ASPB NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 16, 2015 CONTACT: Tyrone C. Spady, Ph.D., Director of Legislative and Public Affairs [email protected], (301) 296-0934 (office) ASPB Nominee Channapatna Prakash Wins 2015 Borlaug CAST Communication Award ROCKVILLE, MD - The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is pleased to announce that its nominee, Channapatna Prakash of Tuskegee University, was named the 2015 Borlaug Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) Communication Award for outstanding efforts using his research and communication skills to promote food production. The announcement was made this morning at a National Press Club event in Washington, DC. Borlaug CAST Communication Award winners must demonstrate an ability to communicate by written material; public presentations; and/or the use of television, radio, or other social media. Prakash excels in all three areas. As a specialist in the field of plant genetics and biotechnology, he has worked for decades delivering clear, science-based information to the public and policymakers. Prakash is a former chair of the ASPB Minority Affairs Committee and in 2002 appeared in an educational video produced by ASPB called “History's Harvest: Where Food Comes From.” “For years,” said ASPB President Julian Schroeder “[Prakash] has impressed me with his willingness and ability to communicate science and agricultural issues and to volunteer his time and efforts.” He was instrumental in establishing the plant biotechnology research and training program at Tuskegee University, and he has a long list of influential publications and presentations—he has presented his messages about agriculture in more than 70 countries. Through teaching, research collaboration, and lectures, he has worked especially hard to promote biotechnology research and policy in the developing countries of Asia and Africa. Educated in India and Australia, Prakash has a strong connection with those who have made an impact on global food production. Norman Borlaug once praised him for “bringing common sense into the use of biotechnology,” and Julie Borlaug Larson says that Prakash—much like her grandfather—is “dedicated to utilizing science and technology to improve the standard of living and quality of life for the world’s most impoverished and marginalized populations.” He uses social media (his Twitter handle is at @agbioworld), radio/TV interviews, and other methods to emphasize the potential of agricultural technology. As a colleague said, “He is one of the strongest and most consistent voices countering the spread of misinformation.” An award presentation will occur at a breakfast side event cohosted by DuPont and CAST at the World Food Prize Symposium on October 14, 2015, in Des Moines, IA. The Borlaug CAST Communication Award honors the legacies of Nobel Prize winner Dr. Norman Borlaug and Dr. Charles A. Black, the first president of CAST. ### ASPB is a professional scientific society, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, devoted to the advancement of the plant sciences worldwide. With a membership of some 4500 plant scientists from throughout the United States and more than 50 other nations, the Society publishes two of the most widely cited plant science journals: The Plant Cell and Plant Physiology. For more information about ASPB, please visit http://www.aspb.org/. Also follow ASPB on Facebook at facebook.com/myASPB and on Twitter @ASPB.
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