On the Vine
Ru Zhang with a lab member.

Learning How Plants “Remember”


Photosynthesis, which drives plant growth and food production, is vulnerable to heat. However, plants are able to “remember” heat stress and adapt to it. A team led by Ru Zhang, PhD, will investigate how photosynthetic cells retain heat stress memory and hopefully help more crops withstand the heat. Read more.

Researcher inspecting a sorghum leaf. The photo is inside the Future Forward logo. Beside it are the words the Bellwether Foundation.

Future Forward: Partners in Progress


In 2012, The Bellwether Foundation helped revolutionize how our scientists study plants at the Center. Now, through a commitment to the Center’s Future Forward campaign, the Foundation is bringing a brand-new one-of-a-kind facility to life that will take advanced imaging outdoors under real-world conditions. Learn more.


Participants on stage at Big Ideas.

Behind the Big Night
 

Big Ideas, one of the Danforth Center’s most popular events, is a showcase for our early-career scientists, and a competition based around innovative solutions to global challenges. Recently, we spoke with some Big Ideas competitors to learn about everything that goes into preparing for this game-changing night. Read more.

John and Ginny Rowe at the Danforth Center.

Investing in the Future 


For John and Ginny Rowe, philanthropy is both a joy and a responsibility. Twenty-year members of the Danforth Society, and fifteen-year members of the William H. Danforth Legacy Society, the Rowes have made supporting the Danforth Center part of their life’s work. Read more about their story and their impact.

Cover of the fall 2025 Leaflet.

Read the Leaflet


The fall edition of the Leaflet is now online (and headed to mailboxes)! Inside, you can catch up on all the Center’s latest and greatest stories, including the launch of a revolutionary spinout, promising science (and young scientists), as well as the first chapter of a new era of leadership. Read the Leaflet here.

GivingTuesday logo. December 2.

Show your Support on GivingTuesday | December 2


While federal funding for scientific research continues to face major roadblocks, you can help us overcome them. On GivingTuesday (December 2) we hope you will support our mission and help change lives around the world by making a gift to the Danforth Center. Early donations are being accepted.

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In Case You Missed It...
Giles Oldroyd

Our New President

Danforth Center researchers collecting soil samples.

Return to the Wild

Future Forward logo.
The Danforth Center's four star badge from Charity Navigator and 2025 Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.
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