Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Socioeconomic Issues in Developing Countries - May 13, 2015

May 13, 2015

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar onWednesday, May 13, 2015 to gather information from invited speakers.

Watch the webinar recording here

Samuel Timpo, Associate Director, African Biosafety Network of Expertise, New Partnership for Africa’s Development.

Samuel Timpo is the associate director of the African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE) and the socioeconomics specialist. ABNE is an initiative of the New Partnership for African Development. Previously, Mr. Timpo worked as a socioeconomist with the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission for almost 7 years. His areas of interest include biotechnology and biosafety, entrepreneurship, and transformational development. During his time with BNARI, Mr. Timpo served as the Ghana team leader for the USAID Program for Biosafety Systems and also as secretary to both the Country Advisory Group on Biosafety and the National Biosafety Committee. He was instrumental in the development of Ghana’s national biosafety frameworks and directly contributed to the development of a national biosafety communications strategy and biotechnology policy. Mr. Timpo earned a masters degree in agricultural economics from the University of Ghana, Legon. He also previously taught various courses including entrepreneurship, micro-enterprise development and management, agricultural economics, and agricultural finance and marketing at the University of Ghana, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, and the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences.

Matin Qaim, Professor of International Food Economics and Rural Development, University of Goettingen.

Matin Qaim is an agricultural economist and professor of international food economics and rural development at the University of Goettingen in Germany. Previously he was a professor at the University of Hohenheim (Stuttgart), a research team leader at the Center for Development Research (Bonn), and a research fellow at the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Qaim holds a doctoral degree from the University of Bonn. He has extensive research experience related to the economics of agricultural biotechnology with a focus on analyzing impacts in developing countries. Dr. Qaim has published widely in international scientific journals, including in Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Nature Biotechnology. He is member of several scientific and policy advisory committees, including for the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Life Science Commission of the German Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina). He has also served on the boards of various international organizations and projects, including CIMMYT, Africa Harvest, and the Golden Rice Project.

Justus Wesseler, Professor of Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy, Wageningen University.

Justus Wesseler holds the chair in Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. He has a Ph.D. in agricultural, environmental and natural resource economics from the University of Göttingen, Germany. His research work is on the economics of biotechnology, value chain economics, and regulatory economics including issues related to coexistence. The major focus is on the contribution of value chains to improve sustainability and the impact of new technologies and regulations on the value chain in this respect. He was professor of agricultural and food economics and head of the Research Department of Agricultural Economics at the Center of Life and Food Sciences Weihenstephan from 2011 to 2013 and is member of the International Consortium of Applied Bioeconomy Research (ICABR), co-editor of AgBioForum, and coordinator of the EU-funded project Practical Implementation of Coexistence in Europe (PRICE). His research work on the economics of the bioeconomy has been published in more than 100 contributions to peer reviewed journals and books.

Presentations for each speaker start at the below timestamps:

Samuel Timpo: 00:05:38
Matin Qaim: 00:40:44
Justus Wesseler: 01:21:05

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Partially Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould
Richard Amasino
Dominique Brossard
Robin Buell
Richard Dixon
Jose Falck-Zepeda
Mike Gallo
Ken Giller
Leland Glenna
Tim Griffin
Dan Magraw
Carol Mallory-Smith
Kevin Pixley
Elizabeth Ransom
Michael Rodemeyer
David Stelly
Neal Stewart

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Report draft status
Committee assignments

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Report draft

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

May 20, 2015

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

(202) 334-3062
jbriscoe@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on RNAi Technology - May 7, 2015

May 7, 2015

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a Public Webinar on Thursday, May 7, 2015, to gather information about RNAi technology.

Watch the webinar recording here

Stephen Chan, Harvard Medical School, provided an introduction to RNAi technology and discussed research investigating the biological effects of consuming small RNA molecules found in crops.

Stephen Chan graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his MD and PhD from the University of California, San Francisco. He then completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and fellowship training in Cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. His postdoctoral research was performed in the laboratory of Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD, and Dr. Chan joined the faculty at BWH and Harvard Medical School in July 2010 where he is an Assistant Professor of Medicine. Dr. Chan devotes a primary focus on basic research coupled with a clinical practice in general cardiology and pulmonary vascular medicine. Specifically, Dr. Chan’s scientific work has focused on the study of the fundamental biology of non-coding RNAs including microRNAs and their importance in cardiovascular and pulmonary vascular health and disease. In regard to plant biology, Dr. Chan has studied and published on the potential for transfer of non-coding RNAs from ingested dietary substances in mammals and insects. Dr. Chan has held research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, Gilead Sciences, and the Cardiovascular Medical Research and Education Fund. He has been the recipient of a number of philanthropic awards at BWH, including the Lerner Scholarship, the Watkins Discovery Award, the Harris Family Research Prize, and the McArthur-Radovsky Research Scholarship. Dr. Chan has been invited to present his research at both national and international venues, and he has received international research awards from the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the American Society of Microbiology.

David Heckel, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, discussed strategies for using plant-mediated RNAi in crop protection.

David G. Heckel received his Ph.D. at Stanford University in 1980 and from 1980 to 1999 served as assistant, associate, and full professor in biological sciences at Clemson University. He moved to the Genetics Department at the University of Melbourne in Australia from 1999 to 2003. In 2004 he joined the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, as director and head of the Entomology Department. Research interests include the genetic analysis of resistance to chemical insecticides and Bacillus thuringiensis toxins, comparative digestive and detoxicative strategies of host-plant generalist vs. specialist herbivorous insects, reproductive isolating mechanisms in sympatric speciation, the genetics and evolution of sex pheromone communication systems in moths, the role of horizontal gene transfer in conferring novel metabolic functions in herbivorous insects, and the application of RNA interference in pest control.

More information about RNAi Technology:

What is RNAi? RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural process that cells use to turn down, or silence, the activity of specific genes. Inside every cell of every organism is DNA, the double helix that holds instructions for making the protein building blocks of life. RNA is a messenger that transports the instructions encoded in DNA to the protein factories of the cell. When interfering RNA binds to a specific messenger RNA, no protein is produced because the interfering RNA can either block translation or target the messenger RNA for degradation. This process turns down or silences the expression of specific genes.

Why did the committee hear about RNAi? Some researchers are investigating the possibility of using RNAi in agriculture for applications such as improving resistance to drought and pests or boosting the nutritional value of crops. Scientists can introduce interfering RNA via genetic-engineering techniques to trigger RNAi silencing within plants and regulate a specific gene of their choice. This has been used to develop slow-browning apples and potatoes and to reduce lignin in alfalfa.
Inside every cell of every organism is DNA, the double helix that holds instructions for making the protein building blocks of life. RNA is a messenger that transports the instructions encoded in DNA to the protein factories of the cell.
RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural process that cells use to turn down, or silence, the activity of specific genes. Scientists can introduce interfering RNA via genetic-engineering techniques. When interfering RNA binds to a specific messenger RNA, no protein is produced because the interfering RNA either blocks translation or targets the messenger RNA for degradation. This process turns down or silences the expression of specific genes.
Crop breeders have an array of tools to help improve crop traits, from traditional breeding to transgenic techniques. RNAi is another such tool.
Crop breeders have already put RNAi to use as a tool to turn down or silence the expression of certain genes, for example to create non-browning varieties of apples and potatoes and reduced-lignin alfalfa.
RNAi has been used to create non-browning varieties of apples and potatoes. Slicing potatoes or biting into an apple releases the plant enzyme polyphenol oxidase. This leads to the production of melanin, a compound that causes browning. RNAi turns down the expression of the genes that produce polyphenol oxidase, so browning is reduced.
RNAi has been used to create a reduced-lignin variety of alfalfa. Alfalfa—a plant that is a key component of hay—is particularly high in lignin. Lignin makes plant stems strong, but ruminants find it essentially indigestible. RNAi is used to target genes that control lignin content, creating a variety of reduced-lignin alfalfa that cows find easier to digest.
Crop breeders could use RNAi as a tool to turn down or silence the expression of certain genes, for example to improve crops’ resistance to pests or drought or to boost nutritional value.
RNAi could target genes that are essential for pests’ survival. The corn rootworm is a destructive pest. RNAi could target genes essential to the corn rootworm’s survival. Rootworms that feed on the GE-corn plants would be eliminated. Because the RNAi would be specific to corn rootworm genes, it would not affect other insects feeding on the same corn plants.
RNAi could target genes involved in drought resistance. The plant hormone abscisic acid triggers plant defenses to drought, such as closing stomata and repressing growth and photosynthesis until more water is available. RNAi could target genes that regulate levels of abscisic acid, allowing the hormone to accumulate and trigger drought response. This could boost crops’ resistance to drought conditions.
RNAi could target genes that regulate nutrient content. Lysine is an amino acid that people must get from the food they eat. RNAi could target crop genes that regulate levels of lysine, allowing more lysine to accumulate and creating high-lysine varieties.

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Intellectual Property Issues - May 6, 2015

May 6, 2015

3:30 PM - 5:30 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar onWednesday, May 6, 2015 to gather information from invited speakers.

Watch the webinar recording here

Alan Bennett, Executive Director, Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture, and Distinguished Professor, University of California-Davis.

Alan Bennett is Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Davis where he has been an active researcher, educator, policy advisor, and technology transfer advocate. He also serves as the founding Executive Director of the “Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture” (PIPRA), a not-for-profit organization that provides commercialization strategy advice and intellectual property rights analysis to support the commercialization of public sector innovations. Dr. Bennett earned B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in plant biology at UC Davis and Cornell University, respectively, has published over 160 scientific research papers in the area of plant molecular biology, and is recognized as an “ISI Most Cited Author”. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a Senior Fellow of the California Council for Science and Technology (CCST), a science policy advisory council for the State of California. From 2000 to 2004, Dr. Bennett served as the Executive Director of the University of California Systemwide Office of Research Administration and Technology Transfer where he was responsible for research policy and the management of a portfolio of over 5,000 patented inventions, 700 active licenses, and revenue in excess of $350MM. From 2004 to 2008, Dr. Bennett served as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at UC Davis where he founded and managed InnovationAccess, an organization responsible for technology transfer, business development, and support for technology-based economic development in the Sacramento/Davis region. He also serves on several corporate research advisory boards and is the founding CEO of the UC Davis-Chile Life Science Innovation Center.

Diana Horvath, President, Two Blades Foundation.

