Philippine State University Offers Undergraduate Course on Agricultural Biotechnology

As a way to meet the needs for human resource development on biotechnology and sustain and enhance interest on agri-biotech research and development, the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)  has started offering a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Biotechnology this school year. Dr. Luis Rey Velasco, UPLB Chancellor, recognized biotechnology as an important tool in agriculture development, sustainable farming and in developing crop varieties that can adapt to the changing climate.

Dr. Velasco wants students to have a background in both biotechnology and agriculture. The new undergraduate degree program will be interdisciplinary in nature and will also promote cooperation in teaching and research; sharing of resources and encouraging scientific innovativeness; bioentrepreneurship; and socio-economic awareness among students, faculty and staff. He intends to expand the course to other promising fields where biotechnology plays important interventions, such as food technology, animal science, and crop protection, and not just on plant breeding.

Biotechnology is one of the key Programs of the University and it has been offering advanced graduate degree programs in molecular biology and biotechnology as early as 1991. The new undergraduate degree program aims to upgrade the biotech education to meet the needs of the current agriculture situation in the country.

For related article visit http://www.biotechforlife.com.ph/news_uplb.htm. For updates on biotech developments in the Philippines, visit http://www.bic.searca.org or email bic@agri.searca.org.