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Library – Archives – Humanities  / Education / Center for Humanities & History of Modern Biology / Exhibits, Projects and Initiatives / Plant Science, Biotechnology, & Agriculture

Plant Science, Biotechnology, & Agriculture

Gardiner Lecture

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The Gardiner Lecture was given by Professor Rob Martienssen on January 31, 2023 as part of an event that included the opening of the physical version of this exhibition that is currently on display in the Carnegie Library at CSHL.

The title of Professor Martienssen’s talk was “Oil Change: Saving the rainforest with sustainable oil palm and aquatic plants.” He and his collaborators are using discoveries they have made about the genetics of the oil palm plant to make the cultivation of this staple crop less damaging to the environment. They have also found ways to derive energy from a very modest aquatic plant, duckweed. Their research has significant implications for agriculture, the environment, and our understanding of genes and their interactions.

We were excited that Professor Martienssen could give this talk, because this intersection of genetics research, agriculture and their wider social, economic and environmental effects is a key element of our exhibition. We were delighted to welcome representatives of the Gardiner Foundation to this event, which brought together scientists, historians and the wider Long Island community.

Plants need nitrogen to grow, but a significant portion of the nitrogen in fertilizers is not absorbed by the soil or used by the growing plants. Rather, it washes away into waterways, rivers, and the ocean. This in turn has had devastating effects on marine life. In some areas, excessive nitrogen in the oceans has caused algae blooms that kill wildlife, make it dangerous for people to consume fish or shellfish or in some cases even swim in affected waters. This problem isn’t limited to poorer countries. Nitrogen pollution is a serious problem here on Long Island. In our case, the nitrogen comes primarily from septic tanks and cesspools, although nitrogen from agricultural fertilizers also plays a role. Nitrogen pollution in the waters around Long Island has hampered fishing, made it dangerous to eat seafood from some areas, and caused environmental changes that make coastal areas more prone to flooding.