One of the most exciting parts of plant pathology's impact is being able to collaborate across states, countries, and continents to share knowledge and solutions related to plant disease. These partnerships do the life-changing work of building bonds between scientists, which then facilitates the world-changing innovation of improving global plant health and allowing for the growth of healthy, good-to-eat crops for diverse global populations.
One especially successful collaboration, between the University of Minnesota and Uruguay's National Agricultural Research Institute (INIA), celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022. Due to the value and duration of this collaboration, CFANS Alumni Society will soon be launching the CFANS Alumni Network of Uruguay to continue facilitating and strengthening that bond with current and past collaboration participants and international students.
In honor of this milestone, INIA and CFANS Alumni Society cohosted a hybrid event in November with speeches and socializing for all collaboration participants across history. Scientists and leaders gathered on Zoom and in Borlaug Hall to celebrate past successes, discuss future plans, and catch up on a personal level. View a video of the event on YouTube here.
Memories and shout-outs to Minnesota-Uruguay collaborators will be collected in perpetuity on this Kudoboard—reminisce or add a photo or story of your own! Photos best enjoyed while sipping an authentic Uruguayan maté tea, if you can get your hands on one.