Davis, California, USA
April 16, 2014
Last fall, Dr. Darush Struss, Biotechnology Research Manager, East-West Seed, proposed to Seed Central an award that encourages and rewards UC Davis students interested in addressing complex global food issues through plant breeding.
At a recent Seed Central event at UC Davis, Dr. Darush Struss announced the winner of a three-month internship in Chiang Mai, Thailand, hosted and sponsored by East-West Seed. The recipient is Mohan Niroula, a graduate student of Dr. Kent Bradford, professor in the Department of Plant Sciences.
Mr. Niroula’s research at UC Davis focuses on lettuce genetics, knowledge he hopes to bring to a seed company. When asked why he was interested in the invitation by East West Seed, he said, “This internship will give me a first-hand experience of real plant breeding project where I can bring my book knowledge and lab experience to the real field experiments. It will give me an opportunity to work in an environment where I wish to become a part of.“
“This is a great chance to work with UC Davis to develop the next generation of plant breeders,” said Dr. Struss. He also noted, “Seed Central is providing us with the program that we need to better access UC Davis resources, including its talented students.”
Seed Central is grateful for Dr. Struss and East-West Seed for providing this exciting internship that will enhance the skills of a future plant breeder.
The announcement of this first student grand prize generated significant interest amongst other Seed Central member companies. In 2015 HM.Clause will sponsor the three-month internship fully tailored to the interest of a UC Davis student.
East-West Seed is one of Asia’s leading vegetable seed companies. They take pride in distributing high quality seeds to over 60 countries worldwide, working with farmers everywhere to help them yield the best harvest possible.
Established in 2010, Seed Central is an initiative of the Seed Biotechnology Center at UC Davis and SeedQuest, joined by a growing number of companies and organizations in the global seed and food industry. Seed Central's purpose is to energize the seed industry cluster surrounding UC Davis.
Topics
Species
