Global Programs: News & Events
Activity Report: March - April 2006
- Office of Global Programs Activities
- International Activities by CAES Department
- International Visitors
- Peanut CRSP Activities
Office of Global Programs Activities
On March 1st, Ed Kanemasu, Director of Global Programs and Vicki McMaken, Program Coordinator, were in Washington, DC to attend a NASULGC meeting focused on land-grant university participation in Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) activities. They also met with USDA – Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) officials on program development.
Certificate Students Abroad
Geoffrey Bailey working with TAMAR on Fernando de Noronha in Brazil |
Geoffrey Bailey is currently in Brazil completing a spring semester student exchange program at the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE) in Recife. Geoffrey’s program is sponsored by the FIPSE-funded Brazil-US Consortium on Agroecology. Geoffrey has gained national and internationalexperience working with sea turtles and has used his exchange as not onlya medium to learn Portugueseand delve into the rich culture that Brazil has to offer, but also to gain experience working with one of the largest and most well-organized sea turtle projects in the world, Projeto TAMAR. He has worked as an intern inPraia doForte in the state of Bahia and in Fernando de Noronha, an oceanic island approximately 360km off the coast of Brazil. His duties there includedleading nightly patrols with tourists in search of nesting green sea turtles, catching and tagging foraging juvenile sea turtles via snorkel and SCUBA, and giving lectures (in Portuguese) over the basic biology of the sea turtles of Brazil and the history, project goals, and achievements of Projeto TAMAR.
Travel Report for Ed Kanemasu
Roanoke – On March 7th and 8th, Ed Kanemasu, Director of Global Programs, represented Dr. David Lee, the official UGA representative to the Oak Ridge Affiliated Universities at theAnnual Council Meeting and ORCAS Workshop: Deemed Export Policy and Globalization of the University. The construction of new facilities at Oak Ridge was impressive.
The message was clear that research is global, and we compete internationally. Attendees were advised about the risks and compliance of deemed export controls at our institutions. Export controls include the transfer of not only material items but also information gathered by foreign nationals working or visiting our laboratories as graduate students, post docs, or simply visitors. The outcomes of deemed export control are; institutional compliance, proprietary research and research with national security restrictions and limited specific technologies, or countries of concern. Deemed export control does not apply to fundamental research. There were some educational exceptions but it was not clear what the scope of these were. Concerns were expressed about some international travel, visits by foreign nationals and the carrying of some items abroad. The bottom line was there needs to be an institutional official responsible for compliance to export controls.
Consortium for Internet Imaging & Database Systems (CIIDS)
On March 31 – April 5, The College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences hosted visitors from Guatemala representing the Ministry of Agriculture, SEPFIA-PARPA, PIPPA, and OIRSA. The purpose of the trip was to provide information and answer questions about the Distance Diagnostics system. Dr. Jean Walter, County Extension Coordinator, hosted the group at her home upon their arrival. Meetings were held with: the Consortium for Internet Imaging & Database Systems (CIIDS); Dr. Ed Kanemasu, Director of Global Programs; Mike Deom, and Phil Brannen, Associate Professors of Plant Pathology; Steve Nickerson, Department Head of Animal & Dairy Science; Rakesh Singh, Department Head of Food Science and Bill Hurst, Professor of Food Science; and several CAES Guatemalan graduate students. A dinner was held for our guests with CAES Dean Scott Angle and his wife Teresa Angle; Beverly Sparks, Assistant Dean for Extension; Wayne Parrot, Professor of Crop & Soil Sciences; and representatives of CIIDS and OGP.
The delegation included: Erasmo Sánchez Ruíz, Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food for the Petén Region; Manuel Francisco Cano Alvarado, Coordinator of Integrated Pest Management and Technology Transfer Project; Gustavo Mendizábal, Coordinator of the Norms and Regulations Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture; Rubén Darío Samayoa, Coordinator of Phytosanitary Protection Services and Food Safety-SEPFIA-PARPA; Jaime Leonel Sosa Lemus, Executive Director of Agricultural and Environmental and Integral Protection – PIPPA; Dr. Aníbal Menéndez, Guatemalan Representative to the International Regional Sanitary and Phytosanitary Organization (OIRSA); and, Sr. Pablo Morales Mejía, Administrative Coordinator of Finances for the Vice-Minister of Agriculture for the Petén Region.
