Scientific Exchanges

We extend an open invitation to scientists interested in our technologies and willing to spend time with us at Penn State. To date, we have hosted scientists from Peru, Brazil, Cameroon, Vietnam, France, USDA-Puerto Rico, Colombia and England. Graduate students from Peru, Colombia and Ivory Coast have or are currently working towards degrees in our program.

Workshops

CATIE, COSTA RICA: A workshop on cocoa tissue culture was presented at the CATIE facilities in Turrialba, Costa Rica in July, 1999 which covered all aspects of our tissue culture methods. A training manual was developed and given to all attendees. Personnel from seven countries attended.

CEPLAC, BRASIL; Workshop of Molecular Marker Technology and Cacao Tissue Culture: A series of two workshops were also presented at CEPLAC in Bahia, Brazil to a group of CEPLAC researchers. During these workshops, scientists and technicians were taught our tissue culture methods, and a large number of cultures were initiated. Additionally, training was provided on the use of an automated DNA sequencing apparatus for use in molecular marker analysis.

Cacao Tissue Culture: Southern Sun, Company, Hodges, SC, Feb. 1999

Cacao Tissue Culture: Castries, Saint Lucia, Feb. 1998

Plants Without Borders

In 2000, Dr. Guiltinan developed as a pilot program, Plants Without Borders, which was taught as an independent research course (HORT/BIOL 496). A project was developed for an international trip (Summer 2000, Trinidad), during which assistance and training was provided to a cocoa farmer.