Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

When a science-loving second-grader named Auggie recently made a gift to the Center, wanting to help feed the world, we decided to invite her on a very special tour of our campus. ⭐ Read more, or make your own gift here: bit.ly/3KiE97j
#PlantScience #FutureScientists

Big news! Boeing awarded the Danforth Center $125,000 for STEAM + Ag enrichment at the JJK-FAN Center—covering supplies, staffing, & programming as part of Boeing’s Our Future: Tomorrow’s Innovators.

Thank you, Boeing! 🌱🔬

#TeamBoeing #BoeingPartner

A Return to the Wild: Sampling Soil on the Missouri Prairie - Danforth Plant Science Center Have you ever heard of the prairie chicken? I hadn’t—until a recent conversation with incoming Danforth Center President Giles Oldroyd, PhD, who mentioned their decline. Of course, I thought I knew what a chicken was, but a prairie chicken?

#WorldSoilDay This summer, Danforth Center researchers traveled to undisturbed prairies to study the soil beneath their feet. They’re taking notes from nature to determine how to improve agriculture for both people & planet. Dig in: https://loom.ly/Dytynyw

Soil is more than “dirt” – it’s key to protecting water, storing carbon, and feeding the future.

🌎🌱 This #WorldSoilDay #FutureForwardFriday we’re spotlighting SINC’s cover crop research to help #SustainTheEarth.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Mhh4lU

From Grapevine to Glass: the Plant Science of Terroir in Wine - Danforth Plant Science Center Whether you’re a wine connoisseur, a total abstainer, or something in between, you’re probably familiar with the concept of wines that are specific to very particular places. Perhaps the most widely known example is champagne; while the term is often used interchangeably to describe any sparkling white wine, winemakers reserve the name champagne for wine made from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France.

As you eat, drink, & make merry this season, our scientists are exploring the plant science behind terroir—how a grapevine’s environment shapes the flavor of the wine in your glass. Learn more 👇 https://www.danforthcenter.org/news/from-grapevine-to-glass-the-plant-science-of-terroir-in-wine/

Thank you to everyone who donated to the Danforth Center yesterday on #GivingTuesday! 💚 Your support of our science is helping improve lives, right here in St. Louis and all around the world. Thank you again! #Gratitude

Happy #GivingTuesday! 💚 If you want to help feed the world, heal the planet, and create opportunities for people in STL, then please consider making a GivingTuesday gift to our Impact Fund, as part of our Future Forward campaign, before midnight: bit.ly/3WWUKjD
#STLNonprofits

By making a gift to our Future Forward campaign tomorrow for #GivingTuesday, you can keep our mission going, fuel our Impact Fund, and help ensure millions of people around the world can grow the food they need. 💚
Donate here: bit.ly/3WWUKjD
#FoodSecurity

🍽️ Still working through Thanksgiving leftovers? In W Africa, millions of families rely on a grain called fonio.

As #GivingTuesday approaches, you can help accelerate the improvement of crops like fonio for a more resilient food system.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3JWln5r

Happy Thanksgiving (2025): A Message from Danforth Center Chair Penny Pennington - Danforth Plant Science Center Happy Thanksgiving (2025): A Message from Danforth Center Chair Penny Pennington Dear Friends, As we enter the Thanksgiving season, I’m reflecting on what matters most: people-our scientists, our communities, and especially you. Your steadfast support empowers the Danforth Center to pursue real-world impact through plant science in a time of both promise and challenge. This …

🍁 With Gratitude
Your support helps turn plant science into progress on food security—from resilient crops to healthier soils and waterways and real-world tools for farmers.
Read a note from Board Chair Penny Pennington ➜ https://loom.ly/Usa4E9A

#Gratitude #PlantScience

JJK FAN: Food Access Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

We’re proud to be a partner of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture, Nutrition Innovation Center (JJK FAN) to help grow a new generation of scientists and leaders in East St. Louis.

🎥 Learn more: loom.ly/ZQAVuu8
extension.illinois.edu
#JJKFoundation #LansdowneUP #JJKFAN

Meet our CSTM Member of the Month! Ketra Oketcho studies cassava mosaic virus resistance. Protoplasts are a major component of her research, and she prides herself on her ability to troubleshoot the challenges they present. Congrats, Ketra! 🎉

“There isn’t any place in the world that can compete with the Danforth Plant Science Center.” — Ron Kitchens

Energizing morning with Greater St. Louis, Inc. at the Investor Council breakfast. Impact for St. Louis starts here. 🌱

What if crops of the future didn’t need to be replanted every year?

