden Payne from the Slotkin Lab in full Halloween mode, dressed as a mime. Simultaneously, and of course silently, we both started touching the invisible walls of our respective Zoom boxes in which we’ve placed for too long. Thank you, Hayden, for the brief Vulcan mind meld moment.

I look forward to the Retreat every year. The scientific community-building is invaluable. The social interaction, including the yearly team karaoke competition, helps welcome new community members and reinforce collegiality. The open dialog around research ethics builds trust and promotes integrity. And the research that is presented gets better and better each year. I could highlight any of the 22 presentations from this week, but I’ll mention just a few that were given by some of our computational biologists. I was impressed by Kaushik Panda’s (Slotkin team) rigorous work to understand transposon function and the factors that either enable them to spread or be held in check within genomes. If you’ve been wondering about isotopologues, Allen Hubbard (Baxter team) shared how he is using them to understand metabolism dynamics when plants are grown in different environments. He’s developed algorithms to more accurately detect and measure important metabolites.

Mao Li (Data Science team) presented her mathematical magic to analyze the changes in genome topology or shape during growth and development. This is really important as we seek to understand how genetic information is controlled when plants grow or encounter stressful environments. Several speakers, including Jorge Gutierrez and Haley Schuhl (both jointly in Fahlgren/Gehan teams), showed advances in extracting more meaningful information from image-based phenotyping data. Their work helps us better understand plant traits and behaviors over time.

Finally, I was fascinated by Taylor AuBuchon’s (Kellogg team) work on the Andropogoneae tribe of grasses, which includes corn, sorghum and many prairie species. Her original project to analyze the genomes from a large, recent worldwide collection was upended by the pandemic. So, Taylor pivoted and used the geographical data associated with each specimen to create a unique resource to enlighten biodiversity and conservation efforts for Andropogoneae species, especially endangered species and threatened populations.

Thank you to Meter Nusinow, Allison Miller and Jim Umen for planning and moderating the program. Thank you to Jenny Nguyen, Andrew Witthaus, Bill Stutz and Tam McGuire for flawless event coordination. And thank you to all of the wonderful speakers!

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

December 31, 2020 will mark the conclusion of one of the most devastating, stressful and unusual years in our lifetimes. For obvious and important reasons, the tumult this year has occupied so much of our energy and attention. But the end of 2020 also marks the conclusion of an era that has brought about much positive change and impact at the Danforth Center.

Some of you may not realize that we have been working hard over the past 10 years on a growth initiative called the “Danforth Center Expansion Plan.” By 2011, ten years after Danforth Center start-up pioneers moved into newly constructed facilities (Building A and Greenhouse Range A), the Center had grown to and stabilized at around 180 community members, 15 PIs and teams, an operating budget of $21M and an endowment just large enough to support the young enterprise. The Expansion Plan charted a course to take the Center to a higher level by adding new facilities and technology cores, additional scientists, more graduate students, and significantly more endowment and donor funds to support a larger Center. The Expansion Plan also specified meaningful outputs and outcomes of our work, and how our discoveries and outreach would translate into benefits for the region. The reasons to grow were not so complicated – to bridge scientific gaps and refocus our work, to build a more robust and stable organization, and to have more impact in delivering on our mission.

Thanks to the hard work and generosity of so many, all of the Expansion Plan growth objectives were met or exceeded by mid-2020. The Center increased research and support capacity by 50% with the William H. Danforth Wing in 2016, doubled the size of our plant growth facilities, and added Data Science and Phenotyping technology facilities. We grew the community to 350 people and PIs to 28, grew the operating budget by 62%, increased competitive grants from $11.8M in 2011 to $16.6M in 2019, and increased the endowment with new gifts totaling more than $90M. Growth in numbers of Center community members, including PIs, was done in part through collaboration with several university partners. Scientific discoveries published annually increased by 57% from 2011, with recognized strength in advanced phenotyping, plant-environment interactions, epigenetics, natural variation and metabolism, and staple crop improvement for small-holder farmers. Education research and associated outreach to the community changed and grew dramatically, and the innovation ecosystem around the Center grew into one of the strongest AgTech hubs in the world.

This all resulted from one big collaboration involving every department, lab, and facility team at the Center. It was enabled through generous donors and remarkable grant-getting, and supported strongly by our Board of Directors. Are we done growing? No, we are not, but growth will take different forms over the next five years. We will grow as a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization, we will grow some facilities, and we will continue to grow our impact. Above all, the next five years of the Danforth Center journey will be grounded in and guided by our mission, vision and values.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

During a recent Zoom meeting, as someone’s canine companion was barking in the background, I was asked, “Jim, when are you getting a dog?” We do not have a dog. We do not have a cat. Teri and I are pet-less empty nesters living an existence without boarding of animals, feeding schedules, visits to the vet, or picking up what dogs drop on grassy areas during their daily walk. The last pets we had were two hamsters, hosted sequentially around 15 years ago and both named Cappuccino. I have nothing against your pets; to the contrary, they are delightful and fun when I see them on camera or meet them in person. We have even gone to Mauhaus, the cat cafe in Maplewood with the lab – twice!

I enjoy meeting your pets and have become friendly, or at least comfortably acquainted, with dogs Shula (Hal Davies), Mr. Wiggles (Chris Topp), Lily (Myia Elliott) and Lexi (Anna Dibble), and cats Ferus (Kerri Gilbert/Noah Fahlgren), Bentley and Lexi (Dan Lin), and Howie (Myia Elliott). The name Ferus in Latin means “fierce.” According to Ferus’ mom, he was named during the height of popularity of America’s Top Model. By my calculation, Lexi is the most common pet name I’ve encountered within the Danforth Center community. Anna tried changing Lexi’s name when she was adopted at age 3, but the golden doodle had none of that. Some of your pets, like Shula, know my voice from Zoom meetings and are confused when they encounter me in person.

One of the most unusual pets in our community is a green axolotl named Maverick (Myia Elliott). Axolotls are amphibious salamanders with external, showy gills and lungs. Now, I admit, I had never heard of an axolotl before learning from Myia. My first question was, “Are we missing some vowels?” No, we are not. Maverick dines on blood worms and live minnows, and he smiles all the time. My second question was, “Where do you get an axolotl?” Of course, you get them at the axolotl store. Maverick came from Ivy’s Axolotls, which has over 41,300 followers on Instagram. The axolotl world is enthusiastic, and much bigger than I imagined.

Pets have been shown to confer psychological, emotional and physical benefits upon their human companions. These benefits are outsized during the coronavirus pandemic with meaningful human contact being less frequent. I see the benefits regularly during online meetings. When talking about or handling your pets, you always light up, tell a story and show a smile. Come to think of it, so do I, and for that I am thankful.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This is Nobel Prize season with the 2020 winners being announced this week. To all the scientists around the world still hoping to get “the call” from Stockholm, I’m sorry. You didn’t win, again, so put the phone down and get back to work. Only a few Nobel Prizes are awarded each year, and only in a subset of fields. But Nobel Prize-winning scientists generally have impact in fields and in society far beyond the specific discoveries for which they are recognized. Let’s focus on a few of the awarded scientists, their pioneering work and the relevance to us today. Heads up: it was a great week for virology and RNA!

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists – Harvey Alter, Michael Houghton and Charlie Rice - who discovered hepatitis C virus (HCV) and showed that it was a major cause of hepatitis around the world. There are currently around 70 million people who are chronically infected by the blood-borne HCV, an RNA genome-containing virus that can cause cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer and death. Only around 10% of those individuals even know they’re infected. Discovery of HCV enabled development of highly accurate diagnostic tests for people and for blood supplies in blood banks. It also led to effective anti-HCV drugs that can cure chronic infections, meaning that HCV can be significantly reduced or even eradicated from the human population. Today, the HCV story should reaffirm confidence in the key role of science in overcoming the current coronavirus pandemic.

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna for discoveries on the mechanism and application of CRISPR-Cas gene editing. Few areas of life science have permeated the public consciousness like gene editing, but how was it discovered? It’s a great story that highlights the importance of collaboration and the value of paying close attention to seemingly obscure, esoteric research, which in this case involved how microscopic bacteria defend themselves against viruses. They discovered that a bacterial anti-viral mechanism, CRISPR-Cas, involves molecular scissors that are specifically instructed (by small RNAs) to attach to the virus genome, whereupon that genome is chopped and inactivated. They and others then showed that the system could be manipulated and transplanted into other organisms, like plants, to precisely edit or change genome sequences. The ability to edit genomes with CRISPR-Cas is now a vital research tool that we use every day at the Danforth Center, and it enables us to breed improved crops faster and in ways that mimic what happens in nature.

Combined with the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the U.N. World Food Programme for their work to combat hunger and improve conditions for peace, the seminal work on HCV and gene editing should inspire everyone who believes science can guide us to solutions for our most pressing challenges, like reducing human suffering from disease and malnutrition. I am proud that the Danforth Center is grounded in that idea.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

The annual Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) meeting was held over two days this week, virtually of course. I want to tell you about this for several reasons. First, despite the challenges we face during the pandemic and the intensifying swirl of chaos in the world today, it’s worth noting that we’re moving ahead with many “normal” activities at the Center. Second, like last week’s message about the Board of Directors, I want the community to better understand how we operate, how we are overseen, and how we use advice and input. And third, I want to brag on some of you.

