Tag: tribute

Often in life’s special moments, joy and sadness can co-exist in a strange mixture. Such was the case at El Batán on 18 May 2007, when CIMMYT bid formal farewell to retiring Distinguished Scientist, Hugo Córdova. First was a ceremony on the pyramid of the Borlaug Building, in which Hugo received a commemorative plaque from the hands of Director General, Masa Iwanaga. The text recognized his work during 1975-2007, leading to improved maize varieties and hybrids sown on several million hectares in developing countries, and closed with the words: “…through his commitment and advocacy (he) bore witness to the power of crop breeding to significantly improve the food security and livelihoods of developing country farmers.” Highland maize breeder, José Luis Torres, spoke on behalf of support staff, saying that “… all who worked with Hugo Córdova learned something.”

Afterwards the decorous tone turned festive, as staff moved to the Rincón Mexicano for a celebration with snacks, drinks, music, dancing, and camaraderie. Hugo, upon entering, was greeted immediately with the boisterous music of a live Mexican Mariachi band, which played for an hour. Party-goers were next treated to the considerable singing and guitar playing prowess of Maize Program administrator, Marcelo Pérez, with occasional and enthusiastic choruses from those present. The celebration then went on with dance music.

Hugo found the ceremony and festivities impressive and moving. “I want to thank all the directors and management staff, including Masa, Marianne, and Kevin, who have helped and supported me throughout the years to develop technologies that are used world-wide. I also want to recognize the contributions of national programs in this work and, finally, the Center’s support staff, who are the cornerstone of CIMMYT.” We wish you the best always, Hugo!

Distinguished scientist Hugo Córdova Orellana, who will retire in May 2007, received a rousing tribute during the 53rd annual meeting of the Programa Cooperativo Centroamericano para el Mejoramiento de Cultivos y Animales (PCCMCA), a long-lasting network of agricultural researchers from Central America and the Caribbean. The event took place in Antigua, Guatemala, during 23-27 April and was dedicated to Cordova. Presiding over the inaugural ceremony with Córdova were Hector Centeno, Guatemala’s Presidential Commissioner for Science and Technology; Bernardo López, Guatemala’s Minister of Agriculture; Mario Moscoso, PCCMCA President and Director General of Guatemala’s Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología (ICTA); Octavio Menocal, Vice President of the PCCMCA; and the organization’s Executive Director, Mario Fuentes. As part of the ceremony, participants recalled Cordova’s life and work in global and Central American agricultural research and made humorous reference to the strong character and personal drive that have contributed to his success and marked his personal and professional relationships.

The Salvadoran native has worked 37 years in agricultural research, with achievements that include contributing to the development of improved maize varieties sown on 4 million hectares in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and, in latter years, the development and promotion of quality protein maize (QPM). He has indelibly marked the professional development of more than 60 undergrad and graduate students for whom he has served as advisor. During his keynote presentation for the event, Córdova commented that “…much remains to be done in Mesoamerica and I trust that international efforts will continue to address this.” Thanks and congratulations, Hugo!

After years of battling illness, former CIMMYT scientist Bent Skovmand died on 06 February 2007 in Kävlinge, Sweden, at the age of 62. Born in Frederiksberg, Denmark, Skovmand did his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, USA, obtaining a PhD in plant pathology, with a minor in genetics and plant breeding, in 1976. That same year he joined CIMMYT as a postdoctoral fellow with the Wheat Program, working as a breeder and pathologist. After a four-year posting in Turkey, in 1988 he assumed leadership of the Wheat Genetic Resources Unit, where he remained until leaving CIMMYT in early 2004 for an appointment as Director of the Nordic Gene Bank. Known for his mordant humor and enthusiasm for science, Bent will be sorely missed by all who knew him. The CIMMYT community sends its sincere condolences to his wife, Eugenia, and their children.

Published February 2007.

On January 19, 2007, Raj Gupta stepped down as the CIMMYT Facilitator of the Rice-Wheat Consortium (RWC) based in New Delhi, India. When Raj assumed the leadership of the RWC, the technological foundation had been created for the new resourceconserving technologies (RCT) appropriate for the dominant ricewheat production system of the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), such as zero-till seeding and bed planting of wheat and other crops. It was obvious that these new technologies offered a tremendous potential to benefit the livelihoods of farmers producing rice and wheat in the IGP and that they also offered pragmatic opportunities to enhance the long-term sustainability of this production system.

