Dr. Carole L. Bassett is a molecular biologist at the USDA a" ARSa (TM)s Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia. Her research emphasizes the identification and characterization of different mechanisms controlling gene expression in plants. She has worked on flowering in the Japanese morning glory (Ipomoea nil L.) and in fruit quality and development in peach (Prunus persica L. [Batsch]). Her current area of interest is in understanding how genes respond to cold and drought stress in peach and apple (Malus X domestica) and using this information to reduce the impact