By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH

Indiana Correspondent

URBANA, Ill. — Since scientists at the University of Illinois began work on a corn genetics experiment in 1896, several generations of researchers have contributed to the project. Finding faculty and students to continue the effort hasn’t been difficult thanks to the very nature of it, according to a professor of crop sciences at the university.

The Illinois Long-term Selection Experiment began with the goal of selecting corn ears based on the highest and lowest levels of protein and oil. Over the life of the project, 115 cycles of recurrent selection have created 12 populations with different grain protein and oil composition, noted Steve Moose, also director of the university’s Corn Functional Genomics Lab.

The experiment started because an agricultural chemist wanted to see if the use of selection in corn could lead to better animal feed, he explained.

“The goal then was just to see if it would change. After about 10 years, they did see changes. Over the years, as faculty and students worked on it, they’ve added their own little wrinkles. I think the originators would be amazed at what can be learned. Even after this long period of time, we still see changes happening.”

Moose doesn’t have a difficult time recruiting students to help with the experiment.

“I think once they learn about it, they’re fascinated,” he said. “It’s a great way to train students on plant breeding, the power of selection, and the process on how it’s done. They get a great introduction on how to select for a trait and see a big difference, if you do it right.”

Except for a suspension during World War II, the experiment has been continuous since it began, Moose said.

“It’s a good way for students to cut their teeth and learn things,” he pointed out. “We watch how careful they are. After 100 years, we don’t want to be the ones to mess it up.”

The number of students potentially available to work on longer- or shorter-term experiments appears to be stable, at least in Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, said Mike Gaul, director of career services.

Last year’s graduating class of 1,159 was the college’s largest ever, he noted, adding enrollment isn’t far off from the record high. “We have 25 to 26 majors and about 80 percent of those have a core science background,” Gaul explained.

“The supply (of students) is still there. Majors such as animal science, agronomy, horticulture, and biology, those programs are heavily based in science. Science is not for the faint of heart. You have to have a moxie for science.”

Larger majors, such as animal science and biology, generally don’t have a problem finding students to work in labs and help with experiments, he said. Animal science is the largest major in the college and fourth-largest at the university.

“There’s usually not a shortage of kids who want to work part-time,” Gaul said. “There’s no shortage of undergraduates who want to work on the projects. If they embrace it, they’re going to come out of the university as a solid candidate (for a job).”

In four of the last five years, Iowa State was the largest employer of students graduating from the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, he said. Many of those students find employment in campus labs or research farms.

In addition to class work, potential employers are looking for students with soft skills, Gaul said. “Soft skills refer to problem-solving and the ability to work collaboratively or individually. They have good management skills. If students have those, combined with the science piece, it makes them strong candidates (for employment).”

Michigan State University is home to several longer-term experiments, including one on cropping systems that began 31 years ago, said G. Philip Robertson, university distinguished professor in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences and the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station.

There hasn’t been a problem attracting students for longer-term research, he noted. “These experiments provide an amazing opportunity for a student. They allow them, as they conduct their research, to know what happened in the past.

“The student projects largely allow the long-term research projects to continue. They can combine a two-, three-, four-year project with another done in the past.”

The length of a research project is determined by how long it’s interesting, Robertson explained. “The 31-year project shows no signs of being abandoned because of a lack of interest. We also have some projects that are about 10 years old.

“In some cases, they’re still going strong. For others, we walk away when experiments run their course. The original questions were answered and we decided it was more prudent to start another experiment.”

Longer projects are needed depending on the research, he said. “When you’re looking at soil organic matter, it takes 10 years to observe change. It’s necessary to have a long-term perspective,” he pointed out. “If you’re looking at how a particular tillage system might change soil, it takes 10 years for that tillage system to have an effect.”