Mission

The AAIC is an international, nonprofit educational and scientific organization established to

  1. Encourage and promote the activities of those involved in the production, processing, development, and commercialization of industrial crops and products derived from industrial crops
  2. Educate and inform our members and others through national and international meetings and conferences
  3. Provide the public, industry, and government policy makers with expert scientific, engineering, and business information on developments in the utilization and commercialization of industrial products from agricultural crops.

History

In May, 1979, our predecessor organization, the Guayule Rubber Society, was incorporated as a Texas nonprofit organization to foster and promote the production of natural rubber from the guayule shrub. To provide a forum for efforts leading to the commercialization of additional industrial crops, the Guayule Rubber Society was reincorporated as the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops in December, 1988. In 1995, the Asociacion Latinoamericana de Jojoba y Nuevos Cultivos (ALAJO) joined the Jojoba Division of the AAIC. The 5 Divisions of the AAIC currently serve the interests of members in 7 countries.

Members

Who we are in the AAIC:

45% are at universities or colleges, 32% are in government agencies, 16% are in business or industry, 7% are retired or private citizens.

Members are agricultural scientists or engineers, chemists or chemical engineers, biologists or geneticists, and marketing specialists which are involved in research and development, administration or management, and agricultural production.

Board of Directors

President: Marisol Berti (North Dakota State University)

President-Elect: Grisel Ponciano (USDA, ARS, BRU)

Past President: Ana Luisa Fernando (Universidade Nova de Lisboa)

Secretary: Valtcho Jeliazkov (Oregon State University)

Treasurer: Burton L. Johnson (North Dakota State University)

Web content manager: Chen Dong (USDA, ARS, BRU)

Divisions and Chairs

General Crops and Products: Efi Alexopoulou (CRES)

Fiber and Cellulosic Crops: Dilpreet S. Bajwa (Montana State University)

Medicinal & Nutraceutical Plants: vacant

Natural Rubber and Resins: Manuel Carmona Delgado (UCLM)

Oilseeds: James V. Anderson (USDA, ARS, WIBRU)

Newsletter Editor

Ana Luisa Fernando

(Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal),

Membership and Conference Registrar

Rocel Cruz

(Bridgestone Americas, Inc.)

Program Abstract Editor

Marisol Berti (NDSU)