Dr. Allison Miller's ajmiller4233.bsky.social lab studies perennial crops that protect soil, store carbon & boost resilience.

Sustain the Earth is a priority of the Future Forward campaign: bit.ly/3JWln5r
#FutureForward

The inaugural Pivot to Plants Fellows Program, supported by the National Science Foundation, is wrapping up a successful first year. Get to know the fellows, learn about their research, and find out what’s next for them in our latest blog: https://loom.ly/jC6O0-w

Danforth Center Associate Member @maliagehan.bsky.social studies how to detect plant stressors early, in ways that are practical for scientists and breeders to apply.

Get to know Malia in Taylor Geospatial Institute’s spotlight: https://loom.ly/lVb8Or4

Our region's strength in plant science is known around the world, and it’s only growing 🌱 Read more in this story via AgFunder News. https://loom.ly/3fi6oJ4

We’re celebrating Danforth Center President @gilesoldroyd.bsky.social, PhD, who has been identified as a highly cited researcher for the 13th year in a row–congratulations, Giles!
#HighlyCited2025 #Clarivate

🌱 Planned giving is powering Future Forward. Our late founding chair, Dr. William H. Danforth, helped secure the Center’s future with his estate gift—you can join that legacy. Read John & Ginny Rowe’s blog + see simple, tax-wise options: https://bit.ly/4oxmkjw
#FutureForward

Harvest season on our Field Research Site isn’t just about collecting crops—we’re collecting critical data to support more sustainable, higher yielding agricultural practices for the future 🚜🌾🌎

Today we honor and thank all who have served. 🇺🇸 #VeteransDay

Collaborative Research Team to Uncover How Plants “Remember” and Adapt to Heat Stress - Danforth Plant Science Center A new collaborative research team of plant scientists led by Ru Zhang, PhD, associate member, Danforth Plant Science Center has been awarded new funding from the National Science Foundation to investigate how photosynthetic cells retain “heat stress memory” (HSM), a key adaptive mechanism that could help future crops withstand intense and frequent heat waves.

Ru Zhang, PhD, will lead a team of scientists in a new NSF-funded project that aims to find out how plant cells retain memory of heat stress.

Learn how their work could help future crops adapt to heat: https://loom.ly/F214Eco

On #STEAMDay, we recognize the importance of students pursuing interests in science, technology, engineering, arts & math. Our Ed Research & Outreach team connects youths & educators with plant science, cutting edge tech, & real-world applications. Learn more: https://loom.ly/qK8Zwi0

You have the power to shape your legacy. 🌱 By making a planned gift to the Danforth Center, you can provide meaningful support for the people you care about and make a lasting difference for generations to come.
Learn more: bit.ly/4lWM7QZ
#PlantScience #PlannedGiving

Check out this X-ray tomography scan of all the internal features of a #Halloween pumpkin, which can be studied without being carved! Thanks to Keith Duncan of our X-ray CT Imaging Facility! Learn more about this cutting edge technology: https://loom.ly/2V7LhU4

We were thrilled to host the #FFARFellows on Tuesday! They toured our cutting-edge facilities and heard from our scientists how #plantscience impacts lives around the world! 🌱🌍✨

Last week, the Grand Farm Partner Trip visited our Field Research Site and learned about our research there. Thanks for the great conversations about #plantscience, #innovation, and the future of #agriculture!

As promised, here's a 3D volume rendering from an XRM scan of a single Arabidopsis flower, showing the anemone-like stigmatic structures on top of the carpel and array of ovules within. The carpel is ~300um in diameter.
@danforthcenter.bsky.social
@zeiss-microscopy.bsky.social

Mike DeCamp tells how the Danforth Center + @39northstl.bsky.social helped CoverCress turn a winter weed into renewable fuel. That’s Community Building: access to tech, experts, talent, mentors, capital.
Join #FutureForward: http://bit.ly/4o8dskl
#STLMade

To all who partied with us, thank you. 🥳🌱 #PartyWithThePlants #STLEvents