However, farmer adoption of these new technologies was still negligible. Teaming with former CIMMYT wheat agronomist Peter Hobbs, Raj brought together farmers, the private sector (especially machinery manufacturers), scientists, and extension agents in a partnership essential for the rapid adoption of the RCTs. When Raj began his efforts, the area in the IGP devoted to RCTs was not more than 10,000 ha. After less than seven years, it has reached nearly 3 million hectares. This tremendous achievement of the RWC partnership, led by Raj, was awarded the King Baudouin award in 2004 and represents the best example of the widespread adoption of RCT and conservation agriculture by small and mediumscale farmers in irrigated production systems anywhere in the world.

The CIMMYT community wishes to express a deep sense of gratitude for Raj’s remarkable efforts and wishes him all the best as takes on new challenges with ICAR in India.

The 53rd Annual Meeting of the Central American Cooperative Program for the Improvement of Crops and Animals (PCCMCA)—a network established by Edwin J. Wellhausen and L. Sterling Wortman with Rockfeller Foundation support in 1954—will be dedicated personally to CIMMYT maize breeder and Distinguished Scientist Hugo Cordova.

“This is a great honor and distinction for more than 30 years of support to maize research and development in the region,” says Cordova.

The meeting, entitled “Cambios globales: Tendencias, efectos y perspectives para la agricultura de Mesoamérica y El Caribe hacia el 2020,” will be held in Antigua, Guatemala, during 23-27 April 2007.

Salvadoran national and graduate of the Universidad Autónoma Agraria “Antonio Narro” (Agronomy, 1969; Honoris Causa Doctorate, 1996) and the Colegio de Postgraduados (MSc in plant breeding, 1973), Córdova came to CIMMYT as a postdoctoral fellow in the Maize Program in 1975. During 1980-86 he focused on coordinating and supporting the research of CIMMYT and partners under the highly successful Programa Regional de Maíz para Centroamérica y el Caribe, and continues adding value to efforts of maize researchers in that region.

Maize varieties to whose development Cordova contributed are sown on more than 300,000 hectares in Central America. He has served on different occasions as head of CIMMYT research on both lowland tropical maize and subtropical maize, contributing to breeding methodologies and, particularly, the development of quality hybrids for tropical maize areas.

As a key input since 1998, Córdova has led efforts with partners worldwide to improve and promote quality protein maize (QPM), a CIMMYT product grown previously on little more than 150,000 hectares in 6 countries and now sown on more than 650,000 hectares in 25 developing countries.

Congratulations to Hugo and the other scientists for their achievements and well-deserved promotions!

Jesper Nørgaard, Project Leader in the Crop Research Informatics Lab (CRIL), is sometimes to be seen playing chess in the atrium at El Batán, but did you know that he is ranked the fifth-best player in Mexico? If not, you are not alone: Jesper is modest about his chess master status, and still surprises colleagues after 15 years at CIMMYT.

You can see him in action from 10 am on Sunday 22 October, in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people playing chess at the same time – last set in Cuba by an event with around 13,000 players. Organizers of ‘El Festival de Ajedrez’ are hoping that this time 13,500 people will play chess in the Zócalo in Mexico City. Master players – Jesper among them – will play simultaneous games against around 30 people of all abilities. Anyone can take part, so if you know your knight from your bishop you could help break the record. If you arrive early you could even try requesting Jesper as your opponent!

Chess has been a big part of Jesper’s life. He started playing when he was around nine years old with a chess set given to him by his grandparents, and became serious about it a few years later. He even met his wife through chess: at 19 he took part in the Junior World Chess Championship in Mexico, where his future wife was working as a guide, and so began a relationship that eventually blossomed over years of correspondence.

He usually plays at a chess club several times a week and has been known to play 15-20 tournaments a year, though the birth last December of his baby twins, Majken and Magnus, has meant that he has had a quiet year – on the chess front at least! Jesper enjoys chess for the mental challenge, and because there is no element of luck – as he says, “whether you win or lose you have no-one to blame except yourself.” He attributes his success to hard work, and his advice to budding players is to play regularly, analyze your games for mistakes and missed opportunities, and study openings, endgames, tactics and strategies.

UPDATE: CIMMYT chess player helps shatter world record

Mexico hit the headlines around the world last weekend, and the Zócalo was even more crowded than usual, when thousands arrived to break the world record for the number of simultaneous chess games. CIMMYT’s very own chess master, Jesper Norgaard, was among them.