The SAB’s purpose is defined in our Board of Directors bylaws (Section 5.1, for those keeping up!) – to advise the Board of Directors and officers of the Center on scientific matters, and to review and evaluate, at least annually, the nature and quality of scientific research being carried on or sponsored by the Center. The SAB takes into account both the merits of the research and the potential bearing on unmet needs or commercial applications. The SAB reviews a subset of our research programs during a September meeting, then submits an evaluative report that goes to the Board of Directors. Toni Kutchan and I then discuss the report with directors at a subsequent Board meeting. This is an important part of how we stand accountable for the work we do.

The SAB is composed of outstanding scientists – currently Lisa Ainsworth, Ed Buckler, Rebecca Doerge, Walter Gassmann, Craig Pikaard, Barbara Valent and Eric Ward - from fields represented at the Danforth Center. SAB members receive written reports and data about our annual achievements, listen to presentations from me and the PIs, and ask questions and offer suggestions. They also meet with CSTM to hear from our graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, and lab members.

What did the SAB hear this year? Yes, they heard about interesting progress in 12 groups, some great ideas, and plans for future research. But there were also unmistakable themes that permeated the entire meeting. The extent of productive collaboration at the Danforth Center was consistently and energetically communicated. The quality of contributions from scientific and administrative team members in each group was highlighted. The importance and helpful mindset of our core facilities was underscored by nearly every PI. They heard about new technologies emerging from fundamental research, and how the Innovation Team is working with PIs and their teams to bring those technologies to the marketplace. And they heard about how environmental sustainability features prominently in almost all of our scientific work. Throughout the meeting, I was most proud of how our values came through time and time again!

Thank you to Doug Allen, Ivan Baxter, Andrea Eveland, Malia Gehan, Blake Meyers, Meter Nusinow, Sona Pandey, Stephanie Regagnon, Keith Slotkin, Chris Topp, Jim Umen, Ru Zhang, and the CSTM group for speaking to the SAB and putting our research, our community and our values on full display this week!

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This week, I’ll answer another question received recently: “What does the Danforth Center Board of Directors do?” This question may arise because their work is usually out of sight of most community members. Let’s start with the basics. As a nonprofit organization, the Danforth Center operates under laws and regulations designed to ensure we actually do what we claim to be doing. The Board of Directors is the body responsible for ensuring that we use our resources prudently, our activities are advancing our mission, and we adhere to applicable laws, regulations and rules, including those in the Board Bylaws. The Bylaws document is quite a read for fans of impenetrable statutory language. FYI, the section describing how to give “Notice of Board Meetings” is over 7-times longer than the section on “Powers of the Board and Qualifications of Directors.”

While the Center’s management team works with so many of you to run all aspects of the Danforth Center – from finances to the research enterprise – the Board provides oversight and governance functions to ensure we operate lawfully, ethically and productively. Our budget, for example, is proposed by management but approved and overseen by the Board through the work of the Finance Committee. The business of the Danforth Center is not only overseen but improved because of our directors’ talents, expertise and care. Importantly, interactions between us on the management side and the Board are productive and professional because of the outstanding work of Diane Moleski. Thank you, Diane!

But the Board does much more than its governance functions. They are some of the Center’s strongest advocates and ambassadors. They are generous donors who believe in the mission and the work you are doing. They are connectors to influential organizations and individuals who bring benefit to the Center. They bring their own experiences and enlighten us on best practices in their organizations. And they are very much interested in your results and the impact of your work. Some of the most interesting and rewarding moments for directors (and me) occur during the three full Board meetings per year when PIs and teams present their current work. The Center and its people shine in those moments!

Finally, I am accountable to the Board; the Chairperson is my boss. I’ve had the honor of working closely with three Board Chairs - Bill Danforth, John McDonnell, and currently Todd Schnuck. In unique ways for each, I’ve benefitted from their mentorship and advice on leadership, on how organizations work, and on recognizing and addressing my own deficits. Conversations recently with Todd have been particularly helpful in navigating the coronavirus pandemic, strategic planning, and issues around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). I note in particular that these DEI conversations with Todd and other directors, combined with much ongoing work within the Center, have resulted in significant changes and much more progress on the way. Look for some of this progress to be reflected in the Board itself as we move into 2021.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Bill Danforth and I once made a day-trip to Chicago in 2012 to visit several Danforth Center supporters and donors. We were in the early stages of fundraising for the Danforth Center’s expansion – a new wing, more scientific teams, new facilities. We made many such fundraising trips and visits together, and they all went the same way. Just before the meeting, perhaps during the drive from the airport, I’d ask Bill about the people on our agenda. He would usually give an interesting story or two, but never all I wanted to know. Looking for some tactical insight, I’d ask, “How do you think we should approach the meetings?” He would say, “Oh, I don’t know, just talk about the Center.” Again, that was not quite the answer I was looking for; the only plan we ever had was, he would talk first and I would talk second.

Our hosts always treated a visit from Bill as an honor. Meetings started with Bill and host reminiscing about something interesting they did together and catching up on mutual friends. Bill would ease into talking about the Danforth Center and our mission – our Big Why. The hosts would listen with deep reverence and admiration for Bill, his message and the enormity of his vision. Regardless of how much they knew about the Center, they were inspired and elevated by hearing it from Bill. As I listened and witnessed the reactions in those moments, I usually had the same thought: “I can’t match that!” When Bill handed the conversation to me, the host would turn, our eyes would lock, and they communicated without words, “Alright, kid, what have YOU got?”

On that trip to Chicago, it was the flight home to St. Louis that I remember most. We boarded our Southwest Airlines plane in the first group and sat in aisle seats across from one another near the front. When general boarding started, a passenger stopped at our aisle, introduced themself to Bill, and told him he was wonderful to have spoken at an event they attended recently. A quick moment later, someone else stopped, introduced themself to Bill, and said they were a proud Washington University student when he was chancellor. This pattern now had my attention. Another person stopped and said they admired everything Bill had done for St. Louis. Then another…and another. I watched this play out through the entire boarding process, occasionally looking behind to see Bill’s admirers telling others about their experience with him. It seemed like every other person on that flight stopped to say how their life was affected – in a big or small way - by something Bill had done. Bill spoke with each in his generous, joyful manner, expressing as much appreciation to them as they showed to Bill.

Astonished by what I witnessed, I asked Bill, “Is there anyone you haven’t influenced?” He responded with the typical Bill Danforth smile and usual self-depreciating, understated humor, “Well, I think it just means I’ve been around for a long time.”

Bill was here for 94 years, but it was the profound and remarkable use of that time that made all the difference.

Learn more and be inspired at the Center’s written and video remembrance of Bill Danforth.

Jim Carrington (a proud Friend of Bill)

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Here’s a good question from another alert reader of the Weekly Message: “Hey Jim, are you getting the flu shot this year?” YES, and I’m pleased we’re making the vaccine freely available to the Danforth Center community next month. Getting the flu shot is especially important this year while SARS-CoV-2 is co-circulating with flu viruses. We do not yet understand the consequences of co-infection, but we do know it happens. The flu vaccine will significantly lessen the load on health care systems as the coronavirus pandemic enters a critical phase in the Fall.

The science behind flu viruses and vaccines is fascinating, and was the most enjoyable topic of the Introduction to Virology course I used to teach. Flu viruses are like people - there are lots of differences between individuals, and some are not very nice. We have two main groups of flu viruses, influenza A and B, and within each are numerous subtypes and strains. We hear most about influenza A strains, like the pandemic strains of 1918 or 1968, the latter of which caused my mom to get severely ill. In most years, the flu causes tens of thousands of deaths per year in the U.S. alone.

The annual flu vaccine is developed through a rigorous, highly coordinated, international program to identify the predominant and important influenza A and B strains circulating in the worldwide population. The strains change in significant ways year after year through mutation or genetic recombination, meaning that the vaccines need to change and keep up. Major centers like CDC systematically monitor movement of influenza strains, including those that have recently jumped to humans from animals, as those represent the greatest threat for new pandemics. Early each year, a national committee decides which are the most relevant or problematic strains (four in 2020) to produce a multivalent vaccine against the mixture. Companies scale up production of the vaccine strains, usually by growing the viruses in chicken eggs, and distribute to health care providers. Your vaccine deliverer may ask if you are allergic to chicken eggs because, on occasion, vaccine preparations may contain small amounts of residual egg proteins. The flu vaccine is usually 50-60% effective at preventing the flu; in people who still become infected after receiving the shot, the severity of symptoms and need for hospitalization are often reduced.

You do yourself, your family and your friends and colleagues a favor by getting the flu shot. If you intend to get the shot at the Danforth Center, please sign up online. If all of the time slots are filled, please put your name in the Wait-List section and HR will be in touch about future offerings. Stay safe!

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Labor Day is on Monday! As a small contribution to the extended weekend, I’ll make this week’s message brief. While much of the rest of the world celebrates the labor force on May 1 (May Day), the U.S. celebrates workers on the first Monday in September, and has done so for over 120 years. Labor Day marks the unofficial end of Summer. Labor Day also signifies the official end of Hot Dog Season, something our friends over at hot-dog.org want you to know. Further, they explain that ketchup on a hot dog for those over the age of 18 is an etiquette faux pas. I’m certain everyone learned at least one thing in this paragraph.

