Nagoya, Japan - Dr. Akira Yamauchi, Vice Dean and Professor of the Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan has been appointed as the new Director of the International Cooperation Center for Agricultural Education (ICCAE) based in Nagoya University, Japan effective 1 April 2007. Dr. Yamauchi took over the leadership of the Center from Professor Dr. Hiroyuki Takeya who completed his term of office as ICCAE Director in March 2007.

Dr. Yamauchi holds a PhD in Agricultural Sciences, which he completed at Nagoya University in 1988. He has been working as a faculty member at the Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University since 1990. His major fields of research are crop physiology, agronomy, and bioresource cycling. Prior to work in Nagoya University, he served as Research Scientist at the Blackland Research Center of the Texas A&M University and at Texas Tech University, U.S.A. He has been actively involved in professional scientific and research societies such as the International Society of Root Research where he serves as Vice President from 2001 until the present; as Board Member of the Crop Science Society of Japan from 2004 until the present; as Committee Member of the Science Council of Japan during the 2003-2005 period; and as Vice-President and President of the Japanese Society of Root Research from 1996-1997 and 1998 to 2001, respectively.

Aside from his involvement in professional organizations, Dr. Yamauchi also serves as editor of a number of scientific refereed journals such as the Plant Root Research Journal from January 2007 to present; Annals of Tropical Research from March 2000 to present; and Journal of Plant Production Science from January 2000 to present. He was editor of the Japanese Journal of Crop Science from January 1998 to December 2002 and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal on Root Research from January 2002 to December 2005.

The ICCAE is a research institute tasked to promote international cooperation in agricultural education in Japan. It was established in April 1999 and hosted at Nagoya University with support from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan. The ICCAE has been engaged in various activities such as evaluation of projects implemented by various international cooperation agencies, development of projects addressing local needs, development of human resource database of agriculture researchers and educators, researches on the establishment of networks and development of effective coordination techniques, conduct of training for technical experts from developing countries. It has close coordination with aid agencies such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), and African Institute for Capacity Development (AICAD) in the conduct of the activities geared towards the achievement of ICCAE’s mandates. It has also collaborated with the Asian Association of Agricultural Colleges and Universities (AAACU) and the Nagoya University Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences in the conduct of research projects pertaining to curriculum development and conduct of conventions.

Dr Yamauchi said that ICCAE is determined to contribute to human capacity building through collaboration with domestic and international organizations, universities, aid agencies and NGOs, and strengthening its function of coordination in the field of international cooperation in agricultural education. (By E. Cedicol)