Ellie
Rice
2002 - 2003
CEIRP Fellow
Research Interest:
Crop
conservation
My
research focuses on conservation of crops -- particularly
corn in Mexico, its center of origin. I use molecular genetic
tools to look at the effects of conservation happening in
farmer's fields and in genebanks. I am particularly interested
in interdisciplinary projects that integrate biological tools
into real world problems. Before coming to Cornell for my
Ph.D., I worked on a project that looked at the environmental,
economic and agricultural effects of nutrient management
(fertilizers) in a developing country. Also I worked for
CIMMYT, an international organization which specializes in
breeding corn and wheat for third world farmers, where I
concentrated on economic evaluations of subsistence farming
systems and the decisions farmers make when they save seed
for the next planting season.
I
would love to have a sustained relationship with one teacher,
hopefully with some intensive periods of time in the classroom.
I hope to put together several projects involving genetics.
I've thought about genetic projects ranging from demonstrating
Mendelian segregation ratios in cucumber seedlings and a
discussion of Mendel's experiments and (too perfect?) data,
to talking about biotechnology -- its technical aspects as
well as its costs and potentials and hazards. I also have
experience in nutrient studies, sustainable agriculture,
soil science, economics and development. I'm ready to apply
a creative mind to any aspect of teaching biology.
