Media advisory: World Food Prize Laureate Geoffrey Hawtin coming to CSU

Note to reporters: Geoffrey Hawtin is available for limited interviews the morning of Sept. 19. To schedule, please contact Allison Sylte at [email protected] or 720-849-1907. 

What: Geoffrey Hawtin – an esteemed international expert on crop diversity and co-recipient of the 2024 World Food Prize – will visit Colorado State University to meet with students, faculty, staff and community members on Sept. 18 and 19, with public discussions scheduled both days. He will focus on his work as a leader of the Crop Trust, an international nonprofit that works to preserve plant genetic resources to achieve sustainable agriculture and global food and nutrition security. Hawtin helped establish the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, which holds more than 1.3 million seed samples from countries around the world. 

When/where: The visit includes two public presentations:

• Hawtin will deliver a lecture about the relationship between crop diversity and food security beginning at 11:15 a.m. Sept. 18 at the USDA National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation, 1111 S. Mason St in Fort Collins. The public can complete this form to indicate interest in attending the lecture.
• He will deliver a lecture and will take part in another panel discussion from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 19 at Denver Botanic Gardens, Sturm Family Auditorium. CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank will introduce Hawtin at the event, which is co-sponsored by Denver Botanic Gardens, the Crop Trust and WorldDenver. Registration is required for the public to attend this free event.

About CSU’s International Agriculture program

The International Agriculture program in the College of Agricultural Sciences at CSU builds platforms and collaborates to support the university’s land-grant mission by connecting Colorado agriculture with the world. With local, national and international partners, the team addresses global challenges and empowers the next generation of leaders.