AMES, Iowa – The Graduate Program in Seed Technology and Business (STB), housed at the Iowa State University (ISU) Seed Science Center (SSC), is sponsoring a free week of virtual webinars addressing current special topics in seed systems, science, and technology. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the decision was made to cancel the annual November STB on-campus short course in Seed Science and Technology. While this means the popular weeklong short course won’t be conducted in person, the program leaders decided to create these live, interactive webinars for seed industry professionals. The best part – it is all completely free of charge and you don’t have to be an enrolled ISU student to participate.
“It’s much more challenging now to offer in-person workshops, but we really didn’t want to lose the chance to continue with educational opportunities for the industry,” said Professor Gary Munkvold, STB Program Director. “I’m really pleased with the creativity and enthusiasm of our staff and the speakers that made this series come together very quickly.”
The webinar sessions are being facilitated by some of the most respected seed experts and scientists in the industry. The webinar sessions topics include: what you need to know about phytosanitary certification for moving seed across borders; the latest in CRISPR genome editing technology; plant biotechnology regulations; innovations in improved crop production; new plant science technologies for seed companies; current technologies in seed sorting; and lab testing for hemp and cover crops.
“We have a nice mixture of seed industry scientists and Seed Science Center faculty and staff; all have extensive experience in one or more aspects of seed technology that are important to the industry today.” Munkvold said. “The sessions differ in their focus, so each one might appeal to a different segment of seed professionals, depending on their current job and goals.”
STB program leaders say they hope to be back next year to continue the on-campus, hands-on short course, but until then they invite anyone who is interested to join virtually starting at 11:00 am (CST), Monday, November 2nd, and continuing through Friday, November 6th. Please see the complete schedule of virtual webinar sessions below.
“You only need to register once to have access to the entire week of incredible sessions, with industry renowned seed science and technology experts” said Lori Youngberg, STB Program Coordinator. “We are really excited about bringing seed industry professionals together for these webinars and look forward to “seeing” everyone in November.
About the Seed Science Center: The Seed Science Center at Iowa State is a center of excellence nationally and internationally in seed research, education, technology transfer and international seed programs.
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Contacts:
Lori Youngberg, Seed Science Center, lyoung@iastate.edu
Cindy Robertson, Seed Science Center, cindyr@iastate.edu
Gary Munkvold, Seed Science Center, munkvold@iastate.edu
Schedule:
Monday, November 2, 2020
11am
Phytosanitary Certification for International Seed Movement: Past and Future
Greg Lamka, PhD
1pm
Seed Health Testing to Meet New Phytosanitary Challenges
Gary Munkvold, PhD
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
11am
CRISPR Genome-Editing as a Modern Breeding Technology: How do we do it?
Kan Wang, PhD
1pm
Plant Biotechnology Regulations: Past and Future
Keri Carstens, PhD
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
11am
Revolutions and Changes Underpinning Improved Crop Production: Are we equipped for the future?
Stephen Smith, PhD
1pm
New Plant Science Technologies: What does it mean to Seed Companies and their Customers?
Dave Langer, MS
Thursday, November 5, 2020
1pm
Optical Sorting: Current Technology vs. Traditional Separation Techniques
Alan Gaul, MS
Friday, November 6, 2020
11am
Lab Testing to Reflect Current Needs: Industrial Hemp and Cover Crops
Mike Stahr, MS
1pm
Interaction Between Seeds and their Environment
Susana Goggi, PhD