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Story about Bacon's
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Charles Wilson Bacon
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Charles Bacon Tops ARS Scientist of the Year
Award Winners By Sharon Durham
February 7, 2001
BELTSVILLE, Md., Feb. 7--Charles Wilson Bacon, a
U.S. Department of Agriculture
microbiologist, has been named “Distinguished Senior Research Scientist of
the Year” for 2000 by the Agricultural
Research Service. It is the top scientific honor given by ARS, the chief
scientific research agency in USDA.
Bacon is being honored for conceiving, developing and
implementing biological control research to prevent plant disease and to
control fungal toxin production in plants.
A supervisory microbiologist and research leader for the
Toxicology and Mycotoxin Research Unit in Athens, Ga., Bacon focuses his
research primarily on the growth, physiology and biochemistry of toxic fungi.
"Dr. Bacon leads a group of ARS scientists whose creativity is nationally
recognized and whose research efforts, individually and combined, have led to
many important research findings,” ARS Administrator Floyd P. Horn said.
“His research has influenced the development of all aspects of research
scientists at major universities that study toxic fungi that affect forage
plants and other crops.”
Horn will present awards to Bacon and other ARS honorees at a
ceremony today at the ARS Henry A. Wallace
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. The scientists will receive
plaques, cash awards and additional research funding.
One aspect of Bacon’s research is the control of
Fusarium moniliforme, a fungus that attacks corn plants and produces a
toxic substance called fumonisin. This toxin--called a mycotoxin--can affect
both animals and people that eat infected corn. By understanding the
interactions of this fungus with other organisms, Bacon discovered that through
a process called competitive exclusion, a bacterial organism called Bacillus
subtilis can be used to treat corn and literally “crowd out”
other, undesirable fungal organisms. By excluding the undesirable fungus from
the corn plant, the production of the mycotoxin is reduced or eliminated.
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Research conducted under a Cooperative Research and Development
Agreement (CRADA) with industry partners indicated that Bacillus
subtilis, in addition to controlling the colonization of corn by
undesirable fungi, reduced the mycotoxin content in corn under field
conditions. A new CRADA will focus on molecular modification of B.
subtilis, identification of the substance it produces to block invasion by
F. moniliforme, and determination of its potential as a commercial
control for F. moniliforme.
Bacon earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and chemistry
from Clark College in Atlanta and his doctoral degree from the
University of Michigan. In addition to his
research activities, Bacon serves on the board of the Journal of Applied and
Environmental Microbiology and is a founding member and the treasurer of
the International Symbiosis Society.
During his career--including one year as a research associate at
the University of Michigan and 27 years as a research scientist at ARS’
Russell
Agricultural Research Center at Athens--Bacon has written or co-written
more than 150 scientific publications and more than 135 abstracts, and
co-edited three books. |
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More about
Barbara Baker:
Award
More about Stephen Duke:
Research
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More about Mohammad
Koohmaraie:
Research |
Award
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ARS will also honor Barbara J. Baker, Stephen O. Duke, and
Mohammad Koohmaraie as “Outstanding Senior Research Scientists of
2000.” Baker directs research at the agency’s Plant Gene Expression
Center in Albany, Calif. Duke leads research at the
Natural Products Utilization
Research Unit in Oxford, Miss. Koohmaraie directs research activities at
the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal
Research Center’s Meats Research
Unit in Clay Center, Neb.
Baker is being recognized for her outstanding achievements in
research, leadership and training activities, especially in advancing the
scientific understanding of the mechanism of plant disease resistance for crop
improvement.
Duke is being honored for outstanding performance in fundamental
plant physiology research in support of weed science and natural product
research.
Koohmaraie is being cited for innovative research and project
leadership to enhance meat quality and safety. |
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More about Terry Howell:
Research
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The agency also named four “Area Senior Research Scientists
of 2000.” They are:
- Terry A. Howell of the
ARS Water Management Research
Unit in Bushland, Tex. Howell is being honored for outstanding advances in
irrigation management to conserve groundwater resources in the Texas High
Plains.
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More about Ralph Scorza:
Research
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More
about Philipp Simon:
Research |
Award
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- Philipp W. Simon of the Vegetable Crops Research Unit of
Madison, Wis. Simon is being honored for the improvement of the carrot through
the development of unique carrot germplasm with high levels of carotene, and
the genetic characterization of economically important traits.
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More about William Wergin:
Research |
Award
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- William P. Wergin of the
ARS Nematology
Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. Wergin’s award is for internationally
recognized leadership in the development of electron microscope methodologies
to solve agricultural problems.
ARS is also honoring scientists who are in the
early years of their careers. These “early career awards” recognize
the achievements of scientists who have been with the agency for seven years or
less, and earned their highest academic degree within the past 10
years. |
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More about Cindy Davis:
Research |
Award
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This year, the top award in this category will go to Cindy D.
Davis as the Herbert L. Rothbart Outstanding Early Career Research Scientist of
2000. Davis supervises research at the Chronic Disease Laboratory of the ARS
Grand Forks (N.D.) Human Nutrition
Research Center. She is being honored for new insights about nutritional
determinants of cancer--information that may improve public health.
Seven other Area Early Career Scientists are being honored by
ARS. They are: |
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More about Daniel
Chellemi:
Research
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- Daniel O. Chellemi, South Atlantic Area, at the
U.S. Horticultural
Research Laboratory in Ft. Pierce, Fla., for outstanding research and
technology transfer in the area of vegetable crop production.
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More about Steven
Lehotay:
Award |
- Steven J. Lehotay, North Atlantic Area, at the
Eastern Regional Research Center in
Wyndmoor, Pa., for outstanding achievements in the development of advantageous
new analytical methods to determine chemical residues in foods.
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More about Hong Li:
Award |
- Hong Li, Pacific West Area, at the
Animal Disease Research
Unit in Pullman, Wash., for innovative research leading to the discovery of
methods for detection and control of malignant catarrhal fever virus in
agriculturally important animals.
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More about Janet
Novotny:
Award |
- Janet Novotny, Beltsville Area, at the
Human Nutrition Research Center
in Beltsville, Md., for development of a creative research program with
demonstrated major impact in nutrition, especially in the areas of carotenoid
metabolism and nutrient bioavailability.
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More about Craig Shoemaker:
Research |
Award
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- Craig A. Shoemaker, Mid South Area, at the
Aquatic Animal
Health Research Laboratory in Auburn, Ala., for outstanding research in
aquatic animal health and co-development of the first modified live vaccine
licensed for fish in the United States.
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More about Christopher
Skory:
Research
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- Christopher D. Skory, Midwest Area,
National Center for Agricultural
Utilization Research in Peoria, Ill., for the development of novel
metabolic engineering technologies of microorganisms and plants to convert
renewable agricultural materials into value-added bio-products.
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More about Thomas H.
Tai:
Award |
- Thomas H. Tai, Southern Plains Area,
Dale Bumpers National
Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Ark., for significant contributions to
knowledge of plant molecular genetics in pepper and for scientific leadership
in the area of research on functional genomics of rice.
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