Ames, Iowa
October 29, 2004
The Monsanto Graduate Fellowship in Global Seed Policy and
Regulations will benefit graduate students in the College of
Agriculture who are conducting research on issues related to
global or domestic seed policies, including protection of
intellectual property rights.
"Monsanto's commitment to graduate education at Iowa State
is an investment in the future of the seed industry," said
Manjit Misra, director of the Seed Science Center, which
will administer the fellowship. "The new fellowship will
help us prepare our students to address important policy
issues affecting the most critical part of our agriculture
and food supply - the seed."
"We're committed to helping students of diverse backgrounds
pursue advanced education in seed science and seed-related
science policy," said Ted Crosbie, Vice President of Global
Plant Breeding at Monsanto. "We are hopeful the fellowship
will play a positive role in preparing Iowa State graduates
for careers as leaders and professionals in the seed
industry."
"We're grateful for Monsanto's support of education of our
students in agricultural sciences," said Catherine Woteki,
dean of the College of Agriculture. "The Seed Science Center
is uniquely qualified to train graduate students in these
issues. For many years, the center has diligently pursued
introducing science into policy to the benefit of
international trade."
The Monsanto gift is part of a fundraising initiative led by
the Iowa Seed Association to raise $1 million to support
Iowa State graduate students. The Monsanto gift brings the
total amount raised to $780,000.
The Seed Science Center is home to the world's largest
public seed testing laboratory, conducting tests on more
than 300 species. The lab's seed health testing is key to
the annual export of millions of dollars of American seed.
As the administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
National Seed Health System, the center works to standardize
tests for seed diseases.
The Seed Science Center in the College of Agriculture is
part of the Plant Sciences Institute at Iowa State
University. More than 200 faculty from the Colleges of
Agriculture, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Family and Consumer
Sciences and Engineering conduct research in nine centers of
the institute.
Monsanto's gift was made through the ISU Foundation, a
private, nonprofit corporation dedicated to securing and
stewarding gifts and grants that benefit Iowa State
University. The gift comes from Monsanto funds earmarked for
educational purposes and received through pre-litigation
settlements of seed patent infringement matters.
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality.
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