Monsanto establishes graduate assistantship in plant breeding at Texas A&M

COLLEGE STATION – Monsanto Co. has provided $750,000 to establish a graduate assistantship fund in plant breeding at Texas A&M University.

The Monsanto Graduate Assistantship Fund in Plant Breeding will be matched by Texas AgriLife Research and the university’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

“Plant breeding is the primary foundation that allows us to develop technology that increases yields and helps farmers conserve natural resources,” said Dr. Ted Crosbie, Monsanto’s vice president of global plant breeding. “This fund aims to help provide Texas A&M University graduates with a solid background for careers as leaders and professionals in the plant breeding industry.”

The fund will support up to 14 U.S. and international students who are pursuing doctoral degrees in the area of germplasm enhancement of agronomic and horticultural crops at the university.

At least one assistantship from the fund will be for a soil and crop sciences graduate student researching cotton improvement and/or cotton production systems.

“Our partnership with Monsanto will help assure that we are training our graduate students to meet the challenge they will face in the real world,” said Dr. Mark Hussey, interim dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M and director of AgriLife Research.

About us

Monsanto Co. is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while conserving more of our world’s natural resources such as water and energy. To learn more about Monsanto’s business and commitments, visit: http://www.monsanto.com/.

With an enrollment of almost 6,700 students in 14 academic departments, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees and has a faculty of nearly 400 members, including two Nobel laureates. Research programs include food sustainability and safety, human and animal health, genetics, renewable natural resources and bioenergy. For more information on the college, visit http://AgLifeSciences.tamu.edu.

A member of the Texas A&M University System, AgriLife Research is the state’s premier research agency in agriculture, natural resources and the life sciences. For more information on AgriLife Research, visit http://agriliferesearch.tamu.edu.

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