Born into a family of farmersLiliane Tandzi Ngoune from the Western Region of Cameroon started learning about maize when she was in primary school. She always accompanied her mother to work on maize during holidays since it is the most important source of food in the country. Liliane undertook her undergraduate and post graduate studies at the University of YaoundeCameroon where she studied Plant Biology. For Her Master s Degree ThesisLiliane worked on maize selection.These daysthe yield of maize has reduced considerably due to nutrient deficiencies. One contributing factor is the high acidity level of soils. A lot of work has been done to develop more tolerant maize varieties. Howeverthere is low yielding due to acid toxicity as high as 50% or more. I am hoping to contribute to the improvement of maize production in acid soils Lilian says. Liliane works with the Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) in Yaounde. She is in the National Seeds LaboratoryCereal Programme where inbred linessynthetichybrid and composite seeds for farmers are kept.Insufficient Plant Breeders in this domain delays the evolution of science in my country. I hope that after my PhD studies I can contribute significantly to the development of science in my country and beyond