News Service

9-30-08

Agricultural ecologist Sir Gordon Conway will present Borlaug Lecture Oct. 13 at ISU

AMES, Iowa -- World renowned agricultural ecologist Sir Gordon Conway, one of the first to define the concept of sustainable agriculture, will present the seventh annual Norman Borlaug Lecture at Iowa State University on Monday, Oct. 13.

The lecture, "The Global Agricultural Crisis of the 21st Century," will be at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. A reception and student poster competition on world food issues will be held at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Oak Room. All events are free and open to the public.

Sir Gordon is chief scientific adviser to the United Kingdom's Department for International Development and president of the Royal Geographical Society. He is known for pioneering integrated pest management in Borneo in the 1960s, and later developing agroecosystems analysis in Thailand.

From 1970-1986, he was professor of environmental technology at Imperial College, London. During this period, Sir Gordon lived and worked in many countries in Asia and the Middle East. He then directed the sustainable agriculture program of the International Institute for Environment and Development in London before becoming representative of the Ford Foundation in New Delhi from 1988 to 1992. In 1992, he was named vice-chancellor of the University of Sussex and chair of the Institute for Development Studies. In 1998, Sir Gordon became president of The Rockefeller Foundation, a position he held until 2004.

Sir Gordon is author of "Unwelcome Harvest: Agriculture and Pollution," "The Doubly Green Revolution: Food for All in the 21st Century" and "Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All."

The annual lecture is named for Cresco, Iowa, native Norman Borlaug, the agronomist whose discoveries sparked the Green Revolution. He received the Nobel Peace Prize for his international work in wheat research and production, which has saved millions of lives. He is the founder of the World Food Prize, which annually recognizes the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. Iowa State University created this lecture series to be held annually in conjunction with World Food Prize events.

The Norman Borlaug Lecture is coordinated by Iowa State University's Nutritional Sciences Council and funded by the University Committee on Lectures (funded by the Government of the Student Body). The poster competition is sponsored by the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Sciences, and the Liberal Arts and Sciences.

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Quick look

7th annual Borlaug Lecture

Sir Gordon Conway

"The Global Agricultural Crisis of the 21st Century"

8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13

MU Great Hall

Reception and poster session:

7 p.m., Oak Room

Free and open to the public

The annual lecture is named for Cresco, Iowa, native Norman Borlaug, the agronomist whose discoveries sparked the Green Revolution. He received the Nobel Peace Prize for his international work in wheat research and production, which has saved millions of lives. He is the founder of the World Food Prize, and Iowa State University created this lecture series to be held annually in conjunction with World Food Prize events.