Announcements

Appointments

WARDA Appoints New Assistant Director General for Research

Dr. Marco Wopereis, a Dutch national, has been appointed as WARDA's incoming Assistant Director General, Research & Development. Dr. Wopereis has extensive experience in research and development related to integrated natural resource management, and rice in particular. Before joining WARDA, Dr. Wopereis was heading the Annual Crops Department at the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD).

William Dar Appointed Chair of UN Committee on Science and Technology to Combat Desertification

The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) recently elected Dr. William D. Dar, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), as chair of its Committee for Science and Technology. Dr. Dar, a native of the Philippines, was nominated by the group of Asian states and will serve as chair in the capacity of an independent expert.

Syngenta Foundation Announces New Executive Director

CGIAR Member Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture recently announced a new Executive Director, Marco Ferroni. A Swiss National, Ferroni has worked for the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and the Swiss government. Further information: www.syngentafoundation.org

Honors

• The United States awarded Dr. Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution, a Congressional Gold Medal, the USA's highest civilian honor. The Medal was granted in recognition of his efforts to alleviate global hunger and poverty. Further information (LINK TO CIMMYT NEWS)
• Dr. John Ryan, an Irish scientist at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), received the 2007 J. Benton Jones Jr. Award, sponsored by the Soil and Plant Analysis Council, for achievements in the field of soil and plant analysis.
• Dr. Henri Carsalade, Member, ICARDA Board of Trustees, was awarded the "Officier de la Légion d'Honneur Medal" by the French government in recognition of his international achievements in public service.
• Dr. Mustafa El Boushini, Senior Entomologist at ICARDA, won the International Plant Protection Award of Distinction from the International Association of the Plant Protection Sciences.
• Dr. Robert Zeigler, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), was featured in Time magazine as a pioneer in agriculture. The article commended Zeigler's innovative research to improve rice yields. Click here to read the article.

Fellowships

Crawford Fund Fellowship Open for Nominations

The 2007 Crawford Fund Fellowship is now open to promising agricultural scientist below the age of 35 from a set group of developing countries. The Fellowship supports training at an Australian institution on the application of knowledge to increase agricultural production in the fellow's country of affiliation. Nomination forms and further information are available at www.crawfordfund.org

Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship 2008

Two Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship opportunities will be available in 2008 to carry out research on conservation and use of plant genetic resources. Applications are invited from developing-country nationals aged 35 or under, holding a masters degree (or equivalent) and/or doctorate in a relevant subject area. Full details on the Fellowship, including selection criteria and application procedures, are available at: http://www.bioversityinternational.org/About_Us/Fellowships/Vavilov-Frankel_Fellowship/index.asp#2008_Call_for_Application

Opportunities

2008 IFA Crop Nutrition Award

Each year, the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA)grants a Crop Nutrition Award for research that has led to significant advances in crop nutrition and been effectively communicated to farmers in the form of practical recommendations. The recipient of the Award will receive €10,000 at the IFA Annual Conference in Vienna, Austria, in May 2008. Any individual researcher involved in crop or soil science is eligible. Applications must be submitted by January 15, 2008. Visit the IFA website for further information: www.fertilizer.org

Conference on Food Security and Environmental Change

The Global Environmental Change and Food Systems (GECFS) is organizing a conference on Food Security and Environmental Change: Linking Science, Development and Policy for Adaptation, scheduled to take place April 2- 4, 2008, at the University of Oxford, UK. For further information: http://www.foodsecurity.elsevier.com/

Obituaries

Dr. Orville Page , one of the world's leading potato researchers, died on Aug. 4, 2007 in his native Canada. Page worked at the International Potato Center (CIP) from 1973-1985 as the first director of research and as the deputy director. Page is remembered for his contributions to expanded potato production in developing countries as a means of alleviating hunger. To read the obituary in the Globe and Mail, please click here.

Dr. Donald Lovelle Plucknett, Scientific Advisor to the CGIAR from 1980-1993, died on September 7, 2007. Among many other achievements, Plucknett is remembered for founding the International Society for Tropical Root Crops, developing practical methods for establishing and managing tropical pastures under the threat of severe weed invasion and declining soil fertility, and pioneering farming systems research.

Professor Jack Hawkes, the leading authority on the evolution and genetics of the potato, died on September 6, 2007. Between 1939 and 1981, Hawkes undertook more than a dozen potato-collecting expeditions to most countries in South America. His research resulted in understanding of the genetically complex relationship between potato species. One of his most useful results was finding genetic resistance to the golden nematode worm.