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

76 History of the International Rice Research InstituteEarly training programIt is necessary to backtrack here, for concurrently with the development of theinformation services, a training program that became a major IRRI activity wasstarted. When Byrnes arrived in 1963, he was not only willing but eager toinclude the training program within his department. Accordingly, from 1963until late 1967 when Byrnes left to join the staff of CIAT, the training andinformation programs were combined in the Office of Communication. In1968, as previously stated, the work was divided into two departments and aDepartment of Rice Production Training and Research assumed responsibilityfor practical training and applied research.During the first 2 years or so of IRRI’s existence, the training program wasconfined to providing young scientists from rice-producing countries experiencein research in association with IRRI’s senior scientists. Wortman waslargely responsible for the early advances in this program. During 1960-62, hetraveled extensively in Asia getting acquainted with scientists and institutionsworking with rice, while I (who had been over the same territory many timesin the previous 5 years) generally stayed in the Philippines to handle thebuilding and staffing activities. Abroad, Wortman talked about IRRI’s trainingopportunities and interviewed prospective candidates for research scholarshipsat IRRI, which were supported by a grant from the Ford Foundation.The first research scholars arrived at the Institute in June 1962. By Novemberof that year, there were 27 in residence, most of them for periods of 1-2 years.Each, depending upon his field of specialty, was assigned to a particular seniorscientist. Already arrangements had been made for those qualified and desirousof doing so to register for the MS degree at the College of Agriculture.Scholars who enrolled in such a program remained for about 2 years. Allcourse work was done at the College and the thesis problems were directed bysenior scientists at IRRI, who also served as chairmen of the research scholars’graduate committees. Those who did not enroll for graduate study usuallystayed for a year, and several came for only a few weeks or months simply tolearn some specialized technique.During the first 6 months of operation, the research scholars were fromThailand and the Philippines. By 1963, however, more than 40 scholars hadbeen accepted not only from Thailand and the Philippines but from Indonesia,Vietnam, Cambodia, and Taiwan. Some countries were slow to respond to thetraining opportunities offered by IRRI.India, for example, understandably looked askance at this new instituteadministered and supported by Westerners, questioning whether it had muchto offer a country that had been growing rice for many centuries and thatsupported the only research institute (CRRI) in South Asia devoted exclusivelyto that grain. Similar reactions were obtained from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, andNepal. However, as IRRI administrators and scientists traveled in thosecountries and as the latter’s delegates attended conferences and symposia atIRRI, interest quickened and even as early as 1966, the research scholars andfellows from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal numbered 18. From that