Dear Colleagues, As you know, there is substantial fear of GMO technology both within commercial and public spheres. Recently, companies like Chipotle and initiatives such as the Non-GMO Project (representing over 4,500 non-GMO brands) have cited a petition of 300 scientists that claim there is no consensus regarding the scientific safety of GMOs. A group of scientists and myself have organized a petition … Read more
The New York Times published the following letter to the editor from ASPB on October 30, 2015. ASPB’s letter was in response to the October 24th article by Mark Lynas, the political director for the Cornell Alliance for Science. In his piece, Lynas laments that due to “Europe’s Coalition of the Ignorant, we are witnessing … Read more
The White House Office has announced a major effort to update the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology and they are seeking comments to inform the revisions. Because the federal comment website can be cumbersome, we will collect your comments here and submit them on your behalf. Your comments will become part of the … Read more
On October 16, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a Request for Information (RFI) on “Clarifying Current Roles and Responsibilities Described in the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology and Developing a Long-Term Strategy for the Regulation of the Products of Biotechnology” and announced a public meeting. This is the next step in … Read more
ASPB is a co-sponsor of this seminar: Process food labeling, the role of social media in communicating about genetic engineering and implications for agricultural producers and consumers will be addressed at National C-FAR’s research seminar on Monday, October 5, offered at 10 a.m. in 328A Russell Senate Office Building and again at noon in 1300 … Read more
Critical discussion and debate is a powerful tool for honing scientific ideas and developing public policy. Intellectual disagreements can be constructive even when people have starkly contrasting views. However, too often in our internet and social media-fueled age, honest disagreements degrade into name calling, ad hominem attacks, threats and bullying. When that happens, people are … Read more
ASPB joins AIBS letter to Senate Commerce on reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. Through competitive, peer-reviewed research grants, the NSF funds discoveries that will help to solve the most challenging problems facing society. NSF research, education, and training programs lead to new patents, prepare a highly skilled workforce, and stimulate the creation of new … Read more
ASPB joins AFRI Coalition letter to Senate Ag Appropriators on FY 2016 AFRI funding. We write on behalf of the AFRI Coalition’s broad and diverse collection of organizations, scientific societies and interest groups, to urge your support for increased funding for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) in the final Senate agriculture funding bill. … Read more
ASPB welcomes Dr. Sally Rockey as the first Executive Director of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR). ASPB is extremely excited about the creation of FFAR and the enormous potential that it represents to invigorate the nation’s food and agricultural research enterprise. As ASPB and other organizations continue to urge congressional support for … Read more
On Thursday, July 2nd, 2015, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) ordered a review the regulatory policies for biotechnology products. ASPB welcomes this opportunity to engage both OSTP and the relevant federal agencies. The administration’s efforts, which will cover both agricultural and biomedical products, will seek to improve public confidence in the … Read more
The following letter was sent to our USA members in regards to the Cornell Alliance for Science petition. This issue is extremely important regarding transparency concerning publicly-funded research and scientific investigations. Please read below to help support the plant science and research community with this issue. On January 28th, 2015, 14 scientists from four universities were targeted … Read more
One morning in early February I received an unusual email. It was from my colleague here at University of Florida, Dr. David Oppenheimer. It simply said, “FYI”, and was followed by a note from university General Counsel that email records were demanded back to 2012 under auspices of Florida Sunshine, or Freedom of Information Act … Read more
We are pleased to announce that our nominee, Channapatna Prakash of Tuskegee University, was named the 2015 Borlaug Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) Communication Award for outstanding efforts using his research and communication skills to promote food production. The announcement was made this morning at a National Press Club event in Washington, DC. Borlaug … Read more
Time to Speak Up It is an honor to be elected your new president and to work in support of our common goals. It has been a productive year as president-elect, and it is a pleasure to share timely thoughts with you here. No question: This is an exciting time to be a plant scientist. … Read more
By Benjamin Schwessinger with figures by Kelsey Wood (This is a guest blog post; the opinions do not necessarily represent those of ASPB.) It can be pretty scary starting your postdoc. Suddenly, you are not a student anymore. You are on your own. You need to figure it all by yourself. This is especially true … Read more
Dear US ASPB members: A very important report, “Spurring Innovation in Food and Agriculture: A review of the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Program,” was recently published by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences. A large portion of the researchers in our community are, have been, or will … Read more
In 1962, when I was born, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere stood at 316 parts per million (ppm). Now nearly 52 years later, the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has reached 400 ppm. I can’t see it, taste it or feel it but through the power of science I know it … Read more
On December 3rd, 2013, the National Plant Science Council partnered with the American Chemical Society; the Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies; and the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) to co-host a briefing on the report Unleashing a Decade of Innovation in Plant Science: A Vision for 2015-2025. The briefing was also … Read more
Last week marked the end of the first partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government since the Clinton administration. In the final days of the impasse, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) were able to broker a deal to reopen the government and raise the debt limit. The deal … Read more