"Food vs. fuel" debate to be featured at McGill science conference
Plants & Soils: Montreal ’08 to feature symposium on biofuels
Next week, McGill University plays host to Plants & Soils: Montreal ’08, a high-powered joint meeting of the Canadian Society of Agronomy, the Canadian Society of Horticultural Science and the Northeastern Branch of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America.
Plants & Soils: Montreal ’08 takes place Sunday, July 13 through Wednesday July 16th at McGill University’s main campus in downtown Montreal.
Sessions begin with a symposium entitled “Biofuels, Bioproducts and Ecological Intensification,” where a panel of four renowned scientists will debate how agronomy research can contribute to solving the world food crisis and the environmental issues associated with more intensive crop production caused by rising demand for biofuels.
The symposium will include four separate presentations delivered by the participants:
- Prof. Kenneth G. Cassman of the University of Nebraska: “Food Security and Conservation of Natural Resources in a Biofuel World”
- Prof. Prof. Calvin B. DeWitt of the University of Wisconsin: “Plants and Soils in Biospheric Context: Bioenergetic Challenges to Planet Stewardship”
- Prof. Donald L. Smith of McGill University: “Biofuels: Sustainable Energy as the Oil Runs Out”
- Prof. Thomas M. Powers of the University of Delaware: “The Ethics of Biofuels: Starving Peter to Drive Paul?”
Admission to all scientific sessions at Plants & Soils: Montreal ’08 is free and open to the media.
On the web: www.montreal08.org