Forest Expert to Present Borlaug Lecture

Frances Seymour, a long-time advocate for forest preservation, will deliver the 2013 Borlaug Lecture 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in the Hunt Library auditorium. The topic of her speech is “Forests for Thought – The Dynamic Politics of Tropical Forests, Food Security and Climate Change.”

The Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Distinguished Lecture on Global Service to Society and the Environment is sponsored by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Natural Resources. Borlaug, widely regarded as the father of the green revolution, was the inaugural speaker in the lecture series.

Seymour is currently a senior adviser to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, based in California. The Packard Foundation has a 45-year history of working with partners around the world to improve the lives of children, families and communities, and to restore and protect the planet.

From 2006 to 2012, Seymour served as director general of the Center for International Forestry Research, an international organization headquartered in Indonesia. She led the development of a new strategy for the center, guided the launch of the CGIAR research program on forests, trees and agroforestry, and contributed to publications on forests and climate change.

Prior to joining the Center for International Forestry Research, Seymour was the founding director of the institutions and governance program at the World Resources Institute, and served as director of development assistance policy at World Wildlife Fund, both in Washington, D.C. She also spent five years in Indonesia with the Ford Foundation, where her work focused on community forestry and human rights.

Seymour will spend time with faculty and students during her visit to NC State.

In conjunction with the lecture, the sponsoring colleges present a faculty member with the Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Distinguished Award on Service to Society and the Environment.