Assistant professor at Cornell University and adjunct wheat breeder and quantitative geneticist from the International Maize and Improvement Center (CIMMYT) Jessica Rutkoski will speak at the Pathogens Without Borders session of the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2016 Annual Meeting.
Rutkoski will lead a discussion on the topic of “Using Big Data and Global Partnerships to Accelerate Rates of Genetic Gain in Wheat-Building Plant Pathogen Surveillance Networks in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Problems and solutions of pathogens flowing across borders will be addressed during the session and Rutkoski will focus on how to harness DNA marker data, data on disease resistance, grain yield and aerially collected phenotypes from various sites that can predict the highest yield and most resistant wheat lines depending on the environment. New methods of data collection will be examined during the session with Rutkoski presenting results from genomic section validation studies.
Rutkoski’s main interest is in genetics, especially a sweet maize breeding program she studied as an undergraduate student and durable rust resistance in wheat that she studied while earning her doctoral degree.
The session will take place Feb. 14 from 8-9:30 a.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C.
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