Chronicle Online e-News
Cornell partners with Indian university to offer innovative degree in
food science
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March08/Foodsci
ence.India.lm.html
March 6, 2008
By Linda McCandless
cunews@cornell.edu
The world's food supply will be a little safer after students
graduate from a dual degree program in food science now offered by
Cornell and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in India.
Students at both institutions will study global issues related to
food processing, technology, marketing and engineering.
"Global trends in the food industry demand that we train food
scientists and food engineers transnationally and transculturally to
ensure that food systems worldwide are sustainable, safe and
nutritious," said Martin Wiedmann, associate professor of food
science and director of graduate studies in food science at Cornell.
Susan A. Henry, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of Cornell's College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences, signed the Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with C. Ramasamy, vice-chancellor of TNAU, Feb. 13, when she
was in Coimbatore, India. The MoU was approved by the Cornell Faculty
Senate Feb. 19. Approval by the Cornell trustees is expected in May.
"This is the first such program to be established between a
land-grant university in the U.S. and an agricultural university in
India," said Henry. "Faculty and students will benefit from being
able to develop case studies based on the global food system that
improve the relevancy and effectiveness of the teaching. Graduates
will be well-equipped to address domestic and global food issues in
either the private or public sector."
The program combines a Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in food
science and technology from Cornell with a Master of Technology
(M.Tech.) in food processing and marketing from TNAU. The MPS program
will be executed under Cornell's Graduate School, which will confer
the MPS degree on those who successfully meet the program's
requirements according to Cornell's stipulations. The M.Tech. program
will be executed under the supervision of TNAU, which will confer the
M.Tech. degree on those who successfully meet program requirements
according to TNAU's stipulations.
Students enrolled in the program will complete two independent
applications, receive two independent offers of admission, meet two
sets of program and course requirements, earn two graduate degrees
and receive two diplomas.
Indian students are being recruited to start the program on Cornell's
Ithaca campus in summer 2008. After six months in the United States,
the Indian students will return to TNAU to finish their degrees.
Cornell and TNAU have already established a strong working
relationship through joint participation in the International
Agriculture and Rural Development (IARD) 602 course at Cornell.
Students pursuing the dual food science degree will be expected to
participate in IARD 602's Cornell-in-India program.
Support for the new initiative draws upon the successful investment
that has been made over the last three years by the Sir Ratan Tata
Trust, partner universities in India and the Cornell-Sathguru
Foundation, with the goal of generating internationally competent
scientists and agribusiness professionals through the IARD course.
The Sir Ratan Tata Trust will help support Indian students in the
dual degree program, along with additional resources from TNAU, the
participating students and the Cornell-Sathguru Foundation.
Wiedmann, K.V. Raman, associate director of CALS International
Programs, and Syed Rizvi, Cornell professor of food science and
current Jefferson Science Fellow, will be the contacts for the dual
degree program at Cornell. R. Chandra Babu, dean of postgraduate
studies, will be the primary contact at TNAU.
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