Diana Horvath helped to establish the Two Blades Foundation (2Blades), a charitable organization engaged in the development and delivery of durable disease resistance for agriculture, and currently serves as the Foundation’s President. Trained in biochemistry and molecular biology, her professional experience has focused on research on biotic constraints on agriculture in developing countries and the molecular mechanisms of plant disease resistance and on establishing companies with innovative agricultural biotechnologies. Since 2004, Dr. Horvath has worked with her 2Blades colleagues to build development programs for resistance to significant diseases of important commercial and subsistence crops. 2Blades’ efforts are aimed at practical outcomes for real-world disease problems, such as major diseases of wheat, citrus, and tomato. Strategic deployment of resistant crops includes the management of intellectual property in order to ensure responsible stewardship of genetic resources and the delivery of the broadest benefits to farmers.

Richard Jefferson, Founder and CEO, Cambia, and Professor of Science, Technology & Law, Queensland University of Technology. bio

Richard Jefferson is a prominent molecular biologist, social entrepreneur and open innovation systems strategist. He is founder and CEO of Cambia and a Professor of Science, Technology & Law at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Richard is a graduate of the University of California’s College of Creative Studies, with a Ph.D. in molecular biology from University of Colorado. As a National Institutes of Health postdoc in Cambridge, UK, he conducted the world’s first field release of a biotech crop and developed the most widely cited and licensed enabling biotechnology and distributed it under open source principles. After becoming the first molecular biologist for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, he founded Cambia in 1991, an independent, global nonprofit social enterprise to bring efficiency, effectiveness, and equity to science-enabled innovation, based in Canberra, Australia. At Cambia, Richard developed the landmark hologenome theory of evolution, continued inventing, distributing, and supporting enabling technologies and created the BiOS (Biological Open Source) Initiative, the first open patent-based commons for science. Fifteen years ago, Cambia launched the Patent Lens, the most popular open global full-text resource for patent transparency. This work has culminated in the current vision of a global digital public good — ‘The Lens’ — to disrupt and democratize the innovation system, through ‘Innovation Cartography’. Richard is an ‘Outstanding Social Entrepreneur’ of the Schwab Foundation and a regular panelist at the World Economic Forum’s Davos annual meetings and summits. He served four years on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Intellectual Property and is now on the Global Agenda Council on the Economics of Innovation. He is the recipient of the American Society of Plant Science’ ‘Leadership in Science’ award, was named to Scientific American’s list of the world’s 50 Most Influential Technologists, and is the inaugural Medalist of the Center for Science & Policy Outcomes. His work has featured in media in dozens of countries, and includes profiles in The Economist, New York Times, Newsweek, Red Herring, Nature, Science, Nature Biotechnology and many others.

Presentations for each speaker start at the below timestamps:

Alan Bennett: 00:08:20
Diana Horvath: 00:42:04
Richard Jefferson: 01:18:17

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

(202) 334-3062
jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Donor Organizations - April 30, 2015

April 30, 2015

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar onThursday, April 30, 2015 to gather information from invited speakers.

Watch the webinar recording here

Rob Horsch, Deputy Director, Global Development, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Rob Horsch, deputy director, leads the Agricultural Research and Development team of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which manages a portfolio of grants aimed at improving agricultural productivity, reducing farmer risk, and developing more nutritious versions of the staple crops grown and consumed by farm families, including varieties that thrive in different soil types and are resistant to disease, pests, and environmental stresses such as drought. Prior to joining the foundation in 2006, Rob was the leader of International Development Partnerships at Monsanto Company and involved in a number of public private partnerships for agricultural development. Rob is a plant biologist and has served on the editorial boards of several leading journals in the plant sciences and as an advisor to the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. He was awarded the 1998 National Medal of Technology by President Clinton for contributions to the development of agricultural biotechnology. Rob received his Ph.D. in genetics at the University of California, Riverside, in 1979, and then conducted postdoctoral work in plant physiology at the University of Saskatchewan.

John McMurdy, International Research Advisor & Scaling Team Leader, Bureau of Food Security, U.S. Agency for International Development.

John McMurdy is an international research and biotechnology advisor in the Bureau for Food Security at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) where he manages several of the agencies investments in plant biotechnology R&D across Africa and South Asia. These investments support technology transfer, product development of new crop varieties, and training for developing country scientists to more fully utilize biotechnology. John additionally manages USAID’s investments in biosafety capacity development, which provide technical assistance to policymakers in developing science-based regulatory systems and increase the technical literacy of the international biotechnology regulatory community. Before coming to USAID, John served as the Chief Technology Officer at Corum Medical, a medical device company he co-founded with physician and engineering colleagues in Providence, Rhode Island. He received his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Brown University and his B.S./M.S. from the University of Rochester.

Brian Dowd-Uribe, Assistant Professor, UN-Mandated University for Peace.

Brian Dowd-Uribe is the department chair and an assistant professor in the Department of Environment and Development at the UN-mandated University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica. He holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Environment Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Brian served as a postdoctoral research scientist in the Centre for Research on Environmental Decisions in Columbia University’s Earth Institute, where he continues to hold the title of adjunct research scientist. His doctoral research took place in Burkina Faso, where he examined the introduction of transgenic cotton among smallholder farmers. Prior to his doctoral studies, Brian served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo, West Africa.

Presentations for each speaker start at the below timestamps:

Rob Horsch: 00:07:07
John McMurdy: 00:43:20
Brian Dowd-Uribe: 01:11:09

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

(202) 334-3062
jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Genetically Engineered Quality Traits - April 21, 2015

April 21, 2015

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar on Tuesday, April 21, 2015to gather information from invited speakers.

Watch the webinar recording here

Neal Carter, President, Okanagan Specialty Fruits, discussed the development of the Arctic® Apple, which is engineered to not brown when sliced, bitten, or bruised.

Neal Carter is president and founder of Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF), a grower-led biotechnology company specializing in the creation of novel tree fruit varieties. Outside of OSF, he and his wife Louisa grow and pack apples and cherries from their orchard in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. For over 30 years, Neal has worked with numerous crops as a bioresource engineer around the globe, ranging from maize to mango, from growing to harvesting, packing, storage, processing and packaging. It was through this firsthand experience that Neal was persuaded that biotechnology can help agriculture meet ever-expanding global food demand. Neal and Louisa founded OSF in 1996 in order to explore opportunities to utilize biotechnology to boost fruit consumption and growers’ sustainability. OSF’s flagship project is the development of nonbrowning Arctic® apples, which have been engineered to resist enzymatic browning by silencing the genes that produce polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme that drives the browning reaction. The first two Arctic® apple varieties, Arctic® Granny and Arctic® Golden, have recently received regulatory approval in both Canada and the United States, and it is expected they will be available in grocery stores within a few years. With apple consumption flat-to-declining for the past couple decades, Neal believes that Arctic® apples will provide a consumption trigger for the industry by making apples more convenient as well as providing numerous other benefits throughout the supply chain, including reducing food waste.

Mark McCaslin, Vice President-Research, Forage Genetics International, discussed genetically engineered traits in alfalfa that reduce lignin content and extend the harvest window.

A California native, Mark McCaslin attended the University of California at Davis, where he received B.S. and M.S. degrees in agronomy. Mark earned a Ph.D. in plant breeding from Cornell University in 1981. Mark has worked in alfalfa breeding for over 30 years and has been responsible for developing over 250 alfalfa cultivars. He was a co-founder and currently serves as Vice President–Research of Forage Genetics International. Forage Genetics International (a wholly owned subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, Inc.) is a global leader in alfalfa and corn silage biotechnology, breeding, seed production, sales and marketing. Mark and his wife Jessica live in Minneapolis, MN.

Craig Richael, Director of Research and Development, Simplot Plant Sciences, discussed the development of the Innate™ potato, engineered to be less prone to bruising and to contain less asparagine, which reduces the potential for acrylamide to form when the potatoes are cooked at high temperatures.

Craig Richael obtained a B.S. degree in plant sciences from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from the University of California-Davis. In 2001, he joined the Simplot Plant Sciences team as a scientist working to develop genetic transformation systems for potato and other crops. His responsibilities evolved into supervising greenhouse and field testing of transgenic potato plants for trait efficacy and line selection. Since 2013, he has acted as Director of R&D, guiding the development of Innate™ GM potato products. Craig enjoys putting into practice the J. R. Simplot Company’s motto, “Bringing Earth’s Resources to Life”.

More information about quality traits:

What are quality traits? Quality traits are crop characteristics valued by consumers and retailers. Quality traits can be introduced to crops through conventional plant breeding, but they can also be incorporated through genetic-engineering techniques that more precisely select and insert the genes that code for desirable characteristics. Examples include apples that are more resilient to bruising and rice that has increased levels of vitamin A.

Why did the committee hear about quality traits? To consider the future prospects for genetically engineered crops, the committee was interested in hearing about projects underway to enhance quality traits using genetic-engineering technologies.

Quality traits are developed to increase the desirability of a product to consumers. For example, extending the shelf life of a tomato or making an apple more resilient against bruising may increase the product’s value to retailers and consumers.
Quality traits can be developed by conventional plant-breeding techniques, where plants are crossed to obtain offspring with desired quality traits, or by genetic-engineering technologies, which allow scientists to more precisely select and insert the genes that code for certain desirable traits.
Why use genetic engineering to change quality traits? Genetic-engineering techniques enable scientists to incorporate traits into plants that they would not be able to breed into the plant through conventional plant-breeding methods. For example, through genetic engineering scientists can transfer genes that are particularly difficult to access or even transfer genes between different species. Genetic engineering also has the potential to alter expression of native genes in a plant to optimize quality traits like nutrient content or shelf life.
GE crops with enhanced quality traits have been or may soon be approved for commercial production. For example, Golden rice is a variety of rice that has been engineered to improve nutrition. It is designed to be grown and consumed in developing countries with low levels of dietary vitamin A, which can lead to blindness in children. Genetic engineering has also been used to produce fruits and vegetables that bruise less easily and last longer after harvest. Different chemical reactions that occur once a fruit or vegetable has been removed from the plant can lead to bruising or spoiling. Genetic-engineering techniques have been used to reduce or silence these reactions in apples and potatoes. Alfalfa genetically engineered to have less lignin is another example of a quality trait. The reduction of lignin content in the alfalfa makes it easier for cows to digest.

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

(202) 334-3062
jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Genetically Engineered Crops and the Microbiome - April 6, 2015

April 6, 2015

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar on Monday, April 6, 2015, to gather information on the microbiome.

Watch the webinar recording here

Jonathan Eisen, University of California, Davis, provided an introduction to the microbiome, discussed lateral gene transfer from microbes to other organisms, and examined whether there is evidence that the herbicide glyphosate affects the human microbiome.

