Collaborative Initiative for Plant Breeding Education

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0fe008b0erlcgo.jpg"> <div> <B>Collaborative Initiative for Plant Breeding Education</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#663333" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="index_m.htm#a_university_of_puerto_rico_at_mayagüez" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Collaborative Initiative for Plant Breed"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Project Directors"><U><B>Project Directors</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Project Activities"><U><B>Project Activities</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Project Funding"><U><B>Project Funding</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Graduate Programs at UPRM and NDSU "><U><B>Graduate Programs at UPRM and NDSU </B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Interested in more information about plant breeding research in Puerto Rico? Visit this link to learn more about tropical </B><A HREF="http://academic.uprm.edu/lbeaver/id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://academic.uprm.edu/lbeaver/id16.ht"><U><B>pumpkin breeding</B></U></A><B>  (calabaza) </B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="0dd89880.jpg" border=0 width="137" height="136" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <A NAME="a_university_of_puerto_rico_at_mayagüez"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>A University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez - North Dakota State University </B></div> <div> <B>Collaborative Project</B></div> <bR> <div> This project, funded by USDA-CSREES-Hispanic Serving Institutions Education Grants Program, aims to recruit and train Puerto Rican students for careers in plant breeding and genetics. Plant breeders provide the nation with new or improved food, feed, fiber and ornamental plant varieties that enable us to develop new markets, improve agricultural production efficiency, promote healthier food choices, and enhance the environment. </div> <bR> <div> Puerto Rico is home to the winter nurseries of many of the nation's largest seed companies. Plant breeding activities are an important component of agriculture on the island. There is a continuing demand for graduates to fill jobs in both private and public sector plant breeding in Puerto Rico and across the U.S. </div> <bR> <div> During the past decade, training in molecular biology and genomics has been emphasized, too often at the expense of plant breeding education. While molecular genetics is an essential component in the education of a plant breeder, recent graduates are often weak in skills needed to work with whole plants in an applied breeding program. This concern is now being addressed in many forums, including the American Seed Trade Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as the seed industry begins to realize that many land grant universities no longer offer the kind of plant breeding education and research programs critical for producing the next generation of plant breeders. </div> <bR> <div> The College of Agricultural Sciences (CAS) at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM) presently offers a M.S. degree in the area of plant breeding. In September 2005 the UPRM and North Dakota State University (NDSU) signed a memorandum of agreement to establish a Collaborative Ph.D. Program in Plant Breeding and Genetics. Both UPRM and NDSU have a tradition of providing their plant breeding graduates with applied plant breeding skills. The CAS at UPRM has also approved a proposal to develop its own Ph.D. program in plant breeding. In order to develop these initiatives in graduate training in plant breeding we are (1) recruiting students into plant breeding by exposing undergraduate students to plant breeding programs at UPRM (undergraduate research experience), at NDSU (summer internship program), at the USDA-ARS Tropical Agricultural Research Station (Career Days and undergraduate research experience) and in private industry (Career Days), (2) providing financial assistance to M.S. and Ph.D. students to pursue training in plant breeding and genetics, (3) providing additional training to faculty with M.S. degrees and offering opportunities for professional enhancement to faculty with Ph.D.'s, (4) developing materials for new courses for UPRM's graduate program as well as for a plant breeding education web site, (5) providing our teaching laboratories with updated equipment, and (6) visiting high schools throughout the island to stimulate interest in pursuing careers in agriculture and plant breeding.  </div> <bR> <div> This site was developed and designed by L. Wessel-Beaver</div> <div> Last update: 2 March 2009</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=180 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B>News, Information and Announcements:</B></div> <bR> <div> A professional development workshop <B>"Introduction to the Use of Molecular Markers in Plant Genetic Resources"  </B>will be held on March 2, 9 and 16, 2009 in Mayaguez. The workshop is directed at research and extension faculty who are interested in learning the  basics of molecular marker technology. Space is limited to 10 participants. Contact Dr. Linda Beaver for more details. </div> <div>  </div> <div>  <A NAME="the_deadline_for_submitting_an"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>The deadline for submitting an application for the 2009  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Summer Internship Program</B> in Plant Breeding & Genetics </FONT>at North Dakota State University is  December 15. Contact Dr. <A HREF="mailto:Lbeaver@uprm.edu" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Lbeaver@uprm.edu"><U>Linda Beaver</U></A> for more details. Dr. Beaver's office is in Piñero 110, telephone 787-833-2865.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/plantsci/uprmwebsite/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/plantsci/up"><U><B>Collaborative Ph.D. Program</B></U></A> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Arial" >in Plant Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Plant Sciences at North Dakota State University. Under this program, and with appropriate funding, thesis research can be conducted, and some graduate courses can be taken, at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. </FONT></div> </td> </tr></table></body>