A ground-breaking ceremony for the addition and remodeling of Iowa State University’s Seed Science Center will be held tomorrow, June 14, at 9:30 a.m. on the lawn of the Seed Science Center.

Featured speakers include Owen Newlin, president of the State Board of Regents; Martin Jischke, ISU president; David Topel, dean of the College of Agriculture; and Manjit Misra, Seed Science Center director.

The improvements are needed, Misra said, to help the center’s faculty and staff meet the growing demand for research, training and seed-health testing.

The $650,000 addition will house a high-tech seed training, demonstration and conference facility. The project will also include remodeling a seed-health testing laboratory and classroom.

Iowa State has been conducting seed research since 1890. The center’s seed laboratory is one of the largest in the world and annually tests nearly 50,000 samples from more than 300 plant species.

The addition and remodeling is expected to be completed in early 1997.