Jonathan Eisen is an evolutionary biologist and a professor at the University of California-Davis. His research focuses on mechanisms underlying the origin of novelty (how new processes and functions originate). His work involves the use of high throughput DNA sequencing methods to characterize microbes and then the use and development of computational methods for analysis. The computational work has focused on integrating evolutionary analysis with genome analysis – so called “phylogenomics.” He previously applied the phylogenomic approach to cultured organisms, such as those from extreme environments and those with key properties as they relate to evolution or global climate cycles. He currently uses sequencing and phylogenomic methods to study microbes directly in their natural habitats (that is, without culturing). In particularly, he focuses on how communities of microbes interact with each other and with plant and animal hosts to create new functions. Prior to his position at UC-Davis, Dr. Eisen was on the faculty of The Institute for Genomic Research. He is a fellow of the American Society of Microbiology and the academic editor in chief for PLoS Biology. Dr. Eisen received his A.B. in biology from Harvard College and his Ph.D. in biological sciences from Stanford University, where he studied the evolution of DNA repair processes.

More information about the microbiome:

What is the microbiome? Microbiomes are communities of microbes—bacteria, viruses, and fungi—that live in, on, and around us.

Why did the committee hear about the microbiome? From the moment we were born, microbes began living in and on our bodies. Beneficial microbes contribute to human health by defending against pathogens, helping digest food, and boosting our immune systems. Plants also have microbiomes; distinct microbial communities live on leaves, within flowers, and on roots and the soil around them. Farmers and scientists alike think microbes play many roles in crop growth and development. Some scientists are now interested in investigating those roles and determining if GE traits or treatment with herbicides could influence the plant, soil, or human microbiome.

From the moment we were born, microbes began living in and on our bodies. Although some microbes can be harmful to human health, beneficial microbial communities help keep us healthy by defending against pathogens, helping digest food, and boosting our immune systems.
Many of the foods we eat would be indigestible without the trillions of microbes living within our guts. For example, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron lives in our intestines and helps our bodies process sugars.
Plants also have microbiomes! Distinct microbial communities live inside roots, on leaves, and within flowers. Farmers and scientists alike think these microbiomes play many roles in crop growth and development.
Legumes (plants such as soybeans, peanuts, alfalfa, and peas) live in a mutually beneficial relationship with nitrogen-fixing microbes called Rhizobia. The microbes convert nitrogen in the air to a form that the plants can take up through their roots. In exchange, the plants provide the microbes with a place to live , a supply of carbon, and root secretions that protect the bacteria from oxygen.

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

(202) 334-3062
jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Genetically Engineered Trees - March 27, 2015

March 27, 2015

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar on Friday, March 27, 2015 to gather information from invited speakers. The speakers’ presentations addressed the state of the science regarding GE traits in development for tree species and governance issues related to the commercialization of GE trees.

Watch the webinar recording here

Steve Strauss, Professor, Oregon State University, discussed the economic and environmental benefits that genetic engineering could bring to tree species and the current state of the U.S. regulatory system with regards to trees.

Steve Strauss is a distinguished professor of forest biotechnology in the Department of Forest Science at Oregon State University (OSU). He also has joint appointments in the Genetics and the Molecular and Cellular Biology Programs. He is the director of the Tree Biosafety and Genomics Research Cooperative at OSU, a university-public agency-industry consortium conducting research and education on the biosafety and physiology of genetically engineered trees used in plantation forestry and horticulture. Dr. Strauss directs the OSU Program for Outreach in Resource Biotechnology, aimed at promoting public understanding and facilitating science-based public debates in food and natural resources biotechnology. He was a 2005 Leopold Leadership Fellow, part of a program aimed at training environmental scientists to be more effective at influencing public policy and presenting science to news media. Dr. Strauss has earned a bachelor of science degree in ecology from Cornell University, a master of science degree in forest science from Yale University, and a doctorate degree in genetics from the University of California at Berkeley. He has published more than 160 scientific papers, given more than 170 invited lectures on biotechnology and genetics of trees, and obtained 16 million dollars of competitive grant support. He has also advised governments and written in scientific journals about national and international regulations on field research and commercial development of genetically engineered crops and trees. Dr. Strauss’ current research focuses on genetic engineering of flowering, stature, and transformation-based “functional genomics” using poplar trees as model organisms.

Les Pearson, Director of Regulatory Affairs, ArborGen, discussed the use of genetic engineering in ArborGen’s development of tree varieties and the advantages that genetic engineering may offer to challenges such as invasive insects and diseases that threaten forests and commercially produced trees.

Les Pearson began with ArborGen in 2003 as Director of Regulatory Affairs responsible for the regulatory oversight of and commercial approvals for biotechnology tree seedlings. In January 2013 he took on additional responsibilities of managing the biotechnology science R&D program. Prior to joining ArborGen, Dr. Pearson served in a number of positions at Westvaco Corporation from 1989 to 2003, including most recently as the leader of Westvaco’s Forest Biotechnology Group, where he was responsible for managing research teams in growth genes, flowering control, and stress resistance as well as the regulatory oversight of Westvaco’s biotechnology tree research and development. He started his career at the University of Georgia, where he worked as a post-doctoral associate in plant gene expression research. Dr. Pearson received his Ph.D. in plant molecular biology from the John Innes Institute at the University of East Anglia where he did breakthrough research on the control of gene expression in transgenic plant cells. He also has a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of East Anglia in England where he graduated magna cum laude.

Bill Powell, Professor, State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry, discussed his research to genetically engineer an American chestnut resistant to a fungal blight that killed the extensive chestnut forest in the eastern United States after it was introduced from Asia in the late 1800s.

William Powell received his B.S. in biology in 1982 at Salisbury University, Maryland, and his Ph.D. in 1986 at Utah State University studying the molecular mechanisms of hypovirulence in the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica. He spent over two years as a postdoctoral associate at University of Florida researching transformation techniques using the fungal pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum. In 1989 he became a faculty member at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) at Syracuse, New York, where he began collaborating with his colleague, Dr. Charles Maynard, researching methods to develop a blight-resistant American chestnut (Castanea dentata) tree. He has also worked with American elm and hybrid poplar. In addition to being a professor at SUNY-ESF, Dr. Powell is the director of SUNY-ESF’s Council on Biotechnology in Forestry and the co-director of The American Chestnut Research and Restoration Program. Dr. Powell currently has over 50 peer-reviewed publications and one patent. He teaches courses in Principles of Genetics, Plant Biotechnology, and Biotechnology Freshman orientation. His most significant accomplishment is the enhancement of blight resistance in American chestnut by his research team and collaborators.

More information on genetically engineered trees:

What are genetically engineered trees? Trees have been transformed using genetic engineering to introduce novel traits such as disease resistance and increased biomass. Genetic engineering is used instead of or in addition to conventional plant breeding because it can speed the breeding process, which is time-consuming in long-lived species like trees. Genetic engineering can be used to incorporate traits that may be difficult to introduce through conventional plant-breeding techniques or that may not exist in the genetic variation of the species of interest.

Why did the committee hear about genetically engineered trees? Only a few tree species with GE traits are currently available. However, researchers are incorporating GE traits into many tree species, and these trees may be available in the near future. The committee wanted to hear about these developments.

Unlike annual crops like corn, which produce seeds in one growing season, trees take many years to reach maturity. For example, it takes a young loblolly tree about 5 years before it is old enough to produce seeds. To introduce a novel trait with conventional plant breeding, a tree with a favorable trait would be crossed with a sexually compatible tree with a different favorable trait and then backcrossed for several life cycles. Because of a tree’s long life span, it would take many years before the offspring trees were old enough for the plant breeder to tell which of them might have the favorable traits. This process of selection for favorable traits would need to be performed for several life cycles; therefore, introducing a novel trait into a tree with conventional plant breeding would take many years, even decades.
Genetic engineering allows scientists to introduce novel traits without disturbing other traits. For instance, imagine that a new disease is destroying Macintosh apple trees, and a plant breeder wants to introduce a trait for disease resistance. There are no Macintosh trees with resistance traits, but a variety of crabapple tree is completely resistant to the disease. What are the options for introducing the crabapple disease-resistant trait to the Macintosh apple tree?
Introducing the trait for disease resistance by conventional breeding would involve crossing and then backcrossing for several generations to restore the properties of a Macintosh apple and therefore would require decades to complete.
With genetic engineering, the plant breeder can identify the disease resistance gene in crabapple and transfer it to the Macintosh tree without disturbing other traits in the Macintosh. With genetic engineering, it would take only a few years to produce disease-resistant Macintosh apple trees.
In many cases, scientists can rely on naturally occurring genetic variation within a plant species as the source for genes that confer valuable traits, such as the disease-resistant trait in the crabapple as a source of resistance for the Macintosh apple. However, in some cases, there is no gene within the species that confers the desired trait.
For example, there are no known cultivated or wild varieties of papaya that have disease resistance to the papaya ringspot virus. To save papaya cultivation in Hawaii from the virus, a trait for resistance had to be found from another species.
Plant scientists introduced the gene for the coat protein of the ringspot virus into the genome of papaya trees. The concept is similar to how vaccines for humans use part of a virus to build immunity to a disease. The GE papaya trees were created through a collaboration of scientists between university scientists and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and are grown in Hawaii. Papaya is the only GE tree crop currently sold on the market in the United States.
Several species of trees have been transformed using genetic engineering by scientists in the private sector or in public institutions, such as universities and government organizations. Some have been approved for commercialization but are not yet sold. Others are still in development.
The regulatory agencies in the United States, China, and Brazil have approved some trees to be grown commercially. In China, poplar with genetically engineered insect resistance is grown on a small numbers of acres. In Brazil, eucalyptus trees that will grow larger than their non-GE counterparts have been approved. Beside papaya, GE varieties of apple and plum have cleared the regulatory process in the United States. However, as of March 2016, GE apple and plum trees were not commercially available.
Genetically engineered varieties of other tree species are in development. Some are being engineered to overcome introduced fungal or insect pests that are not native to the trees’ habitat. These pests can threaten a species survival. Other types of trees are being engineered to withstand more extreme climates and to have more desirable characteristics for commercial markets.

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Socioeconomic Issues in Industrialized Countries Related to Genetically Engineered Crops - March 19, 2015

March 19, 2015

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

On Thursday, March 19, the committee held a webinar in which invited speakers addressed adoption trends of GE crops in the United States, GE research and development investments in the public and private sectors, and public policy aspects of genetic engineering in agriculture.

Watch the webinar recording here

Keith Fuglie, Research Economist, USDA Economic Research Service.

Keith Fuglie works with the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in Washington, DC, where he has served as branch chief and research economist specializing in the economics of technological change and science policy. In 2012 Dr. Fuglie was recognized with the USDA Secretary’s Honor Award for Professional Service, and in 2014 he received the Bruce Gardner Memorial Prize for Applied Policy Analysis from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association. During 1997-1998 Dr. Fuglie served as senior staff economist on the White House Council of Economic Advisers. He also spent ten years with the International Potato Center (CIP) stationed in Southeast Asia and North Africa. Dr. Fuglie received an M.S. and Ph.D. in agricultural and applied economics from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota.