I want to use Labor Day to say “Thank you!” to all of you for devoting time and hard work, building your careers, and contributing your talents at the Danforth Center. The importance of our working community has never been greater. And in this unusual year, our values of working innovatively and collaboratively have never been more important. Thank you for being a part of this community and giving me the opportunity to work alongside you.

Please wear your masks, keep your distance and have a good, safe Labor Day weekend.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Thank you for the questions over the past few weeks - keep them coming! While this medium is not quite the same as a town hall, I find the Weekly Message valuable to address areas of concern in the community, and to give insight into what’s on my mind. This week I was asked, “What’s good and bad about the Danforth Center?” I’m going to rephrase this and consider our strengths – what we do well - and weaknesses – where we can grow. This is timely, as strategic planning depends on assessment of both. It’s also an interesting question because each of us would answer differently due to unique experiences and perceptions.

Let’s start with some of the Center’s strengths, about which I am so proud. First, we are highly united around our mission and values; surveys indicate that identity with our mission, for example, is nearly unanimous across the community! We have creative, collaborative and competitive PIs, facility directors and research teams, and they are leaders in several critical areas of plant science. We have unique teams to move scientific discoveries into the marketplace, or into the hands of smallholder farmers, to achieve impact. We have excellent facilities and great teams to keep them running. We have administrative leaders and teams that really care about our people and our work. Finances are in good shape through competitive grants, a healthy endowment and committed donors, and our board of directors is engaged. And, in part through extensive work over the past few years, we are strongly committed to creating a culture based on our values.

How about areas needing growth, change, or a re-thinking? The strategic plan will certainly leverage our strengths, but it will also consider where we fall short. At the top of my list is the Center’s racial diversity, which does not adequately reflect the broader community. Continued work is needed to increase diversity across scientific and administrative teams, PIs, leadership team and board of directors. Not all community members have clear paths or opportunities for advancement; possibilities for promotions are often limited. Among the PIs, we are becoming under-weighted at the Assistant Member level. We lack certain key facilities, such as a field research site that the Center controls. We lack a natural constituency for new donors, and fundraising outside of St. Louis is a challenge. And though we have excellent university partners, we would like to see more students traversing the Center.

These are just a few of the Center’s internal features that have our attention during the planning process. We are considering where great opportunities pair with our strengths, and where external threats are heightened if we do not address our weaknesses. Importantly, we are using this time of analysis and reflection to shape important goals and initiatives over the next five years.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

From an alert reader of the Weekly Message: “Jim, what have you learned about leadership since being at the Danforth Center?” I’ll give just three of the many things, each of which I should have learned before the Great Family Houseboat Trip of 2010 at Lake Billy Chinoock near Bend, Oregon with my wife Teri, three of our kids, a niece, my mom and my sister. With qualifications comprised of a few houseboating days as a carefree 17-year-old, I offered to be captain.

Leadership is humbling. Our houseboat looked remarkably like a buoyant, single-wide mobile home. All training to operate this vessel was given in five minutes by Houseboat Guy at the dock: “Start ‘er up by flipping this thing here, pump this knob several times but not too many, pull this lever to the right – NEVER to the left – then turn the key. But if it’s cold, you’ll need to...” Minutes out from the dock, and a quarter-mile upwind from a rock jetty, the engine quit, leaving us adrift in a 20-mph wind. As the rocks grew larger, I repeated the “Start” procedure countless times with nothing but the “Rrrrrr...rrrrr...” of a non-starting engine. I asked the family crew, which was tightly clustered in the multipurpose captain’s cockpit/kitchen area, “Did anybody else hear the instructions?” The negative replies were mixed with reminders that I wanted to be the captain. As we fast-approached the rocks, Mom sought divine assistance through prayer, explaining to both God and family that I needed wisdom...fast! A moment later in our helpless drift, Mom said in a quiet, disappointed tone, “I’ve never heard Jim use language like this.” Finally, by luck or miracle, our floating camper restarted. We were on our way, but with a deflated captain and a skeptical crew.

Dogs bark, leaders bring people along. A few hours later, in a remote cove with a steep, brush-covered shoreline, it was time to park, or “moor” as us captains say. In heavy wind, I would maneuver our floating RV at a precise angle to the wall-like shore, whereupon Teri and son Jason would jump out with ropes and tie up to trees. “GO NOW!” I shouted as if the mooring window would close permanently within seconds. They scrambled up the slope through nasty, barbed bushes, loose rocks, and angry biting ants to trees big enough to use. “Pull the ropes TIGHTER!” I implored as we started drifting away. “We’re TRYING, and STOP YELLING,” they replied. After successfully securing the boat, they showed me their ant bites and scratched, bleeding limbs, and explained how I’d be doing it myself next time if I was going to bark like that!

Leaders need your good ideas. Finding the perfect spot to moor each night was time-consuming, but the nicest spots were worth it – beautiful, peaceful, quiet - until another houseboat with noisy partiers sought an adjacent spot. While I found this annoying, my son Ross found a solution. For reasons no one understood, he had brought his trumpet. If he saw or heard another houseboat coming our way, he would climb to the roof, run through scales and rehearse tunes he was learning. Trumpet music would reverberate between the volcanic canyon walls, and the encroaching houseboat would move on to the next spot. The idea was a bit un-neighborly, but it was one of dozens of good ideas from an amazing crew that made the Family Houseboat Trip of 2010 so memorable.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Today, I’m wondering what’s on YOUR mind. I want to address your questions about the Danforth Center, our strategic direction, or anything else that piques your curiosity - big, small, serious, offbeat or fun! How about an interesting trivia question? Please send me a question or two by email, and I’ll respond to as many as possible in upcoming weekly messages. Unless you say otherwise, I’ll keep your identity confidential. Here are a few sent recently.

When will we move to Phase 2 Operations? The short answer is, we do not know. In my May 2, 2020 message, I outlined criteria that would need to be met before ramping up onsite work beyond Phase 1 levels. Unfortunately, average daily reported cases of COVID-19 in our region today are over 6-fold higher than when we started Phase 1 (June 1). While we now know more about how to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, we’ve gone backwards with community spread and we still lack the rapid testing needed to respond quickly in the event of a case onsite. The good news is that the Danforth Center community has experienced disproportionately low numbers of cases since the pandemic started. We’ve had no spread of the coronavirus within our facilities. Thank you for your sustained efforts!

Do we anticipate work-from-home (WFH) to be a long-term feature at the Danforth Center? Count me in the camp that thinks our work environment will be different long after the pandemic is over. While a high percentage of us require Center facilities to work, these past five months have revealed that many others can work productively from remote locations. Recent studies have shown that those with jobs amenable to WFH can be just as productive, more or less, working from home. We will accommodate such arrangements when reasonable in the future. No doubt, there will be a higher percentage of talented prospective team members we seek to recruit who prefer or need to work from home. However, I also believe most of us will still work most of the time onsite post-pandemic. Working from home has its costs, including loss of “productive collisions” that result in unexpected new ideas and insights, and loss of everyday social interactions that build team cohesion and organizational identity.

How do you, Jim, keep your sanity while spending so much time on Zoom? There is a notable supposition built into that question. Nevertheless, like many of you, I spend a lot of time in video meetings. I meet more frequently with team members and groups today than I did pre-COVID-19; that’s a very good thing for me in understanding and addressing important issues across the Center. I hear a lot about “Zoom fatigue,” which has led to shorter meetings overall. In my case, Zoom fatigue is not so much a mental strain, but simply a consequence of sitting with little movement. So, I interject short breaks and lunch, and I schedule one-hour exercise sessions several times per week.

Thank you all for the tremendous work you are doing. Send me questions, and stay safe.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Presidential scholars consistently rank Abraham Lincoln as the best President in U.S. history. He took office from a failed predecessor who affirmed slavery in the South, leading to an irreconcilable fracture of the nation. Through moral conviction, very human leadership, and strategic savvy, Lincoln led the Union through the Civil War, ended slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation and ultimately the Thirteenth Amendment, and preserved the United States. Simultaneously, and despite the overwhelming burden to hold a nation together, Lincoln looked ahead of the ongoing distress and prepared for a better future.

During Lincoln’s administration - at the height of the Civil War - the Department of Agriculture and the Land Grant University system were created. Lincoln understood the importance science, technology and education to feed and support a growing country. Lincoln established the national banking system, and set the principles for reconstruction that would be needed after the war. He signed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862, enabling efficient transportation across the continent, and set up a system by which any adult citizen - including recent immigrants, Black Americans, and the poor - were granted land on which to live and farm. And, just a few months before the Battle of Gettysburg and with the outcome of the war in doubt, Lincoln established the National Academy of Sciences with a vision that future governance of the nation should be aided by science.

What Lincoln did at that time to benefit future generations is a most amazing example of far-sighted vision displayed under the most stressful of circumstances. This inspires me today.

As we experience a disastrous pandemic, a tumultuous economic downturn, and disruptions to our schools, jobs, and personal lives, the Danforth Center is undergoing a strategic planning process that will set our course from 2021 through 2025. While we navigate the current disordered and disrupted period, I ask that you also think about the future of the Danforth Center. Over the next five years, what do we want to achieve? What do we need to build? How should the Danforth Center change? How can the Center become a more diverse, equitable and inclusive place, and how can we better help elevate our region and its people? How can we have more impact? Over the next several months, Center teams will be giving input about opportunities in which we should invest and that will better enable the outcomes we’re here to bring about.

