A really nice piece in the Huffington Post by Kevin Folta evangelizing about future careers in plant breeding (link).
I like the way he describes genetic markers and marker assisted selection:
"The trick is to use DNA-based landmarks that physically travel through generations in parallel with the trait of interest. A simple DNA test, much like those used in forensic science, tells a breeder if a seedling has a high likelihood of presenting a coveted trait upon maturation. These tests allow breeders new ways to identify the most relevant parent plants, and eliminate non-candidate offspring at the seedling stage, long before valuable time, labor, acreage, fertilizers, and water are invested."
When I was an undergraduate senior, we had a speaker working on their PhD from UC Davis visit WKU to discuss their work in quantitative genetics. That was the first time I realized that there was lots of opportunity and very exciting work that could be done outside the lab, as genetics and crop improvement can be as much a statistical and quantitative science as a lab science. In other words, not all of the cool jobs were being taken by PhDs in molecular biology. As Kevin states:
"While mastery of molecular biology techniques is not required, modern breeders need to be conversant in the technologies, and excited to integrate with collaborators. A modern breeder will have strong skills in statistics, and even computational prowess."
This sounds a lot like a data scientist with domain expertise in plant breeding and genetics. From this angle there seems to be tremendous opportunities with the convergence of big data and genomics. While I did not pursue a career in plant breeding, I have leveraged my quantitative training in agronomy including experimental design and statistical genetics blended with econometrics and programming to advance my career in healthcare data science.
Think about the combination of genomic markers, plant 'wearable' sensors, remote sensing, and other precision ag data sources. Very exciting work for all involved.
Dr. Folta is an excellent evangelist for crop genetic improvement and science communication. I highly recommend checking out his podcast Talking Biotech where each week he or Dr. Paul Vincelli from the University of Kentucky discuss agricultural and medical biotechnology.
Related: QTL Analysis and Marker Assisted Selection
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Monday, November 16, 2009
Why Agricultural (Applied) Economics?
Why study Agricultural Economics?
"The combination of quantitative training and applied work makes agricultural economics graduates an extremely well-prepared source of employees for private industry. That's why American Express has hired over 80 agricultural economists since 1990." - David Edwards, Vice President-International Risk Management, American Express
Agricultural Economics is a very applied field covering many topics beyond those stereotypically thought of as pertaining to agriculture. These may include finance and risk management, environmental and natural resource economics, game theory, or public policy analysis to name a few. More and more 'Agricultural Economics' is becoming synonymous with 'Applied Economics.' Many departments have changed their name from Agricultural Economics to Agricultural and Applied Economics and some have even changed their degree program names to just 'Applied Economics.'
This trend is noted in recent research in the journal Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy:
"Increased work in areas such as agribusiness, rural development, and environmental economics is making it more difficult to maintain one umbrella organization or to use the title “agricultural economist” ... the number of departments named “Agricultural Economics” has fallen from 36 in 1956 to 9 in 2007."
Agricultural/Applied economics provides students with skills in high demand, particularly in the area of analytics.
"Some companies have built their very business on their ability to collect, analyze, and act on data." (See 'Competing on Analytics.' Harvard Bus.Review Jan 2006)
Recently from the New York Times: (For Today’s Graduate, Just One Word: Statistics )
"Though at the fore, statisticians are only a small part of an army of experts using modern statistical techniques for data analysis. Computing and numerical skills, experts say, matter far more than degrees. So the new data sleuths come from backgrounds like economics, computer science and mathematics."
To quote, from Johns Hopkins University’s applied economics program home page:
“Economic analysis is no longer relegated to academicians and a small number of PhD-trained specialists. Instead, economics has become an increasingly ubiquitous as well as rapidly changing line of inquiry that requires people who are skilled in analyzing and interpreting economic data, and then using it to effect decisions ………Advances in computing and the greater availability of timely data through the Internet have created an arena which demands skilled statistical analysis, guided by economic reasoning and modeling.”
Finally, a quote I found on the (formerly) American Agricultural Economics Association's web page a few years ago:
“Nearly one in five jobs in the United States is in food and fiber production and distribution. Fewer than three percent of the people involved in the agricultural industries actually work on the farm. Graduates in agricultural and applied economics or agribusiness work in a variety of institutions applying their knowledge of economics and business skills related to food production, rural development and natural resources.”
References:
'What is the Future of Agricultural Economics Departments and the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association?' By Gregory M. Perry. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy (2010) volume 32, number 1, pp. 117–134.
"The combination of quantitative training and applied work makes agricultural economics graduates an extremely well-prepared source of employees for private industry. That's why American Express has hired over 80 agricultural economists since 1990." - David Edwards, Vice President-International Risk Management, American Express
Agricultural Economics is a very applied field covering many topics beyond those stereotypically thought of as pertaining to agriculture. These may include finance and risk management, environmental and natural resource economics, game theory, or public policy analysis to name a few. More and more 'Agricultural Economics' is becoming synonymous with 'Applied Economics.' Many departments have changed their name from Agricultural Economics to Agricultural and Applied Economics and some have even changed their degree program names to just 'Applied Economics.'
This trend is noted in recent research in the journal Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy:
"Increased work in areas such as agribusiness, rural development, and environmental economics is making it more difficult to maintain one umbrella organization or to use the title “agricultural economist” ... the number of departments named “Agricultural Economics” has fallen from 36 in 1956 to 9 in 2007."
