Mendel Memorial Medal Ceremony

We are delighted to announce that the Mendalanium will present the Mendel Memorial Medal to Professor Noel Ellis at the John Innes Centre on Monday 10th March.  

The Mendel Memorial Medal is awarded annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the scientific and cultural legacy of Gregor Mendel and genetics.  

Please join us at the John Innes Centre from 3 – 5pm on 10th March to congratulate Professor Ellis on receiving this honour.  We kindly ask you to register your attendance at this event using this form.

Upon receipt of the award, Professor Noel Ellis will present a lecture – ‘Mendel’s lectures in light of current knowledge’.  

This event will also celebrate Mendel’s immeasurable contributions to the field of genetics as we mark the 160th anniversary of Gregor Mendel’s second lecture in 1865 on his principles of heredity experiments using pea (Pisum sativum L.).  

We are also delighted to be joined by Professor Daniel Fairbanks (Utah Valley University), who will speak on the subject of Mendel’s annotations in Gärtner’s ‘Experiments and Observations on the Production of Hybrids in the Plant Kingdom’. 

Agenda

  • Welcome and Introduction – Professor Graham Moore FRS (Director of the John Innes Centre) 
  • The history of the Mendel Medal Memorial Award – Dr Jiři Sekerák (Head of the Mendelianum, Moravian Museum) 
  • Laudatio – Jiří Mitáček PhD (Director General of the Moravian Museum)
  • Medal Presentation
  • Mendel’s lectures in the light of current knowledge – Professor Noel Ellis (John Innes Centre)
  • Mendel and Gärtner – Professor Daniel Fairbanks (Utah Valley University) 

Following the event you are welcome to join us in the John Innes Society’s Recreation Centre for celebratory refreshments.

Biography: Professor Noel Ellis 

Professor Noel Ellis is a senior affiliated scientist at the John Innes Centre and an alumnus of the institute having worked at JIC for 36 years. 

Noel’s research focus has been on genetic diversity, mapping improvement traits and associated genomic analyses in pea. His current research area acts as a bridge between modern and historical genetics: identifying pea genes studied by Mendel and characterising them at the molecular level. 

In his current role at JIC, Professor Ellis advising on legume genetics and genomics science in the Germplasm Resources Unit team. 

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