An exciting program is in place for the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC 2014) from October 5–8 at TCU Place in Saskatoon SK, hosted by Ag-West Bio.
This year’s program brings 44 high-calibre speakers from around the world to Saskatoon.
Topics at ABIC 2014 are diverse, ranging from regulations to emerging technologies, including presentations by researchers working on novel innovations such as 3-D printing of food and genetically modified mosquitoes that combat dengue fever.
The 15 keynote presentations by world-renowned bioscience experts include Ingo Potrykus, inventor of vitamin A enhanced Golden Rice; Nina Fedoroff, past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Roger Beachy, founding CEO of Saskatoon’s Global Institute for Food Security and current Executive Director of the World Food Center at University of California, Davis.
Julie Borlaug, Associate Director of External Relations at the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture will present a public forum that focuses on fighting for food security through agricultural innovation entitled “Continuing the Borlaug Legacy into the Next Century.” Julie is the granddaughter of Norman Borlaug “Father of the Green Revolution,” and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Canadian speakers include award-winning pulse breeder Albert Vandenberg; Andrew Potter, Director of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre; Robert Lamb, the new CEO of the Canadian Light Source; and Howard Wheater, Director of the Global institute for Water Security.
Each of the four days of ABIC 2014 will focus on a different theme: Global Challenges and Issues related to Agricultural Productivity; Innovation for Global Food Security; Strategies for Agriculture Innovation; and Leadership for Successful Innovation.
Wilf Keller, Chair of the ABIC Foundation and Ag-West Bio’s President and CEO, says “The ABIC 2014 themes were chosen to reflect the most prevalent questions within the industry, such as, how can the biosciences mitigate some of the predicted challenges?” He adds that science will play a greater role than ever in creating solutions as climate change creates unstable weather patterns and the global population continues to grow.
The full program with speaker biographies can be viewed at www.abic.ca/abic2014
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