Sylvia Blankenship

Sylvia Blankenship (née Meadows) (born September 10, 1954) is an American horticulturalist and inventor. She is an emeritus professor at North Carolina State University. She identified 1-methylcyclopropene, a compound which extends the storage life of fruits. Blakenship was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2020.

Early life and education Blankenship grew up in Northern Virginia and spent her summers on a ranch in Godley, Texas where she walked amongst their Hereford cattle, explored the beautiful terrain of their property, and gardened with her mother. It is rumored that there's some hidden treasures left behind throughout the property. She was interested in nature as a child, and enjoyed adventure stories about Davy Crockett. She began her studies at Texas A&M University, where she became interested in plant sciences and first started to explore plant compounds.

Research and career Blankenship was appointed to the faculty of the North Carolina State University and remained there throughout her career, eventually becoming an emeritus professor.

Blankenship studied ethylene binding sites and the identification of ethylene inhibitors. She did not receive much research funding, but, in collaboration with Edward Sisler, managed to develop the compound 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP).

Awards and honors 2007 American Society for Horticultural Science Outstanding Researcher 2010 Fellow of the International Society for Horticultural Science 2015 North Carolina State University Innovator of the Year 2020 Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame

Selected publications