Gary A. Strobel (born September 23, 1938) is an American microbiologist and naturalist. He was co-contributor to the discovery that somaclonal variation occurs in plants and can be used for plant improvement. The discovery of the R_i plasmid in Agrobacterium rhizogenes also originated in his

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physic ...

. He examined endophytic fungi and bacteria for their novel bioactive compounds and their unique biology. ''Forbes'' magazine called him the "Indiana Jones of fungus hunters" for his expeditions, collections, and research into fungi.Christopher Helman The Indiana Jones of Fungus Hunters; Bio-prospector Gary Strobel's latest find: a fungus from Patagonia that produces diesel May 25, 2009 page 36, 38 Forbes

Early life and education

Strobel was born and raised in Massillon, Ohio. He completed a B.S. degree at Colorado State University in 1960, and a PhD at the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...

in 1963.

Academic career

He has been on the faculty of

Montana State University - Bozeman Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fiel ...

since 1970, earning the title of

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

emeritus of

plant pathology Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomy ...

on September 30, 2005. His research and academic interests have centered on microbe –

higher plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They a ...

relationships. His work on the modification of tree

microflora Microbiota are the range of microorganisms that may be commensal, symbiotic, or pathogenic found in and on all multicellular organisms, including plants. Microbiota include bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses, and have been found to ...

to preclude plant disease received major national attention in his efforts to biologically control

Dutch elm disease Dutch elm disease (DED) is caused by a member of the sac fungi (Ascomycota) affecting elm trees, and is spread by elm bark beetles. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease was accidentally introduced into Americas, America ...

. Strobel has lectured at over 350 institutes and universities worldwide and published over 350 articles in scientific journals and holds nearly 50 USA and International patents. From 1979 to 2000 he was chief of the Montana NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program which encourages and promotes science at all levels of society.

Endophytes

Strobel has embarked on collection trips and research into the use of

endophyte An endophyte is an endosymbiont, often a bacterium or fungus, that lives within a plant for at least part of its life cycle without causing apparent disease. Endophytes are ubiquitous and have been found in all species of plants studied to date; h ...

s for various applications. He has licensed more than 20 specimens to pharmaceutical and chemical companies, and his discoveries have included a specimen that grows on the Yew tree that produces taxol, one that produces a

fumigant Fumigation is a method of pest control or the removal of harmful micro-organisms by completely filling an area with gaseous pesticides—or fumigants—to suffocate or poison the pests within. It is used to control pests in buildings (s ...

, and another that produces volatile gases (hydrocarbons). The amount of gas produced relative to the food inputs is much lower for the endophyte than other biodiesel production methods, but research into bioengineering the biodiesel production traits into fast reproducing

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

is ongoing.

Controversy

Strobel was reprimanded by the EPA in 1987 for injecting genetically altered bacteria into American elms. At that time it became known that, three years previously, he had developed and released another genetically engineered microbe into the wild without requesting permission from the government, a "clear violation of Federal guidelines in effect at the time."

Awards and memberships

NIH The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

Career Development award * Wiley award * Special recognition from the Royal Nepal Chemical Society * Elected to membership in the

American Society for Microbiology The American Society for Microbiology (ASM), originally the Society of American Bacteriologists, is a professional organization for scientists who study viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as other aspects of microbiology. It wa ...

* Member of

The Explorers Club The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904, and has served as a meeting point fo ...

Personal life

His son,

Scott Strobel Scott A. Strobel (born July 4, 1964) is the provost, Henry Ford II professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, and a professor of chemistry at Yale University. He was the vice provost for Science Initiatives and vice president for West Ca ...

, is a professor at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Strobel, Gary Living people American microbiologists American phytopathologists Colorado State University alumni University of California, Davis alumni University of Montana faculty People from Massillon, Ohio 1938 births