On his second Envoy trip, U.S. Science Envoy Dr. Gebisa Ejeta will travel to Ethiopia and Tanzania February 13-24, 2012, where he will meet with senior government officials and representatives from the scientific, education, nonprofit, and business communities. Dr. Ejeta will discuss cooperation on sustainable development, innovation, and university partnerships.

President Obama announced the Science Envoy Program in Cairo on June 4, 2009. Since the program’s inception, six of America’s finest scientists have traveled to 17 countries on behalf of the United States Government to promote international partnerships through scientific collaboration. Dr. Ejeta was named a Science Envoy in September 2010 along with Dr. Rita Colwell and Dr. Alice Gast. In 2011, Dr. Ejeta traveled to South Africa.

Dr. Ejeta was chosen for his technical expertise and renown as an acclaimed plant breeder and geneticist. He is the Distinguished Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics and International Agriculture at Purdue University. Among his many awards, he was the recipient of the 2009 World Food Prize and a national medal of honor from the President of Ethiopia. Dr. Ejeta was recently designated a Special Advisor to USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.