Monday, August 81:00 - 3:30 p.m.
The 2011 Plenary Session will reflect the breadth and depth of APS and IAPPS as two leading scientific societies that focus on plant health. The session will feature speakers that have an international perspective on challenges and changes in plant health, and the global issues facing agriculture and in feeding a growing population. The speakers will examine issues in research, outreach, education, and funding that are impacting our science and efforts to address societal needs. The 2011 Plenary Session speakers include:
Roger BeachyFormer Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA and President Emeritus, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Roger Beachy was appointed by President Barack Obama as the first director of the new National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), a U.S. Department of Agriculture agency. Beachy, founding president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (DDPSC) in St. Louis, MO, joined the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), a USDA agency, in October 2010. The new agency awards competitive grants to fund research and technological innovations aimed at making agriculture more productive, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable. Beachy is also vice chair of the DDPSC’s Board of Trustees.
Elske van de FliertCo-Director, Center for Communication and Social Change, University of Queensland, Australia
Elske van de Fliert is Co-Director and Principal Research Fellow at the Centre for Communication and Social Change, The University of Queensland, Australia. She obtained a PhD in Communication and Innovation Studies from Wageningen University, The Netherlands, in 1993. Prior to joining UQ in 2006, Elske worked for the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the International Potato Centre and as a freelance consultant in a range of countries, mainly in Southeast Asia, in research, development and teaching positions. Her main research interests are in the areas of participatory development communication and impact assessment of sustainable rural development and social change.
Richard TapiaDirector, Center for Excellence and Equity in Education, Rice University, U.S.A.
Richard Tapia is a mathematician in Rice University’s Computational and Applied Mathematics Department who holds the rank of University Professor, the university’s highest academic title awarded to only six individuals in the university’s history. Among his many honors is his election to the National Academy of Engineering, the first Hispanic to receive this honor and honorary doctorates from Carnegie Mellon University, Colorado School of Mines, and Claremont Graduate University. Two professional conferences have been named in his honor: the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference and the Blackwell-Tapia Conference. Tapia served on the National Science Board from 1996-2002.
Robert ZeiglerDirector General, IRRI, U.S.A.
Robert Zeigler is an internationally recognized plant pathologist with more than 30 years of experience in agricultural research in the developing world. As director general, Dr. Zeigler is the chief executive officer of the International Rice Research Institute, an international nonprofit organization that undertakes research on all aspects of rice. IRRI's mission is to apply science to improve productivity of rice farming and thereby improve the well-being of rice producers and consumers worldwide. He also serves as a spokesperson on a wide range of issues that affect the rice economy. He is the founding chairman of the board of the IRRI Fund Singapore, an incorporated nonprofit charitable organization established to raise the profile of rice research and generate funding for it. He is the chairman of the board of directors of the Association of International Agricultural Research Centers (AIARC). He earned degrees at Cornell University, Oregon State University, and the University of Illinois (High Honors) and is an elected fellow of several international societies, including APS.