Dr. Farnsworth has been a pioneer in the development of collaborative research efforts in Pharmacognosy throughout his career. He has been funded almost continuously since 1965 by the NIH, NCI, or NSF and by contracts dealing with natural drug discovery or literature surveillance projects. His original research publications number over 500 and have established him as a botanicals expert in both the national and international communities. His honorary degrees include doctorates from the University of Paris, Uppsala University, and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences. He has been designated as an Honorary Professor at the University of Trujillo in Peru, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, and the Institute for Medicinal Plant Development in Beijing. Dr. Farnsworth served as a member on the National Research Council's Committee on Comparative Toxicity of Naturally Occurring Carcinogens (1995) and Framework for Safety Assessment of Dietary Supplements (2002-2004) and as a member on President Clinton's Commission on Dietary Supplements Labels (1995-1996), and as the first vice-president and second president of the American Society of Pharmacognosy. At the University of Illinois Chicago, he has recruited and retained the largest and most active Pharmacognosy research group in the United States.

Dr. Farnsworth continues to play a pivotal role in the field of Pharmacognosy. He was a member of the FDA Food Advisory Committee (Dietary Supplements Working Group on Post Market Surveillance) and has been a member of the World Health Organization Expert Advisory Panel on Traditional Medicine since 1979, and has acted as Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine at UIC's College of Pharmacy since 1981. He also functions as Editor-in-chief of the NAPRALERT (Natural Products Alert) Database, a system that he established in 1975. This collection of over 200,000 scientific articles is now available on-line and serves as an important resource for scientists, healthcare professionals, the pharmaceutical industry, and conservation groups. Dr. Farnsworth became Director of the UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research, one of 5 research centers established by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)

Dr. Farnsworth's Lectures:

- Lecture 1: "New Wine from Old Bottles: From Prescription Drugs to Dietary Supplements to Prescription Drugs"

- Lecture 2: "Individual vs. Collaborative Research in the Field of Natural Products"

April 25-26, 2006

Dr. Nina V. Fedoroff

Dr. Nina V. Fedoroff, a leading geneticist and molecular biologist, is an Evan Pugh Professor of the Pennsylvania State University and a member of the External Faculty of the Santa Fe Institute. Early in her career she was the first to determine the nucleotide sequence of a complete gene. She later isolated the DNA of mobile genes, first genetically discovered by Barbara McClintock in corn and now called transposons. In subsequent years, Fedoroff's lab showed that transposons were active in a variety of other plants, developed transposon tagging systems, and studied the epigenetic regulation of transposon activity. Dr. Fedoroff's current work is directed at understanding the genetic organization and molecular dynamics of plant stress and hormone responses.

Dr. Fedoroff has experience with many advisory boards including the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She was the first Director of the Life Science Consortium (now the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences), a seven-college organization at Pennsylvania State University devoted to the promotion of multidisciplinary research and teaching in the life sciences. Her broad interest in science and society resulted in the development of a book entitled "Mendel in the Kitchen". This popular book has been described by reviewers "as a pleasure to read; a clear account of the science, issues, and people involved in the development of genetically engineered foods; and a well-documented history of how the DNA in our food has been altered in various ways over the centuries."

Professor Fedoroff has received numerous awards and honors including the NIH Merit Award, the University of Chicago's Howard Taylor Ricketts Award, the New York Academy of Sciences' Outstanding Contemporary Woman Scientist award, and Sigma Xi's McGovern Science and Society Medal. Currently she is on the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the European Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Microbiology.

Streaming Video (requires wmv format)

- Lecture 1: "Genetically Modified Foods: Myths and Realities"

- Lecture 2: "Heterotrimetric G protein-mediated stress responses in Arabidopsis"

November 23-24, 2004

Dr. Himadri B. Pakrasi

Dr. Himadri B. Pakrasi is a Professor of Biology at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. He specializes in the Biochemistry and Genetics of Photosynthesis and Metal Homeostasis in plants and cyanobacteria. His current interest is in the area of Systems Biology, and in particular, the integration of global 'omics' data into biological networks. His publications include more than 100 scientific manuscripts.

Dr. Pakrasi received his B. Sc. and M. Sc. in Physics from the University of Calcutta, India. His Ph. D. was in Biology with Prof. Louis Sherman at the University of Missouri, Columbia. His postdoctoral studies were performed at the Michigan State University, and then at the E. I. du Pont Company, Wilmington, Delaware, with Prof. Charles Arntzen. Professor Pakrasi has held the positions of Assistant, Associate and Full Professor in the College of Arts and Science at Washington University in St. Louis.

