From February 2008:
IIA Welcomes Dr. Perry Ng
| IIA is pleased to announce that Professor Perry Ng of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at MSU has joined the IIA faculty as part of his assigned responsibilities within FSHN. Professor Ng brings to MSU and IIA a wealth of international experience through his research in the area of cereal science, further described in the bio-sketch below. His role in IIA will be to coalesce faculty strengths and interests at MSU into new international research and training programs; his contributions will strengthen growing linkages between FSHN and IIA. |  Dr. Perry Ng |
Bio-sketch:
Prof. Ng was invited to join the faculty of Michigan State University (MSU) in 1992 to initiate a new Cereal Science Program in the Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition. His research foci are mainly in the areas of physicochemical and genetic properties of wheats (mainly of wheat flour proteins) in relation to end-use qualities, cereal (e.g., wheat, barley, rice, etc.) chemistry and technology, extrusion technology in cereal processing, and utilization of non-cereals (e.g., soybeans) for food and non-food products. Recently, his research activities have been extending to areas such as modifying certain components (e.g., resistant starch, fiber, phenolics) in grain with potential for functional food ingredients.
He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Cereal Science and Food Analysis. He has graduated 7 M.S. and 5 Ph.D. students from his program while at MSU. Furthermore, 33 post-doctoral fellows, visiting scholars, and visiting professors from 10 countries (Australia, Austria, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Turkey, and the U.S.A.) have been trained in his laboratory over the years. He has been invited to many research centers (public and private) in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North America to present his research findings.
Among his research activities, Dr. Ng currently has projects with scientists from his home department, other departments at Michigan State University, USDA-ARS Laboratories, US Wheat Marketing Center, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kongju National University (Korea), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (China), University of Guelph (Canada), University of Saskatchewan (Canada), University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (Vienna, Austria), Hacettepe University (Turkey), Istituto Sperimentale per la Cerealicoltura (Italy), and University of Milan (Italy). His cereal science expertise has been sought out by the food industry (in Canada, Japan, and the U.S.A.) for consultative purposes.
Click here for more information about Dr. Ng.
From October 2007:
Grain Pulses Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP) to be Administered by Michigan State University
On September 27, 2007, USAID awarded to Michigan State University the estimated sum of $9,000,000 for the administration of the Dry Grain Pulses CRSP. This is a five-year (2007-2012) Leader-with-Associate award resulting from a competition to identify a Management Entity. The new program will begin on October 1, 2007 and use “Pulse CRSP” as its brand name. The Pulse CRSP replaces the Bean/Cowpea CRSP which ends on September 29, 2007 leaving a tremendous legacy of impact through its research and training achievements in 25 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America since 1980.
As a Title XII program, the Pulse CRSP will provide opportunities for U.S. scientists and their respective universities to partner with agriculture research institutions in developing countries to engage in collaborative multi-disciplinary research, institutional capacity building and outreach activities related to common bean, cowpea, and other dry grain pulses (e.g., chickpeas, pigeon peas, faba beans, etc.). The Global Vision of the Pulse CRSP will be to contribute to economic growth and nutritional security, sustainable growth and competitiveness of value-chains utilizing socially and environmentally compatible approaches, and the strengthening of the capacity of agricultural research institutions in USAID priority countries. In addition, the Pulse CRSP will seek to be a resource for and provide technical services to USAID Missions and other public and private sector organizations for the benefit of agriculture in developing countries and the U.S.
Collaborative research and institutional capacity building projects to be funded under the Pulse CRSP will be selected through a competitive process. A Request for Proposals to be issued in October 2007 will seek innovative proposals from Lead U.S. universities to partner with strategic Host Country institutions in Africa and Latin America to address priority constraints or opportunities for growth of bean and/or cowpea value chains. As with the previous CRSP, an integral component of all CRSP projects will be human resource development through graduate degree training, short courses, sabbaticals in research laboratories, private sector experiences, and networking with international research and development groups.
Michigan State University is honored to have the privilege to provide technical and administrative leadership to this vitally important CRSP and to partner with premier research institutions globally. Pulses are one of the few commodities that are strategically positioned to address many of the key issues facing developing countries including health and nutrition of children and urban poor, soil degradation, the sustainability of cropping systems, gender equity, and the economic future of small-holder farmers. By pursuing the administration of the Dry Grain Pulses CRSP, Michigan State University commits to maintaining its international prominence in multi-disciplinary research on beans and related pulses and to serving the needs of the bean and related pulse sectors in Michigan, the U.S. and globally.
