Making Sense of Grape Scents

The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents:

Making Sense of Grape Scents

with Professor Cynthia Holland

Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Online via Zoom

Sponsored by Kimball Farms Life Care

Plants produce a wide array of airborne molecules, or volatiles, that function in attracting pollinators, deterring herbivores, and communicating with their surroundings. The volatile methyl anthranilate, which is responsible for the characteristic grape aroma, is emitted by grapes, citrus, maize, and other flowering plants. This talk will highlight the Holland lab’s discovery of how methyl anthranilate is synthesized in grapes and will preview current experimental evidence on plant detection and response to volatiles. 

Cynthia Holland is an Assistant Professor in the Biology department at Williams College, where she teaches courses on molecular biology and biochemistry. Before starting at Williams in 2020, she pursued her PhD in Plant and Microbial Biosciences at Washington University in St. Louis, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Boyce Thompson Institute in Ithaca, NY. Cynthia’s research lab investigates the enzymes that plants use to produce molecules with commercial and pharmaceutical relevance. Recently, the Holland lab has identified the enzymes from grapes that are used to produce the volatile responsible for grape aroma. Current experiments focus on how plants may perceive airborne aromas and the implications for plant-to-plant communication. This project has been funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation through a five-year CAREER award.  

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This lecture will be recorded and available for viewing at the convenience of registrants.

Ticket information:

Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC members and $15 for the general public.

Admission is free for students, staff and faculty from Berkshire Community College, MCLA, and Williams; youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.