Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant

THE BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE FOR PLANT RESEARCH, INC. (BTI) STRIVES TO BE A WORLD LEADER IN PLANT SCIENCE RESEARCH. BTI WAS FOUNDED BY WILLIAM BOYCE THOMPSON OUT OF A CONVICTION THAT "ANY PRINCIPLES CONCERNING THE NATURE OF LIFE THAT YOU CAN ESTABLISH FOR PLANTS WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND MAN, IN HEALTH AND DISEASE." HE ALSO SAW PLANT SCIENCE AS A MEANS OF ENDING HUNGER, THUS ULTIMATELY PROMOTING DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL STABILITY. BTI ENVISIONS A WORLD IN WHICH NUTRITIOUS FOOD IS IN ABUNDANCE, THE ENVIRONMENT IS SECURE, AND PEOPLE LIVE FULLER, HEALTHIER LIVES. THIS VISION CAN BE REALIZED IN PART THROUGH THE STUDY OF PLANTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT, CONCENTRATING PARTICULARLY ON PLANT DEVELOPMENT, MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PLANTS AND MICROBES, AND MOLECULAR AND CHEMICAL ECOLOGY.