A plant scientist who has devoted his research career to studying a plant hormone that is vitally important to agriculture will discuss his work Wednesday, April 22, at the University of California, Davis, during the 50th annual Faculty Research Lecture. Shang Fa Yang, a professor of vegetable crops, will talk about "How to Gain Recognition in Research Without Being a Genius: The Magic of the Plant Hormone Ethylene." The public lecture will be presented at 8 p.m. in 66 Roessler Hall. A reception will follow. Yang's research has focused on how plants produce the hormone ethylene, which is important in regulating many plant functions, ranging from seed germination to fruit ripening. During his career, Yang has traced how a certain plant amino acid, known as methionine, goes through several biochemical reactions, finally ending up in the form of ethylene. His current research examines what triggers the plant to produce ethylene, how a plant perceives ethylene, and ways to manipulate ethylene production using genetic engineering to improve control of developmental processes such as seed germination, flowering, fruit ripening and the aging of leaves. His ethylene research is of particular importance to agriculture. For example, understanding how ethylene works has allowed growers to better regulate the ripening of tomatoes for mechanical harvesting, and the flowering of pineapple plants. Yang first came to UC Davis in 1962 as a postdoctoral research fellow and joined the faculty in 1966. He has received numerous awards throughout his career. He was elected in 1990 to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors for scientists in the United States. In 1991 he was awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize in Agriculture from the Wolf Foundation of Israel and in 1985 he received the International Plant Growth Substances Association Research Award. The Faculty Research Lecture is sponsored annually by the Davis Division of the Academic Senate to honor the work of one of its faculty members.