Professor Pakrasi is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the American Society of Plant Biologists, the American Society for Microbiology, and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He is a member of the editorial board of Journal of Biological Chemistry. Dr. Pakrasi serves on several advisory boards and is a member of the Molecular Biochemistry Review panel at the National Science Foundation. He was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship as a visiting professor at the Botanical Institute, Munich, Germany. In addition he has been a Lady Davis Visiting Professor at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel; as well as a Distinguished Fellow at the Biosciences Institute at the Nagoya University, Japan.

The Distinguished Burris Lecturer for 2004 was Dr. Himadri B. Pakrasi, Professor of Biology, Washington University. Dr. Pakrasi presented two lectures. His first lecture on Monday, November 22 was entitled "A systems approach to understand the biochemistry and physiology of photosynthetic organisms". The second lecture given on Tuesday, November 23 was entitled: "Biogenesis and Function of Photosystem II, a membrane bound water-splitting enzyme" . You may view streaming video of the lectures by following the link below. Please note that you must have a compatible version of Real Player (www.real.com) installed on your computer in order to view the video.

Streaming Video (requires Real Player)

- Lecture 1: "A systems approach to understand the biochemistry and physiology of photosynthetic organisms"

- Lecture 2: "Biogenesis and Function of Photosystem II, a membrane bound water-splitting enzyme"

PowerPoint Shows (requires Microsoft PowerPoint or compatible viewer)

- Lecture 1: "A systems approach to understand the biochemistry and physiology of photosynthetic organisms"

- Lecture 2: "Biogenesis and Function of Photosystem II, a membrane bound water-splitting enzyme"

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August 7-8, 2003

Dr. Michael A. Hall

Dr. Michael Anthony Hall is a Research Professor of Botany in the Institute of Biological Science, University of Wales Aberystwyth. He specializes in the Physiology and Biochemistry of Plant Development; particularly hormone signal perception and transduction. His publications include 4 books and over 130 peer-reviewed articles.

Dr. Hall received his BSc (I), ARCS from the Imperial College of Science and Technology as a Forbes Medallist. His PhD was in Plant Physiology with Professor J. Edelman. His postdoctoral studies were performed at the University of California, Riverside with Professor L. Ordin and then at the Scottish Horticultural Research Institute in Dundee. Professor Hall has held the positions of lecturer and senior lecturer at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. In 1980, Dr. Hall received the prestigious Doctor of Science (DSc) from the University of London. This higher doctorate was awarded to Dr. Hall for the high standard of published work that has advanced knowledge and learning in the field of plant development.

Professor Hall is a Fellow of the Institute of Biology (FIBiol), the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA), American Society of Plant Biologists, Society of Experimental Biology and an honorary member of the Russian Society of Plant Physiology. He is on the editorial board of: Annals of Botany, Plant Growth Regulation, Bulgarian Journal of Plant Physiology, and the Russian Journal of Plant Physiology. Dr. Hall serves on several advisory boards and is reviewer for the Biological and Biotechnological Research Council (BBSRC), USDA, NSF, Czech Grants Agency, EU framework 5 and the Independent International Association formed by the European Community, European Union Member States and like-minded countries acting to preserve and promote the valuable scientific potential of the NIS partner countries through East-West Scientific co-operation (INTAS).

The Distinguished Burris Lecturer for 2003 was Dr. Michael A. Hall, Research Professor of Botany, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Wales Aberystwyth. Dr. Hall presented two lectures. His first lecture on Thursday, August 7 was entitled "Figs, Flowers and Leaf Fall: The Gaseous Hormone Ethylene". The second lecture was entitled: "Ethylene Signaling Network" . You may view streaming video of the first lecture by following the link below. Please note that you must have a compatible version of Real Player (www.real.com) installed on your computer in order to view the video.

Streaming Video (requires Real Player)

- Lecture 1: "Figs, Flowers and Leaf Fall: The Gaseous Hormone Ethylene"

PowerPoint Shows (requires Microsoft PowerPoint or compatible viewer)

- Lecture 1: "Figs, Flowers and Leaf Fall: The Gaseous Hormone Ethylene"

- Lecture 2: "Ethylene Signaling Network"

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November 1-2, 2001

Dr. Thomas D. Sharkey

Dr. Thomas Sharkey, Professor, Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Director of the UW-Madison Biotron, specializes in the study of plant-atmosphere interactions and the biochemistry and biophysics that underlie these interactions. His significant accomplishments include the measurement of carbon dioxide concentration inside leaves, measurement of biophysical resistance to carbon dioxide diffusion within leaves, elucidation of the biochemical feedback chain explaining how limitations in starch and sucrose synthesis reduce the efficiency of photosynthesis, the demonstration that only hexoses are exported from chloroplasts during starch breakdown, and the demonstration that isoprene synthesis in leaves protects photosynthesis from high temperature damage.

