Notables

Notable

Thomas J. Burr and Gary E. Harman, Cornell professors of plant pathology at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, were named fellows of the American Phytopathological Society at the 1997 APS annual meeting in Rochester in August. The distinction was conferred in recognition of their outstanding contributions in extension and research as relates to the science of plant pathology, to the profession and to the society. Election as a fellow is a reflection of the high esteem in which a member is held by his or her colleagues. BurrÕs research focuses on the biology and control of bacterial and fungal diseases of fruit crops. He has served as chair and member of the APS Bacteriology and Chemical Control committees, respectively, and as president of the Deciduous Tree Fruit Disease Workers. He previously was honored by APS, receiving the Ciba-Geigy and Lee M. Hutchins Awards in 1986 and 1990, respectively. Harman, who holds a joint appointment in the departments of plant pathology and horticultural sciences, has achieved international recognition for his research on the use of Trichoderma species of fungi as biological control agents. In 1993, he and two colleagues formed a company, TGT Inc. (now BioWorks Inc.), to commercialize biocontrol technologies. The company obtained a license from the Cornell Research Foundation to use patents from HarmanÕs group that deal with genes, enzymes and the strains of Trichoderma. BioWorks now holds five federal registrations and more than 200 state registrations.