<div dir="ltr">Graduate Students,<div><br></div><div style>I wanted to inform you all of an online course that is being offered in the fall, Plant Breeding for Drought Tolerance. Below is some more information if you are interested. I took this course last year and was impressed on how it was presented. </div>
<div style><br></div><div style><p><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black"><font size="4">CSU is again
offering its online course in breeding for drought tolerance. We hope you will
help us spread the word about the course to your colleagues who may be
interested.</font></span></p>
<p class=""><font size="4"> </font></p>
<p class="" style="margin-right:4pt"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">PLANT BREEDING FOR DROUGHT TOLERANCE Online course - Fall 2013</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"></span></b></p>
<p class="" style="margin-right:4pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">Colorado State University will offer a </span><span style="font-size:12pt">one-credit</span><span style="font-size:12pt">, graduate-level </span><span style="font-size:12pt">online course in Plant Breeding for Drought Tolerance</span><span style="font-size:12pt"> from </span><span style="font-size:12pt">August 26 to December 13, 2013. <span style="color:black">This distance course is targeted to graduate students in
the plant sciences, as well as to professionals in the public and private
sectors</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"> interested in increasing their knowledge in this area</span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">. </span><span style="font-size:12pt">The primary</span><span style="font-size:12pt">
instructor is Dr. Patrick Byrne, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-right:4pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class=""><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">CONTENT</span></b></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">The course will
focus on plant breeding strategies and practices directed toward improving
plant performance under </span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">limited moisture</span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">. Concepts for this course include:</span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="" style="color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt">Analyzing
the target environment</span></li>
<li class="" style="color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt">Understanding</span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:windowtext"> plant response to drought stress and plant adaptation
strategies</span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span></li>
<li class="" style="color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:windowtext">Using wild species and landraces as sources of drought
tolerance</span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span></li>
<li class="" style="color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt">Determining
which phenotypic traits to use in selection practices</span></li>
<li class="" style="color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt">Detecting marker-trait associations</span><span style="font-size:12pt"> for </span><span style="font-size:12pt">relevant traits</span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span></li>
<li class="" style="color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt">Understanding
transgenic approaches</span><span style="font-size:12pt"> to drought tolerance</span><span style="font-size:12pt"></span></li>
<li class="" style="color:black"><span style="font-size:12pt">Learning
from successful examples of improving drought tolerance in a variety of
crops</span></li>
</ul>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">The 15-week
curriculum is divided into 15 lessons</span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">, which students may view at their
convenience each week</span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">. Each
lesson’s content will be delivered via a voice-over PowerPoint presentation, a
video, a reading assignment, or combinations of these media. </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class=""><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">PROGRAM COSTS
AND REQUIREMENTS</span></b></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">The cost of
student tuition </span><span style="font-size:12pt">is</span><span style="font-size:12pt"> US</span><span style="font-size:12pt"> $549 plus a $20 technology fee. Word <span style="color:black">processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software (e.g.,
Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) is required, as is Adobe Reader. </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"></span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class=""><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">FUNDING</span></b></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">Partial funding
to support course development is provided by a grant from the USDA-</span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">NIFA-</span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">AFRI Plant Breeding and Education Program.</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class=""><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">MORE </span></b><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">INFORMATION
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">AND </span></b><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">REGISTRATION</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"></span></b></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">Additional information on the course is available at <a href="http://droughtadaptation.org/">http://droughtadaptation.org/</a>. </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">For questions,
please</span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">contact the Program
Assistant, Kierra Jewell</span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"> (</span><span style="font-size:12pt"><a href="mailto:Kierra.Jewell@ColoState.edu">Kierra.Jewell@ColoState.edu</a></span><span style="font-size:12pt">)</span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">. Applications will be accepted through
August 1, 2013 or until the class is full (20 students).</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt"> </span><span style="font-size:12pt"> </span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt">Sincerely,</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt">K</span><span style="font-size:12pt">ierra Jewell</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt">Soil & Crop Sciences</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt">C03 Plant Science Building</span></p>
<p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt">(970) 491-6201</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size:12pt"><br></span></p><p class="" style><span style="font-size:12pt">Thanks,</span></p><p class="" style><span style="font-size:12pt"><br>
</span></p><p class="" style><span style="font-size:12pt">Tim Dabbert</span></p></div></div>