The End of Poverty Author to Keynote Soils Congress

WHAT—Opening Ceremony of the 18th World Congress of Soil Science, organized by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), and the U.S. National Committee for Soil Science.

WHEN—Monday, July 10. Introductory Remarks begin at 8:00 a.m; Plenary Address featuring Jeffrey Sachs begins at 9:15 a.m.

WHO—Confirmed Speakers include:Welcoming Remarks, 8:00-9:15 a.m."¢ Honorable Ruth Ann Minner, Governor of Delaware, who will welcome the 2,000+ attendees"¢ Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, who will recognize the three 2006 World Food Prize Laureates, two of whom are soil scientists"¢ Michael Clegg, the Foreign Secretary of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences"¢ Bruce Knight, Chief of the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, who will bring greetings from the Secretary of Agriculture"¢ Ed De Mulder, Past President of the International Union of Geological Sciences, who will discuss the United Nation's Year of Planet Earth initiative for 2008"¢ Donald Sparks, IUSS President, University of Delaware, is master of ceremonies. Stephen Nortcliff, IUSS Secretary General, University of Reading (UK) will provide welcoming remarks

Plenary Address, 9:15-10:00 a.m. titled, "Soil Science and the Challenge of Sustainable Development" "¢ Keynote speaker, Jeffrey Sachs, noted economist and author of "The End of Poverty." He is Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and serves as a Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals.

Where—Grand Ballroom AB, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA 10107

Members of the media are invited to attend. The World Congress of Soil Science is held from July 9-15 in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and feature presentations by soil scientists from around the world on such topics as climate change, soils and health, urban planning, crop production, hazardous waste, and more. The World Congress of Soil Science is a unique international event held in a different city every four years (last held in the U.S. in 1960). For more information, go to: http://www.18wcss.org.

A Press Room will be located in the Pennsylvania Convention Center (Room 302) for members of the media and Public Information Officers.