Skip to main content
more options

CUCE-NYC Welcomes Post-doctoral Researcher Dr. Khin Mar Cho

July 13, 2006

A photo of Dr. Khin Mar Cho

Dr. Khin Mar Cho.

"Khin Mar Cho" means "very friendly", "hard worker", who is "sweet" in Burmese, Dr. Cho explained

Dr. Khin Mar Cho, a specialist in participatory agricultural extension systems, is assisting CUCE-NYC with research and program development for MarketMaker and Biofuel Industry Development initiatives.

She will also consult for the Nutrition & Health Program. In particular, Dr. Cho is interested in the Nutrition & Health Program's New York City Farmers' Markets initiatives.

She was attracted by the balance between education and research that she finds here.

"Khin" means "very friendly", "Mar" means "hard worker", and "Cho" means "sweet" in Burmese, Dr. Cho explained.

She lives up to her name. Dr. Cho received her doctorate from Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany. She holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Agricultural Sciences from Yezin Agricultural University in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). Her Master's degree specialization focused on soybean production.

Research, Learning, and Political Conflict

CUCE-NYC welcomes more than just a new colleague. Dr. Cho's arrival in New York City came as a result of political conflict. The State Peace and Development Council - the official name of the military regime in Myanmar - refused to allow Dr. Cho to teach democratic participatory agricultural extension systems.

Dr. Cho has a long history helping others with similar problems. She assists the International Rescue Committee (IRC) helping refugees to establish themselves in New York City, and to learn administrative processes of the U.S. State Department. She is particularly helpful in translating between Burmese and English. In a similar capacity, Dr. Cho volunteered with Amnesty International while completing her doctorate on a scholarship in Germany.

Dr. Cho has more than 18 publications in scientific journals to her credit. She is publishing her thesis, Guidelines for the Implementation of a Participatory Extension Approach - An empirical Study of the Training Needs of Agricultural Extension Agents in Myanmar, through MARGRAF Scientific Publishers. She speaks Burmese, English, German, French, and Spanish. In her spare time, she jogs and swims, and enjoys reading and cooking.

For more information please contact John Nettleton, Senior Extension Associate, at jsn10@cornell.edu, or (212)340-2937.