Biotechnology seminar scheduled for September 19

The 1997 Will Carpenter Adaptive Biotechnology Seminar will be presented Sept. 19 in the Wise Center auditorium.

The 2 p.m. program will be presented by Terry Medley, administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In his role as administrator, Medley provides leadership for 6,000-plus employees responsible for protecting the health of the nation's plant and animal resources. He is an internationally recognized expert on development of biotechnology products and environmental risk assessment.

Biotechnology refers to the use of living organisms or their products to improve human health or the environment. Examples of biotechnology in agriculture include the development of disease- or insect-resistant plants and the use of hormones in cattle.

A native of Union, S.C., Medley is a graduate of Amherst College and earned his law degree from the University of Virginia.

In addition to the afternoon program, the APHIS administrator will preside over an open forum on current issues in food and environmental safety at 9 a.m. in the Tait-Butler room in the Wise Center.

The Carpenter Adaptive Biotechnology Series honors Dr. Will Carpenter, retired vice president and general manager of new products for Monsanto Agricultural Chemicals. Carpenter is a 1952 graduate of Mississippi State and a former executive-in-residence at the university.

The lecture series is sponsored by the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine.

For additional information, contact Dr. Dawn Luthe, chair of the Adaptive Biotechnology Committee, at 325-2640.