Steven D. Tanksley
Encyclopedia
Steven Dale Tanksley is the Liberty Hyde Bailey
Professor
of Plant breeding
and Biometry
and chair of the Genomics
Initiative Task Force at Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
.
in agronomy
from Colorado State University
in 1976 and a doctorate
in genetics
from the University of California-Davis in 1979. He joined the faculty at Cornell
in 1985 as an associate professor of plant breeding, and became full professor
in 1994. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences since 1995. Tanksley has received the Alexander von Humboldt
Foundation Award, the Martin Gibbs
Medal of the American Society of Plant Biologists
, and the Wolf Prize in Agriculture. Tanksley was also awarded the Kumho International Science Award in 2005 for his work in molecular genetics.
a disease resistant
gene in tomato plants. The research is believed to be the first successful DNA map-based cloning.
Liberty Hyde Bailey
Liberty Hyde Bailey was an American horticulturist, botanist and cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science.-Biography:...
Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Plant breeding
Plant breeding
Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the genetics of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. Plant breeding can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular...
and Biometry
Biostatistics
Biostatistics is the application of statistics to a wide range of topics in biology...
and chair of the Genomics
Genomics
Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...
Initiative Task Force at Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
The New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is a statutory college at Cornell University, a private university located in Ithaca, New York...
.
Education and career
Tanksley received a bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in agronomy
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
from Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
in 1976 and a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
from the University of California-Davis in 1979. He joined the faculty at Cornell
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1985 as an associate professor of plant breeding, and became full professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in 1994. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences since 1995. Tanksley has received the Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
Foundation Award, the Martin Gibbs
Martin Gibbs
Martin Gibbs was an American biochemist and educator who worked in the field of carbon metabolism. The Martin Gibbs Medal, an award honoring individuals in plant sciences, is named in his honor.-Career:...
Medal of the American Society of Plant Biologists
American Society of Plant Biologists
The American Society of Plant Biologists is a professional society devoted to the advancement of the plant sciences. It was founded in 1924 as the American Society of Plant Physiologists and renamed in 2001...
, and the Wolf Prize in Agriculture. Tanksley was also awarded the Kumho International Science Award in 2005 for his work in molecular genetics.
Research
In 1993 Tanksley was the head of a Cornell research group that isolated and subsequently clonedMolecular cloning
Molecular cloning refers to a set of experimental methods in molecular biology that are used to assemble recombinant DNA molecules and to direct their replication within host organisms...
a disease resistant
Disease resistance in fruit and vegetables
There are a number of lines of defence against pests and diseases in the organic garden, principal among these being the practice of good husbandry, creating healthy soil and ensuring high standards of garden hygiene...
gene in tomato plants. The research is believed to be the first successful DNA map-based cloning.