Precious Listana |
Madeline Poole |
PRECIOUS LISTANA of San Francisco, California, and MADELINE POOLE of Chicago, Illinois, are the co-recipients of the 2016 Szymoniak Intern Award.
Precious and Madeline received the Szymoniak Intern Award for their outstanding work as 2015 World Food Prize Borlaug-Ruan International Interns.
Precious interned at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in Patancheru, India wherewhere her research focused on the process of forming successful Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the SAT Village of Dokur. Madeline interned in Jalna, India with Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Limited, where she researched the isolation and screening of plant growth promoting Rhizobacteria from soil.
Precious is a sophomore at University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Business & Social Entrepreneurship. Madeline is a freshman at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, majoring in Agricultural & Biological Engineering.
The Elaine Szymoniak Intern Award was created in 2010 and is named in honor of the Iowa State Senator, Des Moines City Council Member and hearing and speech specialist known for her dedicated public service and great efforts to save the World Food Prize. This award is presented annually to a Borlaug-Ruan International Intern whose fulfillment of his or her research program at an international research center best exemplifies Senator Szymoniak's commitment to meet the needs of the community and dedicated efforts to promote education, health, economic development, equality and justice.
Precious and Madeline were selected as Borlaug-Ruan International Interns after participating in the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in 2014. The Global Youth Institute provides high school students the opportunity to interact with Nobel and World Food Prize Laureates, connect with other student leaders from around the world, tour cutting-edge industrial and research facilities, and discuss pressing food security and agricultural issues with global leaders in science, industry and policy.
Precious and Madeline received their awards prior to the awarding of the 2016 World Food Prize to four distinguished scientists -- Dr. Maria Andrade and Dr. Robert Mwanga of Cape Verde and Uganda, respectively, as well as to Dr. Howarth Bouis and Dr. Jan Low, both of the United States.