McBeath named national science fellow

Submitted by Jenifer McBeath
Phone: (907) 474-7431
02/17/04

Jenifer Huang McBeath, plant pathologist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (AFES), has been awarded a U.S. State Department Embassy Science Fellowship. McBeath is the first academician or scientist who is not also a U.S. government official to receive the award.

McBeath will be based in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing from March 1-May 31, 2004. She will be working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help improve conditions for exporting Alaska and U.S. agricultural products to China.

McBeath has worked on pest risk assessment and phytosanitary clearance-related issues since 1990. Her work in Alaska, which spans more than 24 years, provided critical disease and pest information required by Taiwan and China before they allowed the importation of Alaska agricultural products. Through her efforts, the Taiwanese government granted Alaska the privilege of being the first supplier worldwide to export seed potatoes and carrots to Taiwan. Alaska is also one of only five U.S. states to export tablestock potatoes and one of only two states to export asparagus to Taiwan.

Since 2000, McBeath has served as a member of the U.S. team in bilateral technical talks with China on agricultural products. In December 2003, both countries signed protocols, which McBeath co-authored, for Alaska seed potato exports to China, making Alaska the first state eligible to export that commodity to the world’s largest market.

McBeath, who received the Usibelli Distinguished Service award in 2000, used the award money to establish a scholarship for students interested in studying plant pathology at UAF.

AFES is part of UAF’s School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences.

CONTACT: Jenifer McBeath at (907) 474-7431 or e-mail ffjhm@uaf.edu for more information.