The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology presented the Charles A. Black Award to Calvin O. Qualset, March 14, 2002 in Arlington, Virginia. Dr. Qualset is founding director of the Genetic Resources Conservation Program, professor emeritus, and research professor at the University of California, Davis. His research areas include crop breeding, genetics, and evolution; conservation of plant genetic resources; and biotechnology policy. Dr. Qualset received the B.S. in agriculture from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and the M.S. in agronomy and the Ph.D. in genetics from the University of California, Davis. At Davis, he has served as an assistant professor, associate professor, professor, chairman of the Department of Agronomy and Range Science, and associate dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He previously served as assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Dr. Qualset has served as chair of the Section on Agriculture, Food, and Renewable Natural Resources for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), president of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) and president of the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA). He has been honored as a fellow by the AAAS, ASA, and CSSA. He was a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar and Fulbright Senior Research Lecturer. Dr. Qualset was a member of the task force that prepared the CAST issue paper, Applications of Biotechnology to Crops: Benefits and Risks.

The objectives of the Genetic Resources Conservation Program are: identification of animal, microbial, and plant genetic resources critical to California and support of their on-site and off-site conservation; development of improved methods and strategies for procuring and maintaining genetic resources; and facilitation of teaching and dissemination of information concerning genetic resources conservation by means of workshops, classes, seminars, conferences, publications, and other outreach activities. More information is available at www.grcp.ucdavis.edu.