12/05/08 WSU expands undergrad research: WSU and Iraq

Washington Ag December 5, 2008 An unprecedented number of undergraduate students in the Washington State University College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences will have an opportunity to conduct hands-on science. That's thanks to a series of grants from the college specifically aimed at supporting undergraduate research. Last year ten student projects received grants but this year that number is more than 30. Kim Kidwell, CAHNRS associate dean for academic programs, says the lessons learned by actually conducting research are much more impact than those learned soley by listening in a lecture hall. WSU is one of five land grant universities involved in a project to revitalize Iraq's agricultural extension program. USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service General Sales Manager Kirk Miller is in Baghdad this week to kick of phase two of that project. Miller: "We will be bringing about 60 to 70 Iraqi extension specialists back to the United States next spring to work at the five land grant universities I mentioned, for them to get a chance to be exposed to science based technical information, learn new skills and develop their human resources." And when those Iraqis return home they can train more people. I'm Bob Hoff.