Gary Stutte

Plant Physiology Lead
Advanced Life Support & Space Biology Program
Kennedy Space Center

 

Advanced Life Support program

I am a plant physiologist with the Advanced Life Support program. My interests are in environmental regulation of whole plant growth and development. In my current position, I coordinate activities in the Biomass Production Chamber at KSC, where I am trying to identify natural occurring compounds which regulate plant growth.

Education and Career Path

Following two years of training in Horticultural Food Science at the University of Arkansas, I received a bachelor of science degree in biological sciences from Oklahoma State University. I then pursued graduate studies on the mode of action of the plant hormone ethylene in the Department of Horticulture, at the University of Georgia. Then for a complete change of pace, I began looking at the mechanisms for regulating flowering in olives at the University of California-Davis, and obtained my Ph.D. in 1984.

I was a teacher and researcher at the University of Maryland, prior to joining the ALS program at Kennedy Space Center in 1992, where I conducted work on environmental regulation of fruit crops.

Extracurricular Activities

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, collecting masks, spending time at the beach, playing soccer with my two sons and being a Cub Scout den leader. I am currently learning to surf . . . with only marginal success! I am an active member of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences and Plant Growth Regulation Society of America.