Lorraine Mitchell, Agricultural Economist, USDA Economic Research Service.

Lorraine Mitchell has been an agricultural economist at the USDA’s Economic Research Service since 1998. Her research has focused on the effect of consumer demand issues on international agricultural trade as well as general trade modeling. She received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1998.

Seth Wechsler, Agricultural Economist, USDA Economic Research Service.

Seth Wechsler is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland’s Agricultural and Resource Economics department. His tenure as an agricultural economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service began in late 2014. Dr. Wechsler’s research interests include pest control, pest resistance management, biotechnology, and technology adoption. His current work focuses on quantifying the extent to which rootworms have adapted to the toxins produced by genetically modified, insect-resistant corn. Dr. Wechsler received an M.S. and a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of Maryland. He earned a B.A. and an M.A. in economics from Duke University.

Peter Phillips, Distinguished Professor, University of Saskatchewan.

Peter Phillips is Distinguished Professor in the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) at the University of Saskatchewan. He earned his MScEcon and Ph.D. at the London School of Economics (LSE) and practiced for 13 years as a professional economist and advisor in industry and government. At the University of Saskatchewan, he has held the Van Vliet Research Chair, created and held an NSERC-SSHRC Chair in Managing Technological Change, was a founding member and director of the virtual College of Biotechnology, and was founding director of the JSGS. He has had appointments at the LSE, the OECD, the European University Institute, Edinburgh, and the University of Western Australia. He was a founding member of the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee and has been on many company boards, including CAPI, Pharmalytics and Ag West Bio Inc. (which operates a biotech venture fund). He has held more than15 peer reviewed grants worth over $150 million and is the author or editor of 13 books, more than 40 journal articles and over 50 book chapters, including Innovation in Agri-food Clusters (CABI 2012).

Presentations for each speaker start at the below timestamps:

Keith Fuglie: 00:06:24
Seth Wechsler: 00:32:40
Lorraine Mitchell: 00:50:58
Peter Phillips: 01:07:05

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Workshop

GE Crops Study: Workshop on Comparing the Environmental Effects of Pest Management Practices Across Cropping Systems - March 6, 2015

March 4, 2015

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

About

The workshop was held on Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at the National Academy of Sciences Keck Center.

The major goals of the workshop were to examine trade-offs in pest management approaches for weeds, insects, and diseases and compare environmental effects between different cropping systems, including GE and non-GE systems.

A panel of experts presented on a variety of topics, including: growth of organic, traditional, and genetically engineered (GE) crops; integrated pest management (IPM) practices; cover cropping; weed management and herbicide-resistant weeds; insect ecology in agro-ecosystems; and disease-resistant GE crops. The workshop is related to a separate, ongoing study being conducted by the National Research Council summarizing GE crops.

View agenda here.

Workshop Recap: This Storify collects the tweets and online discussion that took place at the workshop.

Click the links below to view videos of the presentations and discussions.

Welcome

Norman Scott, Chairman, National Research Council Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, Workshop Moderator

Keynote: Examining the Environmental Effects of Practices for Controlling Agricultural Pests

May Berenbaum, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Professor and Department Chair of Entomology.

Topic: Broad discussion of environmental issues surrounding agricultural production systems. Topics include pesticide residues; biodiversity; emergence of weed resistance and consequences for the environment and production; soil health; soil and nutrient losses; water quality and quantity; energy use; air quality; tradeoffs in yield; scale effects.

Discussion

Panel I: Contemporary Practices for Suppressing Weeds

Jay Hill, New Mexico Farmer.

Topic: Pest management in corn and vegetable production

Steven Mirsky, USDA-ARS, Research Ecologist.

Topic: Ecologically-based weed management in long-term cropping studies

David Mortensen, Pennsylvania State University, Professor of Weed and Applied Plant Ecology.

Topic: Sustainable weed management in herbicide-resistant cropping systems

Jennifer Schmidt, Maryland Farmer and Registered Dietitian.

Topic: Integrating weed, pest, and disease management across crops within farming

Discussion of Environmental Effects, Trade-Offs, and Synergies

Panel II: Insect Management Across Production Systems

Galen Dively, University of Maryland, Professor Emeritus and IPM Consultant.

Topic: Regional suppression of the European corn borer and its impacts on other host crops due to the Bt corn technology

Jonathan Lundgren, USDA-ARS, Research Entomologist.

Topic: Managing insect communities in the agro-ecosystem

John Tooker, Pennsylvania State University, Associate Professor of Entomology, Extension Specialist.

Topic: Complex ecological effects of pest management approaches

Frank Shotkoski, Cornell University, Director of the Agriculture Biotechnology Support Project II.

Topic: Examination of Bt eggplant release in Bangladesh

Discussion of Environmental Effects, Trade-Offs, and Synergies

Panel III: Managing Pests in Tree Crops

Harold Browning, Chief Officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation, Inc.

Topic: Pest management in citrus: Past, present and future

Marc Fuchs, Cornell University, Associate Professor.

Topic: Virus-Resistance: Lessons and Prospects

Discussion of Environmental Effects, Trade-Offs, and Synergies

Conclusions

Topic: Discussion summarizing information gaps and research needs across different pest management practices and agricultural production systems

Additional Information

Contact

BANR Staff

banr@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Revisiting the 2004 NRC Report - February 26, 2015

February 26, 2015

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar on Thursday, February 26, 2015 to gather information from two members of the 2004 report committee.

Watch the webinar recording here

Lynn Goldman, Professor, George Washington University

Lynn R. Goldman, a pediatrician and an epidemiologist, is the Michael and Lori Milken Dean of George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Formerly she was a Professor at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Environmental Health Sciences. In 1993, Dr. Goldman was appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to serve as Assistant Administrator (AA) for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she directed the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) from 1993 through 1998. As AA for OCSPP she was responsible for the nation’s pesticide, toxic substances, and pollution prevention laws. Under her watch, EPA overhauled the nation’s pesticides laws to assure that children would be protected by pesticide regulations. Prior to joining the EPA, from 1985 until 1993, Dr. Goldman served in several positions at the California Department of Public Health, most recently as chief of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control. Dr. Goldman was elected a member of the Institute of Medicine in 2007. She has received several awards including the Woodrow Wilson Award for Distinguished Government Service from the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association (1999), Alumna of the Year from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health (2002), National Library of Medicine, Changing the Face of Women in Medicine (2003), election to the Delta Omega Honor Society (2007), and the Heinz Award for Global Change, (2010). She serves as a member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Science Board and the Advisory Council to the Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Environmental Defense Fund. Dr. Goldman has a B.S. in conservation of natural resources, an M.S. in health and medical sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and an M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco. She completed pediatric training at Children’s Hospital, Oakland, California and is board-certified in pediatrics.

Bettie Sue Masters, Distinguished Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Bettie Sue Masters holds the Robert A. Welch Foundation Distinguished Chair in Chemistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas. A native Virginian, she received her undergraduate degree in chemistry at Roanoke College. She was awarded her Ph.D. in biochemistry, with a minor in chemistry, from Duke University in 1963, and continued her training there as a postdoctoral fellow supported sequentially by the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association. In 1968, Dr. Masters received an Established Investigatorship from the American Heart Association under which she began her academic career at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. There, she became a Full Professor in 1976 and left in 1982 to become Chair of Biochemistry at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She was recruited to the U.T. Health Science Center in 1990. Currently, her research centers on the structure-function relationships of flavoproteins and heme proteins involved in major monooxygenation pathways as well as the regulation of their respective activities. Dr. Masters has received the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Excellence in Science Award (1992) and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Bernard B. Brodie Award in 2000 and she served on the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health through 2004, followed by service on the National Advisory Research Resources Council from 2004 to 2009. She was President of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from 2002 to 2004. She was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 1996 and was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2001.

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Social Science Research on GE Crop Adoption and Acceptance - February 4, 2015

February 4, 2015

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar on Wednesday February 4, 2015 at 2pm – 4pm EST to gather information from invited speakers. The speakers’ presentations addressed how farmers and consumers participate in local food systems, the debate over the potential of GE crops to improve yields and livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the compatibility of GE crop production with social objectives.

Watch the webinar recording here

Mary Hendrickson, Assistant Professor, University of Missouri.

Mary Hendrickson is an assistant professor in the Department of Rural Sociology at the University of Missouri. As a food systems researcher, she focuses on understanding the changes taking place in the global food system and helping farmers, eaters, and communities create profitable alternatives. Her research projects include examining the economic impacts of local food systems on remote rural communities and addressing the competitive nature of current agricultural systems from a network perspective. From 2012 to 2015, Dr. Hendrickson was part of a team participating in a Community of Practice to assess the way smallholders use genetically engineered crops in South Africa. Dr. Hendrickson currently serves as the Undergraduate Advisor Chair in Sustainable Agriculture and teaches courses on sustainable food and farming systems. She previously spent 15 years working to create local food systems across Missouri as a state extension specialist for the University of Missouri. She has served as president of the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society and of the Community Food Security Coalition. Dr. Hendrickson is the recipient of the 2012 Meritorious Service Award presented by the National Farmers Union for her service to agriculture. She holds a B.S. in agribusiness from the University of Nebraska and a M.S. and Ph.D. in rural sociology from the University of Missouri.

Matthew Schnurr, Associate Professor, Dalhousie University.

Matthew Schnurr is an associate professor in the Department of International Development Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is an environmental geographer with research and teaching interests in environment and development, political ecology, and agricultural biotechnology, with regional interests in east and southern Africa. His current research investigates efforts to develop genetically engineered versions of staple crops in Uganda, with a particular focus on evaluating farmer perspectives on these soon-to-be-released technologies. Dr. Schnurr earned his B.S. from Queen’s University, his M.A. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, and his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia.

Abby Kinchy, Associate Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Abby Kinchy is an associate professor in the Science and Technology Studies Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She has a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and specializes in the study of political controversies surrounding changes in the systems that produce food and energy. She is the author of Seeds, Science, and Struggle: The Global Politics of Transgenic Crops (MIT, 2012) and numerous articles on science, technology, the environment, and social protest. Her current research, the Watershed Knowledge Mapping Project, looks at civil society organizations that are attempting to monitor the impacts of shale gas development on surface water quality and how these efforts are transforming what is known and unknown about this controversial new form of energy production.

*Audio with the presenter was lost at 01:22:18. The presentation resumes at 01:27:14.

Presentations for each speaker start at the below timestamps:

Mary Hendrickson: 00:08:30
Matthew Schnurr: 00:37:10
Abby Kinchy: 01:15:55

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Plant Breeding - January 27, 2015

January 27, 2015

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at 11:00am-1:00pm Eastern, to gather information from invited speakers:

Watch the webinar recording here

Jim Holland discussed how corn breeders in the public sector, those in universities and government agencies, have been involved in research and development of new varieties over the past several decades.

