CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 10/14/21

FAO chief scientist to highlight ag technology in 2021 D.W. Brooks Lecture

By Leslie Matos

Chief scientist of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Ismahane Elouafi is set to deliver the talk at this year's D.W. Brooks Lecture and Awards, which will be held virtually Nov. 2.

Elouafi’s lecture, “How science, technology and innovation can accelerate the transformation of our agri-food systems,” will highlight the advancement of e-agriculture and it’s benefits for farming around the world.

“I am thrilled that Dr. Ismahane Elouafi will deliver the 2021 D.W. Brooks lecture,” said Victoria Collins McMaken, coordinator of international programs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) at the University of Georgia. “As the first ever chief scientist at FAO, she is uniquely well-positioned to share with our audience the urgency of utilizing science and technology to accelerate our global progress towards achieving the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.”

A UGA Signature Lecture and CAES Signature Event, the D.W. Brooks Lecture and Awards showcases outstanding faculty contributions, fosters community and industry collaboration, and spotlights the college’s impact on a global scale. 

“We are excited to be hosting Dr. Ismahane Elouafi as this year’s lecturer. Her work in agricultural research and development is a shining example of the innovation we are seeking to celebrate through the D.W. Brooks Lecture. I am looking forward to hearing her thoughts on technology’s role in moving our food systems forward and ensuring continued productivity in agriculture,” said CAES Dean and Director Nick Place.

“The D.W. Brooks Lecture and Awards is a time for us to recognize faculty members who excel in teaching, research, extension, public service, diversity, and international agricultural and environmental sciences,” Place added. “Our CAES faculty members are working to address critical issues in our world today and we’re looking forward to this opportunity to recognize the outstanding efforts of this year’s award winners.”

2021 award winners

The D.W. Brooks Awards recognize faculty who make outstanding contributions to the college's critical mission areas.

The 2021 D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Public Service Extension goes to Jacob Price, UGA Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources agent and Lowndes County coordinator. Price began his Extension career focusing on horticulture and green industry issues, and he has led multiple programs for commodities in the green industry, row crops, vegetables and emerging state crops like citrus.

The 2021 D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching goes to Marin Brewer, associate professor of mycology in the Department of Plant Pathology. Brewer teaches two courses on fungi at UGA every year, and her research focuses on the evolution and diversity of fungal threats to plants and people. Her lab focuses especially on the evolutionary processes that contribute to population-level diversity, the formation of new species and species diversification.

The 2021 D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Extension goes to Scott Monfort, Extension peanut agronomist and UGA Peanut Team leader on the Tifton campus. Monfort specializes in developing cost-effective crop management systems including seed quality, cultivar evaluation, tillage systems and precision agriculture technologies. His primary role is to provide support to county Extension agents in all peanut-producing counties, providing research-based recommendations to help Georgia peanut growers remain economically viable.

The 2021 D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Diversity goes to Shavannor Smith, associate professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Plant Pathology. Smith’s research focuses on the structure, function and evolution of plant disease resistance genes and pathogen virulence genes to understand plant defense mechanisms. Smith has been instrumental in recruiting and supporting students from underrepresented groups and is an advocate for creating inclusive and equitable learning environments to improve innovation and creativity in the sciences.

The 2021 D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Research goes to Zenglu Li, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Soybean Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. Li’s research interests are focused on the development of soybean varieties using an integrated classical and molecular breeding approach, the discovery of innovative genetic and genomic solutions to abiotic and biotic limitations of soybean productivity, and the use of genomic and phenomic technologies to improve selection efficiency.

The event's namesake

The event is named in honor of the late D.W. Brooks who founded Gold Kist Inc. and started Cotton States Mutual Insurance Companies in 1941. Among his many honors, he was the first inductee into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame, and the college hosts this annual event in celebration of D.W. Brooks’ memory.

The event will be held as a Zoom webinar at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 2. To learn more and to register, visit dwbrooks.caes.uga.edu.

Leslie Matos is a UGA public relations major and student writer for the CAES Office of Marketing and Communications.

