An adventure in applied science - IRRI books - International Rice ...

66 History of the International Rice Research InstituteSTATISTICSAs soon as IRRI’s research program started, it became obvious that a statisticianwould be required to assist in plot design and in the interpretation ofresearch results.When the need was discussed with Dean Umali of the College of Agriculture,he recommended that IRRI consider Burton T. Oñate. As Oñate hadreceived his Ph D degree from Iowa State University in 1959 on a RockefellerFoundation fellowship, I was somewhat acquainted with him. In 1962, he washead of the Statistical Coordination Office of the National Economic Councilof the Philippines. He was interviewed by IRRI administrators and by severalof the scientific staff in July 1962 and started working for IRRI that year. Oñateperformed well, contributing particularly in the area of survey samplingtechniques. In 1967, however, he joined the Asian Development Bank.Fortunately for IRRI, a young Thai scientist with a Ph D degree in biometryand statistics from North Carolina State University had arrived in Los Bañosin 1967. She was Kwanchai A. Gomez and, in accordance with Thai custom,was called Kwanchai. At North Carolina State University, she had met andmarried Arturo Gomez, a fellow graduate student who was pursuing his PhD degree in plant breeding under a Rockefeller Foundation grant. WhenGomez returned to the Philippines, and to the faculty of the College ofAgriculture, he naturally was accompanied by his bride. She was anxious towork in her chosen field and, after a preliminary interview, IRRI was quick tohire her as Oiiate’s replacement. Kwanchai proved to be a most able statistician.She is still at IRRI and has made many contributions to its researchprogram especially in planning and conducting surveys under farm conditionsand in interpreting the data. In 1975, jointly with her husband she wrotea book entitled, Statistical Procedures for Agricultural Research with Emphasis onRice. Published by IRRI, it is an unusually concise, clear guide for agriculturalscientists making statistical analyses of their research results. The Gomezbook, an IRRI best seller, is now being revised for its second printing.AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICSDespite some opinions to the contrary, IRRI’s original plans as prepared byHarrar in 1958 did include work in agricultural economics. That IRRI wassomewhat late in hiring its first economist was due to the difficulty it had infinding a qualified scientist who was interested in studying problems ofproduction economics rather than working in the grander area of macroeconomics.It was felt that as IRRI developed new methods of rice production,a knowledge of their economic effect was essential.The first candidate for a staff position in agricultural economics was S.Pathak, an Indian who had just completed his Ph D degree in agriculturaleconomics at Cornell University under the direction of Stanley Warren. Hewas highly recommended both by Warren and by Andron B. Lewis, then onthe staff of the Council on Economic and Cultural Affairs (now the AgriculturalDevelopment Council). At Warren’s suggestion, Pathak stopped off at