Jim Holland is a USDA-ARS research geneticist and a professor in the Department of Crop Science, North Carolina State University. Dr. Holland studies maize breeding and genetics, with emphasis on the study of genetic diversity in maize, its impact on quantitative traits, and its use for improving temperate corn. He was an associate and technical editor for Crop Science for nine years and is currently an associate editor for G3: Genes, Genomes, and Genetics. He received his B.A. from Johns Hopkins University, M.S. from University of Wisconsin, and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University.

Jane Dever discussed the nuances of identifying and using valuable crop traits in cotton breeding, from both commercial and public breeder perspectives.

Jane Dever is a professor and cotton breeder at Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Lubbock. She has been Project Leader for the Cotton Improvement Program since September 2008. The focus of her research is the development of public cultivars and the screening of exotic collections for relevant native traits to be used in breeding cotton. She has been Principal Investigator for the project, “Development of Cultivars and IPM Systems for Organic Cotton Production,” funded by an integrative grant through the USDA National Institute of Food Agriculture’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative. She is also Technical Advisor to a development project with Catholic Relief Services in Burkina Faso, “Revenue through Cotton Livelihoods, Trade, and Equity,” funded by USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. Dr. Dever received a B.S. in textile engineering (1983), M.S. in crop science (1986) and Ph.D. in agronomy (1989), all from Texas Tech University. After completing her degree, she held the following career appointments: coordinator, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service AgriPartners program; Senior Research Scientist, BioTex; Textile Engineer, Plains Cotton Cooperative Association; and Head of Materials Evaluation, Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute at Texas Tech University. She was Bayer CropScience Global Cotton Breeding and Development Manager for 10 years prior to returning to Texas A&M. Dr. Dever is the Plains and Western chair of the National Cotton Variety Testing Committee and secretary of the CottonGEN database steering committee and of National Association of Plant Breeder’s communication committee. She served as Associate Editor for Cotton, Journal of Plant Registrations. She was appointed a scientific member of the National Genetic Resources Advisory Council in 2011 and has served on the Joint Cotton Breeding Policy Committee. Dr. Dever is a recipient of the 2007 Bayer CropScience Gold Laureate Award, 2012 Cotton Genetics Research Award, and 2012 “Golden Hoe” award presented by the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative. She lives on a cotton, grain sorghum, soybean, and wheat farm northeast of Lubbock, Texas, where she grew up.

Irwin Goldman discussed the role of genetic diversity in crop breeding and the regulations that modern breeders encounter when developing new crop varieties.

Irwin L. Goldman is a professor and the chair of the Department of Horticulture at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he has worked for 23 years. His expertise is in breeding and genetics of cross-pollinated vegetable crops, including carrot, onion, and table beet. He has developed and co-developed numerous inbred lines and open pollinated populations of these crops, many of which are in use in cultivars around the world. His program has over 70 active licenses for this germplasm. He has been active in training graduate and undergraduate students in plant breeding and horticulture. Dr. Goldman teaches two courses in plant breeding and plant genetics as well as a course on vegetable crops, a course in evolutionary biology, and a course in plants and human wellbeing. He is a co-founder of the Open Source Seed Initiative and was a faculty advisor to the founding members of the Student Organic Seed Symposium. Dr. Goldman served from 2004–2010 as an Associate Dean, Vice Dean, and Interim Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW–Madison. He is a fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science. He serves as a Technical Editor for the journal Crop Science and on the editorial board of Plant Breeding Reviews. He received a B.S. degree from the University of Illinois, an M.S. from North Carolina State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.

More information on plant breeding:

What is Plant Breeding? For thousands of years, humans have been choosing the plants they like to eat and use. In doing so, we have changed plants in remarkable ways–physiologically, morphologically, reproductively, and chemically. Unlike their wild relatives, domesticated small grains like wheat and barley no longer shatter. Strawberries flower constantly and are larger. Carrots are tasty, orange, and uniform in shape, unlike their woody, gnarly, and white progenitors. These few examples illustrate how human preferences have driven genetic changes in domesticated plants. Humans have preferentially propagated plants with the most desirable characteristics in the field or saved their seed. With improved comprehension of life cycles and heredity, we became better at recognizing which crop varieties were good parents and started cross-pollinating them to develop new ones. This process—intentionally identifying, hybridizing, selecting, and propagating plants with desirable traits and genes—is known as plant breeding.

Why did the committee hear about plant breeding? Plant breeders are the scientists and researchers who develop new crop varieties used by farmers and other consumers. They and their supporting teams use diverse techniques and technologies to increase productivity, quality, and other traits of economically important plant species. For the past several decades, plant breeders have used genetic information (DNA) to help guide decisions about which parents to use, crosses to make, and offspring to select in the next generation. If a desirable trait or gene is lacking from naturally existing plant taxa or is exceptionally difficult to access, genetic engineering is a technology that sometimes enables the creation of genetic variation that may otherwise be difficult or impossible to generate using traditional plant-breeding practices.

Did you know that the wild relatives of carrots were white? Over many generations, humans saved seed from wild carrots that had desirable characteristics or traits, such as yield, tender flesh, resistance to disease, tasty flavor, and appearance, including size, shape, color, and uniformity.
Plant breeding began with domestication, a process that occurred slowly over time. For many generations, people saved the seeds of wild relatives with a desirable trait to plant the next season. This eventually made the trait more uniform when compared to wild ancestors. In this example, seed was saved from a purple carrot, a stubby yellow carrot, and a thin, slightly red carrot.
After many generations, the domestication process created early crop varieties known as “landraces.” Landraces are varieties which are locally adapted to the environment in which they are grown and to the preferences of the farmers who developed them. These early varieties have more uniform traits that wild ancestors, are less genetically diverse, and more productive than wild relatives. Landraces of many crops still exist today and are maintained in large collections of plant varieties know as “gene banks.”
Today, plant breeding is more targeted and intense at propagating desirable traits. By using new tools that provide more specific information about plant genes, such as DNA sequencing and molecular markers, plant breeders can help guide decisions about which parents to use, crosses to make, and offspring to select in the next generation. This process is much faster than domestication and increases the uniformity of valuable traits and the productivity of the crop even further. However, when compared to landraces or wild relatives, crop varieties have lower overall genetic variation.
By performing crosses, plant breeders can reintroduce genetic variation into a crop variety. If a desirable gene(s) controlling a trait, such as insect resistance, was lost during domestication or breeding, a plant breeder can sometimes cross wild relatives or landraces with crop varieties to try to reincorporate the genetic variation responsible for the trait. However, this can be a difficult process. If the trait is from a distant relative too far back in time, it may be impossible to perform crosses with wild relatives due to reproductive incompatibility. Additionally, valuable characteristics of the crop variety, such as yield performance or color, may be lost or disturbed while performing crosses.
The life cycle of plants determines how quickly a plant breeder can make and evaluate a cross between two crop varieties. In loblolly pine, a valuable lumber crop, a seed can take years to grow into a tree mature enough to begin producing flowers and pollen, which are necessary for a plant breeder to perform a cross. Even after performing one cross, it takes roughly 2 years for pine seed to reach maturity so it can be planted! In contrast, a corn plant can be grown from seed to seed in the span of a summer.
Plant breeding is a long-term commitment. Developing a new variety can require decades because it takes many crosses to create a new crop variety. Although the life cycle of corn is much quicker than loblolly pine, it still takes an average of 10 to 15 years to generate a new corn variety. The use of new tools that provide more specific information about plant genes, such as DNA sequencing and molecular markers, are substantially improving the speed and efficiency at which breeders can develop new varieties.

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

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Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Genetically Engineered Disease Resistance in Crops - November 6, 2014

November 6, 2014

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar on Thursday, November 6, 2014 from 2-4pm Eastern to gather information from invited speakers on genetically engineered traits for disease resistance. The webinar featured:

Richard Sayre, Senior Research Scientist, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the New Mexico Consortium.

Dr. Richard T. Sayre is currently a senior research scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the New Mexico Consortium (NMC). Dr. Sayre’s research interests include: characterization of primary processes in photosynthesis, algal and plant biotechnology, and nutritional biofortification of crop plants. Dr. Sayre completed his undergraduate degree in biology at Humboldt State University and his PhD at the University of Iowa and did postdoctoral work at Harvard University. From 1986 to 2008, Dr. Sayre was a faculty member and later chairman of the Department of Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology at Ohio State University. Prior to coming to LANL/NMC, Dr. Sayre was the director (2008-2011) of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St Louis. From 2005 to 2010, Dr. Sayre directed the BioCassava Plus Program funded by the Grand Challenges in Global Health Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The BioCassava Plus program focused on engineering cassava to provide complete nutrition for subsistence farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Sayre has also served as Principle Investigator and Director of the Center for Advanced Biofuel Systems, a DOE Energy Frontier Research Center, and he was the scientific director of the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels from 2010 to 2013. He is currently the scientific director of the Realization of Algae’s Potential (REAP) algal biomass program managed by the DOE. Dr. Sayre has received several honors including: Distinguished Professor in the College of Biological Sciences, Ohio State University (2005-2008); honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa (2006); Fulbright Scholar at the Inst. Quimica, University Sao Paulo, Brazil (2007); selected by Nature as one of “Five Crop Researchers Who Could Change the World” (Nature 456: 563-569 [2008]); invited attendee at Google/Nature/O’Reilly SciFoo Camp for Innovators (2009); and was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (2011). Dr. Sayre is an associate editor for Frontiers in Plant Sciences, founding editor of Algal Research, and co-organizer of the International Conference on Algal Biomass, Biofuels and Bioproducts.

Anton Haverkort, Researcher, Wageningen University and Research Center.

Dr. Anton J. Haverkort coordinates potato research projects at Plant Research International – Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands and is extra-ordinary professor of crop and soil science at the University of Pretoria (South Africa). After graduation with a degree in ecology (MSc, cum laude), he worked for many years for the International Potato Centre in Turkey, Rwanda, Peru, and Tunisia to improve potato production through agronomy, breeding, and crop protection. He obtained his PhD at University of Reading (UK) on mathematical modelling of the influence of temperature and solar radiation on potato development and growth in tropical highlands. At Wageningen University he presently coordinates research on the development of a cisgenic marker-free late blight potato. He also carries out research on data management (ontology) in the French fries supply chain and leads sustainable potato production projects in eight countries on four continents aimed at the efficient use of resources (land, water, energy) and value creation through trade and processing. He has published over 90 scientific papers, five books, and hundreds of conference papers, book chapters, columns, and articles for professional journals. He is chairman or member of various potato committees in the Netherlands dealing with seed certification and genetic modification and was secretary general of the European Association of Potato Research. He travels frequently for potato research and consultancy for the industry and (inter)national governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Ralph Scorza, Research Horticulturist, USDA Appalachian Fruit Research Station.

