Plant Breeding Academy Students Complete First Year
Class II of the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy began instruction in September of 2008 and has just completed the first half of the course. Students in this second PBA class come to Davis from seven states in the U.S. and nine foreign countries. The two-year course provides an opportunity for companies to invest in employees who are currently involved in breeding programs, but who desire further formal instruction in genetics, statistics, and plant breeding theory. PBA Class III will begin in September of 2010. Applications are available now at http://pba.ucdavis.edu.
UC Davis Establishes European Plant Breeding Academy
Building on the success of the Plant Breeding Academy (PBA) in the United States, the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center is partnering with European companies, institutions and associations to offer the European Plant Breeding Academy, scheduled to start in March 2010. Like its U.S. counterpart, the European Plant Breeding Academy addresses the increased global demand for plant breeders by helping working professionals become fully trained plant breeders. Participants will meet in five countries for six, six-day sessions over two years. The instructors are internationally recognized experts in plant breeding and seed technology. One of the lead instructors will be Idy van Leeuwen, the owner of the Dutch education company Breedwise, a highly respected plant breeding and seed technology instructor who works with private companies and institutions in The Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe. The European sessions will be held in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands; Angers, France; Barcelona, Spain and Gatersleben, Germany. The first and last sessions will be held in Davis, California. Cooperating partners include the European Seed Association in Belgium; Vegepolys in France; Seed Valley and Naktuinbouw in The Netherlands; the Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics and the Spanish Plant Breeders Association in Spain; and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research and the German Plant Breeders Association in Germany. More information and applications are available at http://pba.ucdavis.edu/The_European_Plant_Breeding_Academy You may also contact Joy Patterson at jpatterson@ucdavis.edu, (530)752-4414.
Breeding with Molecular Marker Course Set for February
The SBC is offering its fourth Breeding with Molecular Marker course on February 16-17, 2010, at UC Davis Buehler Alumni Center. This course is designed for professional plant breeders who want to learn or expand their knowledge on when and how to incorporate molecular markers into their breeding programs. It is also appropriate for lab professionals who want to learn how their work may be applied. The course focuses on current marker technologies, quantitative trait loci, marker-assisted selection, appropriate population structures and sizes and quality control. The second day will host a hands-on workshop on how to analyze marker data with phenotypic data in breeding programs. The course is taught by experienced academic and industry professionals. Enrollment details will be coming soon. For more information, contact Jeannette Martins at jmartins@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-4984.
Questions? Comments? Contact Donna Van Dolah at 530-752-2159 or dlvandolah@ucdavis.edu