Photo taken February 19, 2019 at the Argentinian Cooperative Association. In the photo is soybean breeder Lucas Salas (ACA), Dr. Gary Munkvold , Erica (ACA), and Antonio Ivancovich (Universidad Nacional de Noroeste Buenos Aires)
An Iowa State University Seed Science Center (ISU-SSC) professor is currently at the National University of Northwest Buenos Aires in Pergamino, Argentina, working on soybean disease research. Dr. Gary Munkvold, a professor of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at ISU-SSC, was chosen as a Fulbright Specialist, a program operated by the U.S. Department of State. He left February 10 and will return to Iowa on March 15.
“Many of the same diseases are important in both countries, although we don’t know how much diversity is in the pathogen populations in Argentina vs. the U.S.,” said Dr. Munkvold. “I’ll also be giving presentations at the university and at soybean disease workshops in several locations around central Argentina.”
The specialist program’s objective is to pair U.S. academics and professionals with international host institutions to share expertise, strengthen institutional linkages, learn new skills, and learn about other cultures while building capacity at the overseas host institutions.
As a designated Fulbright Specialist, Munkvold could also be assigned to other projects in the future, leading to even better international collaboration and learning opportunities for the ISU-SSC.