Ames, Iowa
October 8, 2008
Iowa State University's
Seed Science
Center is opening a 5,000-square-foot addition with a
dedication ceremony at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 14 at the
corner of Wallace Drive and Osborn Road on the Iowa State
campus.
The keynote speaker at the ceremony will be Namanga Ngongi,
president of the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa, a
Gates Foundation partnership working across the African
continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their
families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger.
The $2 million expansion was made possible by an anonymous gift
and will provide space for laboratories, staff and student
offices, conference rooms and spaces for visiting scientists.
The addition will attract visiting researchers and permanent
scientists to work at the center.
The Seed Science Center is already the largest comprehensive
public seed laboratory in the United States and conducts tests
that ensure the successful export of hundreds of millions of
dollars worth of seed each year from the United States.
Now, the center will have even more global appeal.
 "This
new addition will have the effect of taking Iowa State to the
world, and bringing the world to Iowa State," said Manjit Misra
(photo), director of the Seed Science Center and professor of
agricultural and biosystems engineering.
"One thing that is clear is that seed is very central to modern
agriculture. We have so many exciting activities in food, fuel
and fiber, and the world needs it," said Misra. "And seed is
critical to making this happen."
The expansion will also be home to the Biosafety Institute for
Genetically Modified Agricultural Products (BIGMAP).
BIGMAP provides science-based analysis of the risks and benefits
of genetically modified plant and animal products. It also
provides guidance and education to help safeguard consumers and
the environment.
The addition to the center is constructed to allow leading seed
and biosafety researchers worldwide to work together on global
issues.
"We are creating a facility where we will attract high-quality
people and focus their energies on solving global problems,"
said Misra.
Private support to this project was made during Campaign Iowa
State: With Pride and Purpose, the university's $800 million
comprehensive fundraising campaign. |
|
