Lincoln, North Dakota
May 8, 2009
 Source:
Crop Watch News Srvice,
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
P.
Stephen Baenziger has long strived in his career to do something
to help feed the world. With his appointment to an international
center that researches one of the world's most important food
staples, he has realized a dream.
Baenziger, a professor in the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Agronomy and
Horticulture, has been selected as a member of the board of
trustees of the prestigious International Rice Research
Institute. Currently only one person from the United States sits
on the 15-member board.
"It's a huge opportunity," Baenziger said. "This appointment is
a dream come true for me."
IRRI, established in 1960 and headquartered in the Philippines,
is the largest nonprofit agricultural research center in Asia.
Its mission is to reduce world hunger, improve the health of
rice farmers and consumers, and work for environmentally
sustainable rice production.
IRRI is one of two international agricultural centers focused on
research into the world's three most important food crops. IRRI
focuses solely on rice while the International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Center focuses on wheat and corn.
"These centers have had an impact on billions of people who are
alive today because of the research the centers have done,"
Baenziger said.
Research in rice is important because it is the predominant food
for much of the world, particularly in south Asia, Baenziger
said. While Baenziger's research at UNL focuses on wheat, barley
and triticale, he believes IRRI was interested in him for his
expertise in plant breeding and genetics, which he honed while
in UNL's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Baenziger is the primary small grains breeder at UNL, where he
has worked since 1986. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard
University in biochemical sciences and got his master's and
Ph.D. from Purdue University in plant breeding and genetics in
corn.
Baenziger was shocked when he got an e-mail earlier this year
letting him know he was being considered for the board. "Even to
be considered that you might be worthy was unbelievable," he
said.
Baenziger's three-year term begins in January. It will require
attending two weeklong meetings a year.
"I got into agriculture because I was interested in feeding
people, and I have an interest in international agriculture," he
said, adding his hope as a member of the board is to help people
who survive on a rice-based diet.
Not only is the appointment an honor for Baenziger, it is a
feather in the cap of UNL, he said.
"If someone asks about the quality of faculty that the
University of Nebraska has, you could say that when the board of
trustees of the largest international rice research group in the
world was looking for another member, it came to Nebraska." |
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