Spring Break
Borlaug honored for crop research
By: Calli Turner
Issue date: 7/16/07 Section: News
Norman Borlaug, distinguished professor of international agriculture, Nobel Peace Prize winner and father of the Green Revolution will receive the Congressional Gold Medal Tuesday for his work to counter famine.
Bourlag, 93, teaches at Texas A&M and works at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico during the spring.
The Department of Soil and Crop Sciences said Borlaug is responsible for saving more lives than any person who has ever lived. His most notable achievement is the development of a high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat. The wheat helped counter starvation in Mexico, India, China and Pakistan.
Borlaug grew up on a farm near Cresco, Iowa. He received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees at the University of Minnesota.
In 1942, Borlaug accepted a microbiologist position at the DuPont de Nemours Foundation. In 1944, he became a geneticist and plant pathologist under the Mexican government and Rockefeller Foundation where he was assigned to organize and direct the Cooperative Wheat Research and Production Program in Mexico.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. All Congressional Gold Medal legislation must be cosponsored by at least two-thirds of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives before it is submitted to the respective committee.
The medal is created on an individual basis by the United States Mint to reflect the recipient and their contributions. Previous recipients include George Washington, Thomas Edison, Mother Teresa and Rosa Parks.
Bourlag, 93, teaches at Texas A&M and works at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico during the spring.
The Department of Soil and Crop Sciences said Borlaug is responsible for saving more lives than any person who has ever lived. His most notable achievement is the development of a high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat. The wheat helped counter starvation in Mexico, India, China and Pakistan.
Borlaug grew up on a farm near Cresco, Iowa. He received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees at the University of Minnesota.
In 1942, Borlaug accepted a microbiologist position at the DuPont de Nemours Foundation. In 1944, he became a geneticist and plant pathologist under the Mexican government and Rockefeller Foundation where he was assigned to organize and direct the Cooperative Wheat Research and Production Program in Mexico.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. All Congressional Gold Medal legislation must be cosponsored by at least two-thirds of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives before it is submitted to the respective committee.
The medal is created on an individual basis by the United States Mint to reflect the recipient and their contributions. Previous recipients include George Washington, Thomas Edison, Mother Teresa and Rosa Parks.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com