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College mycology news
Dr. Omon Isikhuemhen, the SAES mushroom specialist, has a reminder and an announcement to pass along to SAES students interested in edible and medicinal mushrooms.
The reminder is that the American Mushroom Institute has an annual scholarship program for graduate students conducting research into edible mushrooms. Although the application deadline is June 1, SAES graduate students interested in applying should be encouraged to start on the application promptly. Applicants must provide four letters of recommendation, including two from individuals qualified to vouch for their academic achievements.
The scholarship is named to honor Dr. James W. Sinden, who began a 50-year career of research into mushroom production at Penn. State in 1930. Among Sinden’s innovations is the synthetic compost (a medium from wheat), which has made mushroom production commercially viable.
Dr. Omon’s announcement is that next fall he will be offering a new 400-level course, which will introduce students to the various groups of fungi and their morphology, biological activities, roles in ecosystems, economic importance and their application in biotechnology. The class will meet from 1-1:50 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and there will be a required lab from 1 to 2:50 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Posted May 2, 2007 04:07 PM