Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces More Than $3 Million to Enhance International Science and Education

Grants to Allow for New Innovations in Agriculture to Meet Future Global Demands

Media Contact: Jennifer Martin, (202) 720-8188

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2009 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced more than $3.3 million in grants to 23 institutions in 19 states to enhance their international research and teaching capabilities.

“The Obama Administration has prioritized efforts to strengthen domestic and international food security, and these projects will promote innovation to prepare the U.S. agriculture industry to meet the global demands of the 21st century,” said Vilsack.

USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) administers the funds through the competitively awarded International Science and Education Grants program. The projects will enhance the international content of curricula, provide faculty with the opportunity to work outside the United States to bring lessons learned back to the classroom, promote international research partnerships, enhance the use and application of foreign technologies in the United States and strengthen the role that colleges and universities play in maintaining U.S. competitiveness.

The overarching goal of the grant program is to strengthen the global competitiveness of students, faculty and staff in agriculture and related areas and enhance business performance in international agriculture. The fiscal year 2009 grants recipients are:

Alabama A&M University, Normal, Ala., $149,958
Auburn University, Auburn, Ala., $149,807
Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala., $145,119
University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., $149,885
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., $149,746
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., $140,370
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $143,849
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn., $149,871
Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Miss., $149,825
University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., $139,905
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $149,355
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., $149,955
North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, N.C., $149,261
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore., $149,999
Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., $149,993
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, R.I., $149,723
Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., $149,546
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, $149,999
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, 149,572
West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas, $106,400
University of Washington, Seattle, Wash., $149,625
West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.Va., $125,187
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., $149,968

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, CSREES focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future. For more information, visit www.csrees.usda.gov.