He was one of around 700 simultaneous players, and played against 25 individuals, winning all 25 games in around two and a half hours. In total, 13,446 acknowledged games were played. Jesper also took part in a blitz tournament with other masters and placed third. Congratulations!

Two other Guinness World Records were also broken: from the air, the players formed a huge chessboard, the biggest ever human logo. Former World Champion Anatolij Karpov broke the third record by signing 1951 books (stopping here at the year he was born!) in a session lasting more than 6 hours

At a luncheon organized by CIMMYT in his honor in the Rincón Mexicano on 22 September 2006, out-going Deputy Director General for Research, John Dodds, thanked CIMMYT for the fond memories and excellent support during his two-year stay here.

“I’d worked at other CG centers before coming to CIMMYT, and you always think of CIMMYT as a place of excellence with the most outstanding scientific and communications staff, so it was a dream come true for me to get this job,” he said.

The luncheon was attended by some 30 staff, including directors, researchers, and personnel from support units. Director General Masa Iwanaga mentioned John’s habit of constantly monitoring his email and recalled how, when he was in Washington and first got in touch with John about the job, he sent him a message: “I got a reply in about five minutes!”

Masa read the words of the commemorative plaque, signed by himself and Board Chair Lene Lange, that was presented to John: “The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center wishes to recognize and thank John Dodds who, during 2004-06, fostered scientific dialog, innovation, and efficiency by re-establishing the biannual science forum and, through his leadership in developing the business plan, helped reshape CIMMYT and cultivate a delivery-focused approach in research. His accomplishments included enhancing Center partnerships with ICARDA and IRRI and spearheading a global initiative to combat and control the spread of stem rust. Finally, his concern and talents for human relations and sincere and direct efforts in communication contributed significantly to staff morale.”

CIMMYT wishes you all the best in future endeavors, John!

Kenya-based, CIMMYT agricultural economist Wilfred Mwangi has been named an Honorary Life Member by the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE). Mwangi was among seven Association members to be thus recognized for their long-standing contributions, at the 26th IAAE Conference in Queensland, Australia, 12–18 August.

Established in 1929, the Association has a large worldwide membership, and holds international conferences every three years.

More information on the IAAE: http://www.iaae-agecon.org/

On Saturday, July 29th the ashes of Dr. John S. Niederhauser, who died in August 2005, were laid to rest in a potato field at the Toluca station, by his son Mr. Roberto Niederhauser and his wife. Niederhauser was a leading researcher on potatoes and co-founder of the Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP), Perú.

The Niederhausers were joined for the ceremony by Ing. Manuel Villarreal Gonzáles, family friend and Dr. Niederhauser’s work colleague; Ing. Hugo Gómez Arroyo, President of Confederacion Nacional de Productores de Papa; Sr. José Gómez Nieva, a friend and colleague of Dr. Niederhauser; Dr. Héctor Losoya Saldaña, Director de Pictipapa. After visiting the station, the group continued onwards and upwards for a second ceremony at the Nevado de Toluca.

The 52nd annual meeting of the Central American Cooperative Program for Improvement of Crops and Animals (PCCMCA), held in Nicaragua 24-28 April 2006, was dedicated in memoriam to Jorge Bolaños. Jorge was remembered in the opening ceremony with words by Noël Pallais, Director of INTA, Chris Dowswell (on behalf of Norman Borlaug), and Nicaraguan President – and Jorge’s father – Enrique Bolaños.

At least 200 people crowded in the meeting hall to remember Jorge and reflect on his many contributions to Nicaragua, CIMMYT, science, farmers, family and friends. A brief video was shown with footage of Jorge meeting with journalists, talking with friends, interacting with farmers, and smoking his trademark cigars. Among the many things said of Jorge, perhaps the most memorable were the words of a poor Nicaraguan farmer who could scarcely conceal his disbelief and appreciation that this son of the President was meeting, talking and “rubbing elbows” with him in his remote village.

Jorge was also remembered for his leadership of the PRM, the Swiss-funded Central American regional maize program; scientists credit Jorge with modernizing the way they conduct research both individually and collaboratively.

Of course, Jorge was well known to the CIMMYT community. He was a bright physiologist, known worldwide for his research at CIMMYT on drought tolerance in maize. Jorge was also known for his special friendship with and support of field workers, particularly at the Tlaltizapan field station, where he conducted much of his drought tolerance research. Jorge was a unique, flamboyant character: outspoken, humorous, irreverent, intellectual, fun-loving, unforgettable.

Published 2006