Dr. Stephen Smith Honored with ASTA Lifetime Honorary Membership Award
- On June 30, 2017
Dr. Stephen Smith, Iowa State University, is this year’s recipient of the ASTA Lifetime Honorary Membership Award. Honorary Members distinguish themselves through leadership, vision and service to the American seed industry. The award was announced on June 23 during the Gala Banquet at ASTA’s Annual Convention.
“Dr. Smith has been an ardent supporter of ASTA’s activities on the domestic and international levels for over 20 years,” said ASTA Chair Mark Herrmann. “He is known worldwide, well respected and deeply committed to the seed industry. An unfailing volunteer, a tireless worker and an unrelenting defender and advocate of intellectual property rights, he has traveled the country and the world attending meetings, giving speeches, organizing symposia and other activities related to intellectual property, germplasm protection and breeding for the seed industry. Respected by his colleagues in industry and government, domestically and internationally, he has become a ‘go to’ person in the industry on seed intellectual property.
Dr. Smith has served on intellectual property committees of ASTA and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). He also chairs the International Seed Federation (ISF) Intellectual Property Committee.
