Chelsea Specht, Susan McCouch and Erika Styger received an Academic Venture Fund grant from the Atkinson Center to investigate the genomics of African rice that is currently cultivated by the Saramaka people in Suriname. The PIs and their students will work with farmers to characterize rice diversity and improve agronomic practices. They will also use genetic analysis to identify the origins of the Saramaka rice and assist communities in developing in-situ conservation strategies. Erika and undergraduate Rosy Glos will be traveling to Suriname in August to initiate the project.
The Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future’s Academic Venture Fund (AVF) supports collaborations that cut across disciplines to address today’s greatest sustainability challenges. In 2018, the fund awarded $1.5 million to a range of projects that will provide sustainable solutions around the world
You can read more about our project here:
http://www.atkinson.cornell.edu/grants/avf/index.php
http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2018/07/atkinsons-academic-venture-fund-awards-15m-12-projects