Ralph Scorza is a research horticulturist and lead scientist for the Genetic Improvement of Fruit Crops Research Unit at the USDA-ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia. He received his BS and MS degrees agronomy and plant physiology, respectively, from the University of Florida and received his PhD in plant genetics and breeding from Purdue University. The broad objectives of his research program at USDA are to develop stone fruits with improved fruit quality, disease resistance, improved adaptability to climate change, and tree growth habits suitable for high yielding, mechanically integrated orchard systems. His breeding program combines classical and molecular-breeding approaches. Dr. Scorza and colleagues developed the genetically engineered plum Pox virus resistant plum cultivar ‘HoneySweet’. This plum variety is approved for commercialization in the United States and is the only temperate fruit variety in the world to have received such an approval. ‘HoneySweet’ has been field tested in Europe for almost two decades, and Dr. Scorza leads an international team that is working to submit ‘HoneySweet’ for cultivation approval in the European Union. Dr. Scorza is the recipient of the Flemming Award for “Exceptionally creative and useful research and leadership in the area of stone fruit breeding and genetics” and an ARS Senior Research Scientist of the Year Award, and has been co-recipient of three Secretary of Agriculture Honor Awards. He is a recipient of the Foreign Agricultural Service Distinguished International Service Award and the National Peach Council Carroll R. Miller Award. He has released 12 stone fruit varieties, is the co-inventor of four biotech utility patents, has authored over 200 research publications, and is a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science.

Dennis Gonsalves, Director, USDA Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (retired).

Dennis Gonsalves was born and raised on a sugar plantation in Kohala, Hawaii. He received his BS and MS degrees from University of Hawaii and his PhD in Plant Pathology in 1972 from University of California at Davis. He started his career at the University of Florida and joined Cornell University in 1977 and was appointed to one of the endowed Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor positions in 1995. Dr. Gonsalves led the research team that developed the transgenic papaya that saved Hawaii’s papaya industry from the papaya ringspot virus, for which they received the Alexander Von Humbolt Award in 2002 for the most significant agriculture accomplishment in the last five years. In 2002 he moved
to Hilo, Hawaii, to direct the USDA/ARS center and led the successful deregulation of the transgenic papaya in Japan in December 2011 and retired at the end of 2012. Prior to retiring, he started the effort by ARS and University of Hawaii to deregulate the Hawaiian transgenic papaya in China. He has extensive experiences in risk assessment and development of transgenic crops.

Watch the webinar recording here

Presentations for each speaker start at the below timestamps:

Richard Sayre: 00:07:03
Anton Haverkort: 00:45:20
Ralph Scorza: 01:33:00
Dennis Gonsalves: 02:02:25

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

(202) 334-2068
jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Perspectives from US Agricultural Extension - October 22, 2014

October 22, 2014

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 from 2-4pm Eastern to gather information from invited speakers. The webinar featured:

Russel Higgins, Extension Educator, Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center, University of Illinois Extension.

Russ Higgins is a commercial agriculture educator at the Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center in DeKalb County. Mr. Higgins has applied research and outreach responsibilities for the commercial production and management of field crops (emphasis on corn and soybeans) in Northern Illinois. He collaborates closely with campus-based specialists and other faculty in the planning and implementation of research projects with local relevance to stakeholders. He cooperates with campus faculty in conducting pest surveys and the dissemination of these findings to clientele. Mr. Higgins holds a master of science degree from the University of Illinois in agronomy and a bachelor of science degree in agricultural sciences from Western Illinois University. His professional affiliations include the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, Illinois Extension Agricultural Association, and American Society of Agronomy. He is an American Society of Agronomy Certified Crop Advisor and a graduate of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership and the National Extension Leadership Programs.

Jeff Lannom, Weakley County Extension Director, University of Tennessee Extension.

Jeff Lannom grew up on a row-crop farm in Gibson County, Tennessee. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Martin in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and a concentration in agricultural business. He served as the 4-H agriculture agent in Weakley County for the University of Tennessee Extension before returning to UT-Martin for a master of science degree in education. Mr. Lannom transferred from 4-H to adult agriculture extension in 1994 and was appointed the Weakley County Extension Director in 1998. This year marks Mr. Lannom’s 25th year in UT Extension based in Weakley County. In 2014, Weakley County planted 67,000 acres of corn, 85,000 acres of soybeans, and 27,000 acres of wheat with minor acreage of cotton and grain sorghum. The county is annually ranked in the top 5 grain-producing counties in the state of Tennessee.

Diana Roberts, Regional Extension Specialist, Washington State University Extension.

Diana Roberts has worked as a regional agronomist for Washington State University Extension since 1991. Dr. Roberts plans, conducts, and evaluates a research- and experience-based educational program consistent with clientele needs and Extension policy in agricultural crop production, with the goal of increasing agricultural sustainability. She works primarily with large-scale grain farmers across the dryland region of eastern Washington. Soft white wheat is the principal crop in the area, and most of it is grown for export markets. Increasing numbers of growers in the region use no-till farming systems. She works closely with farmers on producer-initiated, on-farm testing projects of direct-seeding systems. Washington State also has a large number of organic producers. Dr. Roberts has worked on a number of integrated crop production system projects, including biological control of cereal leaf beetle, trials of cover crops in the region, and integrated pest management strategies for the wheat midge. Dr. Roberts earned a BS in agricultural genetics from the University of Natal (South Africa), an MS in agronomy at North Dakota State University, and a PhD in agronomy at Washington State University.

Dallas Peterson, Professor and Extension Weed Specialist, Kansas State University.

Dallas Peterson is a professor and extension weed specialist at Kansas State University. He grew up on a small diversified crop and livestock farm in north central Kansas and received his BS and MS degrees in agronomy from Kansas State University. Dr. Peterson completed his PhD degree at North Dakota State University and worked as an assistant professor and extension weed specialist in North Dakota from 1987 to 1989 before returning to Kansas State. Dr. Peterson conducts applied weed management research and provides educational programming and weed management information to Kansas farmers and crop advisors. Dr. Peterson has served as president and been recognized as a fellow of the North Central Weed Science Society. He has also has received the Outstanding Extension Award and is currently serving as President-Elect for the Weed Science Society of America.

Watch webinar recording here

Presentations for each speaker start at the below timestamps:

Russel Higgins: 00:06:15
Jeff Lannom: 00:36:08
Diana Roberts: 00:51:55
Dallas Peterson: 01:23:10

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

(202) 334-3062
jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on International Trade - October 8, 2014

October 8, 2014

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 from 2-4pm Eastern to gather information from invited speakers. The webinar featured:

Lee Ann Jackson, Counsellor, World Trade Organization.

Lee Ann Jackson is a counsellor in the Agriculture and Commodities Division at the World Trade Organization and Secretary to the Committee on Agriculture. At the WTO she has worked in a variety of areas including agricultural negotiations, implementation of the SPS Agreement, and dispute settlement activities. Prior to this position she served as a Research Fellow in the School of Economics at the University of Adelaide in South Australia where she conducted quantitative economic research on agricultural trade policy. She also worked for several years in the Environment Division of the International Food Policy Research Institute. She completed her Ph.D. in applied economics at the University of Minnesota and has a joint masters’ degree in public policy and environmental studies from Yale University.

Randal Giroux, Vice President – Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory, Cargill, Incorporated.

Randal Giroux currently holds the position of Vice President at Cargill Incorporated at the World Headquarters in Wayzata, Minnesota. Dr. Giroux leads the areas of Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory with overall global responsibility in Cargill’s Agricultural Supply Chain businesses, specifically Cargill’s Grain and Oilseeds businesses, World Trading, Sugar, and Palm. He is involved professionally with both science and trade organizations across the supply chain and recognized for expertise in both Food Safety and the integration of Agricultural Biotechnology in global food and feed supply chains. He holds a number of leadership positions in the trade and has served on several advisory committees. Before joining Cargill, Dr. Giroux was a Program Manager with the Canadian Grain Commission and, prior to his public service, he was a National Needs Fellow with USDA. Dr. Giroux graduated with a PhD in Agriculture from the University of Guelph (OAC). With his background in the Life Sciences and extensive experience with Cargill’s global supply chain businesses, Dr. Giroux possesses unique skill sets that allow him to operate at a highly technical level and effectively identify and manage Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory opportunities for Cargill’s agricultural businesses and stakeholders.

Lynn Clarkson, President, Clarkson Grain.

Lynn Clarkson serves as president of Clarkson Grain and managing director of Clarkson Soy Products. Founded in 1974 in Cerro Gordo, Illinois, Clarkson Grain contracts with farmers across Illinois, several other states, and a few foreign countries to produce selected grains and oilseeds. It selects hybrids, varieties, and production protocols to optimize farm income, processor yield, and market access. It supplies crops throughout the year to clients in North and South America, Asia, and the EU. It offers products cleaned, sized, raw, or processed, identity preserved as to hybrid/variety/characteristics, and traceable back to the supplying farm for organic, non GMO, and conventional markets. The company owns and operates elevators, commercial preparation facilities for corn and soybeans, several commercial storage facilities, and a barge station on the Illinois River. It receives by truck and rail and ships by truck, rail, barge, and ocean vessel.

Watch webinar recording here

Presentations for each speaker start at the below timestamps:

Lee Ann Jackson: 00:05:45
Lynn Clarkson: 00:53:03
Randal Giroux: 01:35: 33

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

(202) 334-3062
jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Webinar

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Perspectives on GE Crops from US Agricultural Extension - October 1, 2014

October 1, 2014

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (ET)

Past

About

The committee held a webinar on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 from 2-4pm Eastern to gather information from invited speakers. The webinar featured:

Dominic Reisig, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

Dominic Reisig has been an assistant professor in the North Carolina State University Department of Entomology since 2009, serving with an extension/research split. He is assigned extension responsibilities for insect pests of field crops throughout the state. Most of the field crop acreage is located in the eastern part of the state, and Dr. Reisig is housed two hours east of campus at the Vernon James Research and Extension Center. He keeps growers in other parts of the state informed through face-to-face meetings and a large web presence, focused on blogging and social media platforms such as Twitter. His research program is focused on the biology and ecology of Heliothines, especially in relation to Bt crops. Piercing sucking insect pests (i.e., stink bugs, thrips, and kudzu bug) have become an increased problem in the reduced-spray environment created by Bt. Other areas of his research program are focused on the distribution, movement, ecology, and management of these piercing sucking insect pests in farmscapes.

Mohamed Khan, Professor & Extension Sugarbeet Specialist, North Dakota State University and University of Minnesota.

