David Nicolai and Seth Naeve were fortunate to have an opportunity to chat with Dr. Rex Bernardo early in the new year. He is a Professor and Endowed Chair in Corn Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Bernardo is Director of the Plant Breeding Center at Minnesota, has written two textbooks, and teaches graduate courses in plant breeding and in professional skills for scientists. Rex is a futurist and a lifelong learner. His accomplishments are a testament to his knowledge, drive, and foresight.
Rex’s work has focused around marker assisted selection in corn for nearly thirty years. This current work includes genome-wide prediction, targeted recombination for quantitative traits, and refined breeding schemes (plus a side project on sweet corn breeding). In summary, Rex has been working with big data since the data was small. In this CropCast, Dave and Seth chat with Rex about his research and his novel views on teaching and outreach that employ hooks to generate interest in students and general public.
Join us for another engaging Minnesota Crop Cast. Don’t forget to subscribe so that these podcasts are easier to find each week.
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