Utah State University has partnered with Kasetsart University in Thailand to further research and understanding about agriculture and the environment. Researchers from both universities, located on two continents with two very different climates, have joined to understand how climate change is affecting the world and also discuss a collaborative degree program for students attending USU and Kasetsart.

A group of faculty from Kasetsart is visiting USU and meeting with USU professors in the colleges of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Science. The scholars will visit several labs on the USU campus and discuss joint degree programs where USU and KU students can reciprocally attend both universities for one to two years and receive a degree from each institution or a joint degree.

“The visiting faculty are internationalizing their curriculum to attract better students and to better prepare those students for international employment — just what we are trying to do as well,” said Roger Kjelgren, USU faculty member in the College of Agriculture and one of the hosts for the visiting scholars.

USU hosted Yingyong Paisooksantivatana, associate professor of horticulture; Rapeepong Panivivat, professor of animal science; Nikhom Laemsak, assistant professor of forestry; Phruet Racharak, a lecturer; Natta Takrattanasaran, a doctoral student in the soil science department and Sakdichot Maneekarn, a senior in the plant pathology department.

“The Thai visitors are interested in learning about the agriculture and natural resources environment in Utah because it is so different from what they experience back home,” Kjelgren said.

Kasetsart is Thailand’s leading agricultural and natural resources university. The visiting faculty met with USU faculty members Phil Rasmussen, Ralph Whitesides and Dale Zobel from the College of Agriculture, Anne Anderson and Brad Kopp from the College of Science and Darren McAvoy from the College of Natural Resources. The group also took a tour of Capital Reef National Park and the San Rafael Swell in southern Utah.

The Kasetsart faculty are on the USU campus May 13 -27. For more information, contact Kjelgren, 435-797-2972 or rkjel@usu.edu.