Raymond F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding Newsletter

Issue 1: Spring 2025

Spring 2025 Symposium
The Plant Breeding and Genetics Student Organization, within the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University, proudly hosted the 12th Annual Raymond F. Baker Plant Breeding Symposium. This year’s theme was: Transformative Research: Pushing the Genetic Frontiers of Plant Breeding and showcased groundbreaking advancements in plant breeding, drawing a wide audience. The symposium welcomed 133 in-person attendees and 52 virtual participants, representing 14 U.S. states and 8 countries. READ MORE

Singh named CALS Associate Dean
AMES, Iowa — Asheesh "Danny" Singh has been named the new associate dean for research and discovery and associate director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station for Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, effective Jan 1, 2025.
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Faculty Spotlight- Jianming Yu
Dr. Jianming Yu became the fourth director of the Raymond F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding in the August of 2023. Yu’s extensive background in plant genetics and breeding research serve him well as the Director of the Center.

Yu has been a faculty member at Iowa State since 2013. Much of his research focuses on developing and implementing new strategies and methods in complex trait dissection and crop improvement.

Yu’s work led to him being named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences in 2018. That same year, he was named a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America.READ MORE about Dr. Yu’s current projects HERE

Student Spotlight- Ashlyn Rairdin
Ashlyn Rairdin is an accomplished and passionate Ph.D. student in Plant Breeding at Iowa State University. Her dedication to agricultural innovation and research has earned her the prestigious honor of being named one of the 2025 Women Impacting ISU, a recognition that highlights her significant contributions to the university community through her leadership, service, and research excellence. READ MORE

Raymond F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding undergoes external review
The Raymond F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding (RFBCPB) recently underwent an external review on October 29-30th in Ames, IA, conducted by a distinguished panel of experts in the field. The review panel comprised of Peggy Ozias-Akins, Charlie Brummer, Margaret Smith, and Thanda Dhliwayo, who brought a wealth of experience and expertise to the assessment. READ MORE

Make a Gift
If you want to support the Raymond F Baker Center for Plant Breeding you can make a gift today. Your gift supports students and research in Plant Breeding at Iowa State University

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