USDA CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF COMPETITIVE RESEARCH GRANTS IN AGRICULTURE

                                            Release No. 0189.98

Media Advisory

                                    Andy Solomon (202) 720-4623
                                          andy.solomon@usda.gov
                                       Len Carey (202) 720-1358
                                             lcarey@reeusda.gov


USDA CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF COMPETITIVE RESEARCH GRANTS IN AGRICULTURE

     WASHINGTON, April 24, 1998--The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the
National Academy of Sciences will celebrate 20 years of competitive research
grants in agriculture, April 29, with a symposium and reception at the
National Academy of Sciences.  

     The events will celebrate USDA support for competitively funded research
in fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture. The introduction
of a competitive research grants program within USDA in 1978 expanded the
attention to fundamental sciences in agriculture and attracted high quality
scientists to study issues underlying agriculture.

     Invited speakers include Deputy Agriculture Secretary Richard Rominger, 
National Academy of Sciences President Bruce Alberts, White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy Associate Director Arthur Bienenstock, former
USDA chief scientists, and past recipients of USDA competitive grants.

     Scheduled events on April 29 will be at the National Academy of
Sciences, 2101 Constitution Ave., Washington, DC:

     8 a.m. - 2 pm       Exhibits
     9 a.m. - 12 Noon    Symposium: Celebrating 20 Years of Competitive
                         Research Grants in Agriculture     
     
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