Renowned World Biologist Dr. Roger Beachy Addressed Students at MICDS

Dr. Roger N. Beachy, founder of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in Creve Coeur and the first director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) came to MICDS last week on a distinctive mission.

But, like a good card player, he kept his best card on the bottom of the deck.

Dr. Beachy was asked to deliver the Earle and Suzanne Siegel Harbison lecture in the Danforth Chapel at MICDS. The chapel overflowed with upper school students, and the freshman class watched via video circuit from an adjacent room.

Students sat with rapt attention and absorbed every word delivered by Dr. Beachy on the topic of “feeding, fueling and clothing the world in the face of growing population and climate change”

The timing was impeccable.

A month earlier, MICDS had announced at an outdoors ceremony a $21.5 million gift bequeathed by the JMS Charitable Trust and by James S. McDonnell III and Elizabeth Hall McDonnell, both graduates of the two schools.

MICDS will construct a world-class math and science facility to promote research at the secondary education level.

In the last minute of a 45 minute presentation, Dr. Beachy pulled that coveted card from the bottom of the deck. He wanted to sell young, bright, eager-minded students on personally making a difference in agricultural and scientific research. He was looking for the brightest and the best to join in this adventurous journey to help feed the citizens of the world.

“We have few scientists and innovators to sustain this challenge,” he said. “There is a role for almost everyone in this room to join the innovative cause to study and do research in the world of bio-science.”

Dr. Beachy used the pulpit of the speakers series to drive home his point.

“The stability of our whole world society is based on food availability, on having plentiful supplies of food and water. Lack of food and water always leads to social unrest and wars,” he said.

This is where the great work of the Danforth Plant Science Center comes into play.

"The center is doing research on food crops that can provide stability for developing economies,” he said. His bullet pointed list included products such as sweet potatoes, rice, bananas, sorghum, maize and cowpeas.

He pointed to the extensive research work he did on behalf of protecting and nurturing endangered produce such as tomatoes while on the faculty at Washington University starting in 1985.

“We developed genetic injections to protect crops from infection using all the resources of bio chemistry. We wanted to create treatments that would help food remain immune for certain diseases,” he said

The lecture simply followed the motto and mission of the Danforth Center to provide services to discover, enlighten, share and nourish the world’s population.

“This is all part of our agreement to maintain social responsibility. This is a global deal,” he told the students. He asked them to challenge themselves by asking the question “what role will I play in changing the world.”

It must have worked. Lisa Lyle, head of school, invited interested students to stop by the Blanke Room for a brief after-lecture hospitality with Dr. Beachy. A large number of highly motivated students surrounded him for the picture taking session. These students are eager to participate and learn more.