2010 Louis Malassis International Scientific Prize Awardees

Born in 1945 in Delta, Colorado (USA), Sayre obtained his PhD in Plant Breeding
with minors in Physiology and Pathology
at Cornell University in 1971.

"Working with farmers has made me
become a better scientist. Let us work together to make farmers become
better scientists."
- Dr. Ken Sayre

2010 DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIST AWARDEE

Dr. Ken Sayre's career has been driven by his determination to see science applied for the benefit to the poor and the hungry. This led him to seek his activities in farmers' fields in developing countries.

His most extensive work in agronomy deals with the development and extension of bed-planting technologies for both irrigated and rain-fed crop systems.

He first implemented permanent bed-planting methods for wheat in Mexico, and further demonstrated their high efficiency: 20 to 40 % decrease of irrigation water use, 10 % decrease of nitrogen fertilizer use, minimizing erosion and increasing soil fertility.

Ken traveled extensively all over the world to train both farmers and agronomists and help them implement these new technologies. As a result of his tireless efforts, these methods are now being widely used in many Latin American and Central Asian countries as well as in India and China.

He is also deeply involved in conservation agriculture, conducting field experiments in Mexico and delivering many international courses.

He worked for various CGIAR centers and is currently the Regional Agronomist for Asia of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico.

Born in 1970 in Bogota, Restrepo obtained
her undergraduate degree in her native
country in 1992. She moved to Paris in 1994
and obtained her MSc and PhD at the
University of Pierre and Marie Curie.

"This Prize makes me feel
responsible to keep contributing in my
field of research. It encourages me to disseminate whatever knowledge
I have and to help others fulfill their projects in my own country
and other developing countries."

- Dr. Silvia Restrepo

2010 YOUNG PROMISING SCIENTIST AWARDEE

Dr. Silvia Restrepo is a highly motivated young scientist. Her work as a plant pathologist is focused on most important diseases that attack cassava and potato, studying the genetic and phenotypic diversity of the pathogens and their molecular interactions with their hosts.

She is constantly in search for alternative methods of disease control such as the use of natural compounds produced by enemies of pathogens. At the same time, she established close contact with Colombian farmers, thus allowing her to better understand issues they face, the limitations and strengths of Columbian agriculture that could be addressed and harnessed to improve production.

Silvia is also a passionate teacher. She gives courses on basic sciences (cellular biology, plant pathology, fungi biology, genomics and bioinformatics) both at undergraduate and graduate levels. She carries weekly discussions with her students on assigned research articles.

She is currently an associate professor at the University of Los Andes in Bogota.