Bikram S. Gill and Patricia O’Bnen are the recipients of the Conoco Distinguished Graduate Faculty Member Awards for 1989-90 at Kansas State University, Manhattan Ks.
Gill is a wheat researcher who has assembled one of the world’s largest, most comprehensive germplasm collections of wheat related species and genetic stocks. Anthropologist O’Brien is known internationally for her research on American Indian archaeology.
Citations will be presented to Gill and O’Brien by President Jon Wefald during K-State commencement ceremonies May 19. Both faculty members will present public lectures during the coming academic year. Each award carries a cash prize of $1,500.
Gill and O’Brien were chosen by a seven member graduate faculty committee, Chairman Don Hummels said the prestigious award recognizes professional and teaching excellence and honors highly productive scholars, artists and researchers.
Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Timothy Donoghue said, “these awards are designed to recognize the excellence of the graduate faculty of Kansas State University exhibited through their outstanding research and creative achievements.
Gill is an expert on wild wheat’s from which bread wheat was domesticated 10,000 years ago. He focuses his research efforts on genetic engineering and germplasm development. He is especially interested in transferring disease resistant germplasm with others may result in the breeding of superior wheat verities with a broad genetic base.
Gill’s research specialization is in cytogenetic a study of chromosomes which carry information for inheritance and genetic potential of an organism.
His laboratory pioneered methods for fingerprinting and mapping of genetic determinants on individual chromosomes of wheat. A steady stream of international scientists has been attracted to conduct cytogenetic research in Gill’s laboratory. He is constructing a genetic road map for each chromosome of wheat. This information will lead to the development of innovative methods for wheat improvement.
Gill is director of the Wheat Genetics Resource Center at K State, a repository where more than 5,000 seed samples from around the world are on file.
He is a member of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, the American Phyopathological Society and the Genetics Society of America. He also was nominated to the International Wheat Genetics Organizing Committee and chairs a committee on wheat chromosome nomenclature. Gill joined the K-state faculty in July 1979. He holds bachelors and master’s degrees in botany from Punjab University in India and a PhD in genetics and plant breeding from the University of California Davis.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 11, 1990