Wouldn’t this be easier if we just waited for things to return to normal? Perhaps, but our people, our place and our purpose can’t wait. We need to shape our future now despite the uncertainties of the present. As Lincoln taught us, we rarely ever have the luxury of waiting until all of the unknowns are known and risks eliminated. I look forward to where we go from here.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

It is not surprising how frequently conversations about stress are happening among Danforth Center community members. Working from home, working in isolation, and worries about health are wearing us down. Those with kids are dealing with their jobs, child care responsibilities, and difficult school scenarios. Recent studies show that female scientists’ productivity has been disproportionately affected during the pandemic compared to male scientists, indicating that burdens and stress are distributed unequally across gender. A study published in May indicated that nearly one-third of Americans now show signs of clinical anxiety or depression, up dramatically from last year.

During lab meeting yesterday with team members Kerri Gilbert, Dan Lin, Kira Veley, Myia Elliott and Xingguo Zheng, we talked about their stressors, which include meeting daycare and schooling needs, inability to renew passports, frequent interruption of work, delays in projects, racial injustice, the pandemic and political craziness. And now someone is trying to convince them to worry about space alien DNA and demons behaving badly! I asked, “What are you doing to manage the stress?” Here are some of their answers (Thanks, team!).

Exercise. Kira gets out for a run. It helps her to stay in the present and remove the sense of so many things bearing down at once. I, too, find exercise is a great way to work out the worries.

Silkworms. Xingguo and his kids raise silkworms from eggs to cocoons. Silkworms feed like inexhaustible machines on young Mulberry leaves, a process that Xingguo watches with calming fascination. He explained, “They eat, sleep and poop. Pure life!” Who knew? 

Cooking. Dan explores what he can do in the kitchen, learning new recipes like Noodles with Sesame Sauce and Teriyaki Chicken. Dan said, “It helps focus on the immediate sphere, takes your mind off the world. No Twitter.” Kerri spends time developing vegetarian dishes.

Reading. Kerri reads books that she checks out electronically from the library. She is focusing now exclusively on women authors like Martha Wells, Jasmine Guillory, Brit Bennet, Liane Moriarty and Curtis Sittenfeld. Kerri routinely reads one book per day! I know, I can’t either.

Avoiding social media. Several lab members mentioned Twitter and Facebook as stress-triggering input that over-weights troubles in the world.

Great pets. Several in the group have pets – dogs, cats, and until recently, a three-legged turtle who lived in the back yard before making a break for it. Myia’s 3-year old dog Lily, a part boxer/part lab/part who-knows mix, might be the most comfortable participant in lab meetings!

Yesterday, the HR team provide a link in the COVID-19 Community Support newsletter for an article with practical ways to help stop worrying. Like the lab team, I hope you are finding ways that work for you, and are paying close attention to both your physical and mental well-being. Take care this weekend.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Fifty-seven percent. That’s the proportion of recently surveyed Americans who said they would get a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, when available. For a virus that’s killed over 145,000 people in the U.S., caused illness or serious complications for a few million more, and wreaked havoc on all our lives, 57% might seem surprisingly low. The other 43% were split almost evenly between those who believe vaccines are intrinsically bad and those who either don’t know or don’t care. Other recent surveys revealed that 45% of Americans doubt the general safety of vaccines, for reasons ranging from distrust of the medical establishment to the debunked myth that vaccination causes autism. I am very concerned about these beliefs, because a safe, effective, and available vaccine figures into our plans for eventual return to “normal.”

Belief in dubious or debunked theories and ideas is relevant to how the U.S. population has behaved during the pandemic. Data show that re-escalation of SARS-CoV-2 spread since mid-June resulted mainly from too many people failing to wear masks, social distance, and avoid crowded spaces like packed bars. Too many people believed that their actions would not affect the pandemic or their own health. Some behaviors were based on beliefs that recommended safeguards would cause bad outcomes, like masks causing suffocation by re-breathing your own carbon dioxide. Some behaviors were based on denial beliefs like infection numbers were a hoax, young adults were not susceptible, or masks were being pushed only for political reasons.

Why people adopt beliefs that are verifiably false is the focus of renown skeptic Michael Shermer, author of Why People Believe Weird Things and The Believing Brain. He and others underscore how our brains are wired to receive and organize information that promotes beliefs that misalign with reality. Individuals tend to unite in groups around beliefs (e.g. political parties or UFO clubs), providing positive social support. In fact, we all belong to belief groups of one type or another. Ideas in belief groups are reinforced by cognitive biases, like confirmation bias, which is exacerbated by dissemination of information exclusively favorable to the group belief. Groups usually have leaders who offer articulate (OK, not always) justification and higher purpose for their beliefs. Leaders and trusted members of groups are important also because when their beliefs migrate, for better or worse, members of the group are given license to migrate. All of these influences have had effects on pandemic-promoting behaviors recently.

Understanding why we believe things matters for the Danforth Center and our community because it affects the decisions we make. We have been deeply affected by individual and group decisions during this dreadful pandemic, underscoring again the need to ensure that our decisions are based on the best evidence available. This is often difficult to do, however, as our families with school age and preschool children are experiencing today. Sometimes we do not have all the information - the data - we need to make decisions that affect our lives and our well-being. But as a science-based institution, our belief in verifiable evidence and our ability to learn gives us a few advantages.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Reversal of the federal order requiring international students to attend all classes in person was good news this week, coming after universities, research centers and individuals, including many at the Danforth Center, advocated effectively in the media and to our legislators. I want to highlight the great work of Karla Roeber, VP for Public and Government Affairs, and Monica Zawicki, Digital Marketing Manager, who build relationships, content and tools to tell our stories and express our concerns at the highest levels. Thank you, Karla and Monica, for your efforts in support of our international colleagues!

I admire inspiring communicators and science advocates who can engage the public effectively. But it doesn’t always go according to plan, which reminds me of the time I was interviewed for an episode of the Showtime cable channel program Penn & Teller: Bulls--t! in 2003. This show combined humor, science and illusion to debunk popular misconceptions, and the episode “Eat This!” focused on myths about food, including genetically modified crops. Our lab in Oregon was transformed into a video production studio for the interview with one of the show’s producers, and I did my best to sound authoritative answering dozens of on-camera questions. My advocacy for science went pretty well, I thought.

By coincidence, Teri and I were traveling through Las Vegas shortly before the episode aired, so we stay one night to see Penn and Teller’s live show at the Rio Hotel. It was fantastic, and immediately afterwards we had the opportunity to meet Teller, who was greeting attendees in the lobby. “I’m going to tell him I’ll be on his show,” I said. Teller never speaks during a performance, but as we approached him we could see he was talkative and friendly.

A moment later, we were shaking Teller’s hand and saying how much we enjoyed the show. Then I said, “I’m going to be on an upcoming Penn and Teller: Bulls—t! episode, the one about food.” As the look on Teller’s face turned from welcoming smile to puzzled frown, he communicated silently but clearly, “I know everyone in that episode, and you’re not in it. You were cut, my friend.” Teller must have been relieved that we left quickly, my subsequent walk of shame interrupted only by taunting sounds of “Boink...boink...dink dink...boink...” from countless gambling machines.

The take-home lesson is this: there are always risks when we go outside of our comfort zones and try to reach the public about what we do. But despite the occasional flops, the risks are worth taking because the public needs to hear from us. I thank everyone who is standing up in various media, on podcasts, and elsewhere to make your voice heard. And when it doesn’t go according to plan, at least you’ll have a story to tell later. Stay safe!

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

If this message was a category on the game show Jeopardy!, it would be “Potpourri.” A little of this, a little of that. How about starting each thought this week in the form of a question?

Is coronavirus getting any worse in St. Louis? If last week was time to ring the alarm bell about re-acceleration of coronavirus spread, this week I’m turning on the siren! We had more new COVID-19 cases in St. Louis County over the past three days than over any other three-day period since the pandemic started. This should motivate us to re-commit to mask-wearing everywhere we go, to keeping our distance from everyone outside the home, and to assuming everything we touch is contaminated with the virus. I am most worried about exposure in public spaces, where we have less or no control of our surroundings. I am less worried about exposure at the Danforth Center because of rigorous adherence to wellness, safety precautions and personal responsibility by our community on site. Thank you!

What do xenophobic U.S. policies look like? In addition to President Trump suspending H-1B and other work visas a few weeks ago, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency announced this week that international students who are unable to attend classes in-person (as opposed to online) would have to depart. Again, we find ourselves confronted with policy moves that are inhumane, disruptive and damaging to our international colleagues, and counter to our principles and purpose at the Center. I want to reaffirm support for our colleagues who are here seeking opportunity. I have made these views known through a number of media interviews, and in a frank conversation with Senator Roy Blunt. Thank you to all who have spoken up and stood with our friends and colleagues from around the world, and thank you to Shannon Gabbert and Sally Zetzman for coordinating communication between our partnering universities, our graduate students and our community.

Who is making the Center more diverse, equitable and inclusive? Thank you to the participants on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) planning group that Anna Dibble has convened since February. The group met for the last time on Thursday, finalizing the charter for a new advisory council that will work with the leadership team, the faculty and the entire Center community to help keep a spotlight on DEI issues. Anna will be communicating about how you can get involved in the future. Thank you to those who participated in the first series of workshops on “Building Capacity for Dialogue About, and Across, Racial Identity Differences,” presented by Dr. Karla Scott from Saint Louis University. Anna, the HR team and Dr. Scott are now planning to roll out the series to all community members in the weeks ahead. Also, in connection with Black Botanists Week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch just posted a fantastic article featuring Taylor Harris, Kiona Elliott and Kevin Cox. Reading it will make your weekend!

