Nikolai Vavilov with Dr. Joel Cohen

<p>“Varietal Timelines and Leadership Challenges Affecting the Legacy of Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov” with Dr. Joel Cohen</p> <p>Nikolai Vavilov was an agronomist and seed collector whose life spanned the regimes of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. These were years plagued by extreme famine, especially in the Ukraine. Vavilov strove to follow Mendelian science and practices to improve plant breeding programs, seed conservation, and food security. He travelled to and collected seed from over 50 countries in his lifetime and was the founder of one of the world’s oldest seed banks; however, he died defamed and imprisoned, with his name struck from the history books. This episode, in honor of seed week, Dr. Joel Cohen joins us to discuss Vavilov’s work, the ongoing work to restore his reputation, and why his legacy matters today.</p> <p>Tune in to learn:</p> <ul> <li>What the four phases of Vavilov’s life were</li> <li>What challenges he faced during his lifetime</li> <li>The fate of several of his colleagues during the siege of Leningrad</li> <li>How Vavilov has been honored and rehabilitated since his death</li> </ul> <p>If you would like more information about this topic, this episode’s paper is available here: <a href= "https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20425">https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20425</a></p> <p>It will be freely available from 22 March to 5 April, 2021.</p> <p>This podcast is part of the Societies Seed Week, which will be running from March 22-26, 2021. Check out the Seed Week link below, where you’ll find links to papers, k-12 activities, videos, news stories, blogs, and more.</p> <p>If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: <a href= "http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/">http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/</a></p> <p>Contact us at <a href= "mailto:podcast@sciencesocieties.org">podcast@sciencesocieties.org</a> or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’