Fellowship ap for MS in agritech and genomic science set on April 3

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) has announced the scholarship applications for the inaugural run of the Master Program in Global Agriculture Technology and Genomic Science (Global ATGS) at the National Taiwan University (NTU) is set on April 3, 2020.

Dr. Glenn Gregorio, Searca director, said the opportunity is accessible to any Southeast Asian students from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

Gregorio said the NTU-Searca Joint Scholarship Program for Global ATGS aims to cultivate agricultural professional talents, encourage academic excellence, and promote the research and development of agriculture within Southeast Asia.

Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, Searca program head for Graduate Education and Institutional Development, said the program provides an opportunity for internship and field visits in line with NTU’s efforts to connect with industries and promote hands-on training.

“The program’s curriculum is interdisciplinary to develop global bio-agricultural talents that are responsive to the needs of the agriculture sector and with advanced knowledge and practical skills on contemporary agriculture,” Cuaresma said.

Offered by the NTU International College, Cuaresma said the Global ATGS aims to provide a deeper understanding on smart farming technology, genome science research, and breeding science and technology.

She added that keystone courses include global agriculture technology foresight, mathematical method for life science and scientific writing.

She said under “Digital Agriculture Technology,” students will explore the application of blockchain technology in agriculture, process control for smart farming, plant factory, smart technology applied to livestock production, and agriculture waste treatment engineering.

In “Genome Science,” discussions will focus on genetics and genomics; crop genomic breeding; advanced plant molecular biology; core biotechnology: DNA, RNA and protein; special topics in poultry production; and medicine and products processing.

In “Breeding Science and Technology,” students will look at the agriculture of Taiwan, get introduce to bioinformatics, crop modeling and plant phenotyping, she added.

The program is offered in English and requires students to finish their thesis and at least 24 credits of coursework, which includes 12 credits of compulsory courses and 12 credits of elective courses to earn the degree.