The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) welcomed faculty members from the National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) led by vice president Prof. Yuan-Ron Ma on 30 March 2023.
NDHU is a renowned university in Hualien, Taiwan, famous for its liberal yet conducive learning atmosphere. There are three campuses of NDHU, which are in Shoufeng, Meilun, and Pingtun.
During the meeting, NDHU benchmarked SEARCA’s programs and activities on science and technology. Vice President Ma also presented NDHU’s degree program offerings on physics, applied mathematics, life science, and engineering.
“These disciplines are the essential ingredients in solidifying interdisciplinary agriculture fields such as agricultural biotechnology, agricultural chemistry, and agricultural economics,” said Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director. Dr. Gregorio emphasized the need to recognize such activities, to achieve SEARCA’s Eleventh Five-Year Plan of Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN).
He also noted that NDHU places a premium on international cooperation and affirmed that SEARCA is keen to collaborate with the university in keeping with its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals.
After the meeting, the NDHU delegation toured the SEARCA Hub for Agricultural and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) AgriMuseum, which features interactive displays on Southeast Asian agriculture and Agriculture 4.0 tools for prototyping.
Dr. Gregorio led the SEARCA contingent comprising Ms. Corinta Guerta, technical advisor to the director; Dr. Gerlie Tatlonghari, program head of Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD); Ms. Ma. Christina Corales, program specialist and officer-in-charge, Emerging Innovation for Growth Department (EIGD); Ms. Monalinda Cadiz, program specialist and officer-in-charge, Applied Knowledge and Resources Unit (AKRU); and other SEARCA staff.