La Jolla, California
November 11, 2002

Dr. Stephen Goff, director of Genome Technology, has been named Research Leader of the Year by Scientific American magazine -- the noted magazine's first list recognizing contributions from the past year to science and technology providing a vision of a better future.

Sharing the honor of Research Leader of the Year with Steve Goff are Huanming Yang of Beijing Genomics Institute and Jun Yu of University of Washington Genome Center. Working in separate teams, the researchers achieved breakthroughs in mapping the genome of rice, the world's most widely consumed food staple. Armed with the genome maps of Goff, Yang and Yu, scientists should be able to breed or engineer rice with greater resistance to disease, drought, and pests.

"We join Scientific American in applauding Steve Goff for his work on mapping the rice genome," said David Lawrence, Syngenta head of Research & Technology. "Steve's work will make a significant contribution to producing more and better food for a growing population."

"Scientific American's editors wanted to recognize some of the most outstanding visionaries who are advancing technology and guaranteeing a brighter future for all of us," said Scientific American Editor-in-Chief John Rennie.

Selected by the magazine's Board of Editors, the Scientific American 50 spotlights a Business Leader of the Year and a Research Leader of the Year, in addition to citing accomplishments in the following categories: Agriculture, Chemicals & Materials, Communications, Computing, Defense, Energy, Environment, Manufacturing, Medical Diagnostics, Medical Treatments, Transportation and General Technology. Each category recognizes a Business Leader, Policy Leader, Company Leader and Research Leader.

Announced today, the Scientific American 50 makes its debut in the magazine's December issue, appearing on newsstands November 18. The complete list may also be accessed after November 11 on the magazine's website as www.sciam.com. 

Founded in 1845, editorial contributors to Scientific American have included over 100 Nobel laureates, among them Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr, Francis Crick, Stanley Prusiner and Harold Varmus. Scientific American, Inc. is a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, a U.S. Subsidiary of Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH, a privately held international media corporation operating in more than 40 countries. In addition to Scientific American, Holtzbrinck Publishers includes the book publishing houses Farrar, Straus & Giroux; W.H.Freeman; Henry Holt and Company; St. Martin's Press and Tor; the academic scholarly publishing company Palgrave U.S.; the College Publishing Group of Bedford Freeman Worth; and the distribution company VHPS.

Syngenta (NYSE: SYT) is a world-leading agribusiness. The company ranks first in crop protection, and third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2001 were approximately US $6.3 billion. Syngenta employs more than 20,000 people in over 50 countries. The company is committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative Research and Technology. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange and in London, New York and Stockholm.