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March 2010 E-News

Educational Opportunities
Highlights

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

UC Davis Plant Breeding Academysm Class III – September, 2010
UC Davis is currently accepting applications for the Plant Breeding Academy III (PBA) scheduled to begin in September at UC Davis. The program is aimed toward assistant breeders, seed production personnel, line breeders and trait integration personnel, etc. that lack the academic background needed to advance as breeders. The program, which is not crop specific, teaches the basics of plant breeding, genetics, and statistics through lectures, discussion, and field trips to public and private breeding programs. This certificate course has less breadth, but more depth than a Masters degree in Plant Breeding. 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.  Class size is limited to 20 to ensure good interaction with over ½ of the positions already filled. For more information or to apply, go to pba.ucdavis.edu.

HIGHLIGHTS

European Plant Breeding Academysm Celebrates the Arrival of Participants to the UC Davis Campus
A new class of plant breeding students arrived on the UC Davis campus and the Seed Biotechnology Center celebrated their arrival with a reception on Sunday, March 7th.  A group of 14 participants from Israel, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Spain, France and Thailand kicked off their two-year program with week one (1) on the UC Davis campus. Following the first session, participants will be meeting throughout Europe over the course of the program to study under experienced researchers and professionals enhancing their knowledge of the industry. This group will advance their knowledge in plant breeding, genetics and statistics through lectures, discussions and site visits in California and four countries in Europe. Sessions include visits to both public and private plant breeding programs. This first European Academy signifies the commitment of UC Davis and the Plant Breeding Industry to meet the growing demands of the industry and need for quality trained professionals.

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 Mike Isolahti from Boreal Plant Breeding Ltd. in Finland.
More information on this course can be found here.

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.

Breeding with Molecular Markers program attracts more than 55 professionals to UC Davis
The SBC offered its fourth Breeding with Molecular Marker course last month at UC Davis. A diverse range of participants, including some from overseas, learned and discussed the application and integration of molecular markers into their plant breeding programs. This two-day intensive course was taught by experienced academic and industry professions including Allen Van Deynze, Richard Michelmore, Jorge Dubcovsky and Hamid Ashrafi (UC Davis), David Francis (The Ohio State University), Michael Lohuis (Monsanto Co.), Edie Paul (Geneflow) and Gene Hookstra (Eurofins/STA Laboratories). In addition to lectures, two breakout sessions on parental selection/population development with markers and geneflow using a hands-on computer demonstration completed the course.

SBC has a new website!
The Center has a fresh new website! This updated look and layout make it easier to find information.  Events, Education, Research, Outreach and Publications continue to be highlighted.  Take a look at our Faculty Experts guide to find UC Davis experts who may be able to help you with your research needs.  In addition, find out who our Advisory Council members are as well as some of current projects highlighted on the homepage.  We want this site to be as useful as possible for those looking for information, so please contact Donna with any comments and feedback.

If you would like to add a contact, or remove a contact to the Seed Biotechnology Center Enews distribution, please send a request to dlvandolah@ucdavis.edu. Thank you.
 
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