A gift of $150,000 from Pioneer Hi-Bred International will establish the Pioneer Hi-Bred Graduate Fellowship in Seed Science at Iowa State University.

"The U.S. seed industry is the finest in the world and this gift will help attract future leaders to the industry. This will help maintain our worldwide leadership in food safety and security by making quality seeds available to farmers," said Manjit Misra, director of the Seed Science Center at Iowa State.

The gift is part of a $1 million fundraising effort to establish endowed graduate fellowships in Seed Science. The project is a joint initiative between the Iowa Seed Association and Iowa State University Foundation. The goal of the campaign is to build an endowment that will provide eight quarter-time graduate assistantships that prepare students to manage seed research.

Greg Lamka, manager in supply logistics with Pioneer Hi-Bred International and an Iowa Seed Association board member, presented the gift to Catherine Woteki, dean of the College of Agriculture.

"This gift is very much appreciated and will be instrumental in attracting the best students to work in seed science," Woteki said.

The Seed Science Center will identify, recruit and retain the graduate scholars, whose main research focus will center on seed issues. The students may enroll in agronomy, agricultural engineering, plant pathology, horticulture, economics, entomology or other departments in the College of Agriculture.

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of DuPont, is the world's leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers, and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics, crop protection solutions and quality crop systems to customers in nearly 70 countries.