Agricultural/Applied economics provides students with skills in high demand, particularly in the area of analytics.
"Some companies have built their very business on their ability to collect, analyze, and act on data." (See 'Competing on Analytics.' Harvard Bus.Review Jan 2006)
Recently from the New York Times: (For Today’s Graduate, Just One Word: Statistics )
"Though at the fore, statisticians are only a small part of an army of experts using modern statistical techniques for data analysis. Computing and numerical skills, experts say, matter far more than degrees. So the new data sleuths come from backgrounds like economics, computer science and mathematics."
To quote, from Johns Hopkins University’s applied economics program home page:
“Economic analysis is no longer relegated to academicians and a small number of PhD-trained specialists. Instead, economics has become an increasingly ubiquitous as well as rapidly changing line of inquiry that requires people who are skilled in analyzing and interpreting economic data, and then using it to effect decisions ………Advances in computing and the greater availability of timely data through the Internet have created an arena which demands skilled statistical analysis, guided by economic reasoning and modeling.”
Finally, a quote I found on the (formerly) American Agricultural Economics Association's web page a few years ago:
“Nearly one in five jobs in the United States is in food and fiber production and distribution. Fewer than three percent of the people involved in the agricultural industries actually work on the farm. Graduates in agricultural and applied economics or agribusiness work in a variety of institutions applying their knowledge of economics and business skills related to food production, rural development and natural resources.”
References:
'What is the Future of Agricultural Economics Departments and the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association?' By Gregory M. Perry. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy (2010) volume 32, number 1, pp. 117–134.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Master of Science in Agriculture (Bioscience Management Emphasis)
Master of Science in Agriculture (Ref.#052)
The Master's Degree is a general degree in agriculture and can be thesis or non-thesis depending on student goals. The degree is general by design which allows for maximum flexibility for each student.
Emphasis in Bioscience Management
This is an interdisciplinary emphasis focused on the role of science in business and the role of business in science. Course work includes statistical genetics and applied economics with applications to a variety of problems relevant to agriculture and life sciences. Applied problem solving projects and cooperative education serve to bridge the various disciplines associated with agriculture and life sciences.
Applied Statistics and Experimental Design
AGRI 491G DATA ANALYSIS/INTERPRET 3
AGRI 590 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN 3
Crop Science and Genetics
AGRI 528 POPULATION GENETICS 3
AGRO 414G CROP IMPROVEMENT 3
AGRI 475G SPECIALTY CROP PRODUCTION 3
AGRO 521 PASTURE MANAGEMENT 3
Agricultural and Applied Economics
AGEC 463G AGRICULTURAL FINANCE 3
AGEC 468G WORLD FOOD DEVELOPMENT 3
Research Methods and Problems in Agriculture
AGRI 598 SEMINAR 3
Supervised Individual Study - Applied Problem Solving
AGRI 597 IND SPEC PROB/AGRIC: GAME THEORY/TRAIT RESISTANCE MGT 3
AGRI 597 IND SPEC PROB/AGRIC: ECONOMETRICS/BIOTECH PERCEPTIONS 3
Supervised Individual Study - Cooperative Education Experience
AGRI 597 IND SPEC PROB/AGRIC: COOPERATIVE EDUC/SEED R&D 3
--------------------------
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: 36
Supplemental M.B.A. Courses
ECON 502 APPLIED MICROECON THEORY 3
BA 505 ACCOUNTING 3
BA 519 ADVANCED MANAGERIAL FINANCE 3
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Master of Science in Agriculture (Ref.#052)
The Master's Degree is a general degree in agriculture and can be thesis or non-thesis depending on student goals. The degree is general by design which allows for maximum flexibility for each student.
Emphasis in Biometry(Applied Statistics)
As defined by R.A. Fisher “Biometry, the active pursuit of biological knowledge by quantitative methods” is the application of statistical and quantitative methods to problems in agriculture and life sciences.
This is an interdisciplinary emphasis, combining formal course work with applied problem solving projects and cooperative education. Course work includes statistical inference and experimental design with applications to a variety of problems relevant to agriculture and life sciences.
Applied Statistics and Experimental Design
AGRI 491G DATA ANALYSIS/INTERPRET 3
AGRI 590 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN 3
AGRI 590 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN 3
Problems and Research Methods in Agriculture
AGRI 598 SEMINAR 3
Statistical Genetics
AGRI 528 POPULATION GENETICS 3
AGRO 414G CROP IMPROVEMENT 3
Supervised Individual Study - Applications
AGRI 597 IND SPEC PROB/AGRIC: GAME THEORY/TRAIT RESISTANCE MGT 3
AGRI 597 IND SPEC PROB/AGRIC: ECONOMETRICS/BIOTECH PERCEPTIONS 3
Supervised Individual Study - Cooperative Education Experience
AGRI 597 IND SPEC PROB/AGRIC: COOP EDUC 3
Agriculture Electives
AGRI 475G SPECIALTY CROP PRODUCTION 3
AGRO 521 PASTURE MANAGEMENT 3
AGRI 475G SPECIALTY CROP PRODUCTION 3
AGRO 521 PASTURE MANAGEMENT 3
AGEC 463G AGRICULTURAL FINANCE 3
AGEC 468G WORLD FOOD DEVELOPMENT 3
AGEC 468G WORLD FOOD DEVELOPMENT 3
TOTAL HRS: 36
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