This group arrived in Atlanta on March 31st and spent the weekend in Jasper/ Newton County with Dr. Jean Walter. The group then traveled to Athens, toured UGA and met with: Dr. Ed Kanemasu, Mike Deom, Don Hamilton and Catherine Davis, DDDI. The group was introduced to DDDI and explored the possibility of creating a DDDI system for Guatemala.
Travel Report for Dr. Carla Roncoli
Carla Roncoli, Assistant Research Scientist, traveled to Uganda from February 25 to April 8 for the project, “Field study on the effects of social interaction on the understanding and use of climate information by African farmers (Uganda).”
Kamukamu group |
The study is one of the field components of the NSF-funded Center for Research on Environmental Decisions at Columbia University. It is conducted by UGA in partnership with the Institute of Languages of Makerere University. The research site is located in Rakai District, in southern Uganda, an area affected by frequent droughts. Dr. Roncoli and her team are assisting the Department of Meteorology of Uganda in developing ways of translating and communicating seasonal rainfall forecast to local farmers.
Kirabo group |
The project supported the downscaling of the forecast for the upcoming rainy season and its dissemination to 9 farmers groups (a total of 67 women and 46 men). Sociolinguistic analysis of farmer discussions surrounding the forecast provides important insights into the social dimension of risk management, particularly how participatory processes may enhance farmers’ ability to understand and use climate information.
International Activity by CAES Department
Ag and Applied Economics
Wojciech J. Florkowski Hosts German Visitor
Dr. Lutz Laschewski from Rostock University, Germany, visited Dr. Wojciech J. Florkowski, Professor, on March 12 - 18. Dr. Laschewski's research focuses on effects of agricultural policy on rural communities and alternative production enterprises. He presented aseminar in Athens in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics on the European Union Agricultural Policy and its changes. Dr. Laschewski also visited organic growers in Butts and Douglas Counties. From UGA he traveled for a short visit to Auburn University.
Glenn Ames Hosts TIES Students
On March 17, TIES students, hosted by Glenn Ames, Director, International Public Service and Outreach, attending the University of Georgia visited three agribusiness locations in Atlanta to learn more about competition in the global import-export market.
TIES students, Saul Abarca, Katie Romero Leon, and Carmen Antonio Cruz |
The objective was to acquaint them with import-export business practices and to learn about Mexican fruits and vegetables in the southeastern market place. This address policy issues important to the agricultural diversification project addressing the alternative enterprises being promoted for marginal coffee producers in rural Veracruz.
Department of Animal and Dairy Science
Belgian Study Abroad Visitors
Dr. Dirk Fremaut and a group of 15 students visited the University of Georgia campus on March 22nd to learn about animal agriculture practices in the southern US. The group first met with Dr. Mike Lacy, Poultry Science Department Head, at the Poultry Research Center. They also visited Dr. Steven Stice, Animal and Dairy Sciences Professor, and graduate student Frank West, to discuss UGA animal cloning projects. Dr. Robert Dove, Associate Professor, ADS also met with the group to discuss the swine industry in Georgia.
Dr. Joseph Bertrand Hosts Guests from Brazil in April
Dr. Luiz da Silva and Dr. Roborto Torres, EMBRAPA beef cattle, Campo Grande, Brazil, were guests in the lab of Dr. Joseph Bertrand, Professor, in April. They looked at collaboration in the area of genetics of beef cattle genetics.
Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department
Bill Tollner Presents Pond Workshop in Santiago, D.R.
Dr. Bill Tollner, Professor, along with cooperators Suyapa Meyer and Dan Meyer conducted a pond design workshop in Santiago, Dominican Republic on April 9 - 11.
Dan and Suyapa Meyer and Dr. Bill Tollner at Instituto Superior De Agricultura, the University where the workshop was held. |
Twenty-eight professionals learned to assess watershed capability to supply water, pond water budget analyses and an economic assessment. Participants learned how to use pond design models in an excel format that they could take home for their use. The event was organized by the Zamorano Alumni Association in the Dominican Republic and funded by the Pond Dynamics CRSP.
Risse Hosts Chinese Scientists
Cao Lulin, Wu Chengjian, Ed Kanemasu, Mark Risse, Shen Genziang, Vicki McMaken. |
Mark L. Risse, Professor, hosted several members of the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences (SAES) April 19 -22. Shen Genxiang of the SAES and Cao Lulin, SAES president, discussed research and teaching opportunities with various UGA faculty and staff members. They were joined by Wu Chengjian of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, which oversees the academy.
