Molly Jahn

Last updated
Molly Jahn
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Swarthmore College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University
Known forDeputy and Acting Under Secretary of Research, Education, and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2009-10
Scientific career
Fields Genetics, Plant virology, Food security
Institutions Cornell University, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Molly Jahn is an American plant geneticist and breeder and Professor of Agronomy at University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. She was Under Secretary of Research, Education and Economics in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (2009 - 2010).

Contents

Career

Jahn (originally Kyle) graduated with BA in biology (with Distinction) from Swarthmore College in 1980. She subsequently completed a master's degree at MIT in 1983 and obtained her doctorate in plant breeding and plant pathology from Cornell University in 1988. She was appointed assistant, associate and finally full professor of plant breeding and plant biology at Cornell University from 1991-2006. [1] She moved to University of Wisconsin-Madison where she was dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and director of the Wisconsin Experiment Station from 2006 - 2011 and continues as professor of agronomy. [1]

She also holds appointments outside University of Wisconsin-Madison. During 2009-10, she was Deputy and Acting Under Secretary of Research, Education, and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. [2] She was seconded to NASA in 2019-20 and will continue as 25%-time Director of Strategic Outreach, NASA Harvest Consortium into 2022. [3] [4]

Scientific research

Her research interests include plant genetics and genomics especially the resistance of plants to viruses. She has concentrated on the Solanaceae specifically potatoes, tomatoes and pungency in Capsicum, but has also worked with melons, squashes and pumpkins. She has been involved with and led plant breeding programmes that have resulted in new cultivars of squash (including All American Selections Winner Bush Delicata in 2002; Honeynut in 2014; All American Selections Winners Honeybaby F1 and Sugaretti in 2017), pepper, melon and cucumber (Salt and Pepper in 2011) varieties as well as having received awards for potato breeding. [5]

As well as plant breeding her research has involved fundamental aspects of plant physiology. As her career has developed she has become more involved in public policy areas of plant science, particularly related to world food security. [6] [7]

Distinctions

Jahn has served on advisory boards including the US National Academies of Science Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Santa Fe Institute Science Board and was the USA representative on the CGIAR’s Commission for Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change. [8]

In 2012 she was awarded a USDA Secretary’s Honor Award for an electronic suggestions box so USDA employees could make anonymous suggestions to improve the agency. [9]

Jahn has been awarded Honorary D. Sc. degrees from Anglia Ruskin University, UK in 2014 [6] and Swarthmore College in 2015. [10] She was commencement speaker at the University of Sydney in 2016. She is also a Fellow of the AAAS and the Wisconsin Academy of Arts, Sciences and Letters.

Significant publications

Jahn has authored or co-authored over 100 scientific publications and books. Her most significant publications include:

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capsaicin</span> Pungent chemical compound in chili peppers

Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus Capsicum. It is a potent irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning in any tissue with which it comes into contact. Capsaicin and several related amides (capsaicinoids) are produced as secondary metabolites by chili peppers, likely as deterrents against certain mammals and fungi. Pure capsaicin is a hydrophobic, colorless, highly pungent crystalline solid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chili pepper</span> Varieties of peppers of Capsicum genus

Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli, are varieties of berry-fruit plants from the genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines as a spice to add "heat" to dishes. Capsaicin and the related capsaicinoids give chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically. Chili peppers exhibit a range of heat and flavors. This diversity is the reason behind the availability of different types of chili powder, each offering its own taste and heat level.

<i>Capsicum pubescens</i> Species of plant

Capsicum pubescens is a plant of the genus Capsicum (pepper). The species name, pubescens, refers to the hairy leaves of this pepper. The hairiness of the leaves, along with the black seeds, make Capsicum pubescens distinguishable from other Capsicum species. Capsicum pubescens has pungent yellow, orange, red, green or brown fruits.

<i>Capsicum annuum</i> Species of flowering plant in the nightshade family

Capsicum annuum, commonly known as paprika, chili pepper, red pepper, sweet pepper, jalapeño, cayenne, or bell pepper, is a fruiting plant from the family Solanaceae (nightshades), within the genus Capsicum which is native to the northern regions of South America and to southwestern North America. The plant produces berries of many colors including red, green, and yellow, often with pungent taste. It is also one of the oldest cultivated crops, with domestication dating back to around 6,000 years ago in regions of Mexico. The genus Capsicum has over 30 species but Capsicum annuum is the primary species in its genus, as it has been widely cultivated for human consumption for a substantial amount of time and has spread across the world. This species has many uses in culinary applications, medicine, self defense, and can even be ornamental.

