By Veronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis, MO – The World Congress of the International Association for Plant Biotechnology meets in St. Louis this week. The international event attracts hundreds of scientists, policy leaders, and industry representatives from the world of agricultural biotech.
Association president and director of the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Roger Beachy, says the meeting has several goals. "One is to get the community of scientists together to talk about work in their laboratory, or hear about work in other labs, and establish some collaborations."
Beachy says the Congress also gives academic researchers the opportunity to talk with biotech company representatives about turning research discoveries into commercial agricultural products.
The founding president of the Danforth Plant Science Center says he's proud of the research being carried out in St. Louis. "Having a Congress like this in St. Louis is a greater opportunity for us to showcase what we do here, and make it better known to the world."
Other topics to be discussed at the Congress include policy barriers and cultural resistance to applications of biotechnology in agriculture.