The Iowa Corn Promotion Board Endowed Chair in Genetics, a new endowed faculty position in genetics in Iowa State’s agronomy department, will be Patrick Schnable.

Schnable is an agronomy professor, director of ISU’s Center for Plant Genomics and a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences.

“This is really a recognition of the entire research team,” Schnable said. “But I’m very thrilled. It’s a real honor and also opens up some new opportunities for me.”

The position was publicly announced during a luncheon on Monday, Sept. 23, in the Scheman Building. Faculty from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, members of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and Schnable’s graduate student researchers attended the event.

The promotion board invested a total of $2 million in the faculty position and its research.

“We want to ensure this research continues to truly unlock the potential of the corn plant and share this knowledge with corn farmers in Iowa, in the United States and worldwide,” said Bob Bowman, president of the board.

$1.5 million directly funded the endowed chair position. The other $500,000 was invested in the research involved with understanding the functioning of corn genes, and that understanding will then be applied to improvements in corn production.

“This investment is important to Iowa corn farmers because demand for corn will continue to grow,” Bowman said. “This research is critical to produce the necessary supply of corn to meet this growing demand for food and fuel.”

Research on the corn genome will also improve sustainability efforts in growing the crop. Farmers’ environmental footprints will be smaller due to less pesticide use and increased efficiency of crop nutrients.

“I’m a firm believer that research pays off in the long term,” Schnable said. “What we’ve discovered, my friends in the economics field tell me, is that when society invests in research, it pays off in the long term in a significant way.”

In order to survive weather, pests and disease, the crop must be as durable as possible.

“We need to be able to breed crops that will be more resilient,” Schnable said. “We are researching ways to advise corn breeders how to build that resilient crop.”

In 1995, the board began discussing how to sequence the corn genome. The first result of the corn genome sequence was published in 2009 as an effort between Schnable, Iowa State, the promotion board and various other organizations.

“Here at Iowa State University, we’re very proud of our relationship with Iowa Corn, especially for the vision we share in the future of research that seeks to delve deeper into the genetic code of corn,” said Wendy Wintersteen, dean of the College of Agriculture. “We do this for the benefit of Iowa corn growers.”

Schnable was the leading author in the genome’s first publication.

“This is an investment in the future of Iowa corn, there’s no doubt about it,” said Kendall Lamkey, chairman of the agronomy department. “[Schnable] is a visionary leader in the application of corn genomics and corn improvement.”

The endowed chair position also presents itself as an investment in science and moving forward.

“Endowed chairs bring about a sense of permanence,” Wintersteen said. “By having an endorsement, you know the funds are being invested to continue growing the size of the endowment. There is a focus on continuing to keep the endowment at a financial level that will be meaningful in the future.”

This permanence will give Schnable and his team of graduate students the resources needed for future research on the corn genome.

“I think this is a wonderful example of the vision behind the land-grant university system, where individual growers band together for the betterment of themselves and society as a whole,” Schnable said.