April 17, 1998
by John Zakour
Geneva, NY - Robert C. Seem has been promoted to Professor of Plant Pathology at Cornell University. He works at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, in Geneva, NY.
"Bob Seem is recognized nationally and internationally as a premier plant disease epidemiologist. He is one of the few experts around in the areas of quantitative epidemiology, biometeorology of crops and modeling plant disease epidemics," said Helene Dillard, chair of the Department of Plant Pathology. "Bob truly deserves this recognition, and I'm very pleased he has been promoted to full professor."
Seem specializes in model development and other quantitative measures for the practical management of fruit and vegetable diseases, understanding the biological processes responsible for disease development, and elucidating the role of weather and plant disease. His research has lead to better management of diseases such as grape powdery mildew, grape downy mildew, and maize rust. His work has also identified specific weather conditions for scab infection under low temperatures or the critical environmental factors for Botrytis infection on strawberries. Seem is also studying how disease models can be used under true forecasting conditions by linkage to high resolution weather forecasts.
When asked about the future, Seem says, "In the next five years I will continue the necessary study of the biology of plant disease as well as the development of quantitative measures for the control of diseases. The impact of weather on disease development will become increasingly important as forecasting techniques improve and the ability to manage information at the site-specific level becomes more common."
Seem received his B.S. in Botany in 1970, his M.S. in Plant Pathology in 1972, and his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 1976, all from Pennsylvania State University. He was appointed Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology at Cornell University in 1975, and promoted to Associate Professor in 1981. In 1990, he became Associate Director of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station and now divides his time evenly between research and administration.
Seem's Web page is at http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pp/faculty/seem/
Note to editors: A photo of Dr. Seem can be downloaded at 320 dpi by clicking on the photograph above. If you prefer an electronic file or a hard copy, contact Rob Way at 315-787-2357, rfw2@cornell.edu
Suggested caption: Robert C. Seem was promoted to Professor of Plant Pathology at Cornell University.
Click on photograph to view 300 ppi version.
Contact: Linda McCandless, Communications Services
Telephone: (315) 787-2417
e-mail: llm3@cornell.edu
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