Contact: Brian Hyps 301-251-0560
bhyps@aspb.org

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
12:01 A.M. Thursday, October 28, 2004

ASPB PRESENTS SENATOR BOND WITH PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE

COLUMBIA, MO -- The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) presented its 2004 Public Service Award for Outstanding Contributions to Science to Senator Christopher Bond in an award ceremony today, October 28 at the University of Missouri, Columbia. The ASPB award presentation was part of a larger recognition program for Senator Bond beginning 4 p.m. today in which the University of Missouri and Missouri Soybean Association recognized Senator Bond for his contributions to the university and farmers.

The ASPB award was presented to Senator Bond by ASPB members Gary Stacey, University of Missouri, Columbia, Professor, and Roger Beachy, President of the Donald Danforth Plant Sciences Center, St. Louis. Stacey said Senator Bond’s leading support of plant science in Congress has made possible advances benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment here in Missouri and throughout the world.

Stacey said advances made in plant research sponsored by federal research programs Senator Bond championed in Congress are resulting in increased crop yields; agricultural practices that are more benign to the environment; more cost-competitive domestically grown energy sources, food crops with enhanced nutritional qualities for better human health; and new plant-based lifesaving medicines.

Beachy has made several trips to Southeast and South Asia with Senator Bond over the past several years. Their mission was to promote the science and technology of Missouri to prime ministers, cabinet members, and scientists/technologists; and, to promote Missouri products. These visits also served to explain how modern plant research is producing superior food crops offering better nutrition. These enhanced food crops can fight diseases caused by nutritional deficiencies in the diet. For example, dietary deficiency in protein is the leading cause of death among children in poor nations. Research Senator Bond supported here has produced corn with double the protein. This same corn has half the carbohydrates, which will benefit Americans following low-carbohydrate diets.

“These trips showed how Senator Bond cares deeply about the poor around the world, and wants science and technology developed in the U.S. to benefit children and families here and around the world,” Beachy said.

Founded in 1924, ASPB is a non-profit society of nearly 6,000 scientists, including more than 130 scientists in Missouri at Columbia, St. Louis, Chesterfield, Kansas City, Ballwin, Cape Girardeau, Maryville, Mountain Grove and St. Charles. ASPB publishes two of the most widely cited plant science journals in the world: The Plant Cell and Plant Physiology.