Urbana, Illinois and St. Louis,
Missouri
April 16, 2008
The
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I) and
Monsanto Company have
established the Monsanto Fellows in Plant Breeding Fund. The new
fund will finance graduate fellowship students pursuing doctoral
degrees in plant breeding at the U of I's Plant Breeding Center
in order to provide support for students working toward future
careers in plant breeding.
"These funds will allow us to markedly increase the number of
graduate students being trained in plant breeding," said Bob
Hoeft, head of Department of Crop Sciences at the U of I. "This
comes at a crucial time in history when there is a very high
demand for new plant breeders in private industry."
Hoeft noted that these newly trained breeders are needed to
develop lines that will increase yield to meet the increased
world demand for food, feed, and now fuel. These new lines must
also utilize natural resources more efficiently and be
friendlier to the environment.
The Monsanto Fellowships will be awarded to eight PhD students
conducting research projects developed jointly with Monsanto in
the area of germplasm enhancement of agronomic and horticultural
crops.
As part of the agreement, Monsanto may offer students accepting
fellowships the opportunity to interact directly with Monsanto
scientists and gain valuable experience in a corporate research
environment through internship programs.
"Plant breeding is an integral part of Monsanto's commitment as
an agricultural company to provide yield enhancements for
farmers through technology," said Ted Crosbie, Monsanto's vice
president of global plant breeding. "The establishment of this
fund will hopefully help University of Illinois graduates
prepare for careers as leaders and professionals in the plant
breeding industry."
The University of Illinois' plant breeding program is housed in
the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
which ranks among the 10 best in the United States, due in part
to world-renowned achievements relating to breeding and genetic
research.
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality.
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