Welcome to Asia Rice Foundation USA. We are a group of former IRRI staff members who have all worked and lived in a countries where rice is vital for food and to earn a livelihood. We started this foundation to support activities that contribute toward a world that can feed itself, treasures the rich heritage of its rice cultures and values its rice growing land as a precious resource to be shared with future generation.
ARFUSA makes study and travel grants to help scholars and artists learn about rice in the developing world by going to a country where rice is important to study aspects of rice production, marketing, consumption, policy or to create art or interpret culture related to rice.
Applicants must be scholars registered at an accredited institution of higher education and have a supporting letter from their national rice foundation associated with Asia Rice Foundation, Inc or a faculty member of a United States university. Applications that involve travel and study of US-based scholars at IRRI are encouraged.
We support research and education to improve understanding of:
·
the role of rice in farming,
·rice as an element in art and culture, and
·rice as a food with a unique role.
We support efforts to help:
·farmers to produce enough rice to meet world needs while conserving the environment,
·preserve the rich artistic and cultural heritage of rice
Adem Heuberger, a PhD student at Colorado State University to enable him to travel to the International Rice Research Instititute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Philippines to consult with scientists there to develop the ideal set of rice varieties for his research toward defining the genetic basis for rice nutritional metabotypes.
Lauren Pincus, a M.S. student at the University of California, Davis to finance travel to Vietnam for her research that is designed to advance understanding of the flow of technical information and who influences decisions of Vietnam rice farmers.
Diane Wang, a Cornell senior Honors student, to fund her travel to visit Abdel Ismail's lab at IRRI to further her Sr. Honor's Thesis on genetic basis of awns in rice.
Xiaobai Li, a PhD candidate at Zhejiang University and Visiting Scholar at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, U. of Arkansas, to present a poster at the 2009 tri-societies meeting.
Adam Famoso, Ph.D. candidate in plant breeding at Cornell University working with Susan McCouch with the objective of increasing tolerance to aluminum in rice. He traveled to IRRI to discuss future research plans with Dr. Ismail and collect seed samples. (2007)
Dong Sik Yang, Ph.D. candidate in food science at the University of Georgia is working on flavor and aroma in rice and traveled to both South Korea and IRRI for discussions on methodologies and collecting seed samples. He has strong support from his major professor Dr. Stanley Kays and from Dr. David Knauft from the University of Georgia. (2007)
Yuntao Dai, an M.S. candidate in plant pathology at the University of Arkansas working on rice blast. He was supported for travel for field work in Arkansas and to attend science meetings where he will present a paper and poster on his research. We received a strong letter of support from Yulin Jia, his advisor at the Bumpers Rice Research Center.(2007)
Abha Mishra, a PhD student from India studying Agriculture Systems and Engineering at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand received support for experimental work to illuminate the possible effects of soil biological factors and alternate wetting and drying in SRI, the so-called "System of Rice Intensification." (2005)
Chatchawan Jantasuriyarat a faculty member at Katsetsart University, Thailand who is studying the rice defense response pathway to rice blast using tools of genomics at Ohio State University to enable him to travel to Asia for field work and to participate in the IRRI rice genetics symposium before returning to complete his studies at Ohio State. (2005)
W. Wiratni, a PhD student from Indonesia studying at West Virginia University, for research that should help understand the chemistry of combined biological nitrogen-fixation and conventional fertilizer in paddy fields (2003).
H. H. Chang, a PhD student from Taiwan studying at Cornell University, for research to determine the environmental value of rice paddy fields for the "non-commodity" values like water percolation and landscape to aid in possible re-design of rice policy to facilitate entry into the WTO (2003).
Supaporn Hutthanasombut, a Master's degree Student in Biotechnology at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand for research to help understand how rice might be genetically changed to grow better in saline (salt) conditions (2002).
Mark Chong, a PhD student in the Department of Communication at Cornell University to study the perceptions of leading rice farmers in the Philippines about Golden Rice, the new, genetically engineered rice with the potential to relieve Vitamin A deficiency (2002).
ARFUSA Trustees 2010-2011: Peter Hobbs (Chair), Russ Freed (Vice-Chair) Ed Oyer (Secretary), Hugh Murphy (Treasurer), Alicia Perdon, Randy Barker, Dean Chang, Jim Hill, Gurdev Khush, Neil Rutger. Walt Rockwood is Executive Director and ex officio Board member.
The ARFUSA Council is a group of people with special interest in ARFUSA, including: Nyle Brady, Ronnie Coffman*, S.K. DeDatta, Wayne Freeman, Short Heinrichs, Bob Herdt*, Colin McClung* (also Trustee Emeritus), Carolyn Moomaw Wilhelm*. Former Trustees are designated by *.
