On the eve of the International Year of Millets-2023, the UoH’s research and contributions to millets have gained visibility nationally and internationally. On March 2, 2023, kindergarten kids from Podar Jumbo Kids Plus Preschool visited our millet field. Following this, ten international students pursuing their undergraduate studies in Minerva University, San Francisco, USA visited us to learn more about millets and the ongoing research.
Around ten students from countries like Brazil, Malaysia, etc., visited the University on March 17, 2023. The visit was coordinated by Dr. M. Muthamilarasan, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, SLS. Prof. Andy Dosmann, Head Instructor, Empirical Analyses, Minerva University, brought the students to our campus. The students interacted with Dr. Muthamilarasan and his team to learn more about the ongoing research on nutrigenomics and stress biology of millets. Particularly, they were fascinated to see the fully-grown millet plants in the field environment. They documented the diversity within the foxtail millet and kodo millet germplasm. They also compared the performance of millets with that of rice to understand the climate resilience of millets.
After the field visit, the students briefly interacted with Prof. N. Siva Kumar (Dean, SLS), Prof. Appa Rao Podile (Senior Professor, Dept. of Plant Sciences), and Prof. S. Rajagopal (Head, Dept. of Plant Sciences), at the SLS. A few other faculty members of Dept. of Plant Sciences also joined the interaction and appraised the students about their research activities.
Prof. N. Siva Kumar, being the former Director of Study in India program, encouraged the students to pursue higher studies at the University. Prof. Appa Rao Podile briefed the history of the University and the Dept. of Plant Sciences and highlighted how the Department has grown to the level of one of the best Departments in the country in terms of research and development. Adding to this, Prof. S. Rajagopal gave a brief overview of the ongoing research in the Department and the facilities available with the Department and the School.
The students were served an exclusive millet lunch before their departure. Altogether, the students had an enriching experience at the University, where they learned more about the millets and their importance in addressing food and nutrition security