<i>Capsicum frutescens</i> Species of chili pepper

Capsicum frutescens is a wild chili pepper having genetic proximity to the cultivated pepper Capsicum chinense native to Central and South America. Pepper cultivars of C. frutescens can be annual or short-lived perennial plants. Flowers are white with a greenish white or greenish yellow corolla, and are either insect- or self-pollinated. The plants' berries typically grow erect; ellipsoid-conical to lanceoloid shaped. They are usually very small and pungent, growing 10–20 millimetres (0.39–0.79 in) long and 3–7 millimetres (0.12–0.28 in) in diameter. Fruit typically grows a pale yellow and matures to a bright red, but can also be other colors. C. frutescens has a smaller variety of shapes compared to other Capsicum species. C. frutescens has been bred to produce ornamental strains because of its large quantities of erect peppers growing in colorful ripening patterns.

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Armando Theodoro Hunziker was an Argentine botanist. He specialized in the study of systems biology of the family Solanaceae, and contributed with a large number of investigations and publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padrón pepper</span> Variety of pepper from Padrón, Spain

Padrón pepper, also called Herbón pepper, is a landrace variety of pepper from the municipality of Padrón in northwestern Spain.

The Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, is an international research-based and non-profit organization specializing in research, education and archiving information related to Capsicum or chile peppers. The institute was established in 1992 and is devoted to research and educating the world about chile peppers. Its research facility is named for Fabián García, a Mexican-American horticulturalist dubbed "the father of the U.S. chile pepper industry", who began standardizing varieties of chile pepper in 1888.

<i>Capsicum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their edible fruit, which are generally known as "peppers" or "capsicum". Chili peppers grow on five species of Capsicum. Sweet or bell peppers and some chili peppers are Capsicum annuum, making it the most cultivated species in the genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habanero</span> Strain of chili (Capsicum)

The habanero is a hot variety of chili. Unripe habaneros are green, and they color as they mature. The most common color variants are orange and red, but the fruit may also be white, brown, yellow, green, or purple. Typically, a ripe habanero is 2–6 centimetres long. Habanero chilis are very hot, rated 100,000–350,000 on the Scoville scale. The habanero heat, flavor, and floral aroma make it a common ingredient in hot sauces and other spicy foods.

<i>Capsicum cardenasii</i> Species of flowering plant

Capsicum cardenasii is a plant species in the genus Capsicum and the family Solanaceae. It is a diploid with 2n=2x=24. It is a member within the C. pubescens complex, a group of closely related Capsicum species. It is closely related to C. eximium. It is native to the Andes, and it can be found in Bolivia and Peru. The native name is ulupica.

Michael R. Mazourek is a plant breeder and associate professor at Cornell University notable for developing the honeynut squash, a cultivar of a cross first developed by Cornell University plant breeder Richard W. Robinson, creating the Habanada, and Row 7 Seed Company, a seed company co-founded with Dan Barber of Blue Hill and Matthew Goldfarb.

Amanda M. Hulse-Kemp is a computational biologist with the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service. She works in the Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Unit and is stationed on the North Carolina State University campus in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Ernest Robert Sears was an American geneticist, botanist, pioneer of plant genetics, and leading expert on wheat cytogenetics. Sears and Sir Ralph Riley (1924–1999) are perhaps the two most important founders of chromosome engineering in plant breeding.

<i>Capsicum lanceolatum</i> Species of flowering plant


Capsicum lanceolatum is a species of plant in the genus Capsicum in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). The species has its original range in Guatemala and in the neighboring countries of Mexico and Honduras. Currently, only one natural occurrence of the species is known; all other previously known deposits were destroyed by converting the sites into agricultural land.

References

  1. 1 2 "Molly Jahn". Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  2. ↑ Buntjer, Julie (27 March 2010). "An area of opportunity". The Globe. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Molly Jahn How I work with Harvest". NASA HARVEST. University of Maryland Center for Global Agricultural Monitoring Research. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Meet a TReNDS Expert: Molly Jahn". Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  5. ↑ "Molly Jahn" (PDF). Jahn Research Group. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Professor Molly Jahn". Angela Ruskin University. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Molly Jahn, University of Wisconsin-Madison". Expert Meeting on the Global Risk Assessment Framework in support of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Paris Agreement' - 20–21 November, Geneva, Switzerland. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "Molly Jahn Adjunct Senior Research Scientist". Columbia University Earth Institute. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  9. ↑ Sakai, Jill. "USDA honors project led by UW–Madison professor". UNIVERSITY of WISCONSIN–MADISON.
  10. ↑ "Interim President Constance Hungerford's Charge to Molly Miller Jahn '80". Swarthmore. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
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