Alison Van Eenennaam

Date Honored: 11/08/2022

Science Friction: Can effective communication save genome editing from the fate of GMOs?

Genetically engineered organisms, sometimes called GMOs by their detractors, have had a rough 25 years. Despite an excellent safety record supported by major scientific societies and documented farmer benefit, the popular public belief is that food containing GMOs is unsafe, warranting the purchase of absence-labeled non-GMO products. Along comes genome editing, a powerful technology to introduce targeted alterations in the genome for both human health and agricultural applications. Preemptively labelled as “GMO 2.0” by Greenpeace and listed as an excluded method by the National Organic Standards Board, the future of genome editing in agriculture is far from certain. This comes at a time when the need to rapidly adapt genetics to a changing climate has never been more pressing. Can effective communication safeguard genome editing, or will it be lost to the misinformation that plagued GMOs?

Biography

Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam has been a Professor of Cooperative Extension in the field of animal genomics and biotechnology in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis for 20 years. She received a BS in agricultural science from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and both an MS in animal science, and a Ph.D. in genetics from UC Davis. Her current research projects include the development of genome editing approaches for cattle. She has given over 700 invited presentations to audiences globally and uses a variety of media to inform general public audiences about science and technology. A passionate advocate of science, Dr. Van Eenennaam was the recipient of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) 2014 Borlaug Communication Award and the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) 2019 Rockefeller Prentice Award in Animal Breeding and Genetics. You can find her on Twitter, @BioBeef.