April 16, 1998
by Cathy Weeden
New York City, NY - At a black tie dinner on April 14, Susan K. Brown was honored with the Outstanding Research Award of the New York Farmers Club. The presentation took place at the Union Club in New York City. Brown, who directs Cornell University's apple breeding program in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, in Geneva, NY, was accompanied by Daryl B. Lund, who is the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The annual affair was held by the Farmers Club, an organization founded in 1882.
The Outstanding Research Award is rotated among the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Cook College of Rutgers University, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Connecticut, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell.
"Dr. Brown was very gracious in receiving the Outstanding Research medal and identified how important the Farmers Club's contributions are for student support at CALS," said Dean Lund. Most of the contributions from the Club received by Cornell are used for student support. The Farmers Club makes contributions annually to the above colleges and to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Massachusetts to support the highest priorities recognized by the deans.
Brown was honored for her research in the area of apple breeding and for her use of both traditional and molecular research techniques. The award was also recognition of the importance of new apple varieties to New York farmers. Dean Lund remarked that he nominated Brown with the full concurrence of Station Director Jim Hunter. "This award was a very appropriate way to recognize Dr. Brown's contributions during her relatively short time here at Cornell," he said. "She joined the University in 1985, but she has been very significant in moving the apple breeding program and keeping it at the highest level, both nationally and internationally."
Geneva Horticultural Sciences Department Chair, Hugh Price agreed. "Under Dr. Brown's leadership, the Cornell apple breeding program continues to be the premier program in North America," he said. "Eating quality, both at harvest and after long term storage, is a major objective. The integration of genetic studies and biotechnology with conventional breeding is an on-going process that Dr. Brown is using to develop the next generation of apple varieties for New York."
In addition to traditional breeding for taste quality, projects in Brown's program include screening seedlings for the malic acid gene, the lack of which produces bland apples; disease resistance through transformation; using DNA markers to select for the Wijik character, which allows high density planting; and marker-assisted selection for scab resistance.
"Dr. Brown's excellent rapport with colleagues, students and visiting scientists is a wonderful tribute to her and to her scientific achievements," said Price. "Cornell University is fortunate to have such capable leadership for this important plant breeding program."
NOTE TO EDITORS: A photo of Dr. Brown can be downloaded at 300 dpi by clicking on the photo above. If you prefer an electronic file or a hard copy, contact Rob Way at 315-787-2357, rfw2@cornell.edu
Suggested caption: Susan Brown, who directs the apple breeding program at the NYS Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, received the Outstanding Researcher Award from the New York Farmers Club at their annual meeting in NYC on April 14. CREDIT: Rob Way/NYSAES/Cornell
Contact: Linda McCandless, Communications Services
Telephone: (315) 787-2417
e-mail: llm3@cornell.edu
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