The Plant Sciences Institute is hosting a colloquium Saturday to showcase current research and highlight its accomplishments over the last year.The Plant Sciences Institute Colloquium — 2001 is from 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the auditorium and atrium of the Molecular Biology Building. The event is free and open to the public.”The colloquium is an opportunity to introduce the institute to the ISU campus and a chance for us to describe our accomplishments,” said Stephen Howell, newly-appointed director of the Plant Sciences Institute. Howell was appointed Jan. 1 as the first director of the Plant Sciences Institute. Colin Scanes served as the interim director when the institute opened.The theme for the colloquium is “Plant Sciences Research and Its Impact on Society.” Howell said the event will cover a variety of special topics dealing with the Plant Sciences Institute. “There will be presentations by ISU faculty and outside speakers,” Howell said. “These presenters will discuss the issue of plant science research and its impact on society.” As director of the institute, Howell will discuss the institute’s first year and present his vision for the future. Other presenters will discuss a variety of topics from The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center to bioethics in plant science research.Howell said the second part of the colloquium is a poster presentation by graduate students. The graduate students come from a variety of backgrounds, but their research is largely associated with the institute, he said.”I encourage everyone to come in and view the set of posters. You are sure to find some that interest you,” Howell said.The year-old Plant Sciences Institute consists of nine centers focusing on certain areas within plant science. Supported through public and private funding, one of the institute’s goals is to become the world’s leader in plant science research. More than 250 faculty members from 25 departments are associated with the Plant Sciences Institute.”The interdisciplinary program cuts across department and college boundaries,” Howell said. As part of Saturday’s events, the year-old institute will be honoring Scanes, professor of agricultural administration. The institute grew under Scanes’ tenure. “We brought in additional faculty, particularly in the area of bioinformatics and plant’s responses to environmental stress,” Scanes said. He said he predicts the Plant Sciences Institute will thrive under its new director, and he is looking forward to sharing the institute’s work with the community Saturday.”This is a chance for the community to see that the Plant Sciences Institute is up and running and moving to a new level,” Scanes said.For more information about the Planet Sciences Institute visit, www.plantsciences.iastate.edu.