WHAT:                 2011 ASA, CSSA, and SSSA International Annual Meetings                                                

WHERE:               Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, TX

WHEN:                 Sunday, Oct. 16 through Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011

WEBSITE:             www.acsmeetings.org

October 12, 2011 -- What would be the impact of the next green revolution on global food security? How can soil help lessen the impacts of climate change? Can biofuels help make America energy independent? These topics and others of public interest will be discussed at the International Annual Meetings of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), Oct. 16-19 in San Antonio, TX. The Societies are based in Madison, WI. More than 4,000 researchers, educators, extension professionals, and students from around the world are expected to attend. SSSA’s 75th Anniversary will also be celebrated with a variety of events, including a New 'I Heart Soil' Awareness Campaign.

MAJOR EVENTS/NEWSWORTHY SPEAKERS: Abstracts online: http://ow.ly/6WqKw

• Oct. 16, 6-7pm: Opening Keynote, featuring Prabha Pingali, Gates Foundation, implications of global agricultural development, Ballroom C2-C3.
• Oct. 17, 1-4pm: Meeting Societal Needs and Challenges: Global and Regional Perspectives, food and energy security, climate change, ecosystem services and other issues highlight the need for soil science, Room 214D.
• Oct. 17, 7:30-9:30am: CSSA Plenary Address, featuring Marianne Banziger, CIMMYT, food price crisis and the future challenges we face, Hilton Palacio del Rio, Salon del Rey.
• Oct. 17, 1:00-4:00pm: Critical Investigations--How Consulting Plays into Forensic Analysis, using forensic field investigations and science to solve environmental mysteries, Room 207B.
• Oct 18: 8:00-11:45am: 75 Years of SSSA While Looking Toward the Future, variety of presentations highlighting the history and future of SSSA, Room 214C.
• Oct. 18, 8:00-11:30am: Feed the Future's Global Research Agenda, the USAID initiative to sustainably intensify agricultural production in developing countries to reduce hunger and poverty, Room 214A.
• Oct. 18, 8:00 am-2:30pm: Platinum Scholars Program: Texas, 50 students from local high schools (Sam Houston, NEISD STEM RAM Academy, Harmony Science Academy, Toltech T-STEM Academy, and Milton B. Lee Academy) on careers in science, including college admission, research opportunities, and minority outreach, Ballroom C-2.
• Oct. 18, 5:00-6:00pm: SSSA Plenary Address, featuring Chris Mooney, on scientific illiteracy and how it threatens our future, Ballroom C-3.
• Oct. 19, 7:30-9:30am: ASA Plenary Address, featuring John F. Soper, Pioneer Hi-Bred, solving some of the largest global challenges in food, fuel, and fiber. Hilton Palacio del Rio, Salon del Rey.
• Oct. 19, 8:00-11:30am: From Soil to Sustenance: The Complex Journey of Human Nutrients from Soil to the Edible Portions of Plants, explores the processes that influence the nutritional quality of foods, Room 008A.

Press Credentials: Register in the Newsroom, Convention Center Room 205, or visit the online Newsroom for information: www.acsmeetings.org/newsroom. Media Contacts: James Giese, jgiese@sciencesocieties.org 608-630-3145 (mobile) or Sara Uttech, suttech@sciencesocieties.org, 608-772-0217 (mobile).