Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52EUROPEAN-SEED.COM I EUROPEAN SEED I 13 breeding programs. It is also appropriate for lab professionals who want to learn how their work may be applied. The course focuses on current marker technologies, quantitative trait loci, marker-assisted selection, appro- priate population structures and sizes and quality control. We also offer Program Management for Plant Breeders, designed to enhance manage- ment skills of professionals who are leading and directing plant breeding and laboratory programs. We’re also offering Seed Biology, Production & Quality. This course presents the scientific background for production, han- dling, storage and quality control procedures in the seed industry. It provides an oppor- tunity for professionals in the seed indus- try, seed control officials, and crop growers and consultants to expand and update their knowledge about seed biology, production and quality. The core of our programme is the Plant Breeding Academy (PBA), which is a premium professional certificate program offered in United States, Africa, Asia, and of course, Europe. To date, 213 breeders from 52 countries have attended the UC Davis PBA, making it the most significant program of its kind. It is a postgraduate program that teaches the fundamentals of plant breeding, genetics and statistics through lectures, dis- cussion, and field trips to public and private breeding programs. Employers appreciate the opportunity to provide their valued employees advanced training without disrupting their full-time employment. Participants attend a half dozen six-day sessions in six countries. The instruc- tors are internationally recognized experts in plant breeding and seed technology. The European PBA is designed to bal- ance lectures, discussions, workshops and field trips with commercial breeders to enhance the experience across breeding systems, crops and countries. We have put together a list of key lecturers, all well versed in plant breeding and related fields. Our primary instructors are: Idy van Leeuwen (BreedWise); Rita Mumm (University of Illinois); Alexandra Tomerius (AIB); Allen Van Deynze (UC Davis); Kent Bradford (UC Davis); and myself. We also employ a number of guest instructors such as Bruce Walsh (University of Arizona); Roger Chetelat (UC Davis); and Charles Brummer (UC Davis). Furthermore, we benefit from contributions by numerous scientists and breeders in host countries. There are many reasons for prospective students to enroll in the course. The European PBA is very international, with 17 countries represented, of which several are non-Eu- ropean. There is even participation from the United States (despite the course being offered at UC Davis). Our program is often compared to MSc or PhD programs offered by other universities, but the European PBA is a different program — 50 per cent of our students already have MSc or PhD degrees. In addition, all crop kinds are repre- sented and there is a good balance between agronomic and horticultural crops. “This course was invaluable to me in that I was able to maintain my full-time, great job and gain this knowledge without becoming a full-time student,” says Peter Martini, a plant breeder with Nunhems. George Jubay of Syngenta Philippines praises the course for helping him to know more about the science behind of what he is doing as a corn breeder. “The PBA improves my creativity in doing my job,” he says. In 2009, the SBC partnered with BreedWise to bring the course to Europe. The European PBA was successfully launched in March of 2010, with participants from six European countries, Thailand and Israel. We are pleased to have BreedWise and Idy van Leeuwen as our principal partner in Europe. “It has been a pleasure leveraging Idy’s expertise to develop the European Plant Breeding Academy. Her professionalism and dedication to ensuring plant breeders are trained in The Netherlands and now across Europe is unmatched,” says Allen Van Deynze, our research director and one of the PBA’s founders. Today, too few students are training for careers in plant breeding to meet current demands. The number of university plant breeding programs is declining. The Seed Biotechnology Center is working hard to change this. We are already seeing success and look forward to the future. http://pba.ucdavis.edu/ http://www.breedwise. nl/page.php?type=tek- st&item_id=21