Charles J. Arntzen, president and chief executive officer of the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, and Gregory D. May, a plant scientist at the institute and adjunct professor of plant biology at Cornell University, will receive the 1998 Inventors of the Year award April 23.

The award, presented by the Central New York Patent Law Association, is being given for the researchers' development of an agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for bananas. This system is one of the keys in Arntzen's and May's current project to develop an edible vaccine through bananas. The patent was issued last August.

Arntzen and May will receive their award following a dinner hosted by the association at the Statler Hotel on the Cornell campus. The reception begins at 6 p.m.; dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., followed by the award presentation.

For information on attending the dinner, call Michael Williams at (315) 425-9000.