Food Science's Wang Named Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2022-23

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Bumpers College's Ya-Jane Wang will spend four months in Brazil at the Federal University of Pelotas assisting in research and teaching on the evaluation of rice quality.

Ya-Jane Wang, professor of carbohydrate chemistry in the Department of Food Science, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholarship to teach and conduct research in Brazil.

Wang teaches two courses — Food Analysis and Laboratory — to both undergraduates and graduate students and Food Carbohydrate Chemistry to graduate students. Her research primarily focuses on identifying chemical components in relations to rice quality.

"As a Fulbright Scholar, I will work with Nathan Vanier and his colleagues at the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil for four months in 2022 to engage in research and teaching in evaluating rice quality," Wang said. "Rice is one of the most important food staples in the world. A growing and demographically changing population with increased income expects rice of high quality. At the same time, global environmental change poses a great challenge for rice production. This project aims to enhance international collaboration with Brazil, the most important rice producing country next to the U.S., and countries in Asia in order to facilitate the development of new rice cultivars with improved yield and desired quality traits for domestic and export markets."

Fulbright Scholar Awards are prestigious and competitive fellowships that provide unique opportunities for scholars to teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbright scholars also play a critical role in U.S. public diplomacy, establishing long-term relationships between people and nations. Alumni include 61 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 76 MacArthur Fellows and thousands of leaders and world-renowned experts in academia and many other fields across the private, public and non-profit sectors.

Independent research and participant surveys confirm that Fulbright exchange experiences lead to greater international co-publication, continued international exchange and stronger cross-cultural communication skills.

Wang has been a member of the faculty in U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences since 1999. She is also a researcher and scientists with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

Wang has authored or co-authored more than 120 refereed publications, obtained five patents, served as primary investigator on four USDA-NIFA grants as well as other grants and contracts with food companies worth more than $3 million.

U of A's Erika Almenara, associate professor of Spanish in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, is also a recipient of a 2022-23 Fulbright U.S. Scholarship.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.