The ISU Plant Sciences Institute could receive a helping hand financially if a proposal from Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is approved.Vilsack proposed setting aside $3 million in the state budget for the institute, one of three areas on which ISU administrators and student leaders are focusing.Stephen Howell, director of the Plant Sciences Institute, said if the money is approved, it will help the institute continue toward its goals.”It will really allow the Plant Sciences Institute to truly get off the ground,” said Howell, who began as the director Jan. 1 and is the first permanent director of the program.”We’re still in the very early stages of putting together the institute,” he said.Provost Rollin Richmond said the $3 million is a targeted appropriation that, if approved, will go into the ISU general funds.Howell said the institute would use the money to recruit new faculty members and develop facilities for faculty use.He said the institute has nine centers on campus that cover several different departments.”This is going to have a broad impact on the campus itself,” he said. “It’s going to impact and interact with many of the departments and center groups on campus.”Howell also said the institute does research on a variety of topics, such as the genes that make up plants, as well as applied plant sciences and the various uses of plants.”These are very exciting times in this area because there are so many technologies in the plant sciences,” he said.Howell said research is important for plant improvement, a better understanding of plants and preserving the genetic diversity of plants.If Vilsack’s proposal is not approved, it will be a setback for the university, Richmond said.”It will be not only a status quo, but because costs are increasing, especially in the scientific area, it will actually be a reduction in funds,” he said. “It will also take away a great amount of our momentum.”Howell said the institute is a major asset not only to the university, but the state as well.”I think it’s such an important initiative for the state of Iowa,” he said. “We very much appreciate the governor recognizing the importance of this.”Howell said much of the research relates to the current and future agriculture industries in Iowa. This research includes corn and soybeans, as well as alternative crops that may be important in the future.Richmond also said he was very happy with Vilsack’s speech and proposal.”If the university gets the plant sciences money, I think the future will look good,” he said. “I was generally delighted by what the governor had to say, and I hope the Legislature works with him to appropriate the money.”