Is the Danforth Center in any financial trouble because of the pandemic? We all appreciate that so many organizations and businesses are suffering financially due to the pandemic. This week, we presented a preliminary assessment of current and projected financial impact to the Executive Committee of our Board. I am pleased to communicate that the Center’s finances remain in good shape, and that we do not anticipate major problems through 2020. I am thankful we have such creative PIs with high grant-getting success, generous donors, a solid endowment, and a terrific Finance team lead by Hal Davies. While the pandemic may have some financial impact on the Center over the next year, I believe we’ll get through it in relatively good condition.

Have a good weekend, and please remain diligent in keeping yourselves and your loved ones safe.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Have you ever been preparing the weekly message and found yourself reading a 1999 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report? I have. In pondering the current state of the U.S. as SARS-CoV-2 spreads and the resultant COVID-19 cases rise again, I came across a series of articles on “Ten Great Public Health Achievements in the United States: 1900-1999.” While most of us spent the end of the 20^th century preoccupied with the Y2K glitch, worrying if our smart refrigerators were going to lock us out, the good people at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were assessing the phenomenal success of public health initiatives over the prior 100 years. Did you know that life expectancy in the U.S. increased by over 30 years during the 20^th century? Twenty-five of those years were attributable to advances in public health.

Control of infectious diseases and development of vaccines were documented as two of the most important and cost-effective advances contributing to both better health and much longer life expectancy over the last century. Eradication of Smallpox virus in 1977 through systematic vaccination occurred with leadership, strong national will and significant public investment; by 1985, the cost of this entire national investment was being recouped every 26 days. Leadership, national will and public investment similarly led to elimination of all circulating paralytic poliovirus in the U.S., and reduced the annual cases of Measles from over 500,000 per year to less than 100. In addition to reduction of incalculable human suffering, these two programs returned between $6.00 and $13.50 for every dollar invested per year.

Which brings us to early July, 2020 and our current battle with COVID-19. Heading into Phase 1 operations at the beginning of June, I expressed cautious optimism that we would continue in the right direction of lowering the rate of spread. But alarmingly, COVID-19 cases have doubled since mid-June at both the U.S. and Missouri levels, due in large part to increased community spread. Data indicate that rising COVID-19 cases are correlated with lack of adherence to the basic measures we all should be taking. The rigorous spacing, sanitation and hygiene, mask-wearing, and certification of wellness done by those onsite during Phase 1 at the Danforth Center, and for which I am so impressed and appreciative, are behaviors not mirrored by much of the public, and we are witnessing the consequences.

Danforth Center community members who have suffered from COVID-19, or who have family or friends who have suffered or died, can tell you in painful detail what this pandemic is all about. Over 2.7 million known cases and 127,000 known deaths in this country alone over a four-month period are astounding, and I’m distressed that we are not seeing enough leadership, national will, investment and individual responsibility in public necessary to deal adequately with the crisis.

The lessons learned by prior generations fighting terrible diseases – from pandemic flu to HIV/AIDS - must not be forgotten, because we need to apply them today! As we go into this long holiday weekend, one in which we traditionally gather in large groups around fun activities and celebrations, I ask that we all go out of our way to model the behaviors we know are necessary at this time. Stay safe!

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

In one form or another, the question I’m asked most frequently in my role is: “What has the Danforth Center done?” Most of the time, the questioner is really asking, “What kind of impact has the Danforth Center made?” A center engaged deeply in foundational research, like ours, can sometimes be difficult to explain to someone who wants to know how we’ve made the world a better place. Indeed, we have much to show from the Danforth Center’s first 22 years – over 1350 published scientific contributions, products developed for smallholder farmers, and hundreds of new scientists trained, to list but a few achievements. And despite nearly four months working under stress because of the coronavirus pandemic, our amazing community continues to achieve.

This message is about impact happening in real time right on our campus. But first, let’s understand a basic principle: Some of the Center’s impact, including more sustainable and nutritious crops, only happens if the private sector takes our research results, our technologies, or our trainees and develops beneficial products that reach the marketplace. The idea is simple – we make the foundational discoveries at the Danforth Center, and with appropriate nudging, licensing and facilitation, enable companies to build and sell products that are consistent with our mission, vision and values. This idea is one of the drivers behind the 39 North innovation district.

That’s why the Benson Hill story is so important to know. Born out of the Danforth Center in 2012, Benson Hill makes products with both agricultural and consumer benefits, has grown revenues to support around 300 employees, and is moving into new headquarters in the EDGE@BRDG building on our campus over the next several weeks. Their business is built around an accelerated breeding platform for high-value crops, like ultra-high-protein soybean, using technology (CropOS) that originated in co-founder Todd Mockler’s lab at the Danforth Center. Their products are customized to unique environments, have desirable nutritional profiles, and require less energy and water for processing. They are one of the most exciting companies in the agtech space.

Todd Mockler explained to me why companies like Benson Hill are so important for the Danforth Center. “It doesn’t matter how good or smart you are with your research, you need a company with a great team and a great CEO (Matt Crisp at Benson Hill) to turn your research into something that people can use to solve real problems,” Todd recently told me. “Benson Hill has been able to move in unexpected directions, and it’s bigger, more diverse and broader than what I had initially envisioned.”

More successes like Benson Hill mean more impact from the Danforth Center, which is why we are excited about the recent hiring of Stephanie Regagnon (Exec. Director of Innovation Partnerships) and Tom Laurita (Dir. of Entrepreneurship). Stephanie and Tom, along with Claire Kinlaw (Dir. of Innovation Commercialization), comprise a team to help develop and license more technologies, form and grow more start-up companies based on Center science, and build a stronger and more impactful innovation ecosystem in and around the Danforth Center. Stephanie, Tom and Claire are a unique team in the non-profit research world, and their critical contributions will help give us new ways to answer the question, “What has the Danforth Center done?” well into the future.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

In a message on June 1, and reinforced in several subsequent communications to you and the broader public, I challenged our community to ask difficult questions about our behaviors and biases that may impede progress toward a racially equitable Danforth Center, one that truly matches up with our values. In retrospect, the language referring to systemic racism and our responsibility to be antiracist was likely too limited in that June 1 message. Words can make a big difference, and through dialogue and learning, I hope I’m using them more effectively now.

But as important as they are, words need to be accompanied by actions that make a difference for our Black colleagues and communities. This message is an informal progress report, briefly highlighting a subset of the actions that are underway, actions we are planning, and proposed actions that need input and participation from the Center community. Thank you to all who are contributing your perspectives, ideas and concerns, which have helped shape actions in five areas.

Community building, representation and input. On June 24, we will finalize plans for a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Council, which will be resourced with funding, empowered to develop programs, and represented within the leadership team. We are also supporting efforts led by Kiona Elliott and Taylor Harris to coalesce Black community members to promote dialogue, communication and engagement across the Center.

Education and professional development. Starting on Monday, June 22, the Danforth Center faculty (leadership team, PIs and Directors) will attend and participate in a series of three workshops on Building Capacity for Dialogue About and Across Race, led by Dr. Karla Scott from Saint Louis University. We will provide this workshop next to the entire Danforth Center community in a second series. We will also strengthen and prioritize our internal education and professional development capacity in the second half of 2020 by hiring into a new Organizational Development and Learning position, which will focus on professional development, leadership development, Center culture, inclusion and assessment.

Hiring, evaluation and recognition. We are recommitting to, and increasing funding for, stronger target-based efforts to identify and hire candidates to address the underrepresentation of Black individuals at the Center. Our searches will be more active. For members of our community, Danforth Center values will be embedded in performance feedback and reviews; we seek to ensure that work to actively promote and support diversity, equity and inclusion is fully recognized and valued.

Leadership development. We will provide opportunities and funding for leadership development to Black members of our community, chairs of the new DEI Advisory Council, and others willing to step into diversity, equity and inclusion leadership roles.

Racial equity in STEM. We recognize our role in ensuring every Black individual has access to, and opportunity to succeed in, STEM fields. We are prioritizing education and outreach investments directed toward Black communities, and will increase funding and fundraising efforts to support the work of Black scientists recruited to the Center.

For several weeks, many of us have been listening carefully to diverse individuals and groups across the Center, and to experts and leaders in the region. Teams across the Center have been discussing how systemic racism persists and disadvantages our Black colleagues and communities. Listening, learning, discussion, and subsequent actions need to happen continuously, and I encourage everyone to stay involved. The actions and investments in racial equity described here are some of the next, but certainly not the last, steps we are committing to take as a community.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

A few years ago, I received a message from distant relatives in Cut and Shoot, TX. That’s right, I said Cut and Shoot, TX. Look it up, it’s a real city north of Houston with around 1000 residents. Cut and Shoot holds a few members of the Terry family, from which Pauline Terry was brought forth almost 115 years ago. As a young woman in east Texas in the 1920s, Pauline, or Polly as she was known, married Ted Carrington, changed her last name, and would soon be raising two young boys. Some 35 years later, their one grandson was born.

