9-20-99

Contacts:
Richard Seagrave. Provost, (515) 294-9591
Colin Scanes, Agriculture, (515) 294-1823
John McCarroll, University Relations, (515) 294-6137

SCANES NAMED INTERIM DIRECTOR OF ISU PLANT SCIENCES INSTITUTE

AMES, Iowa -- Colin Scanes, executive associate dean of the Iowa State University College of Agriculture, has been appointed interim director of the ISU Plant Sciences Institute.

The ISU Plant Sciences Institute consists of a group of research centers that focus on a variety of areas in the plant sciences, including plant genomics, designer crops, bioinformatics and gene research. The institute was recently approved by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, and has received more than $2 million in funding from the Iowa Legislature over the past two years.

As interim director, Scanes will oversee the operations of the institute, recruitment and hiring of new faculty and relations with external organizations.

"Colin Scanes brings extensive experience to this important interim position both in terms of administration and research. We are fortunate to have someone of his ability to oversee the early stages of Iowa State's effort to establish a world-class institute for plant science research," said Richard Seagrave, interim provost.

Scanes came to Iowa State in 1995 when he was appointed executive associate dean of the College of Agriculture, associate director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station and professor of animal science. From 1978-1995, he served in several positions at Rutgers University, New Jersey, including professor of animal science, director of the Center for Animal Damage Control and chair of the department of animal sciences. He has published eight books and served on numerous national agricultural committees.

Scanes earned a B.S. and D.Sc. degrees from Hull University, United Kingdom, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wales, United Kingdom. He is an honorary professor at the National Agricultural University of the Ukraine.

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