ISU professors have a chance to meet with distinguished scientists from around the world during the seventh annual Plant Science Symposium.

The Meristems 2005 symposium is scheduled to begin Thursday.

This year’s event will deal with issues in regard to one of the most important parts of plants responsible for plant growth and development — meristems.

Stephen Howell, director of genetics, development and cell biology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is one of four organizers of this year’s symposium.

He said discussions will include issues highlighting meristems as sources of stem cells in plants and their ability to be able to propagate themselves and form new tissues.

“The topic of meristems looms large in plant sciences,” Howell said. “The form of the plant depends on what happens in meristems. It really is a big scientific issue.”

Leaders in the field from all over the world are scheduled to attend the symposium. Speakers from Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands scheduled to speak during the event.

“We want to try and attract as much of the public and science community as we can,” Howell said.

The purpose of the symposium is to promote interactions between individuals who might not encounter each other in less focused meetings, according to the Web site.

Meristems are the control center for plant growth and are located at the tip of the stem, said David Hannapel, associate professor of horticulture and organizing director for the symposium.

He said discussion about meristems is particularly relevant because of the debate over stem cell research. Meristems are not a suitable replacement for animal stem cells in research because they have a different function in plants then stem cells have in animals.

“They are an important location for organ formation, leaf formation and stem elongation,” he said.

“The growth of a plant arises from the meristems.”

Meristems are essential to agriculture and crop production, since they are the centers of plant growth, according to the ISU Web site. Cellular proliferation and differentiation take place in meristems, and the cell signaling and coordination in plant development are also significant.

The symposium is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Thursday in the Scheman Building and lasts until Sunday, June 5.