GES Center Lectures, NC State University

Microbiomes at the Roots of Environmental and Social Justice Withers 331 +  Zoom  |  Dr. Choudoir explores the role of soil microbiomes in sustainable agriculture and why their conservation is essential for environmental and social justice. Download seminar flyer Mallory Choudoir, PhD Assistant Professor & Soil Microbiome Extension Specialist at NC State University  |  Profile  |  Lab Dr. Mall...

Eugenics before Genetics Withers 331 +  Zoom  |  Historical examination of the societal concerns, current ideas and practices, and disciplines that created the context in the early 20th century for the enthusiastic engagement of geneticists in the eugenics movement. Download seminar flyer William Kimler, PhD Associate Professor of History at NC State University  |  Profile William (Will) Kimler is...

<h5> SPRING SEMINAR SERIES </h5> Navigating Consumer Perceptions for Emerging Ag Tech: Considerations for Outreach, Engagement, and Communication How agricultural science communication can move beyond traditional, deficit models to engage diverse audiences through dialogue-based strategies aligned with Cooperative Extension’s founding mission. Download seminar flyer Katie Sanders, PhD...

Regulating genetic-based vector control towards malaria elimination in Africa: Key considerations, challenges and opportunities Zoom | Genetic-based approaches offer promising solutions for malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Clear regulations and public acceptance are essential for their success. Download seminar flyer Moussa Savadogo, PhD Senior Research Fellow at the African Institute for Developmen...

Herding Cats: Responsible Innovation for Sterilizing Cats in New Zealand Hybrid | GES 508 students apply the Responsible Research and Innovation framework to a hypothetical gene therapy project for cat sterilization supporting New Zealand’s Predator Free 2050 goal. Final GES Colloquium of the semester! Abstract Join us for a student-led presentation exploring the Responsible Research and Innovatio...

Genetic Engineering and the Politics of Development in Ghana Joeva Sean Rock, PhD Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Stony Brook University  |  Profile Dr. Joeva Sean Rock is an assistant professor of anthropology at Stony Brook University. Her research utilizes ethnographic methods and interdisciplinary collaborations to examine agricultural biotechnologies, the politics of development, and f...

AI for crisis communication: Challenges and opportunities An exploration of AI’s role in managing organization-public relationships during crises, highlighting innovative applications and the challenges of implementation. Yang (Alice) Cheng, PhD Associate Professor and University Faculty Scholar in Communications, NC State University  |  Profile  |  ResearchGate  |  LinkedIn  |  Google Scholar Dr....

Fall Seminar Series GE American Chestnut: Counting Chestnuts Before They Ripen Hybrid | Explore the scientific, ethical, and environmental issues which have impacted research, release, and deregulation of a transgenic American chestnut. Sara Fern Fitzsimmons, MS Chief Conservation Officer at The American Chestnut Foundation / Penn State University | Profile Sara Fern Fitzsimmons has worked at Penn...

Crossing Kingdoms: An Experiment in (Ir)responsible Research? Zoom Only | An artist-led interdisciplinary experiment with risky science led to boundary-challenging conclusions about what responsibility looks like in responsible research. Erika Szymanski, PhD Associate Professor of Rhetoric of Science at Colorado State University | Profile Dr. Erika Szymanski is an associate professor of rhetoric o...

Engineering Vibrio natriegens for remediation of PET plastics Hybrid | This talk covers our recent efforts to engineer the saltwater microbe Vibrio natriegens to break down PET plastics and eat the breakdown products. Nathan Crook, PhD Assistant Professor at NC State University | Profile Dr. Crook received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2009, and hi...

Gene Drive Mosquitoes for Malaria Control: The Governance Challenges Zoom Only  |  Gene Drive Mosquitoes for Malaria Control  is a short documentary film beautifully shot in Uganda, exploring Ugandan stakeholders’ hopes for gene drive mosquitoes – a radical new tool potentially offering a way to eliminate or change the mosquitoes that cause malaria. Sarah Hartley, PhD Professor of Technology Gover...

Fall Seminar Series Exploring Experts’ Uncertainties in Gene Drive Technology for Agricultural Pest Control in the U.S.: A Qualitative Study Zoom Only  |  This qualitative study investigates the uncertainties and diverse perspectives of experts regarding the potential use of gene drive technology for agricultural pest control in the U.S., focusing on policy preferences and governance consideration...