Ted and Polly Carrington, my grandparents, lived near Nacogdoches, TX in the early 1930s as the Great Depression swept through the country. Ted worked wherever jobs could be found. He learned a little of the construction trade, but he also dug ditches. He had a practical work ethic that carried him through life. At age 17, when I told Grandpa I was accepted to college, he nodded with emotionless approval, then said in his gruff, graveled voice, “But can you build a brick wall?” I had no snappy comeback for that one.

But this message is about Grandma Carrington and one short story she told me privately during Thanksgiving when I was around 10 years old. We always celebrated Thanksgiving at their home just a few miles from ours. I asked how she learned to cook. She then told me about Texas, life during the Depression with young kids, and cooking with little on the shelf. She would cook whatever she could get that day, and some days there wasn’t much. On other days, there was nothing. I asked, “What would you do then?”

Grandma Carrington told me about their community, and how they looked out for one another. “We knew who was struggling, and we would help each other,” she explained. “We did it quietly. I would go to the back door of a neighbor’s home, and they would always know what I needed. That’s how we all got through the Depression.” Grandma told me this story with seriousness and an unmistakable message that needed no explanation: Take care of people who need help!

Grandma Carrington would be pleased with Dana Benedicktus and Noah Fahlgren, who recently spearheaded creation of the community-led Danforth Center Cares Employee Emergency Fund. Along with Terri Burton, Todd Hornburg, and Andrew Witthaus as a team, and with support from those in HR, Finance, IT, and Development, they’re raising money from you, the Danforth Center community, to help those in our midst who are experiencing economic hardship. The Danforth Center Cares team receives and reviews confidential requests from community members requiring temporary assistance to meet urgent financial needs. Today, many of those needs are brought on by the economic crisis. To date, the team has made three grants in support of our colleagues because you are responding with donations. You are generously helping neighbors appearing at the back door.

Danforth Center Cares is a true expression of our values and our humanity. Thank you to Dana, Noah and team, and to all those who have donated, for taking care of people who need help. And to those who have yet to contribute, please consider giving. One-time and monthly donations of any amount, and confidential requests for grants, can be made at https://danforthcentercares.danforthcenter.org. Stay well and take care.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

A few weeks ago, I wrote about five criteria we needed to satisfy before transitioning out of Minimum Basic Operations (MBO). Well, with contributions and planning from across the Danforth Center, we checked the box on all five criteria and will transition to Phase 1 operations on Monday, June 1. While this represents nothing near back to “normal,” Phase 1 is a measured, safety-first step toward ramping up on-site activities that are important to our teams, our research and our mission. This is an important milestone as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through MBO and planning for Phase 1, I’ve been humbled and sometimes dumbfounded to witness so many examples of selfless dedication in support of others at the Danforth Center. This message is a “thank you” to all who have gone over and above, usually out of view and without fanfare, for the past 11 weeks. I wish there was room to highlight everyone who caught my attention, but for now, here’s a few of stories of people working wonders behind the scenes.

Joy Knuckles has been quietly but effectively contributing to nearly all facets of facilities and safety. Joy has used grit and determination to identify suppliers of scarce but essential items like masks and sanitizers, and figured out how to get deliveries to the Center expedited. And every day, Joy helps prepare a report with necessary information about entries into our facilities, allowing us to affirm that only authorized members of the MBO team are working on-site. Thank you, Joy, for your invaluable contributions!

Vince Abernathy and Andrew Helbling in IT were challenged to develop quickly a reliable, simple-to-use system to certify that everyone working on-site during Phase 1 passes a daily wellness check. This is a little more complicated than one might assume. They developed both an email-triggered online system (short-term solution) and a QR code system (long-term solution) to collect and process daily wellness certifications. While most of us were relaxing on Memorial Day, Vince and Andrew spent the holiday working on and testing the systems so they would be ready to go on June 1. Thank you, Vince and Andrew, for your dedication and sacrifice!

Speaking of the daily wellness check, let me tell you about Maria Higa, Joanie Featherston and Sally Zetzman in Human Resources and what they did to obtain 350 Kinsa thermometers. Most of you received your smart thermometer over the past 10 days. Maria initially tried for weeks to communicate with Kinsa, unsuccessfully, to place a bulk order. With time getting short, they searched for conventional thermometers as a stop-gap measure, but like certain other items in short supply recently, they could not identify a sufficient source. Joanie even made half a dozen trips to stores in town, only to find thermometers were sold out or limited to one per purchase. Long story short, the team figured out that the only way to secure hundreds of Kinsa thermometers by June 1 was to place individual online orders, one at a time, for delivery to each community member at their individual home addresses. They spent days and nights placing orders, ultimately succeeding ahead of schedule. Thank you, Sally, Maria, and Joanie for your tireless work and determined effort!

I received a very nice message recently from someone who, like me, has been admiring the contributions of so many at the Danforth Center during the COVID-19 crisis: “It’s been a strange way of life and work since March and it takes great people to keep the wheel running smoothly.  I don’t know how smoothly this will all seem someday but what I do know is we have worked hard as a team to do our very best.  The entire Danforth Center is a special group of people.”

I could not possibly conclude any better than that.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

In late October of 2005, I visited the University of Calgary and University of Alberta on a Gairdner Award Symposium mini-tour with two friends and colleagues, Craig Mello and James Darnell. The Gairdner Award is a top Canadian science prize and Craig was a recipient; he would soon be awarded the Nobel Prize in 2006 for discovering key features about RNA interference. The morning after speaking in Calgary, we were picked up early, like before-coffee early, from our hotel in a spacious, high-end limousine headed to the airport. Why we couldn’t just drive the short route to Edmonton instead of enduring the hassle of airports and airplane for a 30-minute flight was the topic under discussion. We tapped the window separating us from the driver, and after it came down asked, “Would you be able to take us all the way to Edmonton?”

The driver explained no, he could not, because he had another commitment. After a brief back-and-forth to politely rephrase what we thought was a great idea, the driver said, “Hold on, let me see what I can do.” The window went back up. A few minutes later, the window came down and he said, “OK, we’re all set. We’ll be there in a couple of hours.” Our driver was our new friend!

As we settled in, our interest grew about the other “commitment” he maneuvered out of to indulge our request. We tapped on the window, which hummed as it lowered. We asked with amused curiosity, but also hope that we were not causing a problem, “What did you need to rearrange to drive us to Edmonton?” He quickly responded, “I can’t tell you,” then explained to us all about NDAs and confidentiality agreements.

Well, this transformed quickly into an urgent mystery and game-like challenge for three stubborn scientists! We didn’t let up until he finally said, “OK, I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell anybody. My partner and I are under contract as the exclusive drivers for four guys staying at Lake Louise this week. They’re the Rolling Stones. I’m responsible for Ron Wood and Charlie Watts! My partner will cover for me while I drive you.”

The rest of the ride involved one entertaining story after another about our driver’s Rolling Stones adventure, particularly with Ron Wood, who we concluded was thoroughly enjoying his week in Alberta. After we arrived and waved goodbye to our wonderful driver, I asked Craig and James, “Did we just hijack the Rolling Stones limo?” Darn right we did!

Now, why tell (or re-tell, for some of you) this anecdote in my weekly message to the Danforth Center community? The story illustrates three points that are highly relevant for us today. First, in these turbulent times, we need to get more comfortable asking the question: Why continue doing certain things the same old way? With 10 weeks of disruption now behind us, and more to come, let’s not be reluctant to ask what makes sense to change. There may never be a better time to reflect and put an idea forward, or to challenge yourself to reconsider priorities.

Second, fear not the answer, “No, it can’t be done.” Some ideas need to pair with a little persuasion. Some ideas just need a little time to sink in. Some ideas simply won’t work, but as long as we live our values of integrity and respect, they will get people thinking and that may lead in other productive directions. And third, changes often lead to unexpected benefits. I’ve heard about such benefits from so many of you and your teams during the past few months.

We have a resilient, adaptable community that impresses me every day. Thank you to all who are working to find a better way forward. What a long, strange trip it’s been! Which reminds me, I’ve also got a good Grateful Dead story.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

For the past several weeks, we have been working hard on plans for eventual exit from Minimum Basic Operations (MBO) and ramp-up of on-site activity at the Danforth Center. A few weeks ago, I described our plans for a phased ramp-up, sensibly starting with Phase 1 in which limited numbers of additional people will be allowed on-site as the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control. Five boxes need to be checked before we initiate Phase 1:

1. St. Louis Country needs to suspend Stay-at-Home orders that apply to us, and that happens on Monday, May 18. Check!
2. Daily reported cases of COVID-19 need to be on a sustained, descending trend in the region. For 11 of the past 13 days in St. Louis County, the number of new cases reported have been below the seven-day average, and that’s an encouraging trend. But we saw a spike in cases toward the end of this week, so let’s hold off on checking this box right now.
3. Plans need to be in place for each lab, facility and department to ensure that we can begin ramp-up safely. The plans specify types of limited new activity, who will be on-site during Phase 1, and how distancing, sanitation, hygiene and PPE standards will be assured. All plans have been received and are under review and refinement now. This box is not ready to check, but we anticipate doing so within the next week to 10 days.
4. A Danforth Center facility-wide plan, as well as facility modifications, are needed to promote non-intersecting foot traffic, a touchless environment, and other features to reduce the likelihood of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses. The Facilities team is creating new signage, installing sterilization and sanitization stations throughout the Center, modifying restrooms and installing automatic or touch-minimal doors during the MBO period. This work will be largely completed, and this box checked, within the next few weeks.
5. And finally, a Return-to-Work Wellness Plan needs to be in place before admitting more people on-site. While health and safety has been the first priority during MBO, an enhanced sick leave policy with more relevance to our new reality will be implemented in Phase 1. Also, an active health monitoring program that reduces the prevalence of infectious disease on-site will be deployed. The Wellness Plan will be ready to go within two weeks, meaning that we should be able to have all five boxes checked by the end of May.

