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World's Largest Gathering Of Plant Scientists To Meet In St.Louis, August 1-7, 1999

The XVI International Botanical Congress, will bring together more than 5000 scientists from more than 100 countries to probe how plant life impacts the stability and sustainability of all life on Earth. The Congress will meet in St. Louis, MO, on August 1 - 7, 1999.

"All the critical elements of human life -- from growing food and building shelter, to preventing and curing disease -- have their foundation in the study of plant life," stated Dr. Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden who is serving as the President of the International Botanical Congress.

Held only once every six years, the Congress offers a unique opportunity for world-renowned scientists from dozens of scientific disciplines -- including botany, plant ecology, horticulture, agriculture and biotechnology -- to come together and share their research and their insights. The Congress last met in North America in 1969, when it was convened in Seattle.

The comprehensive program will feature more than 200 symposia with international authorities, including some 1500 oral presentations and 4000 poster sessions. Recognizing the importance of integrating knowledge from varied disciplines, this Botanical Congress will branch out from its predecessors by including 20 interdisciplinary keynote symposia designed to present challenging perspectives on issues of broad interest.

For up-dated information about the Congress program, visit the website at www.ibc99.org.

All sessions of the Congress are open to credentialed press. To receive a registration form, please call Burness Communications at 301-652-1558 or register on-line at www.burnessc.com/press.

Presentations on leading-edge topics will include:

• Conservation of Endangered Plants: Global Plant Prospecting
• Paleobotany: Ancient Plant Fossils and Their Significance for Human, Plant, and Animal Evolution
• How Plants and Climate Change Converge
• Unlocking the World's Biodiversity for Medicine, Industry, Natural Remedies, and the World Food Supply
• The Ethics and Risks of Plant Biotechnology
• Global Movement of Harmful, Nonindigenous Plants and Fungi
• Post-Industrial Landscapes: Reclaiming and Regenerating Contaminated Urban Lands
• Plants of Horticultural and Agricultural Significance, Including Grasses, Conifers, and Other Groups
• The Dynamic Plant Genome and Its Applications
• Life on the Edge: The Past, Present, and Future of Mangrove Swamps
• Toxic and Other Harmful Algal Blooms
• Rare and Endangered Plant Species on Islands Around the World
• Learning from Indigenous Cultures' Practices in Gathering, Use, and Conservation of Plants
• Feeding the World: Developing Better Crops for a Hungry Planet
• New Advances in Biotechnology
• Structure, Function, and Evolution of Plant Disease-Resistant Genes
• Origin of Floral Symmetry
• Science and Society: A New Social Contract

Key speakers include:

• Roger Beachey, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
• Joanne Chory, Salk Institute
• Adrienne Clarke, University of Melbourne
• Enrico Coen, John Innes Centre, UK
• Rita Colwell, National Science Foundation
• Peter Crane, The Field Museum
• Nina V. Fedoroff, Pennsylvania State University
• Christian Körner, University of Basel
• Toni Kutchan, University of Munich
• Jane Lubchenco, Oregon State University
• Elliott Meyerowitz, California Institute of Technology
• Peter Raven, Missouri Botanical Garden
• José Sarukhán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
• Chris Somerville, Carnegie Institute of Washington
• David Suzuki, University of British Columbia/ Suzuki Foundation
• Awegechu Teshome, International Development Research Center, Ottawa

Contacts:
Ellen Wilson, Burness Communications 301-652-1558
Eileen Kugler, Kugler Communications 703-644-3039

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