The MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources will host Our Table, a free conversation on the science behind GMOs, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 25, in the MSU Molecular Plant Sciences Building, room 1200. Tours of a lab in the plant, soil and microbial sciences department will start at 4 p.m.
Our Table is a series of science-based community conversations designed to give consumers the tools they need to make more informed food choices. It is part an initiative led by MSU AgBioResearch, a group of 340 researchers from eight colleges across campus.
The Our Table discussions encourage meaningful dialogue designed to bridge the gap between the public and experts in agriculture and food.
“Our approach to communicating research needs to change – we must take more time to listen,” said Doug Buhler, director of MSU AgBioResearch. “As scientists, we are often uncomfortable in that role and more comfortable sharing our knowledge and informing others. While that’s important, this initiative is focused on listening, because often the most uncomfortable circumstances lead to some of the most important discoveries and breakthroughs.”
Panelists for the GMO conversation are:
- Alison Bernstein, assistant professor, MSU College of Human Medicine, and founder, Science Moms
- Jennifer Carter-Johnson, associate professor, MSU College of Law
- Paul Thompson, MSU W.K. Kellogg Chair in Agricultural, Food and Community Ethics
- Felicia Wu, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor, MSU Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, and MSU Department of Food Science
“In this panel, we who have worked with the science of agricultural biotechnology and have also worked in the governmental agencies that regulate GMOs hope to be able to listen well to public concerns, and to describe — in the best way we can — the science behind agricultural biotechnology and how its safety is regulated,” Wu said.
Online registration is encouraged, but not required. You can register at events.anr.msu.edu/ourtablegmos.
For more information on Our Table events, visit food.msu.edu.
