Prof. Channapatna S. Prakash, PhD

Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Tuskegee University Kenney Hall, AL

Dr. C. S. Prakash, Professor in Plant Molecular Genetics and the Director of Center for Plant Biotechnology Research at Tuskegee University, oversees the research on food crops of importance to developing countries and training of scientists and students in plant biotechnology. Dr. Prakash has also been actively involved in enhancing the societal awareness of food biotechnology issues around the world. His Internet website www.agbioworld.org has become an important portal disseminating information and promoting discussion on this subject among stakeholders such as scientists, policy makers, activists and journalists. He has earlier served on the USDA's Agricultural Biotechnology Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee for the Department of Biotechnology for the government of India.

His outreach activities include writing commentaries, delivering public lectures, providing media interviews, and moderating daily Internet discussion group and newsletter ‘AgBioView’ which is read by more than 5000 experts in 65 countries. The AgBioView is widely recognized as a premier news outlet on agbiotech issues because of its broad focus on technical, societal and ethical issues. Dr. Prakash, through his efforts has been successful in impacting decision makers, the media and consumers in creating awareness of agbiotech issues especially on technology development and biosafety issues. He been instrumental in catalyzing the scientific community in many countries to be more proactive in the biotechnology debate.