Science Policy, Soft Power, and Responsible Development: Reflections on the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship at the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office Hybrid  |  Jason Delborne spent the 2023-24 academic year as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in Washington, DC, working at the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office Jason Delborne, PhD Professor at NC State...

Final GES Colloquium podcast of Spring 2024 Investigating the societal and ethical implications of synthetic cells Barbara Herr Harthorn, PhD , Research Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara Profile | DOWNLOAD SEMINAR POSTER This talk introduces 3 ongoing NSF-funded collaborative interdisciplinary projects investigating US public and expert views on bottom-up synthetic...

Gene technology in aquaculture: Potential, constraints, and first products to commercialization <h4>Eric Hallerman, PhD, Emeritus Professor, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech University</h4> While aquaculture biotechnology has the potential to improve the sustainability of aquaculture, its realization will depend upon enabling public policy. Download seminar p...

How essences distort our understanding of genes: Implications for eugenics and GMO attitudes <h4> Steven Heine, PhD , Professor of Cultural & Social Psychology, University of British Columbia</h4> Profile  |  @StevenHeine4 How psychological biases of essentialism distort the ways people understand genetics, eugenics, and GMO products. <h5> Download seminar poster  </h5>...

Eugenics and the Welfare State in North Carolina + Anna Krome-Lukens , PhD , Teaching Associate Professor, Public Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill Profile | Download seminar poster In North Carolina, social reformers and welfare officials relied on eugenics ideology as they built the welfare state before the New Deal, with lasting effects for our contemporary definitions of citizenship. Abstract Between...

Caring for the Enemy, Killing the Ally: The More-than-Human Politics of Transgenic Mosquitoes in Brazil <h4>Luisa Reis-Castro, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Southern California</h4> Profile | X | Bluesky | Download Seminar Poster This talk, based on ethnographic research with scientists and technicians working with transgenic mosquitoes in Brazil, examin...

Local seeds and global needs: Ethnobotany, agroecology, and the history of in situ conservation of agrobiodiversity <h4> Helen Anne Curry, PhD , Melvin Kranzberg Professor in the History of Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology</h4> Website | @TechHSOC This talk will explore how insights from Indigenous agricultural practices, both past and present, can inform global efforts to c...

Indigenous Perspectives on Synthetic Biology for Conservation <h4> Kirsty Wissing, PhD , Research Fellow, Australian National University | Profile </h4> A discussion of synthetic biology and Torres Strait Islanders, bringing their perspectives into conversation to explore cultural implications for future island-bound applications of genetic biocontrol technologies, such as gene drives....

Ecological and evolutionary perspectives on genetic engineering <h4> David Andow, PhD ,  Professor and Department Head, Applied Ecology, NC State University | Profile | @NCStateAEC </h4> Ecological and evolutionary perspectives have greatly influenced the development of genetic engineering as exemplified by significant events from history. <h5> Download seminar poster [icon name=...

From Plants to People: Mendelian Eugenics in NC in the 20th Century Grace Wiedrich , CRDM PhD Student, NC State University The Mendelian eugenics movement in NC provides a useful case study into the lasting impact of over-generalized genetic theory on governments, medical professionals, and activists. <h5> Download seminar poster  </h5> Abstract The history of eugenics in the United St...

Public Engagement: Missing the Mark? <h4> Katie Barnhill, PhD , Senior Research Scholar, GES Center, NC State |  Profile  |  Google Scholar </h4> Scholars and funders alike have increasingly recognized engagement as an important dimension of innovation, but is engagement accomplishing what we think it is? <h5> Download seminar poster  </h5> Abstract Emerging environmental b...

Final seminar of the fall 2023 semester! Join us again in early January, 2024. From containment to connectivity: an oceanic approach to gene drive governance Riley Taitingfong, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Native Nations Institute, University of Arizona Profile  |  LinkedIn  |  @riley_ilyse An exploration of the containment paradigm in gene drive research and discourse, drawing on feminist...

American farmers in the Brazilian Cerrado: A comparative ethnography of the soy boom Andrew Ofstehage, Program Coordinator of CALS International Programs at NC State University Profile  |  Website A look at the farming strategies of two communities of North American farmers in Brazil and how they make sense of thorny subjects such as farmland financialization, genetically engineered crops, and lab...