UF, NASA, Russia join in videoconference UF/IFAS shared its space-related re- a Fulbright Scholarship. Kratasyuk search with the Kennedy Space Center and her sponsoring UF/IFAS faculty and Krasnoyarsk State University member, Ray Bucklin, joined hortithrough a videoconfer- cultural science reence that brought lead- searcher Anna-Lisa ing scientists from the Paul in discussing three institutions to- s' UF/IFAS involvegether in a virtual con- ment in space-relatference room. ed research into The event April 12, 2 food production, Space Day, was an an- Anna-Lisa Paul, Valentina Krata- low pressure enginiversary of the first syuk and Ray Bucklin discuss re- neering, and low space flight in 1961 by search at a videoconference. pressure plant biolo- Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. More than 40 years later, results from research in agriculture and biological systems have been integrated into space travel. Researchers from UF/IFAS, Krasnoyarsk and the Kennedy Space Center discussed their research and expressed the need for further cooperation. UF/IFAS has longstanding collaborations with the Kennedy Space Center. UF/IFAS and Krasnoyarsk State University are linked through the visit of Valentina Kratasyuk to UF/IFAS on NASA relies on UF/IFAS for research in these fields. The Krasnoyarsk State University is one of Russia's centers of space research. The videoconference is part of an educational proposal to increase the exchange of people and information among the Kennedy Space Center, UF/IFAS and Krasnoyarsk State University. Contact ( Ray Bucklin, bucklin@ufl.edu Grant supports cover crop research In South America, efforts to improve cacao production have been thwarted by degradation of soils and loss of forests. UF/IFAS plant nutritionist Yuncong Li in the Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, has been awarded a planning grant to work in Brazil and Peru to develop cover crop technology for use in cocoa farming. Yuncong Li will collaborate with other researchers in the project "Cover Crops in Natural Resources Improvement and Tree Crops Sustainability under Tropical Agro-forestry Systems in South America." The project is funded by SANREM CRSP, a USAID program focused on sustainable agriculture and natural resource management. April2005 Cocoa is one of the major highvalue tree crops in the tropics. Improvement in productivity could help low-income farmers in the region. Erosion has resulted in a loss of soil and nutrients. Legume crops could improve soil fertility and productivity, reduce erosion, increase carbon sequestration, improve water quality, and reduce pests and diseases. An evaluation of the effects of leguminous cover crops on soil fertility and cocoa production in wide-spaced cocoa plantations in regions of South America is essential to developing a plant to improve soil productivity. Contact Yuncong Li, Yunli@ufl.edu Thai student to study at IFAS UF/IFAS and Chiang Mai University, Thailand, could enhance their cooperation, with the arrival this summer of another Thai graduate student and possible collaborative research on biogas generation. Chuckree Senthong, director of the Biogas Technology Center at Chiang Mai University, visited UF/IFAS in April to prepare for the arrival of a graduate student and to explore collaborative opportunities under a cooperative agreement. Chiang Mai University and UF/IFAS have collaborated in graduate education under the Thai Royal Golden Jubilee Program, which supports Ph.D. assistantships, research, and travel abroad. UF/IFAS researcher Keith Ingram is a co-adviser to three of these stu- dents. Contact Keith ngram, ktingram@ifas.ufl.edu Brathwaite, featured speaker Chelston Brathwaite, director general of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, or IICA, discussed agriculture and rural life as speaker March 30 in the 2005 York Distinguished Brathwaite Lecturer Series. Brathwaite gave his speech "Agriculture and Rural Life in the Americas in the 21st Century" at the Reitz Union. A native of Barbados, Brathwaite joined IICA in 1981 as a regional plant protection specialist for the Caribbean region. Carlton Davis, UF/IFAS distinguished service professor in food and resource economics, hosted Brathwaite's visit. Contact (Carlton Davis Davis@ifas.ufl.edu ..