Name: David M. Brenner   Title: Curator II – Amaranth, Millets, Miscellaneous Umbels Organization: USDA-ARS-MWA-PIRU; Iowa State University Role/Crops/Team: David is the Plant Germplasm Curator for numerous crops and wild relatives including Amaranthus, Celosia, Chenopodium, Coronilla, Dalea, Galega, Melilotus, Perilla, Spinacia, miscellaneous Umbelliferae, and the millets: Echinochloa, Panicum, and Setaria. Special Interests: David Brenner conducts enhancement breeding research with potential benefits in both production agriculture and ornamental horticulture. In Amaranthus he is working to improve dwarf grain types, reduce seed shattering, improve resistance to Phomopsis, and characterize male sterility in the germplasm collection. In Panicum he is making wide crosses within the primary gene pool to broaden the genetic base of new proso millet cultivars. David works in crop groups that have taxonomic controversy and difficulty. He maintains communication with taxonomists and personally makes large numbers of taxonomic determinations. David also develops methods for improved germplasm regeneration. He is interested in methods for plants that grow in the winter, and are therefore not adapted in Iowa. He recently published a paper on Melilotus regeneration methods. Education: M.A. Geography, University of Oregon, Eugene 1986. B.A. Botany, Antioch College - Yellow Springs, Ohio 1980. Employment History: 1989-Current: Curator, North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station, Ames, Iowa. 1988: Plant Collector, Oregon State University. Traveled in remote areas of Northern Pakistan to locate and collect fruit and nut tree species for conservation of germplasm. 1987: Germplasm Mapping Consultant, International Board for Plant Genetic Resources, Rome, Italy. Developed world collection site maps for sweet potatoes (Ipomoea).