Authors:
Leslie Matos
Experts/Sources:
Victoria Collins McMaken
Nick Place
D.W. Brooks lecturer Ismahane Elouafi is the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's first chief scientist. Her talk, “How science, technology and innovation can accelerate the transformation of our agri-food systems,” will be hosted on Zoom at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 2. The 2021 D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Public Service Extension goes to Jacob Price. The 2021 D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching goes to Marin Brewer. The 2021 D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Extension goes to Scott Monfort. The 2021 D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Diversity goes to Shavannor Smith. The 2021 D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Research goes to Zenglu Li.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
After a hearty climb, Connect Abroad Italy students pose in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. (Photo by Angel Bhardwaj) CAES News
UGA ranks as leading doctoral institution for study abroad 12/20/24 Angel Bhardwaj
The University of Georgia remains among the top 10 U.S. universities for study abroad participation, according to the 2024 Open Doors Report released by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the U.S. Department of State. UGA boasts the highest study abroad participation to enrollment ratio of the top 7 ranked doctoral institutions, earning the No. 7 spot in overall participation and No. 3 in short-term study abroad programs.
HurricaneHeleneGreenhouseDamageCropped CAES News
UGA Extension supports resilience in Georgia farm communities after Hurricane Helene 12/19/24 Emily Cabrera
Hurricane Helene wrought sweeping devastation across Georgia’s agricultural sector in late September, leaving an indelible mark on both the land and the people who tend it, bringing focus to vulnerabilities in Georgia’s farming industry and the need for more robust safety nets. In addition to the physical destruction, the hurricane took an emotional toll on Georgia’s farmers. In response, UGA Extension has prioritized mental health support.
From left, CAES Associate Professor Abigail Borron and Fulbright Romanian-American Foundation Scholars Mihai Suteu, Daniyar Memedemin, Alina Zaharia, Andreea Ona and Daniel Chiciudean stand in front of an image of the Romanian flag projected onto a barn at UGArden. CAES News
Fulbright Scholars unite with UGA Extension to envision ag outreach model in Romania 12/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Arriving on the Athens campus of the University of Georgia in August 2023, five Romanian scholars experienced the same anticipation, excitement and apprehension as many first-year students.  Chosen as Fulbright Romanian-American Foundation Scholars, each serves on the faculty at one of three Romanian universities, specializing in fields from economics and engineering to plant breeding and biotechnology. The five scholars comprised the first cohort of the Romanian Extension Education Development Program, an ambitious three-year pilot effort to facilitate planning and implementation of extension services in Romania. 
Placing in the top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide, Casimir Akoh earned the honor through his work's high impact, his prolific publication record and the outstanding quality of his academic contributions. CAES News
CAES food scientist named inaugural Highly Ranked Scholar by ScholarGPS 12/09/24
With over 30 years of research at the University of Georgia, renowned College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences food scientist Casimir Akoh was named an inaugural Highly Ranked Scholar by ScholarGPS earlier this year. Placing in the top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide, Akoh earned the honor through his work's high impact, his prolific publication record and the outstanding quality of his academic contributions.
At the 2024 Georgia Life Sciences Summit held Oct. 21-22 in Atlanta, Professor Quingguo “Jack” Huang of the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences received the Golden Helix Innovation Award for his research in technologies to mitigate “forever chemicals” in water resources. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker) CAES News
Nothing lasts forever: CAES professor finds solutions to break down ‘forever chemicals’ 12/05/24 Carson McAfee
University of Georgia Professor Qingguo “Jack” Huang always wanted to do one thing: solve problems. Growing up in a small city in central China, Huang’s favorite subject in elementary school was math, granting him the opportunity to work on many problems. In high school, his passion transitioned to science, where he learned he could feed those same interests in a way that benefited others. He was finishing high school in the 1980s when Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring made its way to Chinese newspapers, capturing Huang’s attention.
Georgia Simmons at the office of U.S. Sen. Warnock CAES News
Georgia 4-H alum, CAES student spends semester serving at the nation's Capitol 12/03/24 Josie Smith, Cooper Hardy
Third-year University of Georgia student and Banks County 4-H alum Georgia Simmons has been in the center of the political action this fall with the Georgia 4-H Washington DC Intern Program. Simmons, an environmental resource science major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, works in the office of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. As an intern on his staff, she interacts directly with policy experts and lawmakers, participating in the legislative process while earning a semester of credit hours.