ACES Distinguished International Lecture Series
The ACES Distinguished International Lecture Series brings distinguished speakers to discuss international experiences and issues at the University of Illinois. Faculty, staff, and students are invited to participate in the lecture series to explore and enhance their understanding of international issues.
Recent International Lectures:
Alfred Schmidley - "New Paradigms for Addressing Postharvest Losses in the Rice Value Chain" - June 16, 2011
Alfred Schmidley is a business model and value chain development scientist with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Phillipines. He has special interests in innovation, entrepreneurship, and, more recently, in the use of "open business models" in international development and delivery of technologies through multi-stakeholder platforms.
Honorable Minister Inyumba Aloisea - "The Role of Women in Nation Building" - June 8, 2011
Minister Aloisea is Rwanda's Minister in charge of Gender and Family Promotion in the Prime Minister's Office. She is a graduate of Makerere University in Uganda where she was a refugee. She was among the very first females to join the Rwandese Patriotic Front movement for national liberation in the late 1980s. She has served as a Senator, the Governor of Kigali Rural Province, and the very first Executive Secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission.
Dr. B.B. Singh - "Conventional and Molecular Plant Breeding: Some Observations" - April 13, 2011
Dr. Bir Bahadur Singh, the 2011 Sheth Alumni Award Winner, has made major contributions through breeding for early maturity and pyramiding genes for resistance and tolerance. His pigeon pea variety matures 60 to 130 days earlier than other varieties. He has developed six soybean varieties which are resistant to rust and yellow mosaic with good seed viability. He has developed over 40 cowpea varieties that have been released in over 60 countries.