Drylands Scientists Convene in Mexico City
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
News I et t er Summer 1993 rnational Center for Arid and Semiarid Land ~tudi~s Texas Tech University Vol. 26, No. 1 In This Issue Drylands scientists Texas Tech University and !CASALS greet visitors from around the world, p. J convene in Mexico City Doctors, scientists, engineers and The fourth International Desert Both ICASALS Director, Idris Traylor researchers from Turkey, Jordan, Development Conference (IDDC), Russia, China and Saudi Arabia Jr.• and Harold Dregne•, special consultant, "Sustainable Development for Our presented papers and chaired sessions. met with !CASALS associates Comm.on Future," recently was held in and Texas Tech faculty concerning Representatives from 40 countries Mexico City, Mexico, and hosted by the on the continents ofEurope, Asia, ~search and development projects. Colegio de Postgraduados, Montecillo. Africa, North America, South America ·. The meeting was the fourth in a and Australia, discussed soil and water PIO,,t stress laboratory to have series arranged to bring an inter conservation, ecology, salt-tolerant global effects, p. 4 disciplinary approach to the problems of plants, irrigation, agroforestry, livestock Scientists, agriculturists, educators drylands technological developments. production and socioeconomics, and comm.unity leaders are praising More than 220 international experts the plant stress lab, which is under presented papers and discussed various Texas Tech to host 1996 conference construction at Texas Tech. Studies approaches to the problems of tech Supage2 will focus on how environmental nology developments in arid and semi conditions affect vegetation. arid regions of the world. (Continued, see Texas Tech, page 2) National Cowboy Symposium to attract large crowds, p. 4 Thousands of cowboys and American West enthusiasts will meet for the National Cowboy Symposium. Poets, musicians, cooks and story tellers will pay tribute to cowboys. Representatives from the U .S., Germany and France are expected. Two leaders are remembered, p. 6 William Curry Holden, recognized historian and archaeologist, recently died at age 96. ~ late Turkish President Turgut Ozal, credited with major economic changes in Turkey, also is honored for his work. Pictured at the opening ceremony are from left, Mohamed~""'· Director oft~ Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Regio~ and Europe, Cairo, Egypt; Marco Antonio Pascual Moncayo, ~rector .ofthe N'!"onal Commls.rion of Arid ames in Mexico; Luis Dona/do Colosio Mumeta, Social Development • Dmota an ICASALS Associate Secretary for Mexico; A.dli Bishay, IDDC Chairman; nll Damlrofer, IDDC board tbroupout aewsleUer. member, and Harold Dregne, IDDC Vice Chairman. Texas Tech chosen as site of 1996 conference (Cor.tinued from page 1) rehabilitation ofsaline soils, More details about the fifth desert Director at Colegio de Postgraduados, reforestation, forage and animal conference, "Drylands Resources: Montecillo, was chainnan of the production in arid zones, watershed and Development Perspectives for the organizing committee. environmental management. Future," will appear in future editions of International sponsors were the The IDDC board members favored the !CASALS Newsletter. United Nations Environment United Nations plans for combatting In other action, the IDDC held Programme, Food and Agricultural desertification and enhancing elections. Adli Bishay was re-elected Organi7.ation, Rockefeller Foundation, interchange. The group also agreed to Chairman, Idris Traylor Jr. was voted as United Nations Education, Science and call for governments to assist Vice-Chairman, and Adel S. El-Beltagy Culture Organi7.ation and the researchers and support them in their remained General Secretary. International Science Foundation. efforts to study about desertification and Harold Dregne, Vice-Chairman, Mexican national sponsors were its effects on humans and the opted not to be re-elected for his the Department of Agricultural and environment. position and was appointed to the Hydraulic Resources; Graduate College At the invitation of Texas Tech publicity committee, chaired by Rick of Agricultural Sciences, Montecillo; President Robert W. Lawless, the IDDC Jones ofthe University of California at Department of Social Development; voted to hold the 1996 conference in Davis. National Commission of Arid Zones and Lubbock. Manuel Anaya Garduno, Research the National Council of Science and Technology. I CASALS staff busy during summer months Idris Traylor Jr.