IRRI Pioneer Interview: Susan McCouch--A Juggling Act
Channel: International Rice Research Institute
Date: 2012-11-02

Susan McCouch, an associate geneticist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI; http://irri.org) in 1990-94 and currently professor of plant breeding and genetics at Cornell University, was truly a pioneer—in more ways than one.

She was an integral part of the team at Cornell that developed the first-ever molecular map of rice while, at the same time, being among the first female scientists to break the gender barrier in agricultural research.

Back in 1985, when she applied to be a graduate student in Cornell's plant breeding program, she was placed on probation because she was a female with a young child. Even so, during her July 2009 interview on the Cornell campus, she pointed out that, although she experienced difficulties and challenges as everyone does, she didn't really believe that hers at both Cornell and IRRI were centered on gender issues.

To read a Rice Today story based on the interview see: http://fr.scribd.com/doc/94500233/RT-Vol-9-No-2-Pioneer-interviews