MSU celebrates 60 years of plant science excellence

Over 100 members past and present gathered on campus for the 60th anniversary of the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory. The celebration brought together past and present faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, staff members and more to commemorate this occasion.

“Michigan State University has an important legacy, one of excellence in plant science,” said MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz. "Today, Plant Research Laboratory scientists continue to make MSU one of the global leaders in this space by addressing pressing global challenges, from climate resilience to sustainable agriculture.”

Read more about the event here.

60 years of history

In 1964, the Atomic Energy Commission and Michigan State University signed the Plant Research Laboratory into existence. Work would begin in 1965, initiating multidisciplinary research and training within the plant sciences.

1966 saw a first major milestone for the PRL: the Plant Biology Laboratory building would open, becoming the PRL’s home for the next 60 years. The full compartment of faculty – 12 members and the director, Anton Lang – was reached in 1965.

Anton Lang, founding PRL director, wrote of his time establishing the PRL: “The unique challenges to any director who is to develop a research unit ‘from scratch’ are to block out a program, find the people to staff it, and provide optimal facilities and environment so the staff can devote itself full-time to research and training.”

The original mission of the PRL was to conduct research on the effects of radiation on plants and do basic research in plant biology, as it is related to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. With the AEC dissolving in 1975, funding was taken over by the new Energy Research and Development Agency, which was succeeded by the Department of Energy in 1978.

With these changes in the funding agency, mission changes occurred at the PRL, as well. The mission is now to study and understand how photosynthetic organisms work on the molecular level, to ultimately develop technologies that improve human lives.

“The 60th anniversary celebration of the PRL was a fantastic event,” said Federica Brandizzi, director of the PRL. “It showed that what makes the PRL extraordinary is not only the science we produce, but the people who make it possible. The PRL is a place we love, and that love continues to guide our mission and our future.”

This story originally appeared on the College of Natural Sciences website.