Norman Borlaug’s Statue Installed Today in US Capitol on 100th anniversary of his birth

The agricultural scientist and hunger fighter is credited with saving more lives than anyone who has ever lived. 
Other global celebrations in Mexico, Washington DC, Iowa.


Every state in the United States is permitted two statues of notable citizens to represent it in the nation’s capitol building; Iowa leaders voted to return another statue and add Borlaug, which will be especially fitting as March 25 is celebrated as National Agriculture Day, and Iowa celebrates its leadership in agriculture and the biosciences.
Borlaug dedicated his life to breeding better varieties of wheat, and worked with farmers, scientists, politicians and others to improve agricultural methods and policies to alleviate hunger and malnutrition worldwide. His achievements earned him recognition as “Father of the Green Revolution” and the distinction of being the only American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal and the National Medal of Science.
“This is a historic event for the State of Iowa and a celebration of our role in feeding the world,” Gov. Branstad said. “Dr. Borlaug is credited with saving an estimated one billion people around the world from hunger and starvation, so it’s fitting that we honor this Cresco, Iowa native and great American hero for his extraordinary agricultural achievements on the 100th anniversary of his birth and National Agriculture Day.”
“The unveiling of Norman E. Borlaug’s statue is a proud moment for our state and all Iowans,” said Iowa Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds. “Visitors to the United States Capitol will now have an opportunity to see his statue and learn more about his remarkable achievements and our state’s leadership in agriculture, biosciences and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.”
“I spent a decade working with Dr. Borlaug and he was the most humble, hard-working and inspiring person I have ever known,” said Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, president of Borlaug’s World Food Prize Foundation and chairman of the Borlaug Statue Committee. “Today’s unveiling not only honors him and our state, but also will be a monument to American agricultural achievement in our nation's capitol that will inspire a new generation to carry on his legacy of agricultural innovation to ensure we have enough nutritious food for all.”
Today’s Statue Dedication Ceremony at 11 a.m. EDT will be webcast live at speaker.gov/live and will include remarks by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), along with remarks by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, members of the Iowa congressional delegation, Gov. Branstad and Quinn, who is also president of Borlaug’s World Food Prize Foundation. Statue artist Benjamin Victor of South Dakota will also be in attendance.

Other events are taking place around the globe to honor Dr. Borlaug, including:

In Mexico, the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative is hosting a technical workshop March 22-25; the Association for Agricultural Research and Experimentation of the State of Sonora will with CIMMYT host a Field Day and Birthday Celebration on March 25; and CIMMYT will host the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security March 25-28. The World Food Prize will present its Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Medallion to CIMMYT, which was Dr. Borlaug’s research institute in Mexico.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will host a Borlaug Symposium this afternoon focusing on the next generation of agricultural scientists who will lead food production and the fight to end hunger. The symposium will feature several World Food Prize interns and will take place at the USDA Jefferson Auditorium in Washington, D.C. from 2:30 to 5 p.m.

The World Food Prize will host free events all day at its Hall of Laureates in Downtown Des Moines. Watch a webcast of the Statue Unveiling Ceremony, help package meals to feed hungry people, enjoy children's storytimes, tour the building with Iowa artists who have studied and painted Borlaug, explore interactive educational exhibits about Dr. Borlaug, watch a documentary about him, view Howard G. Buffett's international photography exhibit, and see cultural dances at 6 p.m. from the regions of the world in which Dr. Borlaug worked: Mexico, India and Africa. Full schedule will be updated at www.worldfoodprize.org/visit.  

More information about the Iowa Borlaug Statue is available at www.iowaborlaugstatue.org. More information about Dr. Borlaug and The World Food Prize is available at www.worldfoodprize.org/norm. 

Contact: 

Megan Forgrave, Director of Communications, mforgrave@worldfoodprize.org or 515-229-1705 (mobile)

(Des Moines, Iowa) March 25, 2014 – Dr. Norman E. Borlaug’s statue will be installed today at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on what would have been the great agricultural scientist’s 100th birthday. The leadership of the United States Congress, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Governor Terry E. Branstad of Borlaug’s home state of Iowa, and Amb. Kenneth M. Quinn, who chaired the Borlaug Statue Committee, will be part of the ceremony at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.

Research funders set out steps to prevent re-identification of anonymised study participants

Media release from Cancer Research UK, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust

A group of medical research funders today set out the steps they will take to reduce the risk of re-identification of anonymised individual research subjects from genomic, epidemiological and social science data in the UK.

Cancer Research UK, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust have issued a joint response to a statement from the Expert Advisory Group on Data Access (EAGDA), a group of experts established by the funders to provide strategic advice on emerging scientific, ethical and legal issues in relation to data access.

The issue of re-identification was highlighted by a study in the journal Science last year, which showed that it was possible to identify participants in the 1000 Genomes Project through a complex technique that involved combining publicly available demographic information with anonymised genomic datasets.

In October 2013, EAGDA noted that “although the data in a genomic dataset may be fully anonymised in the conventional sense, cross-linking with general demographic data that are available from elsewhere makes it technically possible in some circumstances to triangulate the identities of individual research participants. Large datasets, particularly those including extensive genomic information, cannot be completely safe from inferential exploitation, including subject re-identification. Although the likelihood of such re-identification may currently be low for most types of study, it is likely to increase in the future.”

