By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281Source(s):
Dan Glickman’s office (202) 720-4623
Marjorie Hoy (352) 392-1901 ext. 153
Jeffrey Burkhardt (352) 392-1881 ext. 314
Mike Martin (352) 392-1971
GAINESVILLE—Two University of Florida faculty members, Marjorie Hoy and Jeff Burkhardt, have been named by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman to serve on a newly-formed Advisory Committee on Agricultural Biotechnology.
Hoy and Burkhardt are among 38 members selected by Glickman from universities, organizations and commercial firms across the nation. The committee, authorized for two years, will hold its first meeting in March in Washington, D.C.
Hoy is an eminent scholar and the Davies, Fischer and Eckes Professor of Biological Control in the UF’s Department of Entomology and Nematology. Burkhardt is a professor in the UF’s Department of Food and Resource Economics and a member of the U.S./European Union Committee on Ethics and Food Biotechnology.
In announcing the appointment of members to the U.S. Department of Agriculture advisory committee, Glickman said the panel will examine many of the complex issues related to agricultural biotechnology.
“It is my hope that this group, which brings together people with a range of perspectives and experiences, will engage in the kind of thoughtful and civil debate on biotechnology that our country now needs,” Glickman said.
Mike Martin, UF vice president for agriculture and natural resources, said the appointment of two faculty members from the UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences reflects the quality, reputation and national standing of UF/IFAS programs. He noted that the UF is the only university in the nation with two faculty members on the new agricultural biotechnology advisory committee.
Glickman appointed Dennis Eckart, a former Congressman from Ohio, as chairman of the committee. Eckart is currently an attorney at Baker and Hostetler, LLP, in Washington, D.C.
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