Soybean Genetics Executive Committee

Read the Strategic Plan in either Word or PDF format.

2008 Members

Gary Stacey (06-08)
Brian Diers (06-08)
Scott Jackson (07-09)
Tommy Carter (07-09)
David Grant (08-10)
Grover Shannon (08-10)

History & Purpose

Following the model successfully used by other plant research groups, the hosts of former soybean biennial conferences (Randy Shoemaker, Iowa; Wayne Parrott, Georgia; David Sleper, Missouri; Glenn Collins, Kentucky; and Jack Widholm, Illinois) called for the establishment of a soybean genetics executive committee. Nominations and elections were carried out in June and July 2003.

The purpose of SoyGEC is to make the soybean community more attractive to genomics funding by 1) increasing the visibility of soybean among the scientific community; 2) providing a community-wide research vision and establishment of priorities; and 3) providing an information and communication conduit for all individuals to the soybean research community.

Six members serve on the SoyGEC. Ordinarily, the SoyGEC membership will include three members whose professional primary research discipline is plant breeding, or plant genetics, or any aspect of genetic germplasm analysis and three members whose professional primary research discipline is in genomics, or any "-omics" areas, or transgenics. The 3-year term of service is staggered, such that two new members (one of each profession) are elected every year to replace the two departing members. Nominations within each of the two professional categories will be solicited from the community at large, and self-nominations will be acceptable. The ballot will be designed in a manner that allows the voters to vote for a preferred nominee in each of the two professional categories. Elections will be scheduled to be completed in July of each year. Once the election is complete, the GEC will elect one of its members to serve as its Chair. If there is a carryover Chair after the July elections, the carryover Chair person is precluded from voting in that annual chair election. The Chair will serve as the primary external contact for the SoyGEC. If during the course of voting on proposals or other business, a 3-3 tie vote occurs, the Chair's vote will be used to render the final decision.

Members of the soybean community eligible to make nominations and vote are defined as:

• Attendees at the Biennial Soybean Conference
• Persons who ask to be identified as such

Mission Statement

The soybean genetics research community is comprised of scientists with expertise ranging from classical breeding to genomics and cell biology to gene discovery. The genetic resources available for soybean are often poorly understood by non-soybean scientists and funding agencies. Consequently the strengths and needs of the soybean genetics research community are also often poorly understood. It is the mission of the Soybean Genetics Executive Committee (SoyGEC) to advance soybean as a genetic and physiological research system that will result in enhanced availability and nutritional quality of the worldÍs premier source of vegetable protein and oil.

In order to achieve this mission, SoyGEC will actively pursue the goal of widening the breadth and scope of existing soybean genetics research. The SoyGEC will proactively communicate with the soybean research community to help define research priorities, and with representatives of federal funding agencies to ensure that research priorities are clearly articulated. When called upon the SoyGEC will speak on behalf of the research community to Commodity Board groups and other lay-groups.

The SoyGEC seeks to broaden the number of soybean scientists conducting genetic research and to broaden the diversity of scientific expertise in team research in order to add new dimensions to the scientific and agricultural questions asked. The SoyGEC will encourage research that will target high priority needs of soybean and facilitate training of undergraduates, graduates, and post-doctorals to prepare a new generation of researchers skilled in research techniques targeted for this crop.

The SoyGEC seeks to ensure excellence in research quality and clarity in communication of needs and priorities. Without encumbering individual initiative, the SoyGEC will encourage coordination of dedicated research teams finding solutions to soybean problems of national and international importance.