Dr. Mohamed Khan is the Extension Sugarbeet Specialist for North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota. He is responsible for developing, conducting, and evaluating educational programs that will improve sugarbeet production practices in North Dakota and Minnesota. Dr. Khan research is aimed at improving management of diseases such as Cercospora leaf spot, Rhizoctonia crown and root rot, Rhizomania and Fusarium yellows, and agronomic practices such as optimum plant populations and nitrogen management. Dr. Khan is the secretary of the Sugarbeet Research and Education Board of Minnesota and North Dakota (SBREB). The SBREB is responsible for funding and promoting research and educational programs in sugarbeet production. Dr. Khan is also the Chairman of the International Sugarbeet Institute which organizes an annual 2-day trade show. About 3,000 growers and allied industry personnel participate in the exposition that involves over 120 exhibitors who showcase more than $3 million worth of machinery and equipment involved in sugarbeet production. Dr. Khan received his BS from the University of Guyana, MS from the University of Bath, UK, and his PhD from Clemson University. He is also experienced in managing tropical crops including coconut, oil palm and sugar cane.

Rick Kersbergen, Extension Professor, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Rick Kersbergen has been active in conducting research and Extension activities related to sustainable dairy and forage systems in Maine since 1987. He is currently an Extension Professor with the University of Maine and a Certified Crop Adviser through the American Society of Agronomy. Rick conducts educational programing and research on a wide variety of topics, including organic dairy production, no-till corn silage production, cover crops, and organic grain production. Rick received a Trustee Professorship from the University of Maine in 2005 and has been the PI or co-PI on numerous research grants to the University of Maine, University of Vermont, and University of New Hampshire. He has recently worked on several projects including a project from the National Institute for Food and Agriculture entitled “Assisting Organic Dairy Producers to Meet the Demands of New and Emerging Milk Markets” and a Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) project on “Reducing Fuel and Fertilizer in Corn Silage Using No-till and Cover Crops.” Rick works with numerous commodity organizations including the Maine Grass Farmers Network, Maine Dairy Industry Association, Maine Organic Milk Producers, Northeast Pasture Consortium, Maine Sustainable Ag. Society, and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

Ben Beale, Extension Educator-Agricultural Sciences, University of Maryland Extension.

Ben Beale currently serves as the Extension Educator for Agricultural Sciences with the University of Maryland Extension office in St. Mary’s County. His main programming efforts include assisting growers with vegetable and small fruit production, grain and tobacco production, and alternative crop development. Most recently, he has been involved in the establishment of a local produce auction, transition from MD type to Burley type tobacco production, and establishing a USDA/NIFA Beginning Farmer program in Maryland. His current research projects include grape variety evaluation trials, blueberry cultivar evaluation trials, and investigation of soybean vein necrosis virus. Beale holds a BS degree in Agricultural Sciences; a MS degree in Management and Marketing and is a Certified Crop Advisor. Beale grew up on a tobacco and vegetable farm in Southern Maryland and enjoys working on the family farm in his spare time.

Watch the webinar recording here

Presentations for each speaker start at the below timestamps:

Dominic Reisig: 00:04:03
Mohamed Khan: 00:33:45
Rick Kersbergen: 01:01:55
Ben Beale: 01:20:30

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

(202) 334-2068
jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Meeting

GE Crops Study: Report Release Event - May 17, 2016

May 17, 2016

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

About

Report Release Presentation of Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects

This consensus report examines a range of questions and opinions about the economic, agronomic, health, safety, or other effects of genetically engineered (GE) crops and food. Claims and research that extol both the benefits and risks of GE crops have created a confusing landscape for the public and for policy makers. This report is intended to provide an independent, objective examination of what has been learned since the introduction of GE crops, based on current evidence.

Watch webcast recordings below:

Presentation by Committee Chair Fred Gould, North Carolina State University

Q&A with Committee Chair Fred Gould and committee members, Richard Amasino (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Dominique Brossard (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Michael Rodemeyer

More release information:

View presentation slides from release event here

View the National Academies press release here

More report information:

Download PDF of the report

View report in brief

Search findings and recommendations

Search responses to public comments

Download the Spanish translation of the summary

Download the Japanese translation of the summary

Learn more about the National Academies study process

View the National Academies conflict of interest policy

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Not Closed

Contact

BANR Staff

banr@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

May 6, 2016

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Michael Rodemeyer, Mike Gallo, Rick Amasino, Neal Stewart, Kevin Pixley, Tim Griffin, Dominique Brossard, Fred Gould, Elizabeth Ransom, Dan Magraw, Rick Dixon, Bob Whitaker, Bruce Hamaker, Robin Buell, Leland Glenna

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Report launch

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

None

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

May 25, 2016

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

April 15, 2016

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Bob Whitaker, Carol Mallory-Smith, Dan Magraw, David Stelly, Dominique Brossard, Elizabeth Ransom, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Ken Giller, Leland Glenna, Michael Rodemeyer, Neal Stewart, Rick Amasino, Rick Dixon, Tim Griffin, Fred Gould, Peter Kareiva

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Report summary

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Report summary

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

May 25, 2016

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

April 8, 2016

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, David Stelly, Dan Magraw, Michael Rodemeyer, Mike Gallo, Leland Glenna, Neal Stewart, Elizabeth Ransom, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Rick Amasino, Rick Dixon, Kevin Pixley

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Report draft and preparation for report launch

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Report draft

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

May 25, 2016

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

March 29, 2016

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Bob Whitaker, David Stelly, Dominique Brossard, Dan Magraw, Michael Rodemeyer, Mike Gallo, Robin Buell, Leland Glenna, Neal Stewart, Elizabeth Ransom, Carol Mallory-Smith, Bruce Hamaker

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Chapter 5 report draft

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Chapter 5 report draft

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

May 25, 2016

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

February 16, 2016

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Carol Mallory-Smith, Elizabeth Ransom, Rick Amasino, David Stelly, Dominique Brossard, Dan Magraw, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Kevin Pixley, Michael Rodemeyer, Rick Dixon, Tim Griffin, Peter Kareiva, Leland Glenna, Neal Stewart, Bruce Hamaker

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Report draft

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Report draft

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

May 25, 2016

Contact

Kara Laney

klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

February 9, 2016

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Rick Amasino, Bob Whitaker, David Stelly, Dominique Brossard, Dan Magraw, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Kevin Pixley, Michael Rodemeyer, Mike Gallo, Rick Dixon, Robin Buell, Tim Griffin, Peter Kareiva, Leland Glenna, Neal Stewart

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Report draft

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Report draft

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

May 25, 2016

Contact

Kara Laney

klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

December 18, 2015

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

December 14, 2015

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Michael Rodemeyer, David Stelly, Dan Magraw, Dominique Brossard, Elizabeth Ransom, Mike Gallo, Rick Amasino, Neal Stewart, Bruce Hamaker, Ken Giller, Kevin Pixley, Rick Dixon

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Chapter 8

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Chapter 8 draft

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

December 17, 2015

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

December 10, 2015

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Bob Whitaker, Dan Magraw, Rick Amasion, Carol Mallory-Smith, Elizabeth Ransom, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Mike Gallo, Neal Stewart, Rick Dixon, Robin Buell, David Stelly

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Chapters 6 and 7

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Drafts of Chapters 6 and 7

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

December 17, 2015

Contact

Kara Laney

klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

December 8, 2015

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Bob Whitaker, Dominique Brossard, Elizabeth Ransom, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Kevin Pixley, Leland Glenna, Michael Rodemeyer, Mike Gallo, Neal Stewart, Rick Amasino, Tim Griffin, Carol Mallory-Smith, Robin Buell, Rick Dixon, David Stelly, Leland Glenna, Dan Magraw

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Chapter 4 draft

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Chapter 4 draft

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

December 09, 2015

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

December 2, 2015

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Bob Whitaker, Dominique Brossard, Bruce Hamaker, Elizabeth Ransom, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Ken Giller, Kevin Pixley, Leland Glenna, Michael Rodemeyer, Mike Gallo, Neal Stewart, Rick Amasino, Tim Griffin, Peter Kareiva, Robin Buell, Rick Dixon, Dan Magraw

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Chapters 1-3 drafts

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Chapters 1-3 drafts

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

December 09, 2015

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

September 3, 2015

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Carol Mallory-Smith, Michael Rodemeyer, Dan Magraw, Neal Stewart, Leland Glenna, Elizabeth Ransom, Tim Griffin, Rick Dixon, Robin Buell, David Stellly, Rick Amasino, Bruce Hamaker, Mike Gallo, Bob Whitaker

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Chapter 1

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Chapter 1 draft

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

September 16, 2015

Contact

Kara Laney

klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

July 30, 2015

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Dan Magraw, Leland Glenna, Elizabeth Ransom, Michael Rodemeyer, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Dominique Brossard

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Report draft

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Report draft

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

May 25, 2016

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

jbriscoe@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Closed Meeting: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

July 7 - 8, 2015

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould
Richard Amasino
Dominique Brossard
Robin Buell
Richard Dixon
Jose Falck-Zepeda
Ken Giller
Leland Glenna
Tim Griffin
Bruce Hamaker
Peter Kareiva
Dan Magraw
Carol Mallory-Smith
Kevin Pixley
Elizabeth Ransom
Michael Rodemeyer
David Stelly
Neal Stewart
Bob Whitaker

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Report draft

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Report draft

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

July 13, 2015

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

jbriscoe@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

April 3, 2015

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Carol Mallory-Smith, Ken Giller, Leland Glenna, Michael Rodemeyer, Dan Magraw, Rick Amasino, Elizabeth Ransom, Tim Griffin, Dominique Brossard, Kevin Pixley, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Robin Buell, Peter Kareiva, Rick Dixon, Neal Stewart, Mike Gallo, David Stelly

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

New reports in the literature
Report draft

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

None

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

April 03, 2015

Contact

Kara Laney

klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Meeting Closed

GE Crops Study: Third Committee Meeting on Food Safety - March 5, 2015

March 5 - 6, 2015

Past

About

The meeting was held on Thursday, March 5, from 12:30 pm-6:15 pm Eastern at the National Academy of Sciences Keck Center.

The committee heard about the current state of knowledge on the safety of foods made with genetically engineered ingredients. Speakers represented the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the European Food Safety Authority. Experts also presented on the evaluation of risks of allergy and potential effects on the gastrointestinal tract of GE foods.

View agenda here

Meeting Recap: This Storify collects the tweets and online discussion that took place at the meeting.

Click the links below to view videos of the presentations and discussions.

