Education and work experience

George Acquaah received his B.Sc. (Hons) Agriculture Science and M.Sc. (Crop Science) degrees from the University of Ghana, Legon, in 1975 and 1979, respectively. He was a lecturer in the School of Agriculture at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana from 1979 to1983 before proceeding to Michigan State University on a Fulbright Scholarship where he received a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics in 1987. After a postdoctoral fellowship as Visiting Research Associate at Michigan State University, he accepted a position as Assistant Professor and Management Specialist at Langston University in 1991.

From 1997 to May 2008, Dr. Acquaah served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Langston University and briefly as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2008 before assuming the position of Dean at Bowie State University.

Awards

His awards include 2007 National Winner of the National Association of Land Grant Universities and Colleges (NASULGC)/USDA Excellence in College and University Teaching in Food and Agricultural Science; 2006 National Association for Equal Opportunity (NAFEO) in Higher Education Noble Award (first recipient); 2006 DaVinci Fellow (given by the DaVinci Institute of Oklahoma – first recipient); 2003 Millennium Award for Excellence in Teaching (given by the White House Initiative on HBCUs); 2003 Distinguished Professor; 2002 NASULGC/USDA Excellence in Teaching Award, Southern Region; and 1985 Thoman Fellow, Michigan State University.

Research interests

Tissue culture applications and plant genomics for the improvement of tall wheatgrass, cassava, and peanut.

Selected recent publications

Textbooks in print

Acquaah, G.  (2008).  Horticulture:  Principles and practices (4th ed.).  New Jersey:  Prentice Hall.

Acquaah, G.  (2006).  Principles of plant genetics and breeding.  Oxford, UK:  Blackwell Publishing.

Acquaah G.  (2005). Principles of crop production:  Theory, technology and techniques (2nd ed.).  New Jersey:  Prentice Hall.

Acquaah, G.  (2003).  Understanding biotechnology:  An integrated and cyber-based approach.  New Jersey:  Prentice Hall.  (Translated into Chinese).

Acquaah, G.  (1992).  Practical protein electrophoresis for genetic research.  Portland, Oregon:  Dioscorides Press.

(Two books are out of print; several other non-academic books are in print)

Book chapters/sections

Acquaah, G., Ude, and Tonukari, S.  (2006).  Impact, importance and shortcomings of biotechnology in developing countries.  In J.A.T. da Silva (Ed.), Floriculture, ornamental and plant biotechnology: Advances and topical issues (1st ed.).  UK:  Global Science Books.

Acquaah, G.  (2006).  Norman Ernest Borlaug: The man and his passion.  In Principles of plant genetics and breeding.  Oxford:  Blackwell Publishing.

Matand, K., and Acquaah, G.  (2006).  Application of tissue culture for tall wheatgrass improvement.  In Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding.  Oxford:  Blackwell Publishing.

Selected Journal Articles

Matand, K., and Acquaah, G.  (2005).  Organogenesis in tall wheatgrass.  Plant Growth Regulator Society of America, 32(4), 124-131.

Matand, K., and Acquaah, G.  (2004).  A procedure for one-step in vitro induction of callus and shoots in cassava.Plant Growth Regulator Society of America, 32 (4), 124-131.

Acquaah, G, Islieb, T.G., and Ferguson, A.E.  (1994).  Gene pool specificity, paucity of enzyme variation, and phaseolin polymorphism in the common bean.  HortScience 29(11), 1337-1339.

Acquaah, G., Adams, M.W., and Kelly, J.D.  (1992).  Factor analysis of plant variables associated with architecture and seed size in dry bean.  HortScience 60, 171-177.

Invited Papers

Acquaah, G., C. Williams, C. , and Burns, M.  (2005).  Diversity in the American farming community and opportunities for the farm credit system. Invited by the Farm Credit Services, USA.

Acquaah, G.  (2002).  The role of biotechnology for improving the agriculture of developing countries. Annual Meeting of the International Food Technologists, Anaheim, CA.

Grants

PI/Co-PI of over 12 grants totaling over 4 million dollars