07-28-06

World Food Prize winner Swaminathan to speak at Iowa State Aug. 3

AMES, Iowa -- Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, recipient of the first World Food Prize for his scientific leadership in the "green revolution," will present a seminar at Iowa State University, Aug. 3.

Swaminathan's seminar, "From a Green to an Ever-green Revolution," will be at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, in room 1148 Gerdin Building. A reception will follow at 3 p.m. Both are free and open to the public.

Swaminathan is chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, a Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Chennai, India. He was an architect of the 1960s "green revolution" that helped India produce enough food to meet its needs and prevented large-scale famine in several developing countries. A plant geneticist, Swaminathan helped produce rice and wheat varieties that yielded a higher amount of grain and led to increased crop production in countries around the world. Time magazine named him one of the 20 most influential Asians of the 20th century.

Swaminathan will be at Iowa State to receive an honorary degree during the university's commencement ceremony Saturday, Aug. 5. While here, he also will tour campus and visit several Iowa farms.

Swaminathan's seminar is sponsored by the Institute for Food Safety and Security and the College of Agriculture. For more information, contact Gail Stecker (515) 294-4781 or gstecker@iastate.edu.

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