Food Science Professor Wang Chosen as Fulbright Scholar for Rice Project in Brazil
Ya-Jane Wang will help develop new rice cultivars as a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil
By Robby Edwards – June 3, 2022
FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR — Ya-Jane Wang, professor of carbohydrate chemistry in the department of food science for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, was recently named a Fulbright Scholar. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Fred Miller)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Ya-Jane Wang, professor of carbohydrate chemistry in the Department of Food Science, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholarship to teach and conduct research in Brazil.
Wang is a researcher and scientist with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. She has been a member of the faculty in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas since 1999.
Wang teaches two courses: Food Analysis and Laboratory — to both undergraduates and graduate students — and Food Carbohydrate Chemistry to graduate students. Her research primarily focuses on identifying chemical components in relations to rice quality.
As a Fulbright Scholar, she will work with Nathan Vanier and his colleagues at the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil for four months in 2022 to engage in research and teaching in evaluating rice quality.
“Rice is one of the most important food staples in the world,” Wang said. “A growing and demographically changing population with increased income expects rice of high quality. At the same time, global environmental change poses a great challenge for rice production.”
Wang said her project aims to enhance international collaboration between Brazil, the United States and countries in Asia to facilitate the development of new rice cultivars with improved yield and desired quality traits for domestic and export markets.
Fulbright Scholar Awards provide unique opportunities for scholars to teach and conduct research abroad. The scholars also play a role in U.S. public diplomacy, establishing long-term relationships between people and nations. Alumni include 61 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 76 MacArthur Fellows and thousands of leaders and world-renowned experts in academia and many other fields across the private, public and non-profit sectors.
Wang has authored or co-authored more than 120 refereed publications, obtained five patents, served as primary investigator on four USDA-NIFA grants as well as other grants and contracts with food companies worth more than $3 million.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and Instagram at @ArkAgResearch.
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About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.
About the University of Arkansas
As Arkansas’ flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.