For more information please contact:
Irvin Widders, Director
Dry Grain Pulse CRSP
321 Agriculture Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48824
Tel: (517) 355-4693
Email: dgpcrsp@msu.edu
From August 2007
Luis Flores interviewed on Rwandan Television
Luis Flores interviewed on Rwandan Television
Luis Flores, a PhD student in Natural Resource Management at Michigan State University, recently appeared on Rwandan television to discuss the Rwanda Horticulture Export Standards Initiative (RHESI). Mr. Flores was in Kigali for the RHESI Awareness Raising Workshop and spoke with reporters about the project objectives and timeline.
RHESI is designed to enhance Rwanda's access to growing international markets through the expansion of fruits and vegetable exports. Rwanda has been struggling for the past twelve years to rebuild its economy after a period of civil war and genocide. In support of their horticulture sector, the 1994 Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation in Rwanda (PSTA) was developed to modernize the economy and to enhance agricultural productivity.
Mr. Flores has an extensive background in horticulture and international markets and has been working with RHESI since its inception in June of this
year. He believes that Rwanda holds considerable potential for fruits and vegetable production ranging from low-valley, warm weather products such as bananas and melons to cooler climate products such as berries and leafy greens. The export potential is there for a number of high-value products, although Rwanda lags behind neighboring Kenya and Uganda in accessing lucrative markets in Western Europe and the Middle East. Central to expanding these markets is adopting sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) frameworks in order to better regulate horticultural exports.
Flores, a native of Guatemala, arrived at Michigan State University in 2002 to earn his Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics and subsequently began his PhD in Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies, focusing on international development and community-based natural resources management. Funded in part by the RHESI project, Mr. Flores’ assistantship is also funded by PFID
From February 2007:
Please join us in welcoming Dan Dutkiewicz to the Institute of International Agriculture!
| Profile of Dan Dutkiewicz:
Dan officially started his new position as Academic Specialist in January. His office is located in Room 302, Agriculture Hall. Currently, Dan is building study abroad/experiential learning programs for CANR students and developing international engagement activities for IIA industry partners. His experience in study abroad programming and working for the Business College should serve him particularly well in this newly-created position. Dan has a long history at MSU, earning undergraduate degree and graduate degrees in history as well as working in various capacities across campus -- including stints in the Human Biology Program and the Business College -- before joining us here in CANR. |
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Impressions of IIA
Dan has found the people in IIA to be welcoming, passionate about their work, and extremely collegial. In fact, Dan says, “The institute is a great place to work – it’s like a breath of fresh air. I feel privileged to have landed in such a good spot.”
Family
He is married to his wife Keri with no children – although Dan and Keri are in the process of adopting a baby from South Korea. In addition, Dan and Keri have 4 dogs, ranging in age from 3 to 13 years, and 2 horses, ages 3 and 8. Says Dan, “Keri and I are excited about adding a human to the mix; otherwise, we might have to apply for a license to operate a zoo!”
Personal hobbies and travel activities
Dan describes himself as a “high-handicap golfer, middle-age basketball enthusiast, and delusional marathoner.” This spring, he’s planning to complete a 25K event in Grand Rapids as a training run in preparation for the “big one” – the Chicago Marathon in October. “This is assuming I survive the training regimen,” quips Dan. Somehow we get the sense he’ll finish the race in grand style. Good luck!
Dan is also a world traveler who refuses to take his passion for travel too seriously. In fact, Dan frequently refers to himself as the “disoriented traveler” as a way of conveying the sense of wonder, humility, and dizzying personal transformation he frequently experiences when exploring other cultures and distant lands around the world. Having traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asiatic Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, Jamaica, French Polynesia, Peru, and Bolivia, this globe-trekking has enriched his life beyond measure. I’m probably most grateful for all the wonderful friends I’ve made in these interesting places around the world! He particularly enjoys the cuisines of the various nations he’s visited. Dan’s especially quick to point out his “serious and expensive” addiction to sushi!
Dan also volunteers overseas with an organization called Solidarity Bridge. This Chicago-based non-profit provides critical medical care, fair-trade market expansion, and educational collaboration to the poverty stricken people of Bolivia. If you would like to learn more about Solidarity Bridge, please check out the following website: www.solidaritybridge.org/home.html.
Professional Goals
Dan summaries his own professional motivations best: “I’m most passionate about building and leading study abroad programs. I love seeing the look of pure awe and wonder on the faces of students first encountering the Great Wall of China or a glorious Japanese castle. I can actually see the wheels turning in their heads as they ask the fundamental but important questions: When was this built? Why? And by whom? These spontaneous questions represent the genuine spirit of inquiry that all of us as educators hope to cultivate in our students.”