Welcome and Intro to the Study Process of the National Research Council

Fred Gould, Committee Chair, University Distinguished Professor of Entomology and Codirector of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University and Kara Laney, Study Director, National Research Council

Panel on Food Safety: Regulatory Perspectives

Jason Dietz, Policy Analyst, Office of Food Additive Safety, Food and Drug Administration–Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. bio

William L. Jordan, Deputy Director for Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency– Office of Pesticide Programs. bio

John Kough, Senior Scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency–Office of Pesticide Programs. bio

Anna Lanzoni, Senior Scientific Officer, European Food Safety Authority–GMO Unit 2:25. bio

Committee Discussion with Presenters

Panel on Food Safety: Potential Health Outcomes

Evaluating GE food sources for risks of allergy: Methods, gaps, and perspectives

Richard Goodman, Research Professor, Food Allergy Research and Resource Program, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. bio

Potential perturbances of gastrointestinal tract mucosa of GE foods

Alessio Fasano, Vice Chair of Basic, Clinical and Translational Research and Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, MassGeneral Hospital for Children. bio

Metabolomic analysis to confirm effects of transgenesis in plants

Timothy Tschaplinski, Distinguished Research Scientist and Group Leader, Metabolomics and Bioconversion, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. bio

Committee Discussion with Presenters

Public Comment Session

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Richard Amasino
Dominique Brossard
C. Robin Buell
Richard A. Dixon
José B. Falck-Zepeda
Michael A. Gallo
Leland Glenna
Fred Gould
Timothy S. Griffin
Bruce R. Hamaker
Peter M. Kareiva
Daniel Magraw
Carol Mallory-Smith
Kevin Pixley
Elizabeth Ransom
Michael Rodemeyer
David M. Stelly
C. Neal Stewart
Robert J. Whitaker

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Topics and speakers for webinars
Report draft status

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Report draft

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

May 20, 2015

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

jbriscoe@nas.edu

Location

Keck Center

500 5th St NW

Washington DC 20001, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

January 22, 2015

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Elizabeth Ransom, Michael Rodemeyer, Kevin Pixley, Mike Gallo, Leland Glenna, Richard Dixon, Carol Mallory-Smith, Bruce Hamaker, David Stelly, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Dominique Brossard, Dan Magraw, Tim Griffin, Richard Amasino

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Report draft
Upcoming public meeting agendas

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Report outline

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

January 29, 2015

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Meeting Closed

GE Crops Study: Second Committee Meeting - December 10-11, 2014

December 10 - 11, 2014

Past

About

These are the archived videos of the presentations, discussions, and public comment periods from the public meeting of the committee on December 10, 2014.

View Agenda

Meeting Recap: This Storify collects the tweets and online discussion that took place at the meeting.

Click the links below to view videos of the presentations and discussions.

Welcome: Fred Gould, Committee Chair, University Distinguished Professor of Entomology and Codirector of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University

Study Process of the National Research Council: Kara Laney, Study Director, National Research Council

Committee Introductions

Session One:

Michael Schechtman, Biotechnology Coordinator, Office of Pest Management Policy, U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service.

Statement from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (delivered by Kara Laney)

Dan Voytas, Professor of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development and Director, University of Minnesota Center for Genome Engineering.

Andreas Weber, Head of the Institute of Plant Biochemistry, University of Düsseldorf.

Committee Discussion with Presenters

Session Two:

John Turner, Director, Environmental Risk Analysis Programs, Biotechnology Regulatory Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture–Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

William L. Jordan, Deputy Director for Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency– Office of Pesticide Programs.

Chris A. Wozniak, Biotechnology Special Assistant, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency–Office of Pesticide Programs.

Jason Dietz, Policy Analyst, Office of Food Additive Safety, Food and Drug Administration–Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Committee Discussion with Presenters

Session Three:

Sandy Endicott, Senior Agronomy Manager, DuPont Pioneer.

Ray Shillito, Research and Development Fellow, Bayer CropScience Impact on Production Agriculture.

Robb Fraley, Monsanto New Technologies.

Steve Webb, External Technology and Intellectual Property Portfolio Development Leader, Dow AgroSciences.

Committee Discussion with Presenters

Public Comment

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould
Richard Amasino
Dominique Brossard
Robin Buell
Richard Dixon
Jose Falck-Zepeda
Mike Gallo
Ken Giller
Leland Glenna
Tim Griffin
Bruce Hamaker
Dan Magraw
Carol Mallory-Smith
Kevin Pixley
Elizabeth Ransom
Michael Rodemeyer
David Stelly
Neal Stewart
Bob Whitaker

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Speakers for future meetings
Committee writing assignments

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Draft report outline

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

January 06, 2015

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

(202) 334-3062
jbriscoe@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

November 20, 2014

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Bruce Hamaker, Mike Gallo, Dan Magraw, Bob Whitaker, Michael Rodemeyer

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

March meeting agenda

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Draft agenda for March meeting

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

November 20, 2014

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Committee Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

November 12, 2014

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Carol Mallory-Smith, David Stelly, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Ken Giller, Kevin Pixley, Michael Rodemeyer, Mike Gallo, Neal Stewart, Robin Buell, Tim Griffin, Dan Magraw

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Next committee meeting
Chapter responsibilities
Future webinars

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Draft meeting agenda
Report outline
Statement of Task

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

November 12, 2014

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Closed

Committee Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

October 15, 2014

12:00 AM - 12:00 AM (ET)

Past

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Institution Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Richard Dixon, Mike Gallo, Kevin Pixley, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Carol Mallory-Smith, Michael Rodemeyer, Robin Buell, Tim Griffin, David Stelly, Bob Whitaker, Ken Giller, Kevin Pixley

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Report Outline

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Report Outline

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

October 23, 2014

Contact

Kara Laney

(202) 334-1954
klaney@nas.edu

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

Meeting

GE Crops Study: First Committee Meeting - September 15-17, 2014

September 15 - 17, 2014

Past

About

These are the archived videos of the presentations, discussions, and public comment periods from the two-day public meeting of the committee on September 15-16, 2014.

View Agenda

View Speaker Bios

Click the links below to view videos of the presentations and discussions.

Day 1

Welcome: Fred Gould, Committee Chair, University Distinguished Professor of Entomology and Codirector of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University

Study Process of the National Research Council: Kara Laney, Study Director, National Research Council

Committee Introductions

Session One:

Major Goodman, Member of the National Academy of Sciences and William Neal Reynolds and Distinguished University Professor of Crop Science, Statistics, Genetics, and Botany. bio

R. James Cook, Member of the National Academy of Sciences and Professor Emeritus, Washington State University. bio

Ian Baldwin, Member of the National Academy of Sciences and Professor, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology. bio

Committee Discussion with Presenters

Session Two:

Chuck Benbrook, Research Professor, Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University. bio

Glenn Stone, Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies, Washington University in St. Louis. bio

Hope Shand, Independent Consultant and Senior Advisor, Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC) Group. bio

Committee Discussion with Presenters

Public Comment

Day 2

Welcome: Fred Gould, Committee Chair, University Distinguished Professor of Entomology and Codirector of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University

Study Process of the National Research Council: Kara Laney, Study Director, National Research Council

Committee Introductions

Session Three:

Dietram Scheufele, Co-chair, National Research Council Roundtable on Public Interfaces of the Life Sciences and John E. Ross Professor in Science Communication, University of Wisconsin, Madison. bio

Jennifer Kuzma, Goodnight-Glaxo Wellcome Distinguished Professor and Codirector of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University. bio

Carmen Bain, Associate Professor of Sociology, Iowa State University. bio

Session Four:

Gilles-Éric Séralini, Professor of Molecular Biology, University of Caen, France, and Director of the Network on Risks, Quality, and Sustainable Environment. bio

Jeffrey Smith, Founding Executive Director, Institute for Responsible Technology. bio

Janet Cotter, Senior Scientist, Greenpeace International. bio

Committee Discussion with Presenters

Session Five:

Greg Jaffe, Director of the Project on Biotechnology, Center for Science in the Public Interest. bio

Jon Entine, Executive Director, Genetic Literacy Project, and Senior Fellow, World Food Center Institute for Food and Agricultural Literacy, University of California-Davis. bio

Doug Gurian-Sherman, Director of Sustainable Agriculture and Senior Scientist, Center for Food Safety. bio

Bill Freese, Science Policy Analyst, Center for Food Safety

Tamar Haspel, Journalist, The Washington Post. bio

Session Six:

Tim Schwab, Senior Researcher, Food & Water Watch. bio

Michael Hansen, Senior Staff Scientist, Consumers Union. bio

Lisa Griffith, Outreach Director, National Family Farm Coalition

Committee Discussion with Presenters

Public Comment

Additional Information

Is it a Closed Session event?

Partially Closed

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event

Fred Gould, Dominique Brossard, Robin Buell, Larry Busch, Richard Dixon, Jose Falck-Zepeda, Michael Gallo, Ken Giller, Tim Griffin, Bruce Hamaker, Peter Kareiva, Dan Magraw, Carol Mallory-Smith, Kevin Pixley, Michael Rodemeyer, David Stelly, Neal Stewart, Bob Whitaker

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

Statement of Task
Committee Composition
Report Structure

The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Draft Report Outline

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:

October 09, 2014

Contact

Jenna Briscoe

(202) 334-3062
jbriscoe@nas.edu

Location

National Academy of Sciences Building

2101 Constitution Ave NW

Washington DC 20418, USA

Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academies mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization that includes under its Charter the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, and that operates the National Research Council.

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Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Dropdown items

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Socioeconomic Issues in Developing Countries - May 13, 2015

GE Crops Study: Webinar on RNAi Technology - May 7, 2015

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Intellectual Property Issues - May 6, 2015

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Donor Organizations - April 30, 2015

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Genetically Engineered Quality Traits - April 21, 2015

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Genetically Engineered Crops and the Microbiome - April 6, 2015

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Genetically Engineered Trees - March 27, 2015

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Socioeconomic Issues in Industrialized Countries Related to Genetically Engineered Crops - March 19, 2015

GE Crops Study: Workshop on Comparing the Environmental Effects of Pest Management Practices Across Cropping Systems - March 6, 2015

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Revisiting the 2004 NRC Report - February 26, 2015

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Social Science Research on GE Crop Adoption and Acceptance - February 4, 2015

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Plant Breeding - January 27, 2015

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Genetically Engineered Disease Resistance in Crops - November 6, 2014

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Perspectives from US Agricultural Extension - October 22, 2014

GE Crops Study: Webinar on International Trade - October 8, 2014

GE Crops Study: Webinar on Perspectives on GE Crops from US Agricultural Extension - October 1, 2014

GE Crops Study: Report Release Event - May 17, 2016

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Closed Meeting: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

GE Crops Study: Third Committee Meeting on Food Safety - March 5, 2015

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

GE Crops Study: Second Committee Meeting - December 10-11, 2014

Conference Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Committee Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

Committee Call: Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects

GE Crops Study: First Committee Meeting - September 15-17, 2014