News from the PBS Section
Dannette Ward was featured in the March 30, 2009, issue of People Magazine as one of our nations “heroes” for bringing biotech education to students. Dannette works for Monsanto and has an interest in providing teachers and students with the tools to have a full appreciation for agriculture and biotechnology. Dannette is actively involved with biotech education at the Clyde C. Miller Career Academy in Saint Louis, the Saint Louis Community College and Future Farmers of America (FFA). The People Magazine article highlights her inspiring influence of students at the Clyde C. Miller Academy, which is an inner city school where she has initiated a FFA chapter. Dannette also started the biotech curriculum at Saint Louis Community College and has been asked to serve on a NSF panel designed to replicate this model in community colleges across the United States. She also is the person that initiated the “teacher’s lounge” at the FFA about five years ago whereby teachers receive the latest information and tools regarding biotech education for their classrooms. Literally, several hundred teachers each year stop by to see Dannette at the teacher’s lounge because of the valuable information she provides. Simply by doing the math, these teachers are bringing the latest in biotech education, thanks to Dannette, to nearly a quarter of a million students. Dannette is a hero and a great testimony to the quality of the membership within the Society for In Vitro Biology.
Submitted by David Songstad
Michael Kane has been invited to speak at Kew Gardens Centennial.
Professor Michael E Kane (Professor of Plant Restoration Conservation Biotechnology, University of Florida, USA) will be the keynote speaker on Frontiers of plant conservation technology. The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew is hosting a celebratory scientific conference from October 12-16, 2009. “Plant Conservation for the Next Decade: A Celebration of Kew’s 250th Anniversary 12-16 October 2009”
The conference will include three days of scientific sessions, showcasing Kew’s conservation research and inviting leading international research scientists to present papers on a variety of conservation themes including:
- Plant conservation: policies and politics
- Plant conservation: management and restoration
- Plant conservation and human cultures
- Plant conservation and agriculture
- Frontiers of plant conservation technology
- Plant conservation: what can we afford to lose?
Keynote speakers include Dr Joseph Cobbinah, Dr Saw Leng Guan, Professor Richard Hobbs, Professor Hongwen Huang, Professor Michael E Kane, Ms Sara Oldfield, Dr Peter Raven, Dr Judy West and Kew’s current and previous Directors Professor Stephen Hopper, Professor Sir Ghillean Prance and Professor Sir Peter Crane.
From: http://www.kew.org/science/anniversary-conference/
Scott L. Stewart, Ph.D. has accepted a position as Director of Horticulture & Agriculture Programs at Kankakee Community College in Kankakee, Illinois. As Director, Scott is serving as both chief administrator and primary faculty in the horticulture and agriculture programs. He is also overseeing the acquisition, design and construction of a teaching greenhouse and agriculture land lab facility, as well as serving as manager of the college’s existing three-hole golf course. Scott has also been charged with spearheading the development of a sustainable agriculture/small farms curriculum at the college.
Additionally, Scott has recently accepted a position as Associate Editor of the North American Native Orchid Journal, a peer-reviewed electronic publication of the North American Native Orchid Alliance. In this role, he welcomes the submission of quality manuscripts on all aspects of North American Orchidaceae–ecology, propagation, seed germination, pollination biology, taxonomy & nomenclature, distribution, and travel narratives. Scott is continuing his research collaborations with Michael Kane, Ph.D. (University of Florida) and Lawrence Zettler, Ph.D. (Illinois College) investigating the ecology, propagation, pollination biology, and conservation of Orchidaceae throughout the Americas.
Scott can be reached by e-mail at sstewart@kcc.eduand by mail at Kankakee Community College, 100 College Drive, Kankakee, IL 60901.
Scott L. Stewart, Ph.D.
Director of Horticultural & Agricultural Programs
Kankakee Community College
100 College Drive
Kankakee, IL 60901
Phone: 815-802-8859
Web: www.kcc.edu
Invitation to join a new Blog
Monsanto has started a blog not too long ago and I wanted to bring this to your attention. Please consider this an invitation to connect with the blog, read what has been presented and reply to a message or post something new related to plant biotechnology. We are seeing a fair amount of activity and would like to get the word out about this. For those of you that have students, please share this with them also.
http://blog.monsantoblog.com/
Dave Songstad
