May 2010 E-News

Educational Opportunities
Highlights

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy Class III – September, 2010
Apply now for Class III of the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy.  Space is limited!  A number of applicants have already been selected for this premier training program which is targeted toward working professionals and provides in-depth postgraduate education in plant breeding.  The program, which is not crop specific, teaches the basics of plant breeding, genetics, and statistics through a balance of classroom instruction, workshops, and site visits to plant breeding programs.

Employers appreciate the opportunity to provide their valued employees advanced training without disrupting their full-time employment. Participants attend six 6-day sessions over 22 months. The instructors are internationally recognized experts in plant breeding and seed technology.  For more information or to apply, go to pba.ucdavis.edu.

Plant Breeding Academy for Europe First Session is a Success
On Monday March 8th, the first session of the European program for the Plant Breeding Academy began on the UC Davis campus.  Created on the model of the highly successful Plant Breeding Academy, the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center established a program to serve plant breeding companies and institutions in Europe. The European program will be held in five countries over 21 months.  Each of the course’s six sessions is six days in length.  The first session was held in Davis, California with the remaining five sessions to be held in Angers, France; Enkhuizen, The Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain; Gatersleben, Germany, and the final at UC Davis. 

Academy partners in Europe include the European Seed Association, Vegepolys and French Seed Union 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, the German Plant Breeders Association in Germany. The integrated program will lead participants through basic and practical experiences in each location in genetics, statistics, and plant breeding, enabling participants to become professional plant breeders.

The 14 members of the inaugural class include:  Andreas Girke and Wilbert Luesink from Norddeutsche Pflanzenzucht Lembke (NPZ) in Germany, Bunterm Iamthian and Supat Mekiyanon from Chia Tai Co. in Thailand, Diego Ramos and Jose Maldonado from Monsanto in Spain, Guillermo Aqulla Tortosa and Marc Solsona from Semillas Fito in Spain, Dominique Rouan from Bayer CropSciences  in Belgium, Inga Kottmann from Deutsche Saatveredelung Ag in Germany, Liora Lifshitz from Zeraim Gedera Ltd. in Israel, Naama Barom Eliyahu from Hazera Genetics in Israel, Mathieu Sanvoisin from Syngenta in France, and Mika Isolahti from Boreal Plant Breeding Ltd. in Finland.  For more information on the Plant Breeding Academy USA program and European program please contact Allen Van Deynze avandeynze@ucdavis.edu or Joy Patterson at jpatterson@ucdavis.edu or visit http://pba.ucdavis.edu

HIGHLIGHTS

Seed Biotechnology Center Hires Rale Gjuric as Plant Breeding Academy Director
Following an international search, the University of California, Davis Seed Biotechnology Center (SBC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Rale Gjuric as the first Director of the Center’s Plant Breeding Academy.  Dr. Gjuric is currently the president and managing director of Haplotech Inc., a Canadian company that he founded specializing in technical and consulting services for plant breeding companies.  Dr. Gjuric received his Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba, Canada; his M.Sc. from the University of Novi Sad, Serbia; and his B.Sc. from the University of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Macedonia.  Previously, he held the positions of Breeding Manager of DL Seeds and Research and Managing Director of Deutsche Saatveredelung AG (DSV), Canada.  Dr. Gjuric is an accomplished plant breeder with 35 canola varieties released in the last 15 years. 

In announcing the appointment Dr. Kent Bradford, SBC Academic Director and Plant Science professor said, “We are very excited that Rale Gjuric will be joining us to lead the activities of the Plant Breeding Academy.  He has the perfect combination of talents and professional experiences to educate and inspire our plant breeding students from around the world.  His great breeding successes, business experience, connections in North America and Europe and his teaching abilities make him the ideal leader for the Plant Breeding Academy.”  Dr. Gjuric was actively involved with the planning of the new European Plant Breeding Academy, and he is also one of the two lead instructors in that program.

The Plant Breeding Academy currently has two courses in progress and is recruiting for its 4th class which will be held at UC Davis beginning September, 2010.  Dr. Gjuric will attend the International Seed Federation, May 31st-June 3rd in Calgary, Canada. To meet with him at ISF please contact him at (204) 688-5116 or rgjuric@ucdavis.edu.   Space is limited for the UC Davis class. Applications and further information can be obtained at http://pba.ucdavis.edu or by contacting Joy Patterson at jpatterson@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-4414.

Training needs for future plant breeders identified
Researchers at SBC helped complete an interactive Delphi study to determine the educational needs for future plant breeders. Graduates from plant breeding programs will need not only cutting-edge scientific knowledge and know-how to support this increasingly important part of the agricultural industry. To be productive plant breeders, they should also be equipped with strong critical thinking ability, as well as good inter-personal and time management skills, along with demonstrated proficiency of accomplishment. These conclusions were reached after surveying more than 200 experts in the field about the most important components of programs training students to be plant breeders. Experts from all over the world, at both universities and companies, participated in the study.

The experts recommended engaging students in a range of practical research and breeding experiences to build plant breeding skills. In addition, they emphasized the need for students to have experiences in communication, collaboration and teamwork. The compiled data will now help educators prepare high-quality breeders, while still working to retain the individual strengths of each particular university. By bringing a wide range of opinions into program development and curriculum design, students can be better prepared for the future. The SBC would like to thank Fred Bliss, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Plant Sciences, and Cary Trexler, Associate Professor in the College of Education, for their leadership and commitment to this project. For a more complete analysis, please see our website at http://sbc.ucdavis.edu.

SBC presents SeedQuest Keyword: Seed Biotechnologies
The Keyword Section of SeedQuest was increased this year by the addition of the Seed Biotechnologies category. The information provided in Seed Biotechnologies was created by the Seed Biotechnology Center. The Center greatly appreciates the generosity of our Advisory Council member and SeedQuest owner, Francois Korn. His contribution of this site as sponsored by the SBC has given our Center significant exposure to the global seed industry. The site is designed to provide concise explanations of the modern technologies utilized by the seed industry. The audience is members of the seed industry, news media and the public.  See http://www.seedquest.com.

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