• , Director of involved the entire team, plus a number about wind erosion studies, which have ICASALS, was invited by Maj. Gen. of people from the Ministry of Finance. been conducted by the Institute of William A. Stoffi, Commandant of the Discussions with Saleh Omair, Vice Desert Research of the Chinese U.S. Army War College, to participate Minister of Finance, were also Academy of Sciences in Lanzhou for in the annual National Security Seminar undertaken. the past 40 years. Their trip was at Carlisle Barracks, PA. The team made site visits to four financed by the United Nations Traylor was one of approximately major universities and a number of Environment Programme (UNEP) 80 U.S. civic leaders who were invited vocational institutes during June and Desertification Control Programme to attend the annual seminar. July. Discussions also were held with Activity Center by a special services The group discussed major policy both academic and administrative agreement with ICASALS. issues and security strategies in a personnel of these institutions. The scientists' aim is to develop a seminar setti.Qg with several speakers. Interviews were conducted with long-tenn cooperatiave research "It was a major forum for appropriate staff of the Ministry of program on wind erosion. interaction of civilians and military Finance, Ministry ofPlanning, After the meeting in Lanzhou, the personnel,'' Traylor said. "It is of great Manpower Council, Civil Service group presented papers in Yinchuan at value to everyone who participates." Bureau ·and General Organi7.ation for the International Symposium on the James Jonish*, Deputy Director, Technical Education and Vocational Rational Utilization of Natural John Gilliam•, economics professor at Training. Resources and Territorial Management Texas Tech, and Clyde Kelsey Jr.•, Based upon official government of Arid Lands. professor of educational psychology and documents, the site visits and Dregne, a member of the organizing leadership at Texas Tech, have been interviews, the mission team is committees for the conferences in involved with a World Bank project. preparing a final report for the World Yinchuan and Urumqi, will travel to Their work involves a technical Bank and Saudi Arabia later this year. Urumqi to present a paper at the review of higher education in Saudi Harold Dregne•, director emeritus International Scientific Conference on Arabia. The mission also included and special consultant for ICASALS, the Taklamakan Desert. Mirza Ahmad, operations officer of the James Gregory•, professor of civil In December, 1993, staff members World Bank. engineering, D.W. Fryrear and Ted M. of the Institute ofDesert Research are to Jonish initially went to Saudi Zobeck of the Agricultural Research arrive in Lubbock to complete planning Arabia to assist in developing the tenns Service of the U.S. Department of for joint research on wind erosion. of reference or scope purpose in timing Agriculture in Lubbock and Big Spring, Traylor and Dregne also attended ofthe study. The second meeting traveled to China in late August to learn the desert conference in Mexico City. 2 ICASALS greets visitors from around the globe Visitors from Jordan, Russia, China, and of Desert Research of the Chinese Aca and Minerals in Saudi Arabia, met with Saudi Arabia met with Texas Tech demy of Sciences in Lanzhou, China, chairmen of engineering departments at faculty to discuss topics ranging from visited ICASALS in July. Texas Tech. wind erosion to research projects of They were Xia Xuncheng, Li In August, six Chinese staff ICASALS associates. Jianshu, Zhang Wenming, Meng members of the Soil and Fertilizer In May, Mahmoud Abu-Khalaf, Xinhua, Zhu Junfeng, Chu Weidong and Institute of the Ningxia Academy of M.D., Dean ofthe School of Medicine Wang Tao. The scientists visited with Agro-Forestry Sciences in Yinchuan, at Jordan University of Science and staff members who are involved in Wind China arrived. They were Zhang Technology, visited members of the erosion and wind engineering research. Junchao, Mei Chengrui, Qu Zhizbeng, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Their visit is the first step in initiating Wei Guangzi, Wang Kezhi and Yin Center School ofMedicine . He also long-term cooperative research between Yanling . The group discussed research visited the Regional Academic Health Center in El Paso. Abu-Khalaf, who has studied in Egypt, New York and at Harvard, said he hoped to learn about the medical system in the United States so he can help improve the quality of medical care in his country. "The medical school here is very similar to ours," he said. "They (Texas Tech) have a strong commitment to primary health care and serving a community, which is similar to ours in Jordan." In June, Vladimir E. Fortov, head of the Russian Basic Science Foundation and director of the High Energy Research Center of the Russian Members ofthe Soil and Fertilizer Institute ofthe Ning:xia .Academy of.Agro-Forestry Academy of Sciences, presented Sciences in Yinchuan. China, visited Texas Tech in .August. They are from