Blog: Impressions from the field: biotechnology, scale, and change

April 5, 2023 | Guest Author

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....

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A plenary meeting of the United Nations biodiversity conference (December 2022). Credit: Willy Wei

Blog: Reflections on COP15

January 13, 2023 | Khara Grieger

GES members attended the recent UN biodiversity conference to better understand the impacts of biotechnology on biodiversity and conservation....

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Tradition Meets Innovation

November 18, 2022 | Guest Author

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....

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Modesta Abugu in a Sweetpotato field in Clinton, NC. Photo credit: Simon Fraher, NC State University.

Modesta Abugu: Improving Sweetpotato Flavor for Nutrition Security

October 7, 2022 | Guest Author

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....

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Jabeen Ahmad in lab with colleagues

Blog: Archea, Microbial Superheroes?

September 27, 2022 | Guest Author

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. ...

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Photo of farmer by two piles of potatos - on the left, larger GM potatos, and on the right, smaller farmer preferred variety.

Blog: Considerations for developing GMO crops around the world

November 10, 2021 | Guest Author

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?...

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Invasive spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) on a raspberry. Photo credit: Hannah Burrack.

Invasive Flies Prefer Untouched Territory When Laying Eggs

February 15, 2021 | Guest Author

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....

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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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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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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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Fred Gould with arms outstretched in echo device

CALS Spotlight on Fred Gould: How Do We Communicate Genetic Engineering?

October 15, 2019 | Guest Author

Dee Shore, Fall 2019 | NC State professor and genetic engineer Fred Gould is focused on clear communication and the public good....

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Photo of DeShae Dillard

Student Spotlight: DeShae Dillard, AgBioFEWS Fellow

September 18, 2019 | Guest Author

Dee Shore, Sept. 17, 2019 | When he first set foot in Columbia, North Carolina, this summer, NC State Ph.D. student DeShae Dillard felt as though he’d arrived in another country. There, the AgBioFEWS Fellow learned more about rural life, especially the everyday challenges of farming....

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Jason Delborne

2018-19 University Faculty Scholars Named

February 27, 2019 | Patti Mulligan

NC State’s 2018-19 class of University Faculty Scholars was announced today. These 20 early- and mid-career faculty [including GES Center Executive Committee Member, Jason Delborne] receive this designation due to their significant academic achievements and contributions to NC State through their teaching, research and community engagement....

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‘Changing the Landscape of Graduate Education’

September 6, 2018 | Patti Mulligan

GES Center to launch NSF-funded AgBioFEWS graduate program, blending natural and social sciences to train next-gen problem-solvers in agricultural biotechnology....

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