University of Queensland PhD student, Lee Hickey, was one of 12 young agricultural scientists to attend this year’s Crawford Fund Conference where biodiversity and world food security were the hot topics.
Mr Hickey said he was honored to receive a scholarship to attend the annual conference held at Parliament House in Canberra, due to the positive work that the Crawford Fund does in raising awareness of the benefits of international agricultural research for both developing countries and within Australia.
"Attending the conference was uplifting and has inspired me to be more involved in international agricultural research," Mr Hickey said.
"I met people with diverse backgrounds in agricultural research and the experience made me more aware of the broader context and importance of agricultural development around the world."
The theme for the annual conference was "Biodiversity and World Food Security", coinciding with the UN International Year of Biodiversity where a group of internationally renowned speakers addressed issues concerning the need to conserve biodiversity for food security in the face of climate change.
Mr Hickey said his personal highlight was presentations made by Dr Cristián Samper (Director of National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC) and Professor Stephen Hopper (Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK).
"As my research focuses on the genetics of rust resistance in wheat and barley and improving the efficiency of breeding programs, I found these two presentations very interesting, particularly discussions involving biodiversity conservation," he said.
"I now look forward to new discoveries through agricultural science and opportunities for collaboration with fellow researchers around the world.
"Plant breeding is a rewarding career that will allow me to contribute towards improving yield and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses which limit production around the world, thereby maintaining a stable food supply for the future."
To find out how you can pursue a career in these fields at UQ, visit www.uq.edu.au/study or for more information on the Crawford Fund visit www.crawfordfund.org.
Media: Karli Kollegger (telephone (07) 5460 1279 or 0488 780 229).
