The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in Geneva, N.Y., turns 125 years old this year. It will launch a yearlong celebration of this milestone with a reception Jan. 10 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. before the annual meeting of the New York State Agricultural Society in Syracuse, N.Y.

NYSAES's milestone coincides with the 175th anniversary of the New York State Agricultural Society and the 200th birthday of Ezra Cornell, one of the two founders of Cornell University. These anniversaries will be celebrated with a reception and cake-cutting, Jan. 11 (Cornell's birth date in 1807) at 5 p.m., also at the agricultural society meeting and co-hosted by Susan A. Henry, dean of Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Cornell's great-great-great grandson, Ezra Cornell.

"The Geneva experiment station officially opened its doors in 1882," said station director Thomas J. Burr. "We were established by an act of the state Legislature to promote agriculture in New York through scientific investigation and have been working to promote food and agriculture in New York ever since."

A two-day open house at NYSAES, Sept. 14-15, also will celebrate the station's anniversary. More than 1,000 area high school students will tour the station Sept. 14 to gain hands-on appreciation for careers in science. On Sept. 15, the public will be invited to activities in the station's labs, greenhouses, pilot plants and tours of field activities.

"We expect from 4,000 to 10,000 people to attend," said Burr.

Other events noting NYSAES's 125th anniversary include:

NYSAES has 46 Cornell faculty members and four departments: horticultural sciences, entomology, plant pathology, and food science and technology. NYSAES is a center for research focused on the production, protection and utilization of fruit and vegetable crops, working closely with agricultural, food and bio-based industries. Over the years, the partnership has generated millions of dollars for the New York state economy.