 [click for larger image] |
Saturday March 6th we'll be hosting the annual meeting of the CT Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. We have interesting presenters and a fantastic venue - and hope you'll mark you calendar and join us. Should you decide to join, you MUST RSVP by calling Kendra Gurney at 802.951.6771 x1350 or sending her an e-mail at kendra@acf.org. Simply looking for directions? See the directions on the Trinity web-site. See the brochure with campus map [142kb] in easily printable format with venue annotations for directions on how to get to each venue. |
|
Topic: Accelerating the Restoration of American Chestnut Through Genomics
Dr. Tom Kubisiak spends a lot of his time in a world that's invisible to most of us -- the double-stranded, DNA world of genes and chromosomes. A geneticist based at the SRS Southern Institute of Forest Genetics in Saucier, MS, Kubisiak is a master at using small snippets of DNA called genetic markers to tease out variations among individuals -- whether they're trees or the pathogens that infect them. He has worked with The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) on just about every aspect of their restoration program, from charting the genetic diversity of the American chestnut trees still living to helping map the genome of the chestnut blight fungus. Most of his research for TACF has had immediate practical application -- a rarity in the world of genetic research. Dr. Kubisiak is a member of the Fagaceae Genome Project (Funded by the National Science Foundation) and a member of the "Forest Health Initiative" (funded by The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, U.S. Forest Service, and Duke Energy), and has been an active long-term participant in the USDA CREES Regional Research Project NE-1033 "Biological Improvement of Chestnut Through Technologies that Address Management of the Species, its Pathogens, and Pests." Tom earned a Ph.D. in Forestry (Forest Genetics) at Louisiana State University in 1994. For more information about our speaker, visit this article about Dr. Kubisiak at the Southern Research Station |
 [click for larger photo] Dr. Tom Kusisiak Photo: John Butnor, USFS |
| Mar 4 - Important Notice for those attending the meeting. Lynne Rieske-Kinney has notified us that due to illness she will be unable to attend! The agenda is being modified and her presentation time is being awarded to TACF Regional Science Coordinator Kendra Gurney, TACF President\CEO Bryan Burhans, and additional time to Dr. Tom Kubisiak! We apologize for any inconvenience Topic: What About Chestnut Pleases the Taste Buds of Insects? Just how tasty is chestnut -- and do they all taste the same? That's a question Dr. Lynne Rieske-Kinney spends time pondering -- and let's just say it's not nuts that interest her most! An Entomologist from the University of Kentucky, Professor Rieske-Kinney spends her time getting to the bottom of what pleases the taste buds of insects feeding on chestnut. What Dr. Rieske-Kinney has found is that not all chestnuts -- or insects -- are equal. For instance, trees resistant to blight may be tastier to generalist insect herbivores, and compounds produced by the plant for defense against herbivores differ between chestnut species and chestnut tissue. Plant signaling compounds alter the production of these defenses, and can also alter development of herbivores specializing on chestnut, such as the Asian chestnut gall wasp and their natural enemies. Dr. Rieske-Kinney will share her research into how plant signaling compounds and the differential primary and secondary chemical metabolites produced by chestnuts of different genetic origin, impact susceptibility to herbivores. Her research has broad implications for the success of the American chestnut reforestation efforts we're beginning with the new blight resistant trees from TACF. Dr. Lynne Rieske-Kinney is Professor of Forest Entomology at the University of Kentucky Department of Entomology in Lexington, KY. She earned her PhD in 1995 at the University of Wisconsin. For more information about our speaker, visit the web-site of Dr. Lynn Rieske. |
 [click for larger photo] Dr. Lynne Rieske-Kinney |
The presentations will be followed by operational meetings attended by those of you with an interest or business in attending. You are welcome to attend just those sections of the meeting that interest you as outlined in the agenda below.
Agenda
9:30am Opening Reception
10:00am Introduction and speakers
12:00pm CT-TACF Annual Meeting followed by Lunch
1:30pm Visit to Trinity's Watkinson Library Special Collection
2:00pm CT-TACF Board Meeting - Open to All!
4:00pm Expected close of Chapter business
The program is free to both members and non-members, as is lunch for those who advance register. To advance register e-mail to indicate your interest in attending. Details on logistics, parking and presentation venues, will be provided well in advance of the meeting.
We thank Trinity College, and especially Dr. Scott Smedley, for their partnership in planning this meeting and providing the venue for the presentations.