Does this mean we’ll be able to advance to Phase 1 on June 1? Assuming numbers of new COVID-19 cases continue to decline at a consistent pace in our region, and with many safeguards and restrictions in place – Yes! The transition to Phase 1 with limited ramp-up, like the transition to MBO, will no doubt require iterative adjustments as we move forward, but please know our first priority will remain health and wellness.

Thank you to both the on-site and at-home teams for your continued good work, and thank you all for your commitment to our community by continuing to protect both yourself and your colleagues.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

This week, how about a quick science lesson? What is this new coronavirus causing COVID-19 and where did it come from? And what are the chances that we’re going to have a vaccine in the near future? There are good reasons to learn a little virology, as most of you have over the past several months, mainly because diseases caused by viruses affect everyone’s health and well-being. Learning about this new coronavirus by the public, however, has been complicated by broadly circulated misinformation, politicized information, and conspiracy theories that appear every day. So, let’s cover a few coronavirus basics.

Coronaviruses comprise a large family of viruses that infect humans, domesticated animals and wild animals. They have been studied by scientists and clinicians for a long time. I’ve been interested in coronaviruses since the 1980s, ever since they were discovered to share a lot of features in common with most plant viruses. Four coronaviruses of humans, with exciting names like 229E or OC43, are among the common cold viruses. You’ve no doubt been infected by some of these. But three coronaviruses with the potential to cause deadly diseases suddenly appeared in the human population within the past few decades, causing severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS (virus named SARS-CoV-1), middle east respiratory syndrome or MERS (virus named MERS-CoV) and of course, coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 (virus named SARS-CoV-2) which we are dealing with today.

Was SARS-CoV-2 created in a lab, or the result of a wild experiment gone bad, as has been alleged in various conspiratorial forms? No, it was not. Because scientists have studied in depth the genomes of known human and animal-infecting coronaviruses, we understand quite a bit about where the human-infecting coronaviruses came from and how they evolved. This is not so different from being able to tell where you came from and who you’re related to if you have had your genome analyzed by 23andMe. SARS-CoV-2 is very closely related to a large sub-group of coronaviruses that infect bats, and therefore, likely originated relatively recently from bats. What is not known is whether SARS-CoV-2 jumped directly from bats to humans, or jumped first to an intermediate animal before infecting humans. Based on recent data, there are reasons to suspect the latter. There are numerous other well-studied examples of viruses, like those causing influenza, jumping from animals to humans.

What are the chances that an effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine will be developed soon? I wish we had more visibility on this now, as a vaccine or other treatments will have a significant impact on how the Danforth Center operates in the future. But there are reasons to be hopeful. Effective vaccines have been developed against other coronaviruses, including the swine-infecting porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (my apologies if I just ruined Saturday brunch, but this is science). And there are massive ongoing efforts to develop SARS-CoV-2 vaccines based on a wide range of technologies. I think we should be somewhat optimistic, but realistic that a tested, scaled-up and available vaccine may not be in hand for another year or more.

I appreciate all of the time and effort our community is investing to stay informed about the pandemic, including learning about SARS-CoV-2. Stay safe and have a nice weekend!

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

On May 4, 2020, the State of Missouri will allow non-essential businesses to reopen and social gatherings to resume in a relaxation of restrictions implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there will be distancing requirements and an intention to provide more diagnostic and healthcare resources, this is a significant move to open up economic activity. It also comes with significant risk of re-accelerating coronavirus spread. Will this action affect the Danforth Center in the near-term? The answer is: No, it will not.

There are two reasons why we’ll remain with MBO and stay-at-home for at least several more weeks. First, as I’ve stressed recently, there are still too many new cases of COVID-19 being reported across the state, especially in our region. And second, St. Louis County and city will remain under stay-at-home orders with no end date yet scheduled.

The leadership team and faculty, however, are busy developing a plan to ramp-up work in a rational, safe manner whenever we do allow greater on-site access. The plan will be responsive to different levels of risks, will anticipate external factors that impact the course of the pandemic, and will be attentive to feedback from you. The draft plan has three phases. In Phase 1, the initial ramp-up, we will permit limited numbers of people beyond those on the MBO team to prepare labs, departments and facilities for expanded activity on-site. This might include, for example, seeding of new plant materials or preparations for field work. A high proportion of Danforth Center personnel will still work from home, and those on-site will adhere to distancing, sanitation and PPE requirements, and other CDC-recommended practices. Restrictions on travel, meetings and gatherings will be in effect as they are now. We expect that SARS-CoV-2 will still be circulating during Phase 1, but at a sustained low level.

In Phase 2, we will relax access to facilities for most members of the Danforth Center community, at least partly, but with significant numbers still working fully or partially from home. Distancing, sanitary practices, and other health-promoting practices will be in effect, as will revised health-related policies and on-site or at-home monitoring. Restrictions on travel, meetings and gatherings will remain, but may be loosened depending on conditions. We anticipate that some SARS-CoV-2 may still be circulating during Phase 2, but at levels that continue to lower and that are more manageable with anticipated new resources, like better and more accessible diagnostic testing. Phase 3 will look a lot like full operations, but with new long-term policies and practices that promote health of the community and our guests. This phase will be triggered when we are convinced that community health practices, vaccination and/or other interventions will be effective for long-term mitigation of COVID-19.

While I am comfortable with the principles underlying the phased plan, I am not comfortable projecting the timeline on which each phase will be triggered. There are too many external variables that we do not control. But despite the uncertainties, I hope the community gains some benefit knowing that our collective well-being is forefront in the plans.

Jim Carrington, President

Dear Danforth Center Community,

After nearly six weeks of work-from-home and minimal on-site operations, two things are constantly swirling in my head. The first is sincere appreciation for a Danforth Center community that has made sacrifices, supported one another and found creative solutions to difficult challenges. Whether you are on the MBO team or in the stay-at-home group, thank you so much! The second subject of continuous contemplation is a question: How much longer will we continue in this mode?

The straightforward answer is, I don’t know. As Neils Bohr, Mark Twain and Yogi Berra all said in one way or another, “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” We all desire to get back to normal quickly, but the criteria to resume more normal looking operations all revolve around health and safety of our community. If a governmental authority says we can resume operations on a particular date, the Danforth Center may or may not expand on-site work on that date depending on our assessment of whether or not we can do so safely.

The big problem with bringing more people back on-site soon is the fact that there is too much SARS-CoV-2 (virus that causes COVID-19) still circulating in the St. Louis region. Consider the fact that there had been only a small handful of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the entire state when we first directed those who could work from home to do so on March 16. Last Thursday alone (April 23), there were over 100 new confirmed cases reported just in St. Louis County. While the rate of spread might be less today compared to the rate of spread at the peak recently, there is and will continue to be an unacceptably high risk of infection for several weeks to come.

Despite the uncertainty, we are planning for eventual return and setting expectations for the kinds of activities we will support through the remainder of 2020. We expect the post-MBO period to involve a gradual return of community members continuing to work under limits on spacing, numbers of people in common areas, and size of gatherings. We anticipate all events like seminars, symposia and gatherings involving many guests (Conversations, for example) either staying online or migrating online through the year. Business-related air travel, both to and from the Center, will be limited to only the most essential business, and in those cases, with rigorous safeguards in place. Expect the Danforth Center be a more “touchless” work environment, with restroom fixtures, some doors, dispensers and other features being enabled with less, or no, direct contact necessary. Expect additional required personal protective equipment in core facilities and commonly used areas. And we are assessing tools and policies to improve personal health, assure access to vaccines and diagnostics when available, and generally reduce our collective exposure to infectious disease.

Given the sacrifices and difficulties so many are experiencing, unease about the future is unavoidable and understandable. But through this unsettling time, please know that we are committed to decision-making based on the best available information and with health and safety as the primary consideration.

Jim Carrington
April 25, 2020

Dear Danforth Center Community,

Among other parts of my weekly schedule while working from home, I have meetings with the Danforth Center faculty, the leadership team, and those who report directly to me. I have also been meeting a lot recently with department teams, facility teams and lab groups with which I do not have regularly scheduled Zoom time. The purpose of the latter meetings is simply to learn how teams across the Center are doing, how they are communicating, and in some cases, how they are taking advantage of this unusual time. In every one of these meetings, I am learning about the creativity, the dedication, the humor, and the humanity of the Danforth Center community in ways I might never have learned in “normal” times.

The Allison Miller team is meeting every morning for coffee at 8:30. They told me how they’re using this time to analyze years-worth of data that have accumulated, write papers in a group format and learn more about others’ work. I was struck by how they have turned paper-writing into a new kind of team sport! The Keith Slotkin lab members told me about how they’re going back to school, using some of the at-home time to acquire or spread valuable skills among the team. Using online resources and talent within the group, they are elevating their collective capabilities for R, data presentation and other computational skills.

The Human Resources team showed me that, despite a heavy workload, they have doubled down on their commitment to people and helping everyone find their unique way forward. They also have the best collection of “meeting hats” at the Center. The Education Research and Outreach group showed me how enthusiasm and ambition need not be diminished by disruption from a pandemic. Since that meeting, I’m still trying to figure out how they find the time to do everything!