Dr Sharkey has been awarded over $ 3.3 million in research grants plus $1.2 million in institutional grants. He has received continuous funding from the U.S. Department of Energy since 1984 for his work on photosynthesis.

He teaches graduate level plant biochemistry, upper division plant physiology and introductory botany. He has written chapters for introductory biology and plant physiology textbooks, and his publications include two books, over 100 peer-reviewed articles, and, since 1989, 49 seminars and presentations. He has mentored several Ph.D. students and post-doctoral associates.

Dr. Sharkey obtained his B.S. in biology from Lyman Briggs College (1974) and Ph.D. in botany and plant pathology from Michigan State University. His distinctions and contributions include chair, Gordon Conference on Biogenic Hydrocarbons and the Atmosphere, Ventura, Calif., 2000; co-vice chair, Gordon Conference on Temperature Stress of Plants, Ventura, 1999, co-chair in 2000; regional associate editor for North America, Plant, Cell & Environment, 1992-1999, associate editor, 1999-; invited feature editor, Ecological Applications, 1999; monitoring editor, Plant Physiology, 1993-1997 and 2000- present; editorial board member of Plant Physiology 1986-1992, Photosynthesis Research 1992-present, Journal of Experimental Botany 1994-present, and Botanica Acta 1995-1999; panel member, NSF Physiological Processes, 1988-1991; DOE Equipment, 1994; USDA, Photosynthesis, 1999, DOE Energy Biosciences, 2000; secretary/treasurer Midwest Section of American Society of Plant Physiologists 1997-1999, vice chair 2000, chair 2001; review committee, Research School of Biological Science, Australian National University, 1999-2001; and member international scientific advisory board, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, Golm, Germany, 2000-2003.

Dr. Sharkey presented two lectures. His first lecture on Thursday, Nov. 1 was entitled "Photosynthesis in a High CO2 World: Will Feedback Limit Potential Gains?". The second lecture was entitled: "How and Why do Plants Make Isoprene" . You may view streaming videos of the entire lectures by following the links below. Please note that you must have a compatible version of Real Player (www.real.com) installed on your computer in order to view the videos. In addition, the powerpoint files used by Dr. Sharkey in his lectures are available here also as a PowerPoint Show (.pps). Just click on the links below to download the files to your computer. You must either have Microsoft PowerPoint or a compatible viewer installed on your computer in order to view the files.
Streaming Video (requires Real Player)

- Lecture 1: "Photosynthesis in a High CO2 World Will Feedback Limit Potential Gains?"

- Lecture 2 : "How and Why do Plants Make Isoprene?"

PowerPoint Shows (requires Microsoft PowerPoint or compatible viewer)

- Lecture 1: "Photosynthesis in a High CO2 World Will Feedback Limit Potential Gains?"

- Lecture 2: "How and Why do Plants Make Isoprene?"

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About Dr. Robert H. Burris and the Lecture Series

Dr. Robert Burris received his B.S. degree in chemistry from SDSU in 1935. He obtained the M.S. (1938) and Ph.D. (1940) degrees in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He remained at Wisconsin serving in both the bacteriology and biochemistry departments. Dr. Burris was chair of the Biochemistry Department from 1958 to 1970, after which he returned to research. In 1984, he was honored as the W.H. Peterson and Hilldale Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry.

Dr. Burris has received numerous awards including: Stephen Hales Award and Charles Reid Barnes Award from the American Society of Plant Physiology; Merit Award of the Botanical Society of America; Thom Award of the Society of Industrial Microbiology; Browning Award, American Society of Agronomy; National Medal of Science; the prestigious Wolf Award in Agriculture; and the Carty Award. He is a Member of the National Academy of Science. He has written more than 300 articles for scientific journals in the subject areas of biological nitrogen fixation, photosynthesis, plant respiration and organic acid metabolism.

Dr. and Mrs. Burris have generously contributed funds for this annual distinguished lectureship series at South Dakota State University, sponsored jointly by the Chemistry/Biochemistry and the Plant Science departments. This endowment provides an opportunity to bring to our campus outstanding plant biochemists who make significant contributions in research.

Robert H. and Katherine Burris Distinguished Lecturers

Dr. Burris gave the Keynote Address Wednesday, August 6, 2003 at the South Dakota Plant Physiology/ Plant Biochemistry Symposium - From Plants to Genes and Back Again. The Keynote Address is reproduced below using streaming video technology.

Streaming Video (requires Real Player)

- "Retrospective on Biological Nitrogen Fixation" presented by Dr. Robert Burris at the 2003 South Dakota Plant Physiology/Plant Biochemistry Symposium

PowerPoint Shows (requires Microsoft PowerPoint or compatible viewer)

- "Retrospective on Biological Nitrogen Fixation"

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Last revision: March 22, 2006