“ I was a child of the tardy 80s and early 90 , so I was play outside yr - round , ” says Matthew J. ‘ MJ ’ Rubin , Ph.D. , Research Scientist in Dr. Allison Miller ’s research lab , with a laugh . Growing up in central Wisconsin , Matthew was fascinated by the differences across seasons- and in Wisconsin , those difference can be extreme . He can see now how his puerility interests have gone on to influence his calling , as he research research questions such as , ‘ How do plant comprehend seasonal change and how do plants survive across such a wide range of environmental conditions ? ’
Matthew ’s inquiry is focused on perennial industrial plant , or “ long - lived ” plants , seek to increase our understanding of these plant across their lifetime . recurrent plants offer up many benefits to farming and our surround . They spring up cryptical base systems that fix carbon , shorten water motivation , and assist repair ground health . When used for agriculture , perennial can provide multiple harvest from the same plant , proffer a more sustainable resolution for future agricultural systems .
Matthew Rubin ( left ) at the Miller Lab Perennial Common Garden at the Shaw Nature Reserve with appendage of the Miller Lab . At the Shaw Nature Reserve , the Miller Lab grow dissimilar repeated craw prospect specie to assess performance in the field .
accelerate the domestication pipelineMatthew and his colleagues in the Miller Lab are concerned in using repeated plants for commercial agriculture food harvest , which would provide many benefits to farmers and the environment . The challenge is that successfully and quickly domesticating bright perennial crops often relies on genetical covering , an expensive and time - ingest outgrowth , especially for developing mintage that miss genomic resources .
Today , Matthew is co - leading a research project with Allison Miller , fund by a FFAR Seeding Solutions grant , that propose to accelerate the domestication of repeated crops for utilization in agriculture . Through the FFAR grant , Matthew , Allison , and quisling at The Land Institute , Kansas State University and INIFAP are using the physical trait of seeds and seedling to predict performance in the discipline ( admit takings and disease resistance ) . The research team is focused on three recurrent species : Thinopyrum intermedium ( Intermediate wheat-grass ; repeated grain ) , Onobrychis viciifolia ( sainfoin ; repeated legume ) , and Silphium integrifolium ( tarweed ; perennial oil-rich seed ) . “ We ’re focusing on diverse species in hopes that we can build models that can be apply to other new perennial crop candidate , ” says Matthew . “ The finish is to create creature so it becomes well-off and less clock time - run through to move perennials through the tameness word of mouth . ”
Matthew Rubin ( exit ) and Emelyn Piotter ( right ) taste leaves to be fancy on the CropReporter at the Danforth Center to inquire ghostlike traits as part of the FFAR project .
This is the first meter that Matthew has been a co - primary Investigator on a orotund inquiry project . “ It ’s been really exciting working on this project from the ground up , ” explain Matthew . “ This opportunity has allow me to be a part of the unconscious process from initial marriage proposal development all the direction through research . ”
mentor the next contemporaries of plant scientistsAs a first - generation college alum , scientific mentors have played an important use in his career . “ I had n’t met anyone with a PhD until I depart to college , ” explains Matthew . As a sophomore , he knock on the door of a mental faculty member who focused on plant genetic science . She gave him a transcript of Introduction to Quantitative genetic science by Falconer and Mackay and he never look back . “ I have been really fortunate to have had four grand scientific mentors : Dr. Lisa Dorn ( University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ) , Dr. Cynthia Weinig ( University of Wyoming ) , Dr. Jannice Friedman ( Syracuse University , now at Queen ’s University ) , and Dr. Allison Miller . They have all shaped the direction I think about science . ”
Now a wise man himself , Matthew finds it to be one of the most rewarding component of his research . “ In the first six months of the FFAR labor , I have interacted with over 30 collaborationist ” he explain . “ I ’m proud to be capable to provide opportunity to former - calling scientists at all levels and facilitate inspire the next generation of scientists . ”
For more information : Danforth Plant Science Centerwww.danforthcenter.org