EAGDA has now set out a number of recommendations to reduce the impact of this risk and these have been accepted in full by the four organisations. They include: assessing and regularly reviewing the risk of re-identification; explaining the risk to participants when obtaining consent for studies; controlling access to data that could potentially identify individuals; and including sanctions that are proportionate to the nature of the offence, such as a withdrawal of funding, if researchers deliberately attempt to re-identify individuals from anonymised data.

Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust, says: "We accept the recommendations made by EAGDA to manage the potential risks and will set about implementing them into our funding policies and communicating this to the research community. Whilst it is impossible to eliminate entirely the risk of re-identification of individuals, it is possible to minimise this risk with proportionate safeguards. We believe that a deliberate attempt to re-identify individuals should be viewed as malpractice and be met with appropriate sanctions."

Sir John Savill, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council, says: “It’s important that we protect the interests and anonymity of individuals while enabling research that benefits all society. As funders, we are committed to working together to reduce the risk of re-identification in a way that does not block valuable research to advance social and medical science and improve health.”

The four funders have committed to ensuring that both the EAGDA statement and their response are clearly communicated to their funded communities and are incorporated where appropriate into relevant guidance for studies. The principles and sanctions will be incorporated into their respective existing policies on research misconduct.

Contact

Clare Ryan

Senior Media Officer

The Wellcome Trust

T: +44 (0)20 7611 7262

E: c.ryan@wellcome.ac.uk 

Notes for editors

The Expert Advisory Group on Data Access (EAGDA) was established by the Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK, the Economic and Social Research Council, and the Medical Research Council to provide strategic advice on the emerging scientific, legal and ethical issues associated with data access for human genetics research and cohort studies. For further details, seehere.

About the Wellcome Trust

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust’s breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests. www.wellcome.ac.uk

About the Medical Research Council

The Medical Research Council has been at the forefront of scientific discovery to improve human health. Founded in 1913 to tackle tuberculosis, the MRC now invests taxpayers’ money in some of the best medical research in the world across every area of health. Twenty-nine MRC-funded researchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range of disciplines, and MRC scientists have been behind such diverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA and the link between smoking and cancer, as well as achievements such as pioneering the use of randomised controlled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and the development of a group of antibodies used in the making of some of the most successful drugs ever developed. Today, MRC-funded scientists tackle some of the greatest health problems facing humanity in the 21st century, from the rising tide of chronic diseases associated with ageing to the threats posed by rapidly mutating micro-organisms. www.mrc.ac.uk

Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting 2014: 600 Young Participants Selected

@ Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings

Approximately 600 aspiring young researchers representing almost 80 countries will be taking part in the 64th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. The organising council has now announced the results of the multi-stage selection process. For the first time in the history of the meetings the percentage of female participants is higher than the male`s percentage (52 to 48%). The students, doctoral students and post-docs will be meeting with 37 Nobel Laureates from 29 June to 4 July 2014. A select group of excellent young scientists will have the opportunity to present and discuss their research in a master class hosted by a Nobel Laureate. This year the dialogue between

@ Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings

generations and cultures, which has been fostered by the meetings since 1951, is dedicated to medicine.

Starting in September 2013 thousands of scientists under the age of 35 applied to participate in the 2014 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. The majority of them were nominated by the more than 200 academic partner organisations of the meeting organisers after they had conducted an internal evaluation process of all submitted applications. Interested young researchers without access to these “Academic Partners” were able to apply through an open application process. In addition to the scientific achievements, the motivation of the applicants was decisive for a positive evaluation. Julie Bonano, a postdoc at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virgina, expresses her excitement of being selected: “I sincerely look forward to the opportunity to meet and network with some of the greatest scientific minds of this generation. My attendance at the Lindau Meeting will hopefully provide me with a new perspective on my research.” 

The selection process was conducted by a scientific panel led by the Lindau Council’s Vice-President Burkhard Fricke, emeritus Professor for Theoretical Physics at the University of Kassel. “The selected young researchers belong to the top of their class”, says Stefan Kaufmann, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Berlin Charité and director at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology. “This is the next generation of leading researchers, who expect to gain inspiration from their encounters with Nobel Laureates”, adds Klas Kärre, Professor for Molecular Immunology at the Stockholm Karolinska Institutet. Since 2006 Kärre has been a member of the Nobel Committee, which chooses the laureates for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. 

As council members and scientific chairmen of the up-coming meeting, Kaufmann and Kärre are responsible not only for the selection process but also for conceiving the meeting programme. The main focus of the numerous lectures, panel discussions and master classes is on molecular, genetic and cellular mechanisms, as they are among the keys to the prevention and healing of diseases. Some of the Nobel Laureates, such as J. Michael Bishop or Harald zur Hausen will present the latest findings in cancer research. For many years zur Hausen, the 2008 Nobel Laureate in Medicine, was the chairman and member of the scientific board of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, distinguished with the 2008 Nobel Prize as well, will report about the advancements made in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Another important topic, which Elizabeth H. Blackburn (2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine) will address, is the process of ageing at the cellular level and the diseases associated with that. 

Contact:

Christian Schumacher, Head of Communications 

Email: christian.schumacher@lindau-nobel.org

Phone: + 49 (0) 8382 27731 15 

Fax : + 49 (0) 8382 27731 13 

 Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings 

Lennart-Bernadotte-Haus 

Alfred-Nobel-Platz 1 

88131 Lindau - Germany 

www.lindau-nobel.org