The National Academy of Inventors has named Susan Brown as an NAI Fellow, according to a news release from Cornell University. NAI recognized Brown for her work developing new apple varieties.
Brown, the Herman M. Cohn Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell, leads the oldest apple breeding program in the United States, located at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York. Her work supports the New York apple industry, valued at $262 million annually, according to the release.
The NAI Fellows Program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a “spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on societal well-being, economic development and quality of life,” according to the release.
NY1, marketed as SnapDragon, and NY2, marketed as RubyFrost, are the most well-known apples Brown has developed. Released in 2013 and managed by Crunch Time Apple Growers, the two varieties are produced by 151 growers across the state and shipped to retailers across the country. In upcoming years, the apples will reach an international audience, with growing operations anticipated in Argentina, Australia, Chile, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and Switzerland, according to the release.
—by Matt Milkovich
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