Scripps Scientist to Head Plant Center

Roger N. Beachy, a prominent plant scientist at Scripps Research Institute who is known for innovations in virus-resistant plants, has been named director of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis. Since 1991, Beachy, 53, has headed the division of plant biology at Scripps in La Jolla, where he also co-directs the International Laboratory for Tropical Agricultural Biotechnology. The $146-million Danforth Center, scheduled to open in 2000, is being jointly planned by Missouri Botanical Garden of St. Louis, Monsanto Co., Washington University, the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois. It is intended to advance knowledge in basic plant science and generate research that will lead to more plentiful, reliable and nutritious crops.