An annual award to foreign experts who have made remarkable contributions to the social and economic development of Yunnan province was announced at the Kunming Expo Garden Hotel, with 10 foreign experts selected as the winners this year. Dr. W. John Kress, a foreign advisory expert of XTBG, is among the 10 award winners.

  As representative of the employment organization, Dr. Cao Min, deputy director of XTBG, attended the Friendship with Yunnan Award Ceremony for Foreign Experts 2006.

Busy with an important academic meeting, Dr. John Kress was absent from the ceremony. Prof. Li Qingjun received the award on behalf of him.

 The Friendship with Yunnan Award was conferred to the foreign experts in appreciation of their contributions to Yunnan’s social development and economic, scientific, technological, educational and cultural construction. The winners are experts engaged in various fields involving agriculture, mechanical industry, electronic industry, education, scientific research, medicine, tourism, and publishing, etc.

   Present at the awarding ceremony were Mr. Liang Gongqing, vice chairman of Yunnan Provincial People’s Congress, Ms. Cheng Yingxuan, deputy governor of Yunnan province, and other officials of related departments.

  Dr. John Kress was awarded XTBG adjunct professorship in 2003. He has carried out collaborative research with XTBG scientists since 1995, remarkable achievements have been made. For example, academic papers have been published in Nature, Systematic Botany, American Journal of Botany, etc.  He also helped XTBG win the bid to host ATBC 2006, which was conducive to the promotion of our reputation and influence.