b'PRO: Dilantha FernandoPOSITION: Dean of Studies and Professor/Plant pathologist/EpidemiologistORG: University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Man.) Leverage Partnerships and Unique Expertise Those personal connections areFUNDAMENTAL VS. APPLIED RESEARCH crucial in business, says Dilantha Fernando, Dean of Studies, professor,Answers the why, what orAnswers specific questions to plant pathologist and epidemiologisthow question ? solve practical problemsat the University of Manitoba. Hes considered a mentor to many in theNo immediate commercialImmediate commercial plant pathology community, havingobjectives objectivestrained over 75 graduate students and postdoctoral scientists at the univer- Might not result in a solutionLeads to new technologies/sity and another 68 undergraduateto a practical problem butproductsstudents. can eventually lead to new Hes also known as one of thetechnology/productsplant breeding communitys true facilitators, someone who can getFlexible time scale Tight time scalespeople around the table and to work toward a common goal. Its a skill that saved the canola industry billions in revenue a number of years back, and a skill he comes by after anproblem it faced in 2009 when ChinaCouncil of Canada to implement the experience he had in his teens in Sristopped importing Canadian canolalabelling system came through due Lanka where he grew up. due to a blackleg issue. to the many scientific presentations When I was 15 or 16, I startedThe amount that was going tohe and his colleagues gave on this to give private tutoring lessons tobe lost to Canada was estimated atsubject. students younger than me who were$3 billion each year. Of course, weThats a big thing and can be pursuing a high school diploma. Thatknew there were likely political rea- difficult to do. There are a lot of really taught me that I had the poten- sons for it, but I saw it as an opportu- seed companies involved in canola, tial to train people and for them to benity as a researcher. and they have their own intellectual successful, he says.With a lot of help, Fernando andproperty. We had to make sure that The confidence he gained fromhis team took on a project to identifywe didnt break any of those rules, helping others advance helped himresistance genes that were avail- he says.build a successful career that broughtable at the time in Canadian canolaHe says the plant pathology/with it other opportunities to helpvarieties. It led to the modern systembreeding community is very tight-knit others advance professionally. of labelling them with a letter of theand those involved in it know what I was very fortunate at the begin- alphabet. Seed companies are nowtheir research is good forfun-ning of my career to have some ofable to tell buyers exactly what resist- damental and applied research are the best students who are now doingance genes are in a certain variety. very different and have their own a lot of good work in the industry, inTo do that, of course, he neededstrengths and weaknesses.academia and in provincial govern- to get people into a room. That wasBreeders and plant pathologists ment. only possible through drawing onare always working together. We can That cohort has accomplishedhis network and then leveragingcome together when need be and some amazing things, like bring- those partnerships to get the jobfigure out how to get the job done.ing the industry together to solve adone. Immense help from the Canola 18GERMINATION.CAMARCH 2022'