Menu
The success of CAST is dependent on strong volunteer efforts of people in many roles. Some individual members serve CAST on the board; other members and some nonmembers provide CAST with quality publications and workshop proceedings as chairpersons, authors, and reviewers. All of these people are invaluable to the success of CAST. There are citations, speaking opportunities, and personal recognition for serving in these positions. Each of these inputs is critical, and while it is sometimes challenging to acquire people with time to devote to these tasks, it is even harder to find “active” members who are willing to promote CAST by working to secure funding, new members, and support for special projects such as, but not limited to, the Charles A. Black endowment fund. It is critical that CAST reward and encourage these members who contribute their time, talent, and personal contacts to benefit CAST in extraordinary ways.
2009
CAST Executive Committee Member and Treasurer
2009
National Program Leader, USDA
2010
CAST Board Member and meeting organizer
2010
CAST Board of Trustees Chair and Task Force Chair
2011
Executive Director, National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research
2018
Vice Chairman, CropLife Foundation Board
2019
President, World Food Prize Foundation
CAST, through its network of experts, assembles, interprets, and communicates credible, balanced, science-based information to policymakers, the media, the private sector, and the public.
CAST, through its network of experts, assembles, interprets, and communicates credible, balanced, science-based information to policymakers, the media, the private sector, and the public.
© Copyright CAST Science 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Web Design and Development by Saltech Systems
May 10, 2023 | Council for Agricultural Science and Technology—Ames, Iowa
Program Director CIMMYT Global Wheat Program
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has announced the 2023 Borlaug CAST Communication Award goes to Dr. Alison Bentley.
While Bentley is known for her global research on wheat genetics, she is also recognized for her proficiency in science communication. Bentley has a passion for delivering practical applications from innovation to farmers, extensive reach through communicating and influencing, and mentoring and support of individuals and community efforts. Bentley’s exceptional work in raising awareness about the importance of wheat as a food crop is also evidenced by her wide-ranging list of communication activities.
In 2022 alone, Bentley delivered 20 scientific presentations—including five international keynote talks and 15 additional invited talks. Bentley focused her communication efforts around two major areas. The first area was her rapid, science-led response to the impact of the Russian/Ukraine war on global wheat production through a communication article in Nature, followed with a social media campaign and numerous presentations and invited policy briefings. Her second area of focus was a major communications campaign by initiating and leading the Women in Crop Science network. This network was developed to address key issues such as the promotion and championing of females throughout their research careers, creating equal opportunities, and increasing visibility of members.
The extensive breadth of Bentley’s outreach ranges from classic science presentations and open access articles, to blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, and Twitter campaigns. All these formats demonstrate her commitment to science communication and reaching as wide an audience as possible in an accessible way to engage with important, current topics regarding wheat supplies and plant breeding.
The official presentation of the award will take place at a special side event during the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue event in Des Moines, Iowa, in October. The Borlaug CAST Communication Award honors the legacy of Dr. Norman Borlaug, a Nobel Prize winner and author of the first CAST publication, and Dr. Charles A. Black, the first executive vice president of CAST. It is presented annually for outstanding achievement by a scientist, engineer, technologist, or other professional working in the agricultural, environmental, or food sectors for contributing to the advancement of science through communication in the public policy arena.