Ross Sozzani is the new director of the plant improvement platform for the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative. Photo by Marc Hall

PSI Profile: Ross Sozzani, Platform Director for Plant Improvement

February 9, 2021 | Guest Author

D'Lyn Ford, Feb. 9, 2021 | The plant improvement platform director for the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative shares her vision: collaboration, innovative crop technologies and students ready for the workforce....

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Reinvention, Part 2: Teosinte. Credit: Youting Lin

Biotech: An Environmentalist’s Dilemma

January 21, 2021 | Todd Kuiken

Biodesigned, Jan. 21, 2021 | Environmental scientist Todd Kuiken weighs the pros and cons of deploying biotechnology to protect vulnerable ecosystems. Can altering the DNA of species save them from the impacts of human induced climate change, or will it wreak a new form of havoc?"...

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Scientists Set a Path for Field Trials of Gene Drive Organisms | Science

December 17, 2020 | Guest Author

Press Release, December 17, 2020 | As genetically engineered organisms ramp up, a multidisciplinary coalition offers a framework for ethical, socially engaged and transparent field practices...

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Community-Led Governance for Gene-Edited Crops; Jennifer Kuzma and Khara Grieger, Science, 2020

Researchers Recommend More Transparency for Gene-Edited Crops | Science

November 19, 2020 | Guest Author

Press Release, November 19, 2020 | New government regulations for biotechnology will create gaps in oversight of gene-edited crops and the provision of information to consumers....

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The ‘Public Good’ of Controlling Mobile Pests with Genetically Engineered Crops

November 12, 2020 | Guest Author

Margaret Huffman, Nov. 11 2020 | Choosing to plant genetically engineered seed that will grow insect-resistant corn (Bt corn) is more expensive at the time of planting but is common practice in places like the United States and the Philippines. This study takes a closer look at those who do not plant genetically engineered seed because their neighbors use of Bt corn eliminated the local pest pressure....

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Photo of Jabeen Ahmad

Student Spotlight: Jabeen Ahmad, AgBioFEWS Fellow

November 2, 2020 | Guest Author

CALS Magazine, Fall 2020 | AgBioFEWS Fellow Jabeen Ahmad's interdisciplinary journey from public defender to plant biologist. ...

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Responsible Innovation in Biotechnology: Stakeholder attitudes and implications for research policy | Elementa

September 1, 2020 | Jennifer Kuzma

Jennifer Kuzma, September 1, 2020 | This article explores attitudes of stakeholders involved in biotechnology towards the Responsible Innovation (RI) framework. ...

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Returning to farming's roots in the battle against the 'billion-dollar beetle'

Returning to Farming’s Roots in the Battle Against the ‘Billion-Dollar Beetle’ | Agricultural and Resource Economics

July 21, 2020 | Guest Author

Rosemary Brandt, July 21, 2020 | Nicknamed the "billion-dollar beetle" for its enormous economic costs to growers in the United States each year, the western corn rootworm is one of the most devastating pests farmers face....

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CALS News – Using Leaf Fungi to Improve Crop Resilience

June 29, 2020 | Patti Mulligan

Mollie Rappe, June 29, 2020 | Jason Delborne, a researcher with the Genetic Engineering and Society Center and the College of Natural Resources, will lead the efforts to assess public opinion and analyze the potential regulatory pathway for techniques to introduce beneficial plant fungi to crops....

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Blog: We must do better…

June 11, 2020 | Todd Kuiken

Todd Kuiken, June 11, 2020 | The following reflection was part of a special GES colloquium held on June 5, 2020, discussing the new USDA regulations on GM crops. Which was held in the midst of national protests against police brutality. They are my personal reflections in support of #blacklivesmatter and the systemic racism and inequalities seen throughout our institutions....

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Blog: COVID-19 Reveals the Personal Side of Globalization – GM Researchers Should Take Note

May 20, 2020 | Nora Haenn

Nora Haenn, 5/20/2020 | COVID-19 has shown us, there’s an important consequence for the way globalization is both local at all points and persistently invisible in its entirety....

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Blog: Yes, and…

April 22, 2020 | Guest Author

Royden Saah and Eli Hornstein, 4/22/2020 | To counter the COVID-19 pandemic, YES we can be responsible AND take urgent, unfamiliar action....

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Image of a healthcare worker behind a decision-tree of Coronavirus-related icons

COVID-19—Biotechnology Is Never Enough

April 3, 2020 | Jennifer Kuzma

The currently-unfolding COVID-19 case boldly underscores the reality that science and technology are never enough to solve global health problems alone. Rather, we need a strategic and systematic integration of social sciences, risk sciences, and communication along with science, technology, and innovation to adequately meet the challenges of emerging global risks, such as COVID-19. ...

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Lessons Learned for Risk Governance of Synthetic Biology, Nanomaterials, and Other Emerging Technologies in a Post-2020 World

December 13, 2019 | Todd Kuiken

Khara Grieger and Todd Kuiken, Dec. 13, 2019 | On December 9th, a symposium was held at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Society for Risk Analysis, entitled “Risk Analysis of Engineered Nanomaterials: Where Have We Been, Lessons Learned, and Transfer of Knowledge to Other Emerging Technologies,” as a part of the Advanced Materials and Technologies Specialty Group....

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CALS News – Fred Gould: My Journey to Interdisciplinary Research

December 2, 2019 | Patti Mulligan

Mollie Rappe, Dec 2, 2019 | NC State Distinguished Professor Fred Gould shares his journey to interdisciplinary research on genetically modified pests and beyond, as well as the challenges he overcame along the way....

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