The SAES scientists were seeking ways to partner with others to find solutions for problems facing both China and the United States. SAES and UGA may be able to collaborate in ecological planning, applied ecology and ecotoxicology. Specifically, they'd like to partner on: agricultural and animal waste treatment and use, agricultural nonpoint-source pollution modeling and control, wastewater biological treatment and solutions, bioenergy production and sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural technologies and systems. Risse and other UGA researchers are dedicated to helping China and UGA find answers together.
Entomology
Dr. Paul Guillebeau Evaluates the Future of Agriculture
Dr. Paul Guillebeau |
Dr. Paul Guillebeau, Professor and IPM/Pesticide Coordinator, was invited to be a member of The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), an international body evaluating the future of agriculture. The group is preparing a report addressing the scientific knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to meet global needs fifty years from now. They have had two meetings thus far: Washington DC (2005) and Paris (2006). The authors will meet next in Ireland (June 2006). The end result will be a publication that national and international leaders can use to develop agricultural policy to address the needs of a global society in the next fifty years. More information is available at http://www.agassessment.org/.
International Visitors
Dr. Ignacy Misztal Hosts Visitors from Denmark and Czech Republic
Dr. Lars Damgaard, Agricultural Research Institute, Foulum, Denmark, and Dr. Josef Pribyl, Animal Science Institute, Prague, Czech Republic, visited the lab of Dr. Ignacy Misztal, Professor, in April. Dr. Damgaard gave a seminar on survival models and discussed methodologies applicable to sow survival in pigs and fertility in dairy cattle. Dr. Pribyl gave a seminar on growth of bulls at test stations, and worked on a joint project of longitudinal models applied to growth in beef cattle at test stations. Dr. Pribyl was also a guest at the ADS student award banquet.
IHEM Representatives Visit UGA
On March 22nd, Abdoullah Coulibaly, President of the Institut des Hautes Etudes en Management (IHEM), located in Bamako, Mali visited UGA. He was accompanied by Paul Chandler, Director of the English language program at IHEM and Vince Farley, Consultant on African Affairs. The visitors met with representatives from the Terry College of Business and the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences to discuss possible collaboration.
Malian Minister of Agriculture Representative Visits UGA
On March 27th and 28th, Hanthé Diarra, Ingenieur of Agriculture and Rural Development and representative of the Minister of Agriculture in Mali visited UGA to discuss the potential for collaboration in agricultural projects in Mali. Mr. Diarra was accompanied by Vince Farley, Consultant on African Affairs. While on the Athens campus, Mr. Diarra met with CAES Dean Scott Angle, IPSO Director Glenn Ames, CSS Professor Wayne Parrot, and ADS Department Head Steve Nickerson. Mr. Diarra and Mr. Farley were hosted by the Office of Global Programs.
Jean Kallerhoff of ENSAT in Toulouse, France Visits UGA
On April 27th and 18th, Jean Kallerhoff of the Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Toulouse (ENSAT) visited the UGA Athens and Griffin campuses. ENSAT is a part of the Institut National Polytechnique of Toulouse (INPT) and has many programs that correspond with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UGA. The main purpose of Mme. Kallerhoff’s visit was to discuss the possibility of developing collaborative student programs with UGA such as internships, exchanges and joint degrees.
Peanut CRSP Activities
CRSP scientists at a plot of a recently released peanut variety. |
In March and April, Tim Williams, Senior Research Scientist for the Office of Global Programs, developed and submitted a program extension proposalfor $ 2.7 million to cover activities for the next 15 months. This required supplementary work plans for each project and budgets to match that activity.
He also participated in the AMA RFA conference in Washington DC. Williams traveled to Bolivia for discussions with ANAPO and the USAID mission there. The CRSP project in Bolivia has achieve great results; with our partners now being designated the national center for peanuts. In the USA a variety with multiple diseases resistances derived from Bolivian germplasm is being prepared for release to farmers; companion varieties have been released in Bolivia.
Williams joined a team from the Fullbelly Project (www.fullbellyproject.org) in making a presentation to President Carter about the Concrete Peanut Sheller that was developed by Jock Brandis in North Carolina. The presentation is now being extended in many countries, particularly the Philippines and Uganda.
Williams spent a lot of time in March and April coordinating the CRSP programs and researching the Title XII legislation and USAID policy documents to be able to address differences of opinion relating to the management of these programs.