University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (UF/IFAS) faculty and University of Havana collaborators visit a potato farm in Havana Province (1995). The gentleman in sunglasses in the center of the photo is UF/IFAS Professor Dr. Jose Alvarez, who envisioned the possibility of active, nonpolitical, collaboration between U.S. and Cuban scientists and who was instrumental in bringing the University of Florida/University of Havana collaboration on agricultural issues to fruition. The collaborative research work on agriculture and natural resource issues between the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (UF/IFAS) and the University of Havana has involved faculty members from nearly all of the UF/IFAS’ 18 academic Departments, Schools, and Centers, as well as other UF Colleges. Photograph by Fred Royce. Guest curators Fred Royce and William Messina.
Fred Royce retired in 2020 from the University of Florida Agricultural and Biological Engineering faculty. He can be reached at f.s.royce@gmail.com.
William (Bill) Messina is the Research & Development Coordinator for the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida. He can be reached at wamess@ufl.edu.