Awardees of the ARF-USA $2500 Study and Travel Grant Announced

The Asia Rice Foundation, USA, has announced the two awardees of the $2500 Study Award on Rice for 2002 as follows:

1. Supaporn Hutthanasombut- Ms. Hutthanasombut is a Master's degree Student in Biotechnology at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. Supaporn will use her award to help understand how rice might be genetically changed to grow better in saline (salt) conditions, which exist in many rice fields. Saline conditions are caused by improper irrigation or from sea water flowing onto rice fields during storms or unusual high tides. Supaporn will study how indica rice (the kind traditionally grown in Thailand) may be genetically transformed to better withstand saline conditions and to understand how genetic transformation might be used to increase the metabolic pathway of betaine, an enzyme produced by the rice plant to protect it from salinity.

   Supaporn is conducting her research under the guidance of Dr. Kanyaratt Supaibulwatana of the Department of Biotechnology in the Faculty of Science. She won the 1st Award at the Science Exhibition III in 2002 at the University.

2. Mark Chong- Mr. Chong is a PhD student in the Department of Communication at Cornell University. Mark will study the perceptions of leading rice farmers in the Philippines about Golden Rice, the new, genetically engineered rice that has the potential to relieve Vitamin A deficiency. By meeting leaders in rice growing communities in six provinces of Central Luzon, Mark will find out what they think about Golden Rice, the risks they believe may be associated with it, where they get their information, how they view the Department of Agriculture and the International Rice Research Institute, and how they formed their impressions.

   Mark recently completed his Masters' Thesis, a similar study on Golden Rice in Thailand, reports his professor, Dr. James Shahanan. Mark was voted the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant of his Department in 2001-2002.

Congratulations to all the winners!