Lets talk rice at IRC2014!

Held every 4 years, the International Rice Congress brings together thebrightest minds to discuss
the latest scientific findings, industry trends, and changes in themarketplace

he International Rice Congress

is the largest gathering of rice
scientists and experts who
come from all over the world
to share their latest research work.
The upcoming Congress (IRC2014),
which will be held on 27 October1 November 2014 in Bangkok,
Thailand, will focus on increasing
the food security of half the worlds
population.

from climate-ready rice to realtime satellite mapping and remote

sensing, said Mike Jackson, science
chair of IRC2014.
The IRC2014 organizing team
wants to be quite innovative. Each
morning and afternoon, there will be
a plenary lecture given by speakers
who are not necessarily rice scientists.
We have invited several
speakers who will bring new

Why attend?

IRC2014 is a forum for exchanging

ideas, experiences, and best practices,
and learning about the latest
developments in rice science as
well as key issues in the rice
industry. But, it is also a great
opportunity for participants
to be part of a community for
networking and contributing
to trends and initiatives.
Participants will be
among 2,500 intelligent,
innovative, and engaging
players in global rice science and
industrysurely a rich learning
and networking environment,
said Bruce Tolentino, IRC2014 chair
and deputy director general for
communication and partnerships
at the International Rice Research
Institute.
Participants perspectives will
be broadened because IRC2014 will
enable delegates to meet and interact
with a wide range of delegates,
scientists, and other rice industry
players, he added. This promotes
synergy in meeting shared challenges
together.

What to expect

With its theme, Rice for the world,

we are obviously looking at the
whole range of topics from growing
rice in the deltas to looking at
root physiology, for example, or

perspectives on agricultural
development issues relevant to rice
science, Dr. Jackson added.
We also want to add a great deal
of value by carefully identifying the
best speakers, said Dr. Tolentino.
They must have the necessary
expertise, practical experience, and
the ability to engage audiences in an
interesting way.

Open invitation to young

scientists

We are in the process of building

a program that is broad in its scope,
scientifically very strong, and
interesting in its detail, said Dr.
Rice Today January-March 2014

Jackson. We want to encourage the

participation of rice researchers and
experts everywhere, especially young
rice scientists, and give everybody a
chance to have their work presented.
Most rice researchers or graduate
students for MS or PhD degrees
working in a relevant rice research
discipline under the age of 35
are considered to beyoung rice
scientists.
They should think seriously
about presenting their work at
IRC2014, added Dr. Jackson. They
never know; theirs might be selected
for the oral program. If not, they
can always present a poster.
However, those below 35
years of age who received their
PhD degree before 1 January
2012 will not be considered
in this category. Well, its
possible that someone like
this could be already on
their second postdoctoral
fellowship, and wed like to even
the opportunities somewhat,
explained Dr. Jackson.
The Call for Papers and PostersSubmission of Abstracts will begin
in mid-January once the IRC2014
website has been launched. For oral
presentations, young rice scientists
must be thelead author. All abstracts
for oral presentations will be selected
on merit, and, if their abstracts are
chosen, each young rice scientist
will receivea travel grant and free
registration.
This is a huge event, stated Dr.
Jackson. Imagine it as an excellent
networking opportunity. There will
be more than 200 oral papers and
perhaps as many as 800 or more
posters.
Interested parties can visit the
IRC2014 website (http://ricecongress.
com/) for further announcements and
the latest information.
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