August 28, 2003
AMES, Iowa — A new graduate course this fall semester in the College of Agriculture will assess the threat of crop bioterrorism in Iowa.
Issues Related to Crop Bioterrorism and Food Security is being offered in the departments of plant pathology and entomology in a colloquium format. It is the first graduate course taught in the U.S. to address crop bioterrorism, said Forrest Nutter, plant pathology professor and creator of the course, who also is a member of the bioterrorism committee of the American Phytopathological Society. Jon Tollefson, an entomology professor, is co-teaching the course.
The two-credit course includes the study of microorganisms and insect pests that can directly affect the health and productivity of crops. Students also will develop a list of criteria to rank the importance of biotic pathogens and insect pests that could threaten Iowa agriculture and prepare a prioritized list of pathogens and pests that most threaten the food security and economic stability of Iowa agriculture.
A series of seminars by invited speakers from science, industry and government leads off the course. The first seminar is set for Sept. 9 when Laurence Madden, a plant pathology professor from Ohio State University, will present, "The Threat of Plant Pathogens as Weapons Against U.S. Crops." The seminars will be open to the public (Editor's note: A list of the speakers is attached to this release).
A two-hour discussion, or colloquium, with the speakers will be held the day after the seminars. The seminars and discussions will prepare students for their work on class projects, covering such topics as how easy are potential pathogens and pests to smuggle and introduce in this country, how easily can they be produced, their reproductive capacity, toxin-producing ability and their impact on state, national or international markets.
Although it is a graduate course, Nutter said undergraduate students are welcome to participate in the seminars and would be expected to complete group projects for a one-hour credit. Eventually, he said he may develop the course into an undergraduate offering.
Special funding was needed to offer the course. The Iowa State College of Agriculture and its departments of plant pathology and entomology contributed with ISU's Institute for Food Safety and Security, Plant Sciences Institute, Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Microbiology, Biosafety Initiative for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products joining Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., a Du Pont company, as sponsors.
Issues Related to Crop Bioterrorism and Food Security Seminars
Seminars will be held on Tuesdays at 4:10 PM in room 210 Bessey Hall
September 2—Introduction and Organizational Meeting for the Seminar Series on Crop Bioterrorism and Food Security.
September 9—Laurence V. Madden, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio, "The Threat of Plant Pathogens as Weapons Against U.S. Crops" (co-sponsored by the Department of Plant Pathology)
September 16—Norm W. Schaad, Research Plant Pathologist USDA/ARS Foreign Disease - Weed Science Research Unit, Ft. Detrick, Maryland, "Advances in Molecular - Based Diagnostics in Meeting Crop Biosecurity and Phytosanitary Issues" (co-sponsored by Biosafety Initiative for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products, BIGMAP)
September 23—Jacque Fletcher, Professor, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology Noble Research Center, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, "The Role of Scientific Societies in National Crop Biosecurity - the American Phytopathological Society Model"
September 30—Douglas G. Luster, Research Leader, USDA/ARS, Foreign Disease - Weed Science Research Unit, Ft. Detrick, Maryland, "Rating Crop Pathogen Threats - An Analytical Hierarchy Approach"
October 7—Bill Dolezal, Research Fellow - Plant Pathology, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., Johnston, IA, "Commercial Seed Industry's Role in Crop Biosecurity"
October 14—Alan K. Dowdy, Assistant Director, USDA-APHIS-Plant Protection and Quarantine, Center for Plant Health Science and Technology, Raleigh, North Carolina, "Arthropods and Plant Biosecurity"
October 21—Denis McGee, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology and the Seed Science Center, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, "Role of Seed-Borne Pathogens in Plant Biosecurity and Food Safety"
November 18—Barbara Ambruzs and Paula Flynn, Extension Program Specialists Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, "The Role of University and Regional Diagnostic Centers in Countering Agricultural Bioterrorism"
December 2—X.B. Yang and Shimon Pivonia, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, "Biosecurity Risk Assessment: Soybean Rust - A Case Study"
December 9—Tim R. Gottwald, Research Leader/Plant Epidemiologist, Subtropical Plant Pathology Research Unit, USDA/ARS, Fort Pierce, Florida, "Science versus the Legal System: When Worlds Collide - A Case Study in Citrus Canker"
December 16—Finals Week - No Seminar
For further information concerning this special seminar series, contact Forrest W. Nutter Jr., epidemiologist and professor of Plant Pathology, (515) 294-8737 or fwn@iastate.edu.