Student Opportunity: Short-Term Exposure to International Agriculture

Ronald L Phillips,Susan R Mccouch,Hei Leung,Noel P Magor,Duncan Macintosh,David Shires

doi:10.1007/s12284-008-9003-x

Abstract

Abstract Opportunities abound to apply crop science to solving many of the world’s food problems. International agricultural research centers (IARCs) provide a window through which students can see the need for improved agricultural productivity and briefly experience the rewards of working on difficult but important issues. In today’s world of highly technical graduate education, students find it difficult to obtain exposure to international agriculture due to the extreme constraints on their time. Programs for students that provide a short-term exposure to IARC strategies can have long-term benefits for the student as well as the international center. A short-term student exchange program between a US university and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and a special course on rice (research to production) offered at IRRI provide students with unique insights for averting food riots in the future. Details of these educational efforts are described in this paper.

Highlights

The world food crisis is prominent in today’s news
The positive experiences of every one of these students prompted the idea of sharing information on the University of Minnesota/ International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Shuttle Internship Program in this first issue of the journal, RICE
“It has been inspiring to join a group of scientific contemporaries and senior professionals, who— despite originating from a hugely diverse range of backgrounds—have so much in common.”. Programs such as the two described above (1) expose undergraduate and graduate students of both developed and developing-country universities to the important roles of an International agricultural research centers (IARCs) in international agriculture, (2) increase student awareness of the food staples in the developing world and of concerns about producing them in an environmentally sustainable manner, (3) encourage students to consider a career at an IARC or other international organization, (4)

Summary

Introduction

The world food crisis is prominent in today’s news. The sustainable production of food and household food security are high on the agenda globally. The World Food Prize Youth Institute, developed by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug, provides bright high school students with the opportunity to experience 2-month terms of in situ exposure to research at an international agricultural research center.

Results

Conclusion