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Jul 02, 2015
The American Soybean Association (ASA) and other research-focused organizations met Monday with Dr. Jo Handelsman, the associate director for science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
The group discussed how to sustain efforts for increased agriculture research across all United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs.
Handlesman talked specifically about OSTP's efforts on microbiome research and workforce issues. There is a widening gap between the number of students earning Bachelors of Science degrees and Doctor of Philosophy (PhDs) in agriculture research and increasing demands from industry.
A recent study from Purdue University showed that U.S. institutions are awarding 35,000 undergraduate degrees in agriculture per year, yet we need 60,000. The group also talked about soil health and research efforts, as well as Handelsman's posts on the White House Science and Technology blog, which can be found here.
