News Release

Feb. 22, 2016-The Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) is sending ten graduate students to Zambia to learn more about dry bean research and increase international knowledge of this important crop. CSSA worked in collaboration with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Feed the Future’s Knowledge-Driven Agricultural Development (KDAD) project to select and fund the students.

All three groups are celebrating 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (IYP), as declared by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Pulses are dry beans, peas, and lentils.

CSSA is sending the students to the PanAfrican Grain Legume Conference and World Cowpea Conference, held February 28 – March 4, in Livingston, Zambia (http://gl2016conf.iita.org/).

“We are honored to grant these students the travel awards,” says Mark Brick, leader of CSSA’s IYP team. “Collaborating with USAID and KDAD was a natural fit. The world will benefit from having more trained scientists knowledgeable about pulses, and the latest in research efforts.”

Winners of the competitive CSSA-USAID travel grants are:

Md Nurul Amin, Washington State University

Brijesh Angira, Texas A&M University

Lance Goettsch, Iowa State University

Jamin Smitchger, Montana State University

Olaotan Abimbola Adediran, Federal University of Technology

Courtney Holdt, North Dakota State University

Matthew Berry, Michigan State University

Vongai Chekanai, University of Zimbabwe

Dennis Ndahura Katuuramu, Michigan State University

Awio Bruno, Makerere University

Travel grant judges from were:

Mark Brick, Colorado State University

Roch Gaussoin, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Michael Grusak, USDA-ARS

Juan Osorno, North Dakota State University

Jennifer Long, USAID

Bir B. Singh, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology

Clarice Coyne, USDA-ARS

CSSA is one of the leading scientific societies working to increase knowledge about pulses within the science community and with the general public. CSSA’s information page about IYP efforts can be found at www.crops.org/iyp. The page contains tips for growing pulses in your garden as well as links to recipes and stories about the importance of bean crops.

CSSA will release more information about pulses during the 2016 IYP celebration.