Speaker Information:

Session 1 - Big Picture

Susan McCouch, Cornell University

Talk Title: "Aspirations and achievements of a public plant breeder"

Susan McCouch is the Barbara McClintock Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University. She also serves as Director of the Cornell Initiative for Digital Agriculture. She received her PhD from Cornell in 1990 and spent 5 years with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines before joining the Cornell faculty in 1995. She is known for developing the first molecular genetic map of rice and for her key and sustained role in turning rice into a model for genetics and breeding research. Her work provides a critical foundation for rapid trait identification and cultivar development, and her contribution to the development of databases and software tools has facilitated the sharing of data and accelerated rice breeding worldwide. In collaboration with USDA colleagues, her group released the first red-pericarp rice variety in the US in 2018. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2016 Presidential Award from the Crop Science Society of America, an Honorary Ph.D. from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in India in 2015, the 2012 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, the 2007 Golden Sickle Award for the advancement of international rice research, and the 2006 Outstanding Faculty Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell. She has contributed extensively to educational initiatives and international outreach, is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a recently elected member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Geoff Graham, Corteva Agriscience

Talk Title: "Creating and deploying enabling technologies into a commercial breeding program"

Geoff Graham is responsible for all global breeding activities at Corteva. In this role, he leads the breeding efforts in alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, millet, rice, sorghum, soybean, sunflower and wheat products worldwide. The breeding team is focused on clear local product delivery targets with local accountability and decision making, while leveraging global technologies and ideas to improve practices to all Corteva breeding programs world-wide.

In 2000, Geoff joined Pioneer as a Research Scientist aimed at incorporating new technologies into breeding. He has held numerous roles over the years leading teams in Molecular Breeding, North America Maize Product Development, Americas Maize Product Development, and Hybrid Crops Lead. During his career, he has focused on developing and deploying new technologies into applied breeding programs delivering improved productivity for grower worldwide.

Geoff earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy followed by a Master of Science degree in genetics and plant breeding from the University of Minnesota. He then earned his Ph.D. in genetics and plant breeding from North Carolina State University.

Session 2 - Genomic Selection

Jeff Endelman, University of Wisconsin

Talk Title: "Genomic selection in potato"

Jeff Endelman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture and a member of the graduate program in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics. He leads the potato variety development program for the university, which releases new varieties for the chip, French fry, and fresh markets. Current research interests include genomics-assisted breeding methods for autotetraploids, the genetics of periderm-related traits (including skin color, set, and finish), and the development of inbred-hybrid breeding systems in diploid potato. Endelman teaches an undergraduate course on genetically modified crops and graduate courses on topics in molecular and statistical genetics

Amy Jacobson, Corteva Agriscience

Talk Title: "Predictive Breeding at Corteva"

Amy Jacobson works as a Discovery Breeder focusing on 105-113RM corn at Corteva Agriscience. She received her B.S. from Cornell University in Plant Sciences and PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics from the University of Minnesota. In 2014, Amy joined Corteva Agriscience as a Discovery Breeder in Marion, Iowa. Amy’s work focuses on discovering novel breeding strategies and incorporating aggressive genomic selection strategies into a breeding program.

Session 3 - Phenomics

Candice Hirsch, University of Minnesota

Talk Title: "Utilizing Phenomics to Better Understand Corn Growth and Development Under Variable Environmental Conditions"

Candice Hirsch is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota. She received her PhD in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and conducted postdoctoral research at Michigan State University. Since joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota she has been awarded as NSF Early Career Award, DuPont Young Professor Award, McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, the Early Career Maize Genetics Research Award, and the Crop Science Society of American Women Science Mentoring Award. Her research program at the University of Minnesota integrates big data including high throughput genome and transcriptome sequencing, high throughput phenotyping, and environmental measurements to understand variation within maize, the interaction of genotype and environment, and how this information can be used to produce more food on less land, mitigate grower risk, and enhance consumer products.

Brian De Vries, Corteva Agriscience

Talk Title: "The evolution of phenotyping at Coretva"

Brian De Vries is a corn breeder for Corteva Agriscience in Algona, IA. He received his BS degree from Iowa State University in Horticulture and his MS degree from Iowa State working with the soybean breeding program. He obtained his PhD at UW-Madison. While there he studied endosperm mutations that control starch metabolism in developing kernels and worked with the sweet corn breeding program. Upon completing his degree in 2014, he joined DuPont-Pioneer. He focuses on developing corn hybrids for western IA, north-east NE, and south-east SD.