Name: Laura Fredrick Marek   Title: Curator III (ISU) Organization: USDA-ARS-MWA-PIRU; Iowa State University Role/Crops/Team: Dr. Marek curates the sunflower, oil seed brassicaceae, flax, cuphea and miscellaneous oil seed collections at the NCRPIS. As curator she is responsible for the distribution, maintenance, acquisition, documentation, and characterization of oilseed germplasm held in Ames. Dr. Marek ensures that appropriate accession information is entered into the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) database and works to facilitate the use of the oilseed collection by researchers worldwide. Special Interests: Dr. Marek has experience using molecular genetic and genomic characterization technologies. She has a strong interest in developing molecular assessment tools for evaluation of genetic diversity within and between the oilseed accessions. Sunflower is native to North America which provides unique access to wild germplasm as resources for disease resistance and environmental stress tolerance genes for cultivated sunflower. Through collection efforts in collaboration with the USDA sunflower research unit in Fargo, ND, Dr. Marek is working to insure that wild sunflower germplasm in the NCRPIS collection represents the natural geographic and genetic diversity present in the wild for all Helianthus taxa. Germination and effective seedling establishment are ongoing concerns in managing the regeneration of wild germplasm. Dr. Marek and the oilseed project technicians, Dr. Barbara Bingaman and Mr. Irv Larsen, work in collaboration with Dave Kovach and Maria Erickson, NCRPIS Viability Testing and Seed Research Team, to develop and test alternative germination systems for the wild oilseed accessions. Education: Ph.D. Dept. of Botany (Plant Physiology), 1988, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. M.S. Dept. of Botany (Plant Physiology), 1982, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. B.A. Colorado College, 1975, Colorado Springs, CO. Employment History: 2004-Current: Curator III (ISU), NCRPIS, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA. 1994-2004: Post-doctoral scientist, Research Associate, Assistant Scientist; Shoemaker Laboratory, Agronomy Dept, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. 1988-1994: Post-doctoral scientist; Spalding Laboratory, Botany Dept, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.