Envisioning a More Equitable Food System
Doctoral candidate and AgBioFEWS Fellow Christopher Gillespie seeks a stronger, more racially equitable food system, and at NC State, he’s taking steps to achieve that....
Starting Strong
The first small companies to join the startup program are pursuing diverse products aimed at solving different agricultural problems. For example, Eli Hornstein, who holds a Ph.D. from NC State in plant metabolic engineering, has started Elysia Creative Biology to help slow climate change by producing bioengineered crops that can be turned into feed that reduces the emission of methane, a greenhouse gas, from cows....
Blog: Interdisciplinary Reflections on the U.S. Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy
In December, GES-affiliated faculty and students participated in a roundtable discussion on the EO at the recent Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting, held in Washington, DC. The roundtable aimed to discuss the strengths and limitations of the recent EO on bio-innovation from interdisciplinary perspectives, highlighting aspects of biotechnology regulation and risk in particular....
Blog: The Challenges of GMO Detection and Traceability in a Globalized Food System
By Joseph Opoku Gakpo and Modesta Abugu | The traceability and detection of biotech foods in a globalized system remain crucial, and while detection methods have improved, many challenges remain, especially for products of new genomic methods like CRISPR....
Blog: Impressions from the field: biotechnology, scale, and change
By Asa Budnick and Jill Furgurson | Over the summer of 2022, the last cohort of AgBioFEWS graduate students conducted field research in eastern North Carolina, gaining insights into the intersection of biotechnology, farm size, and environmental shifts on farmers....Continue reading "Blog: Impressions from the field: biotechnology, scale, and change"
Blog: Reflections on COP15
GES members attended the recent UN biodiversity conference to better understand the impacts of biotechnology on biodiversity and conservation....
Tradition Meets Innovation
By Kristen Sargent | Fueled by their father’s passion for agriculture, Ruthie and DJ Stokes are keeping a family promise: do what you love. The fourth-generation farmers have found common ground in supporting producers back home and feeding a growing population....
Modesta Abugu: Improving Sweetpotato Flavor for Nutrition Security
By Brandon Hopper | Ph.D. student Modesta Abugu is researching flavor compounds in sweetpotatoes with a goal of increasing consumption and improving global nutrition security....Continue reading "Modesta Abugu: Improving Sweetpotato Flavor for Nutrition Security"
Blog: Archea, Microbial Superheroes?
Jabeen Ahmad, September 27, 2022 | Food insecurity is a concern now and in the future. Globally, the United Nations estimates that about 690 million people are food insecure. By the year 2050, the world population is expected to reach nine billion people, requiring food supplies to double. ...
Blog: Considerations for developing GMO crops around the world
Agriculture is changing and so are the technologies needed to improve it. Scientists should be allowed to develop genetically modified (GM) crops to provide options for smallholder farmers who depend on a successful harvest for their livelihood. That position was highlighted in a panel discussion featuring biotechnology leaders at the Genetics Engineering and Society colloquium organized by the third cohort of the AgBioFEWs fellowship. The question that informed this colloquium was, who makes the decision on which GM crops are developed around the world?...Continue reading "Blog: Considerations for developing GMO crops around the world"
Invasive Flies Prefer Untouched Territory When Laying Eggs
Hannah Burrack and Matt Shipman, Feb. 15, 2021 | The finding raises questions about how the flies can tell whether a piece of fruit is virgin territory – and what that might mean for pest control....Continue reading "Invasive Flies Prefer Untouched Territory When Laying Eggs"
The ‘Public Good’ of Controlling Mobile Pests with Genetically Engineered Crops
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....Continue reading "The ‘Public Good’ of Controlling Mobile Pests with Genetically Engineered Crops"
Student Spotlight: Jabeen Ahmad, AgBioFEWS Fellow
CALS Magazine, Fall 2020 | AgBioFEWS Fellow Jabeen Ahmad's interdisciplinary journey from public defender to plant biologist. ...Continue reading "Student Spotlight: Jabeen Ahmad, AgBioFEWS Fellow"
CALS News – Using Leaf Fungi to Improve Crop Resilience
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....Continue reading "CALS News – Using Leaf Fungi to Improve Crop Resilience"
CALS News – Fred Gould: My Journey to Interdisciplinary Research
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....Continue reading "CALS News – Fred Gould: My Journey to Interdisciplinary Research"