icipe Director General Honoured
31 May 2016, Tel Aviv, Israel – icipe Director General, Dr Segenet Kelemu, has received an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University (TAU), Israel's largest and most comprehensive institution of higher learning, and one of the top 100 universities internationally.
Dr Kelemu was among five individuals from across the globe who received the distinguished award this year, which has over the past 50 years been conferred by TAU to remarkable figures in recognition of their professional and philanthropic contributions to society.
TAU President Joseph Klafter said, “... we recognise a number of individuals who are boldly changing history with their impressive pursuits. We salute our honorees’ determination and celebrate their ambition to effect change.”
Chairman of the Board of Governors Prof. Jacob A. Frenkel noted: “TAU engages in a vast range of areas. The values common to them all are: excellence, leadership, questing after innovation and new frontiers, contribution to society and the exchange of knowledge with the world. Tonight’s distinguished group of honorees illustrates these supreme values.”
Dr Kelemu was honoured for her pioneering role for women scientists in Africa; her leadership in the fight for providing new solutions for ecologically responsible food crop production, especially by local, small-scale farmers in Africa; her commitment in directing the major effort, through international collaboration; for the transformation of African agriculture into self-sustainment that will meet the goals of feeding the people; her international acclaim as recipient of prestigious awards such as the UNESCO Award for Women in Science in 2014, and her serving on advisory boards of key international institutions; and her support in the establishment of the Manna Center Program in Food Safety and Security of Tel Aviv University.
The icipe Director General joins a distinguished list of TAU honorees that includes: former President of the United States, Bill Clinton; German Chancellor, Angela Merkel; former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair; former Israeli President and Prime Minister, Shimon Peres; Elie Wiesel, an American Romanian-born Nobel Laureate; Alan Dershowitz, an American lawyer, jurist and author; Amos Oz, an Israeli writer, novelist, journalist and intellectual; Umberto Eco, an Italian novelist, literary critic, philosopher; Zubin Mehta, an Indian conductor of Western classical music; Ronnie Chan, a Hong Kong entrepreneur, and Maurice Lévy a Moroccan French businessman.
For a complete list of past TAU honorees, please visit: http://www6.tau.ac.il/honorary/
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/icipeinsects/sets/72157669014158322
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3A9QGTkGPQ