The Plant Growth Facility (PGF) group had to be split between multiple Zoom meetings, because some are always on-site working hard in rotating teams. If you want an image in your mind of what rolling up your sleeves and tackling a difficult job looks like, think about the PGF team members. They communicated about the importance of our work and how commitment to the Center’s mission helps them through. And my meeting with the PGF Oversight Committee showed me how much one group really cares about others in the community.

Finally, during a Tea Time with graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, and lab technicians (CSTM), I learned not only about how they have adapted to dispersed working environments, but how they’re looking ahead. Which leads me to ask this: what will we take forward from our collective experience and what we’ve seen from one another when we arrive at the new normal, whatever that turns out to be?

Jim Carrington

April 18, 2020

Dear Danforth Center Community,

If you are like me, you have noticed how real science has re-emerged in the media and public discourse during the coronavirus pandemic. At a time when scientifically dubious or outright false narratives are crowding out meaningful science in so many areas that affect our lives, epidemiological models and fundamentals of virology have been every-day topics on news channels and podcasts. People are being exposed regularly to rigorous scientists like Dr. Anthony Fauci and saying, “Yeah, I’m glad they’re on the case!”

For a couple of reasons, I am sensitive to how the public perceives and values science, and how science is (or is not) informing public policy and action. I’ve been giving presentations about this, and what we can do about it, over the past few years. Close to home, how the public relates to science very much affects the Danforth Center, our work and our impact. Without science-supportive individuals and organizations that make generous donations, we would not survive as a non-profit research center. Without elected representatives, especially at the federal level, who understand and support the need for publicly funded research to meet the challenges we’re here to address, we would have very little funding for our projects. How the public perceives the importance of science directly impacts all of us and our work at the Danforth Center.

The other reason I am sensitive to public perception of science is this: it matters to everybody! The coronavirus pandemic is demonstrating in real time how hard-working scientists and science-based policies are desperately needed. We need scientists who are able to respond quickly with solutions in the midst of a pandemic. We need them to develop technologies that detect emerging threats early so pandemics are prevented in the first place. And we really do need science-guided public policy and responses that protect the public from newly emerging viruses, and that ensure systems are in place that enable scientists and healthcare professionals to do their jobs effectively and safely. How the public perceives the importance of science impacts everyone’s health and well-being!

In the weeks ahead, I’ll write about how I think the Danforth Center will be changed by this pandemic. But I also hope that the public at large changes through this unprecedented experience, at least a little, by gaining a better appreciation of how science, science-based institutions and science-based policy affect their health, their economic security and their quality of life.

And by the way, speaking as a virologist, I am proud to see Dr. Fauci stand front and center as the standard-bearer for science during this crisis. As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, Dr. Fauci has led federal efforts to combat AIDS/HIV, SARS, pandemic flu, MERS, Ebola, and now the new coronavirus. He is an American hero for whom we should be sincerely thankful.

Jim Carrington

April 11, 2020

Dear Danforth Center Community,

We made it through another week! I normally wouldn’t say something like that when we get to the weekend, but these are not normal times. Thanks to everyone who figured out a creative solution working remotely, kept MBO on-site functioning well, or did something on behalf of others.

I want to call out Todd Hornburg and Jim Cox for organizing and delivering the donation of N-95 masks to the BJC/SSM-led consortium of healthcare organizations this week. That delivery also included N-99 masks Keith Slotkin and his lab. Thanks also go to everyone who is organizing, or participating in, other efforts to donate Danforth Center or personal supplies that can help our healthcare providers. The recipients of such donations are sincerely moved by your contributions. One wrote back to me and said, “Being on the front line of this public health crisis, not knowing whether you will have enough personal protective equipment during your shift is scary. With your package of masks, my coworkers and I know that we are able to protect ourselves while caring for our critically ill patients.”

I also thank Todd Hornburg, along with Anna Dibble, for preparing the plan for responding in the event of a COVID-19-positive diagnosis at the Danforth Center. You received this plan by email on Friday, and it is posted on danforthcenter.org and W3. Please familiarize yourself with this plan so you know what would happen after such an unfortunate, but quite possible, event. On a related note, please remember that all members of the Danforth Center community should be disclosing (confidentially) if you become ill as soon as possible to Anna Dibble. Additionally, any member of the MBO team that feels ill, has a fever, or displays ANY “under-the-weather” symptoms is prohibited from entering the building for any reason. At this time, the values of Integrity and Respect can be upheld and lived well through complying with these mandates.

Finally, let’s return to masks, and whether or not MBO team members should be wearing them. The C.D.C. on Friday issued a statement saying that homemade and cloth masks may help to reduce spread of COVID-19. How much they help is debatable, and public health officials are advising the public not to use N-95 or surgical masks (save them for healthcare workers). A well-fitted mask probably reduces somewhat your likelihood of infecting others if you are shedding a respiratory, airborne virus through coughing or sneezing. But, the benefits (if any) for preventing you from getting infected are nowhere near as high as practicing social distancing, washing your hands rigorously and often, avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth, and sanitizing your workspace before and after use, all of which MBO team members should be doing. It won’t hurt to wear one, but they are not the primary strategy to prevent spread of COVID-19. Please note that most of the Center’s masks have been donated already, but if you have a special need, please let Jim Cox know.

Thanks again to all of you! Have a safe weekend.

Jim Carrington

Dear Danforth Center Community,

As this first week of minimum basic operations (MBO) under the stay-at-home orders draws to a close, I want to thank everyone in the Danforth Center community for your adaptability, valuable contributions, creativity, and compassion under conditions that were unimaginable just few weeks ago. I am thankful so many are willing to make sacrifices to help us get through this emergency and keep our community members safe. I am especially thankful to the on-site MBO team, which is providing essential service to so many others. The Plant Growth Facility team, the delivery and facilities teams, and the security team are just a few examples of outstanding MBO contributors.

I have been asked, “How long do you think this will last?” Neither I nor anyone else knows the answer with certainty, because too many variables are still unknown. How widespread will stay-at-home or lock-down orders be instituted across the U.S.? How quickly can rapid, early testing be applied on a large scale? But decades of virology and epidemiological science tell us this: with the current rate of increase of COVID-19 cases, and the patterns of spread across the country, the peak of the epidemic will not be reached for some time. And when we do reach the peak, it will be many weeks after that before we regain parts of our normal pre-COVID-19 lives. The best minds working on this problem indicate that we should prepare for stay-at-home restrictions through at least part of May.

One point is certain: the time needed to curb the epidemic with a minimum of human suffering depends on how well we individually and collectively maintain behaviors to reduce transmission of COVID-19. Let’s all maintain a high commitment to the health and safety of our Danforth Center colleagues, and to the broader community in which we live, by continuing to do our part.

We are also in position to help in other ways. A few days ago, I and the leadership team were surprised to learn about a stockpile of several-hundred N95 protective masks in long-term storage at the Danforth Center. These are past their manufacture’s shelf-life, but we have good reason to believe that they are still useful. While we have needs for some of these at the Center, the far greater need is within the healthcare community battling on the front lines of the epidemic. We will be donating most of the masks to the local healthcare community.

Thank you again for all of your hard work and flexibility during this uncertain time. Have a good, safe weekend.

Jim Carrington

March 28, 2020

Dear Danforth Center Community,

As we all navigate this very difficult episode in our history - as individuals, as families and as the Danforth Center – I want to reach out to each of you to express my thoughts and feelings about our community and how we can support one another.

While each of us is being affected individually by COVID-19 and the actions required to limit spread, it strikes me how much of a “We” challenge this really is. When an infectious disease emerges in a distant geography, we are all at risk. When COVID-19 circulates in the community, we all need to adopt measures to slow the spread. If a coworker in our midst becomes infected, we are all needed to respond with support and willingness to carry a heavier load. And when the week started by directing Danforth Center personnel to work from home if possible, we were subsequently physically divided and may have experienced disconnection as a community.

Maintaining our Danforth Center community during this difficult time will require all of us, regardless of whether we are working from home and on-site, to stay connected, to understand each other’s needs, and to empathize with others who are experiencing their own unique challenges. We are in this together.

Effective communication at all levels is needed more than ever, and that starts with me. Anna Dibble and I have been co-sending a weekly COVID-19 Update (last sent Friday, March 20) that lays out Danforth Center actions, mandates and guidelines in responding to the pandemic. The Leadership Team is meeting on Zoom twice per week, and the updates include new information or decisions discussed in those meetings. I will be sending additional communications, like this one, to share my thoughts and outlook. Until last Monday, my office door was almost always open; for now, my doors are digital but open on Slack, Zoom and email. Come on in whenever you want and let me know what you are thinking.

We all need to adapt quickly to the current reality with more effective communication. As discussed with the faculty yesterday, establish frequent, regular communication among teams by Zoom, phone or other means. More than ever, your colleagues need to hear from you, and you need to hear from them. More than ever, we need live our values through hearing and responding to our colleagues. We are also thinking through how best to get the entire community together in town hall meetings.

Finally, I want to express my sincere thanks to all of you for your adaptability and flexibility, your hard work through challenging circumstances, and your creativity. No, we have not figured out everything, but thank you for your patience. Keep yourself safe and keep in touch.

Jim Carrington

March 21, 2020