The Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection held a departmental webinar on ”Genomics and application in research” at the department during which Prof Hernan from Nebraska University, Lincoln, USA was the Key Note Speaker. During Prof. Hernan’s visit to the University of Nairobi, he had an opportunity to discuss the possibilities of possible future collaborations in staff and student exchange and writing joint proposals. Training on bioinformatics approaches will be also be done to build capacity for the Kenyan scientists.
These discussions were held at the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture’s office. Present during the
discussions were:
Prof. Margaret J. Hutchinson (DVC-RIE)
Prof. Moses Nyagito (Dean, Faculty of Agriculture)
Prof. William Maina Muiru (Ag. Chairperson, Dept. of Plant Science & Crop Protection)
Ms Annmaria A. Mahaga (Assistant Registrar, Office of DVC(RIE)
Ms Florence Munguti – PhD Student
In total, there were 30 members of faculty in attendance and 20 students mostly MSc students.
Prof. Hernan Garcia-Ruiz is an Associate Professor of virology from University of Nebraska-Lincoln USA. His research is focused on the mechanisms of plant-virus interactions, specifically antiviral immunity, gene silencing, the identification of cellular genes that condition susceptibility or resistance to viruses, and genetic variation in viruses. His research seeks to contribute to basic understanding of virus-host interactions leading to practical application in biotechnology, medicine, and agriculture. His research is generating knowledge to diagnose viral diseases in maize, and to design antiviral resistance to maize viruses.
