1965

To Steve Banta, the "Green Revolution" is not just another disturbance on the Dartmouth campus. It is a critical effort to bring food to much of the world, and a very important factor in his life. Steve's home is at the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, Philippines, where he serves as an editor in the communications and publications department. A biology major, his initial visit to the Philippines was in 1967 as a Peace Corps volunteer. Seven years later, after a return to the United States, two master's degrees, and work as a science editor for PrenticeHall, Steve received a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship to study minority education in the Philippines. In the period that followed, he decided that a life in Southeast Asia would allow his training in science, publishing, and education to come together in a number of exciting ways. He accepted Philippinebased consulting assignments which included science education missions to Bangladesh and Pakistan as well as other projects in Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. He also started his own publishing company, specializing in science textbooks and conference proceedings. His work with the International Rice Research Institute began through editing one or two books a year on a free-lance basis. Three years ago, he accepted a three-month visiting editor's position and the job quickly became

permanent. Steve says the IRRI was established in 1960 under the leadership of the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations. Its research center, south of Manila, employs 2,400 personnel in laboratories, training facilities, and on an experimental farm. In the mid-sixties, hybrid rice plants developed at IRRI began the "Green Revolution" that subsequently spared much of the world from famine. Steve's particular function is to make the research of IRRI known around the world to scientists who, in turn, develop locationspecific technologies and train farmers in their use. He says, "The contribution I make to alleviating world hunger is small, but, I feel, significant. If the publications that pass through my editorial mill are made more readable, more understandable, and consequently more useful, then I will have done my bit to help my fellow man."

Another activity in Steve's life is the sport of rowing. After a freshman physical education course, he says he never touched a boat until settling in Manila in 1977. Quickly making up for lost time, Steve has now won the Head of the Pasig race seven times and the Manila Boat Club pairs and fours championship three times each. He has enjoyed participating in international regattas in Manila, Hong Kong, Colombo, Singapore, Nagoya, and Brunei and receives satisfaction from the role he plays in increasing the popularity of the sport in the Philippines.

"Life in the Philippines has treated me well," Steve says, "There is time to read, row, study piano, and attend concerts. The secret is there is no grass to mow, plumbing to fix, dishes to wash, or leaves to rake; all these things are done by others." Steve is married to a Filipina and says, "Our children are bicultural: they speak both Filipino and English and know much more about the NBA than I do." In summarizing his outlook, Steve says, "I gave up a more flamboyant life for one that is stable with steady work, good benefits, and a pension plan. I'm content to do what I'm doing for another ten years or so. Then I may get reinvolved in the publishing company, where I would again make critical decisions, be responsible for finance, and chart the future. Sometimes I think I'd like to retire in God's Country of New Hampshire; but I now doubt either my wife or I could handle the cold. At any rate, I look forward to returning for our class reunion in 1990."

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