While many students and faculty take a short breather over spring break, Mark Sorrells – professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics in the School of Integrative Plant Science – is spending his vacation traveling to Thailand and teaching a one-week workshop at Kasetsart University.
The focus of Sorrells’ workshop is be genomic selection, a unique breeding method that allows researchers to improve complex traits using genome-wide molecular markers.
Joining Sorrells on the trip is postdoctoral associate Julio Isidro Sánchez.
The researchers were invited to Kasetsart, located in Kamphaeng Saen, thanks to the close ties that university maintains with Cornell.
Pongthep Akratanakul, professor and director for Kasetsart’s Center of Agricultural Biotechnology, received his Ph.D. in entomology at Cornell and last fall he was hosted on the Ithaca campus by International Programs at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Additionally, Kasetsart horticulture professor Julapark Chunwongse received a Ph.D. in plant breeding and genetics at Cornell, and Ornubol Chomdej, also a horticulture professor who is helping Sorrells organize the course, came to Cornell as a visiting scientist. Cornell’s Plant Breeding and Genetics section currently has two Thai students working on their doctoral degrees as well.
Sorrells said that kind of overlap demonstrates the strength of Cornell’s international programs and is an enormous boon to international partnerships.
“Having that Cornell connection really helps to build collaborations across institutions and countries around the world,” said Sorrells, who specializes in plant breeding with a focus on small grain cereals.
Before leaving, Sorrells said he looks forward to not only conducting lectures and labs with Kasetsart students and faculty members, but also to seeing Thailand itself. The country has a strong emphasis on agriculture and crop improvement, he said, making it an ideal destination for CALS faculty.
David Nutt is a writer for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
