26th April 2010
There is a feeling of rejuvenation in the air with this issue of GCP News as we reveal the re-branding of a major GCP project and introduce you to new GCP staff members. We also celebrate the recent success of a GCP collaborator, report on key publications in both traditional print and in emerging social media, and update you on events from GCP, as well as activities and news from GCP’s wider circle of friends and partners.
Announcements
From GCP…
1. GCP’s MBP re-branded: the Integrated Breeding Platform is here!
As part of a re-branding strategy which commenced at the project launch workshop in February 2010, the project formerly carrying the working title of ‘Molecular Breeding Platform (MBP)’ will now be referred to as the ‘Integrated Breeding Platform (IBP)’. The new name is intended to more accurately describe the inclusive nature of the project, which covers much more than just molecular breeding. More
2. Key new staff on board at the Integrated Breeding Platform
In addition to a new name, GCP’s Integrated Breeding Platform is also to receive a major boost from the arrival of two new key staff, with Diego Gonzalez de Leon having been appointed Platform Manager, and Arllet Portugal Informatics Coordinator. Both Arllet and Diego are already on board and a-raring to go! More
3. More staff changes at GCP Headquarters
GCP Headquarters has welcomed two additional members of staff in recent months, with Fred Okono joining as Consultant for the Integrated Breeding Platform, and Mae Christine Maghirang taking up the post of Financial Analyst on a half-time basis. More
4. GCP collaborator receives prize for GIS tool
GCP collaborator Ernesto Giron has won fourth prize in the ‘ESRI 2010 Mashup Challenge’, a competition for geo-developers, for his development of a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) research tool for Drought Timing for Agronomic Screening. The tool is an international interactive soil map that indicates soil type, soil quality and climate patterns in a specified area, and its agricultural capabilities with respect to potential drought conditions. More
5. GCP research highlighted in key academic journals
GCP research has hit the press on various fronts recently, with results from GCP-funded projects featuring in renowned academic journals. Accessing Genetic Diversity for Crop Improvement was published in Current Opinion in Plant Biology and explores GCP’s use of ‘core reference sets’ as a means of facilitating material sharing within the scientific community. Collaborators of a capacity-building project under SP5 have published two papers on their work on molecular tools for controlled introduction of genes from wild groundnut into domesticated varieties in Senegal. More
6. GCP-funded project hits social media: Interactive Resource Center & Helpdesk now on Facebook!
Thanks to the innovative thinking of project Principal Investigator Theresa Fulton, the GCP-funded Interactive Resource Center & Helpdesk is steadily gaining an enthusiastic fan base following its recent launch into the social media scene through the establishment of a ‘Facebook’ page dedicated entirely to the centre and helpdesk. More
7. Challenge Initiative launch meetings and other GCP events: Full steam ahead!
GCP staff and collaborators alike continue to feel the thrust of an events calendar positively brimming with activities in this first half of 2010. To sum up on recent and forthcoming GCP events:
Recent events
- Rice Challenge Initiative launch meeting, 13–15 April, Agropolis–CIRAD, Montpellier, France. More
Forthcoming events
- Data Management workshop, 11–13 May 2010, Eldoret, Kenya
- Comparative Genomics Challenge Initiative launch meeting, 14–15 May 2010, Eldoret, Kenya
- GCP Sorghum Challenge Initiative launch meeting, 14–15 May 2010, Eldoret, Kenya
- Workshop on Data Management for Plant Breeding, 31 May–5 June 2010, Zaragoza, Spain
- Workshop on Data Analysis for Plant Breeding, 7–11 June, 2010, Zaragoza, Spain
- Cassava Challenge Initiative launch meeting, 20–24 July, Kumasi, Ghana (dates and venue tentative).
For more details on these and other upcoming events, please visit our GCP Events calendar webpage
…and a glimpse into news and events from GCP’s network of partners
News and resources
1. Outcomes from ABDC-10 conference now available
A full report has now been released on the major outcomes of the recent Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) conference on Biotechnologies in developing countries: Options and opportunities in crops, forestry, livestock, fisheries and agro-industry to face the challenges of food insecurity and climate change (ABDC-10). The conference was held in Guadalajara, Mexico, from 1–4 March 2010. More
2. More vitamin A from maize?
A press release from GCP partner HarvestPlus unveils the recent discovery by scientists of rare variations of the maize gene crtRB1 which, in an academic research setting, show potential for generating an 18-fold increase in the beta-carotene content of maize. Beta-carotene is converted by the body into vitamin A. More
Upcoming events
3. Third International Conference on Plant Molecular Breeding
- Dates: 5–9 September 2010
- Location: Beijing, China
- Early application deadline (for reduced fees): 30 April 2010
- Fellowship opportunities open to: participants from developing countries in Africa and Asia
- Target: Plant scientists with interest and/or background in molecular breeding
More
4. Reminder! 14th International Biotechnology Symposium
- Dates: 14–18 September 2010
- Location: Rimini, Italy
- Early application deadline (for reduced fees): 31 May 2010
- Target: Biotechnology professionals from different scientific disciplines
More
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